I have a chance to get a great deal on the above boat! Is there anything i should look out for? Please let me know if there is anything to this particular brand i should look out for! Josh
Josh, Yes there is a lot to look out for. Please give us all the info you have on the boat and a sense of your knowledge of boat construction. What outdrive is on it? Where is it located? Where are you located? Maybe someone is near enough to look at it. The boat is over 30 years old and could be anywhere from good to terrible. There is a link to a picture of my boat in another thread. I spent enough money on that boat to buy a new one. It was an I/O and I operated it that way for years. In my opinion the I/O converted to an outboard is a an excellent boat. jim
well I'm in Colorado Springs, Colorado The boat is in Palmer lake, Colorado. I have been around boats all my life, I grew up in Florida, I have check the hull and flooring, I can't find any spongy or soft spots! The only problem that I see is that the wood where they join the top and bottom half together need some work! It has a Mercruiser outdrive on it! not sure of the nodel looks like it is original. The engien is what scares me, the person that has the boat got it just for the engine so he could put it in another boat, so this engine that is in it is form the other boat, it ia an 888 mercruiser engine, I'm trying to see what engine it had originally. from my research the boat is a balsa wood sandwich construction, form what i can se and feel it appears to be in good order. I'll post the hull number later to see if there is any other info out there that you guys can dig up! My brother said if the engine and outdrive is shot it would be cost lest money to just turn it into an outboard. He will be helping me do the work, He works on the side repairing boats down in Mobile, AL. I'm looking at it as a investment, if I can't get it to be water worthy then I"m going to part it out! I'm gettin gthe boat for about $150 with a good trailer. that is abotu where I'm at now, Just trying to see if i want to spend my time! The boat was originally form Wisconsin. here is a pic of the boat, I'll try to get some more pasted. <a href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/funrunner86/detail?.dir=/28aascd&.dnm=b714scd.jpg&.src=ph" target="_blank">http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/funrunner ... pg&.src=ph</a> Josh[/img]
Josh For my money, I'd scratch the I/O and convert it to an outboard. It would be a much better boat. Jim is basically an expert in this area - he can tell you what to do. As for the rotted wood in inside the shoebox joint where the deck meets the hull, that is a problem on these boats. When I bought my 73 outboard Hydrodyne, that wood was nearly all rotted away. Here's the problem. The deck is attached to the hull with alum. rivets that go through the plywood strip that is rotting. Then, on the inside of the boat, the deck and hull are glassed together with a single layer of glass. On my boat, I spent 2 days on my back and ground off that glass layer, drilled out the rivets, and separated the deck and hull. That is a hell of a lot of work but warranted with my boat because the gunwale support wood unde the deck was dry-rotted and all had to be replaced (which is much easier with the deck off and upside down). In your case, you may or may not need to remove the deck to redo the transom (ask Jim). If you don't remove the deck, then the problem you run into is figuring out how to put a new wood strip into the gap in the shoebox joint, because the rivets will be in your way (not to mention the remaining solid scraps of wood). That wood, by the way, is 1/2 plywood coated with a layer of resin. One option is to fill that void with a minimum expanding closed cell foam. However, this will not be as strong. I replaced mine with new pressure treated plywood covered by vinylester fairing compound but that is really only possible if you remove all the rivets and replace them (because they need to go through the plywood stips). At the bow, you have to partial-cut slits in the wood and soak it in water in order to get it to make the bend around the front of the boat. I have complete detail photos of this stuff which I can share with you down the line if you get into your project. That boat looks pretty original. I'd buy it in a flash for $150, regardless of the engine. Good luck!
Josh, An 888 mercruiser is a 302 ford with a two barrel carb rated at 188hp. It is an excellent boat engine, light and smooth. If you have all the marine stuff on it they are not hard to rebuild and used ones are plentiful. Just make sure to use all marine accessories. The lower unit cost $1000 to rebuild 12 years ago. I have not done one since. The parts are plentiful for it. Be very careful about buying a rebuilt one exchange unless you know who you are dealing with. A replacement rub rail is now available however I like mine better which is correctcraft with the rope insert. You can check the hull for water and balsa separation by tapping on it with a wood mallet or the butt end of a wood handled hammer or something similar. A separation or water has a "dead" sound. If the boat can be buffed out with the original gelcoat the job would not be too expensive. I would be tempted to cut into the floor at the stern under the deck to check for water or rot. That it where it usually starts first in the I/O I ran mine as an I/O for 6 years, then I converted it to an outboard. Everything got better and it is a different boat. MUCH BETTER If you want to see what it would look like see the link to the picture in the thread "dyne 18". You would drop about 500 pounds which is a ton in an 18ft boat. Take a look at the built in ski pole in the 20 dyne. I would be tempted to go that way, and you could use rear seats. In my opinion you want the lightest possible engine on it for best handling. If you tell me what HP you have in mind I might have a recommendation for you. jim
thanks for the help and all the sugestions! I'm working on the price when them! I hope i can get it but money is tight right now!! I need to win the lottery lol. If i can get it I will def keep you updated when I start tearing into it!! Thanks Josh
thanks again! I talk to them today and It is mine! I'm going ot pick it up later this week! $150 I see it this way at the least if I can't do anything with the boat i can get mor than my money for the trailer and parting it out! But I would love to fix it and run it! i found an online marine shop that builds Hi-po 4.3 engine! $3000 and I can have 275hp and 300tq and make more room inside the boat!! thanks guys I will get more picks up when i get it and clean it up a bit!! Josh
Well I got her last night! $150 and now all i have to do is put it back together! Ill get some pictures posted soon! Josh <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="Very Happy" title="Very Happy" />
Just a little heads up. A hole in the drive shaft or shifter rubber diaphram will sink the boat. If it was stored with the drive up it stresses those parts. jim
Yeah I can see where that would suck!!! The drive was taken off when the engine was switched out! the original engine was a 235hp 302. the last owners took that and put it in one of there other boats! here are some pics that I took the other night after i brough tit home! <a href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/funrunner86/album?.dir=28aascd" target="_blank">http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/funrunner ... ir=28aascd</a> the picture of the engine is the original engine that was put in the other boat! I will have ot get som epics of the engine that is in the boat now! let me know what you think. josh
