1979 v-20 i/o

[MrBill]

Hello fellow v-20 owners,

I just purchased a 1979 V-20 with a Mercruiser 165 I/O (118 hours according to the meter). No pics yet, still working on the cleanup phase. Some of the gallery pics of restored and customized V-20's is what made my final decision about making the purchase. Some of you guys have done a great job with these beauties.

She is in fair condition but will require some minor fiberglass/gelcoat work. The motor seems strong, when I get it running (on muffs), but the choke on the carb doesn't seem to work properly, and even once up to near running temps, the motor will not idle without some throttling. I have had to remove the throttle control linkage to let her warm up properly. Trying to start her with the linkage attached is difficult at best, and I'm unsure if it's wise to have the prop spinning with just muffs on and since there is no seperate throttle control I felt it was safer to run her this way.

While I feel confident that I can put a kit on the carb which undoubtedly needs done, I am going to take her to the mechanic next week to make certain that the linkages are all set properly.

I am unsure how large the fuel tank is, though I believe the base model that year shipped with a 46 gallon tank. Does anyone know what sort of fuel economy I can expect with this motor? I'm hoping she'll have enough range to do some offshore fishing out of Galveston, TX.

[RWilson2526]

Congratulations on the new purchase....welcome to the site....There's a new rule around here...if you dont post pics within 2 weeks you're out!:haha:

Cant help you on the fuel economy but cant you pull the throttle handle out towards the center of the boat to disengage the prop? Thats the way my 87 mercruiser worked but maybe they didnt do it that way in 79?

Anyway...good luck with the boat

[MrBill]

Perhaps, I'll have to look at it when I get home.

My only other boat is a 1957 Whitehouse Sabre with a 1963 Gale 40HP outboard. The control for this has 2 levers so I'm unfamiliar with the single lever controls.

[Road King Cole]

Congratulations on the new purchase....welcome to the site....There's a new rule around here...if you dont post pics within 2 weeks you're out!:haha:

Cant help you on the fuel economy but cant you pull the throttle handle out towards the center of the boat to disengage the prop? Thats the way my 87 mercruiser worked but maybe they didnt do it that way in 79?

Anyway...good luck with the boat


You know the other new guy (racrX7) posted pictures on HIS FIRST THREAD!

No pressure!!!

Welcome to the site!

btw, my control has sliding switch on the throttle handle, slide it up while moving it forward to keep it in neutral.

Good Luck!

rkc

[MrBill]

I'm sorry for the lack of pics, I'll get some soon. I'm focusing on some mechanical issues and pics are lower on my list of priorities.

Thanks for the suggestion re: the throttle switch. Once suggested I found a black button at the base of the throttle control which disengages the prop. At first glance it simply looks to be a plastic screw head cover.

I have received the carb rebuild kit and will be removing and disassembling the carb tonight and allowing the parts to soak overnight.

I've been leaving the boat under a cover since a storm a few nights ago. After the storm I noticed the battery compartments were full of water. Inspection showed 2 holes in the aft deck which are draining directly into the battery "wells". I assume these should have been plumbed to drain into the bilge. I will be addressing this in some fashion soon. In the meantime I have installed plugs in the existing holes to prevent future flooding of the battery wells.

While bailing out the areas, I noticed the previous owner had installed an automotive electric fuel pump, inline and bypassed the mechanical fuel pump. I don't feel comfortable with non-marine fuel items so have re-connected the mechanical pump. Testing indicates the pump doesn't work. I have ordered a replacement which should be delivered tomorrow.

Provided all goes well, I hope to get her on the water for a mechanical shakedown this weekend.

In reference to my tank size, When I purchased the boat the fuel guage showed 1/4 tank when the deck was level. I pumped out 25 gallons and the guage now reads just below E. Did Wellcraft offer tanks over 60 gallons as an option? I'll have to fill her up to know for sure, but the guage readings and the fuel removed seem to indicate a capacity between 80-100 gallons.

This seems large, but I suppose it could have been an upgrade. The top of the tank measures ~60 inches x ~30 inches. It's hard to get exact measurements since the tank is foamed in place, obscuring much of the tank.

Still noone with a MC-165 who can give some input as to fuel economy?

Hopefully, I'll have some pics this weekend from the shakedown tour.

[MrBill]

So far have the Carb rebuilt, the fuel pump replaced and several keel rollers replaced on the trailer. The choke doesn't seem to be operating properly, though I suspect I can get by without it for now.

I have made some temprorary repairs where the deck was draining into the batter compartments. Some thru-hull fittings and some appropriatly sized pex tubing now drain the deck into the bilge for now.

The bow rail fittings were in bad shape so I removed them. One of the fittings had managed to cut a circle of glass/gelcoat out allowing water to seep into the plywood at the bow. This will be replaced soon. For now, the bow is naked.

I need to add another keel roller near the front of the trailer, a carpeted piece of 2x6 was mounted there and the bracket has been twisted, allowing the keel to ride directly on the metal of the trailer.

I'm still hopefull that I can get the boat to the lake for a test run while the weather is nice.

[macojoe]

I had the same set up in my 1975, but with side tanks at 20 gal each. For the choke I just put a hand choke and problem solved!!
You can put the knob on the rear bulk head or like i did, I opened the engin cover all the time before starting as I was afraid of fumes, so I pulled the choke started after a few min set the choke closed the cover and I was good fo the day.

46 in the early years and 60 later on, wellcraft never offered anything bigger in the v20.

good luck

[racrx7]

Welcome aboard MrBill. Cant help but think of the little red playdoh guy from old SNL shows..oh oh ohhhhhhhhh lol. Does your choke use a linkage that goes into the intake manifold? Or do you have the round black oreo cookie looking choke actuator mounted on the side of the card. Either way, you should be able to install an electric choke conversion on it as an option.

Good luck!!

[spareparts]

those chokes will wrok right if the choke coil is good. When you finish the carb, set the choke so its just enough to keep it closed all the way when cold, then tighten it about 3/16 more. The chokes on marine engines will help start it when cold, but remember, they don't have a fast idle circut, you will have to advance the throttle to keep it running till it warms up(the button in the shifter). Starting procedure should be, spin it over a few times, pump the throttle three times(with out the engine spinning over), leave the throttle in the fast idle position(about 11:00), spin it over again till it fires, if it doesn't pump the throttle again three times, then spin it over. repeat process till it fires up, it will probably die off after the first tiem, just pump it twice and try again. Don't pump the throttle while the engine is spinning over, it will just flood the engine

[willy]

Congrats, looking forward to seeing it

[RWilson2526]

A handful of guys have a naked bow and really like it.....I do like the look as well but not enough to remove my perfectly good bow rail....definitely and option to leave it off.

[randlemanboater]

Congrats on the new boat and welcome to the site.

I've heard those motors are very efficient, but can't recall the exact numbers I've seen....try a search and see what you get.