Hello new guy here and new to boats in general. I love the classic boats just like I love classic cars. I found a 1968 Hydrodyne I/O interceptor engine and eaton outdrive. The boat was taken well cared of...always garaged never in the weather not even rained on. Paint is just beautiful. The boat has been stored since 1989 in a garage and under a cover. Owner says he pulled the plugs and put oil in the cylinders when he put it up in 89 and its been there since. Im not to concerned about the engine...im a mechanic by trade..its what i do for a living. My big concern is the eaton outdrive. ALL my research that ive done.....i cant find anyone that makes parts for it. I can fix most anything but without parts i would be dead in the water ...literally! Converting it to a newer outdrive or to an outboard is a lot of work and i have no fiberglass experience. The buy in price....ill just say its less than a grand. The seats dash and everything in the boat look like new. Could this boat be hiding something?....how can i tell if the wood core is wet? Should I pass on it? The outdrive has me scared....i know in a car if it breaks down you just coast to the side of the road. Losing power in a boat this size on a huge lake would be a nightmare or worse having it sink.
Ok....I'll bite/respond. Don't have any history with the eaton outdrives or the chrysler (assuming) interceptor but if the hull and interior are in nice usuable shape, a swap for a newer mercruiser would take away the question marks regarding availiability of parts and overall reliability. I had a 75 18 i/o with a mercruiser 233 HP and a mercruiser one (pre alpha) and never had a problem finding what I needed. The transom through-hull opening would need to be done professionally but would remove the parts availability issues. My current 20 has an 260 HP alpha one wand there are a ton of parts available. As to the core and potenital for water intrusion, the pre-70 hulls did not use end-grain balsa and took on water if left to weather. I have skied and driven behind a pre-70 HD 18 and it was very heavy and handled like a POS. You could take the rig to a scale and weight it and see if it comes in with a reasonable variance. A couple ads are attached that reference what the 18 should weigh without a trailer. Some pics of the rig (boat and trailer) would help to see what you may be getting into but for south if $1K, doesn't sound like you will get hurt if the hull is usable. KTB-
The hull being usable is the key. Since you are a mechanic the drive is where you can make this happen. Kevin's response is spot on - replace the Eaton drive and engine. I do not have the knowledge that transom modifications would require but if the hull is good it would be well within your expertise to put a modern or close motor and outdrive in. Going back to the hull... Jim outlined a Tap Test... take a hammer and lightly tap the bottom of the hull in the center where damage is suspected (towards the back of the boat) and repeat where you are pretty sure there is no damage such as where the core is under the driver's seat. If it sounds different you have a problem. Transomes and cores is where you will find problems. There must be some screws or bolts in the transome that could easily be removed such as outdrive lower unit attachment points. Take one bolt out and see what is in there as far as the wood goes. If you see any evidence of rot in the transom it would be a safe bet that the core is shot - a major job.
Based on the pics provided and if it has not been restored, $750 is not a lot of money for this boat in my humble opinion (IMHO). You might request an on-water preview before purchasing. Kevin-
Daren, If you share the area where you live, we might be able to give you help. The core in that boat is balsa with the grain running length wise to the hull. A balsa filament is about 32 inches long. If a little water gets in around a fastener, it can travel the length of the filament. It can then infiltrate the adjacent filament and spread. This is why the newer boats (about 73 on) have end grain balsa core. The grain runs vertically and is only about 1 inch long. The pieces are dipped in resin before installation to help prevent spreading. At the same time, a raised flat floor was used. This gives a surface to mount seats etc without invading the core with fasteners. This pretty much eliminated the soaked core syndrome. This is why I encourage people that rebuild these boats to use end grain core. If you can determine that the core is sound and buy the boat, you should probably at least reseal all the fasteners that are into the core and keep it out of the rain. Better yet install a flat floor and still keep it out of the rain. If the core does get wet the price to HAVE IT REPLACED WILL EXCEED THE PRICE OF A NEW BOAT. The cheapest way to get a new drive and engine assembly is probably buy a late model wrecked boat if you decide to go that way. The inherent risks with the drive and hull are the reason the price is so low. jim
