Dissapointed Wellcraft Owner...

[cliffpaul2]

On Sunday I took the boat out for it's first trip since buying it and restoring it for four months. *It is a 1980 V-20 with a 305 Chevy I/O and a Volvo Penta outdrive. *I paid $5200 for it and have invested at least that much in repairs and upgrades.

I was disappointed to notice that it pulls to the left A LOT when I'm on plane. *

Now I'll skip ahead about five days. *

I just took it to the mechanic, who determined on the spot *that the outdrive was mounted crooked by the factory in 1980. *To give you an idea, the bottom mounting holes are different distances from the bottom of the transom by 1/2 inch! *Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed about this news. *

Until now I had heard nothing but great things about the V-20 and about Wellcraft boats. *All I can say is:

*What kind of idiot boat assembly worker could let this happen? *And...
*Where was the attention to detail by Wellcraft, who should have inspected and corrected it before it was ever sold. *And...
*Why didn't the original owner return it to the manufacturer while it was still under warranty? *And...
*How could the second owner have sold this boat to me without revealing such a major defect?

Well I guess that's quite a lot to say, but what the hell, I'm venting.

Besides pulling the motor and altering the transom so that the holes line up, the only fix that the mechanic recommended was to change the rotation of the prop. *This is apparently a fairly easy thing to do to a Volvo outdrive, but I'll have to buy a new prop for $300 and I'm not even sure it will help. *The left hand rotation of the prop is apparently exxagerating the problem. * In theory, reversing it will offset the pull. *

I would appreciate your comments and input, but please don't tell me I should have bought an outboard! >:(

*

[reelapeelin]

I really understand your problem...and where better to vent re Wellcraft problems, but get over it(we've all had problems with these and other boats) and go out and ENJOY your boat...if it were me, I'd get the problem fixed instead of hopin' reversin' the prop might be a fix...it's a bandaid at best... ;)...

[chumbucket]

While I was reading your post, I had lots of thoughts, ideas and suggestions..................then I read the last line. ;D
Sorry, couldn't resist. I know it's of no consolation, but as RAP said, we've all been through tough times like this with other boats. Happened to me with a boat that was a hell of a lot more $$$ than a V20. All I'm saying is that you can get the same crappy workers building Mercedes as well as Hyundai. Mass production. It's the only way to be truly profitable. Henry Ford proved that a few years ago. Problem is....mistakes are made during mass production runs.
If you really like the boat, fix it right. Otherwise unload it. :-X :'(

[cliffpaul2]

I appreciate your comments and I'm sure that I'll get back to appreciating the boat again, but right now I see it as $10,000 down, and thousands left to go. And I don't have thousands to spare. So I'm going to hope that this "quick fix" will make it better. Otherwise, I'll put it back in the driveway and watch the summer go by while I save my money or learn how to operate on a boat transom.

I didn't mean my last comment as a shot at outboard owners; just to steer responses away from what seems to be a common theme on this board. If I had found a V-20 with an outboard for sale when I was looking, I probably would have bought it. But the motor type is not the reason for this problem. Poor workmanship is.

[bigshrimpin]

CP - I wouldn't go for the quick fix . . . I doubt it will help.

Trim Tabs should correct/mask the behavior (I have an extra set of bennett accuators and tabs that I can loan you . . . I'll see if I can dig up the pump and lines . . . otherwise we can hit Rancho Marine Recyclers) .

You can try them out before blowing another thousand bucks changing the prop and rotation of the outdrive. The worst thing that might happen is that you drill a few small holes in the transom (we can fix that too with a little epoxy).

[bigshrimpin]

To make you feel a little better . . . I ran up on a mud flat last weekend in susiun at 40mph ;D.

I got myself off using 3/4 throttle reverse . . . dinged up a my prop a little.

[chumbucket]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.................now that's what I'm talkin about! Can't wait to do that to MJ's new prop. ;D

[reelapeelin]

CP2...you said LEFT-hand rotation of prop?...aren't most single drives RIGHT-hand?...

Is there any way a "shim" can be made to straighten the drive mount...post some pictures showing the problem from several different angles and let's take a look at it... ;)...

Let's look at it and see if there's any way less $$$ can fix your problem... :)...

[cliffpaul2]

Apparently the Volvo outdrives come both ways. Mine is left hand, but it will be right hand later today. It's too late to call off the propeller order or to take photos, so I'll hope for the best. I dropped off the boat at the shop yesterday afternoon. My mechanic isn't going to charge me much for the installation and gear change. I'll just have to buy the prop. He's also going to show me how to undo this myself if it doesn't work. I could always sell the new prop and recover some of my losses. But who knows? Maybe it will work! I'll keep you posted.

[bigshrimpin]

Alright CP . . . if the reverse gearing doesn't fix the issue then you're welcome to try out the tabs.

That's a nice mechanic you have who will swap the outdrive for free.

Have you been to Rancho Marine Recycling? These guys have tons of used parts at decent prices. The majority of the stuff is for I/O's, but they have fuel tanks, trailer parts, cables, harnesses, gauges . . . . they're 1000x's better than shipwreck marine.

[cliffpaul2]

Thanks for the offer and for the information. I'll look into it.

[ken]

my 2cents....are you sure this is the original motor and outdrive?????? it's hard to believe the other owner would have put up with torkstear for 25 years. also you might want to look into no feed back steering...........
good luck

[macojoe]

I Have a better fix then all!! But it means more money!!

Pull the I/O fill the hole, and mount a bracket with a outboard!!

Problem solved!!

Sorry but why throw the $10,000! Fix it and move on!!

You will love the Wellcraft when it is done!!

You will never regret going the rest of the way, and you will not miss the I/O one bit!!

[phester]

Your 3rd and 4th question in your first post has me puzzled the most,also,were you not able to "sea-trial" the boat before you made the purchase?I hope the counter-rotate works out.Good luck and keep everyone updated,there are some sharp guys at this site,all eager to help

[bigshrimpin]

" it pulls to the left A LOT when I'm on plane"

CP - I'm confused about the pull to the left . . . are you saying that the steering wheel pulls to the left . . . or the boat is lop sided and leaning to the left.


Did you try adjusting the zinc annode tab on the outdrive?

This tab reduce steering torque on non power steering motors.

[shicks007]

Keep us posted. You will love the boat! :)

[cliffpaul2]

ken - - According to my mechanic, it is all original.

Macojoe - I'm not surprised to hear your take on this. I thought I addressed that...

Phester - Nope. No sea trial. Obviously, I wish I had.
I'm not sure why you're puzzled.
#3 - No previous owner took the time to address the problem during the first 25 years of it's life.
#4 - The guy that sold it to me failed to disclose a major defect.

Bigshrimpin - Imagine driving down the highway, You let go of the wheel for two seconds and slam into the center divide. That's what was happening. I tried the zinc trim tab while I was testing the boat and I noticed no improvement.

Thanks again for your advice.

[bigshrimpin]

CP - Hydraulic steering will fix the pull of the steering wheel w/o question. If you put on hydraulic steering . . . you could take your hands off the wheel and hold a straight line.
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I have a spare seastar helm with lines you could borrow too. If you can dig up a cylinder at rancho or off ebay . . . then you're welcome to borrow it. I'll bet we could even talk rancho into letting you borrow/rent a hydraulic ram for the day . . . to try out.

[Franco]

hey CP, Have you ever run in to a better guy than Bigshrimpin? I doubt it

[cliffpaul2]

No doubt. He's a very generous and helpful person.

[cliffpaul2]

OK - I'm happy again. *My mechanic was right. *Changing the prop rotation direction offset the pull perfectly and my boat is running like it should! *Thanks for tolerating my rants and offering your help. * *

[phester]

congradulations! [you really dodged a bullet there] ,now go have fun on that boat!

[reelapeelin]

Put one in that mechanic's WIN column!!...glad you got her on the straight and narrow... ;D...looked thru your Gallery...lotta work and $$$ there...paid off...looks good... 8)...

[bigshrimpin]

Cliff - This might fit your boat. Might be a good spare.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26456&item=4559727 160&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW