# New Cowling for the F70



## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

I finally found a new cowling for my motor. No decals. Trying to decide whether it's worth the money and trouble to find a set of Yamaha graphics or just leave it "naked".


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

If you are wanting an opinion I say yes, do the authentic decals then wax it immediately.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

I pulled the decals off my truck cheesy 4x4 stickers ,i prefer to see the paint,so i wouldnt bother with decals but agree with smack wax it when you get it and ever so often after that 👍😎 when they see the paint they know its a yamaha 😉


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

I’d go with decals.
I recently repaired and painted a Yamaha cowling. For current models Yamaha has the decals at about $125 or so for the set. Bigger motors are more. There are aftermarket decals out there too, maybe a little less money. I think the motor looks better with than without. You also have a chance at making your own custom color scheme with the aftermarket guys.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Thanks, guys. I was thinking of putting the 250 decals on it! .


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Side graphics are $32.91 per side from Boats.net


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

DBStoots said:


> Side graphics are $32.91 per side from Boats.net


No brainer if you ask me! Just make sure they are straight as an arrow or my OCD will hunt you down and redo them...🤣


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## efi2712micro (Sep 17, 2015)

Hank said:


> I’d go with decals.
> I recently repaired and painted a Yamaha cowling. For current models Yamaha has the decals at about $125 or so for the set. Bigger motors are more. There are aftermarket decals out there too, maybe a little less money. I think the motor looks better with than without. You also have a chance at making your own custom color scheme with the aftermarket guys.


How big of a job is repair on top of the cowling? Mine is damaged from the polling platform and did a temp fix job. Wonder if best to repair or replace. Either one, I would out the decals. Matter of personal preference I guess


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## Copahee Hound (Dec 21, 2017)

Factory decals won't catch more fish DB! Leave it alone


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

DB is a straight up, God-fearing, spit and polish, shiny and 4.0 kinda guy.... $10 says he puts the factory stickers on her!!! lol


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

efi2712micro said:


> How big of a job is repair on top of the cowling? Mine is damaged from the polling platform and did a temp fix job. Wonder if best to repair or replace. Either one, I would out the decals. Matter of personal preference I guess


My cowling had a rough life before I got the motor. There were cracks around the port for the starter cord and a few missing chips. The cowling had come off the boat a couple of times and had some road rash! The catch for the rear latch was broken and had to be replaced. 

I used West System epoxy and 10 oz. fiberglass cloth to repair the cracks, chips, gouges and scuffs. I used sponges and plastic sheeting as forms to build smooth contours on the internal repairs around the starter hole.

Getting the old decals off was maybe the hardest aggravating part. The epoxy work was just slow and steady step by step. You won’t do a major repair in one day or even a weekend.

When smooth I gave it a couple coats of 2k primer, sanded some more and then sprayed with 2k paint and clear coat. There was a learning curve to the painting and I will admit to a couple of re-do to fix my mistakes. With modern 2k paint systems you have to follow the instructions - its not like spraying varnish or lacquer.

All in I have about $175 in the repair. Three fourths of that was paint. I already had epoxy and glass. Decals will get me to about $300 all in. A new cowling is about $750 for my motor. The fix would be about the same for any motor so this kind of repair can have an even better payback on big motors.

If you have some experience and proper tools this can be worthwhile. If not, just buy a new cowling.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Hank said:


> My cowling had a rough life before I got the motor. There were cracks around the port for the starter cord and a few missing chips. The cowling had come off the boat a couple of times and had some road rash! The catch for the rear latch was broken and had to be replaced.
> 
> I used West System epoxy and 10 oz. fiberglass cloth to repair the cracks, chips, gouges and scuffs. I used sponges and plastic sheeting as forms to build smooth contours on the internal repairs around the starter hole.
> 
> ...


Hank, want to take on another project?


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

Pretty sure I made about $2.75/ hour on that project, so no thanks!
But ask any questions you want and I will try to keep you pointed in the right direction. I’ve done a good bit of this kind of thing.

If you read up on the repair part, you can probably do it yourself. And there is probably an auto body shop who would spray it for you.



https://www.epoxyworks.com/



Is a great resource for all kinds of epoxy work. Lots of boat stuff there and hours of reading if you are inclined. Tools needed for this are pretty simple and inexpensive. Mostly elbow grease. Especially compared to a boat.

One of these will fix most any fiberglass (or whatever they are made of) cowling.

https://www.westsystem.com/fiberglass-boat-repair-kit/


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