Shaft length on 18 Fisherman
 

I am looking at a 1982 Wellcraft 18 Fisherman. No motor no trailer. What size shaft motor do i need for this? Also are these pretty decent boats?

All of the 18 Fishermans that I know of come with a 20" transom. Imagine a V-20 but 2' shorter, built like a tank. Heavy for an 18' boat, does well in rough water for its size.

How does yours run with a 130? Are they good on gas?

With the new t-top I hit 38mph the other day, but neither wind nor current were in my favor. Before the t-top I maxed out at 42mph. Ideally, I would want a 150, which is their maximum HP rating.

I have never actually measured the MPG so I can't give you an accurate answer about my fuel economy.

Not bad!! Also what size is the tank?

Keep us posted!!...sounds like this could be an interesting project...pics if ya can!!

Put a tape on that transom...only way to be sure...original owner could have ordered anything and previous owner could have DONE anything...

Generally a 150 is gonna be a heavier V-6, whereas a 140 will be a much lighter 4 cylinder...usually I like maxing one out w/HP, but this ones right on the pivot point for me...I'd have to look closely at a 140 for an 18...just my 2 cents worth...

20" on my 90' also. They are great boats..very heavy for their size so they handle the water as good or better than most 20' "newer & lighter" bay boats Ive been in.

I only get about 3mpg but thats due to the old thirsty 120hp Force. Mine will run 38 lightly loaded. Lord willing I plan on never parting with her.




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...t/100_2846.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...g/101_4414.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...t/100_2856.jpg

AJason, Stinky's got a great example of a V18 here!!...and down in his neck-of-the-woods it's been well tested...if he's gettin' 38 outta his 120, a 140 oughtta get ya 40...


Ain't gonna steal Jason's thread, but Stink you sure have rigged your 18 out nicely!!...lovin' that lean post, bait tank combo...NICE WORK!!...:clap:

Thanks! I just had to show her off a little...i dont get the chance often with all these "big" boats around here. :sun:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...t/100_2849.jpg


Ok last one, Ill stop! LOL

:clap:Purdy work, Stinker...REEL Purdy!!...:clap:

That looks like a dash I would set up...only two gauges; tach & fuel!!...:beer:...likin' that Starboard work...:sun:

Stink i love the way you rigged yours! I am thinking of a 130/140 outboard for mine. If i get it, its going in the garage on blocks. I would like to build my own leaning post and bait tank combo. Maybe with tackle storage on the sides. Not sure how i want to rig the bottom of the console. Spare fuel tank? Overall i love the design and size. My hope is to build a economical fishing rig. One reason i want a v4 two stroke outboard. I?d give up a few mph any day for better mpg.

Here is a sneak peak. I know, it looks rough. But i plan to have it in the garage till next year working on it.

A good power wash and maybe some On/Off and that baby will shine!!...hope it is as solid as it looks...appears everything is there...windshield, rear hatch lids...I think you found the much sought after diamond in the rough...keep the pics comin'...:clap:

I have a one piece stainless bow rail and a grab rail for that console if you want them, both are in great shape....

I will definitely keep that in mind, I appreciate the offer. If i get the boat i will take them. :clap:

How wide of a trailer do i need for the 18 Fisherman? My neighbor has one for sale at a heck of a price, but it is only 4.5' wide between the fenders.

Not 100% sure yet, but i think i won the boat. :sun:

Hope so! Always love to see another project come on the boards. Best of luck!

Its official, i am now the owner of a 1982 Wellcraft 18 Fisherman, which is my first center console boat. I got the V20 off its trailer sitting on blocks so i can get the 18 tomorrow. Final auction price, $250.

Sweet price...congrats!!! :clap:Good luck with her. :beer:

I have a 1982 18 Fisherman as well my dad gave me that I'm in the process of repowering and going from a Johnnyrude 120 HP to a Tohatsu 115 TLDI.

The first thing you are probably going to want to check is the fuel tank and make sure it doesn't have corrosion issues. Other than rebuilding the Johnnyrude the fuel tank was the biggest thing I had a problem with. Mine looks pretty rough as well but I love it.

If you have questions I might can help.

I got it home and about to start cleaning it out. Put a tape on the transom and i have a 25" transom. So the previous owner did some transom work on it, now do i trust his work? Or should i plan on a transom rebuild? I wont know for sure what exactly they did until i rip the splashwell out.

Once i got everything cleaned out, i discovered the previous owner cut the inside liner across the top of the gunnels down to the hole for the rod boxes, then from the bottom of the rod boxes holes to the fuel tank hatch. I think they took the entire back half of the liner out to do the transom. :head: . So far this is the only major problem i discovered with the 18.

Pics below

Took the rod boxes out and discovered four broken stringers running width wise. They are rotted out. So friday night i am lifting the liner to inspect everything. Now next question, i want to install a bracket on it. So should i move the fuel tank forward?

I dont know about a bracket on an 18'. It definitley will not be self bailing...

The rear deck on my 18' is usually wet while at rest with more than one person in the rear fishing.

I plan on moving the fuel tank forward, also i will have a 150qt ice chest up front. Not to mention 300? of anchor rope and 20?chain and three anchors in the bow. Also a bunch of small stuff like leads and tackle boxes and such. I think this would be enough to offset the weight in the rear. Also i want a flotation bracket so that should help some too, right? Keep in mind i have not had this boat in the water. So i have no clue how it will sit. I may hang a v6 yamaha on it and put it in The water to see how it sits, before i begin tearing the boat down.

Update; it was a pretty busy weekend. I hung a v6 Yamaha on the 18 and put it in the water. She does sit a little stern heavy, but with a full fuel tank of water (someone took the sending unit off the tank) and two 1000amp batteries it toom a little rocking to get water to come thru the scuppers. Even then the water did not leave the drain recess. I got the garage cleaned out and now she is sitting on blocks in the garage. I removed the liner but it had to come out in two pieces. Where the po cut it, it wouldnt hold. Just kept breaking so i recut it. Now for the bad news. All of the stringers are rotted or broken or both. It made getting the fuel tank out a little easier. Tonight i want to clean it up and check for leaks. At this point should i rebuild all the stringers, or just trash the hull? If i can find cloth at a reasonable price i can rebuild it. I plan to use west system on the entire project. If i rebuild the stringers the liner is not going back in. I hope to rebuild it like Kracker Jack did his with plywood floors and plywood gunnel caps and exposed hull sides. Now while i am at the subject, i am taking quite a bit of weight off the boat. Would it be feasible to put a bracket on it? The transom is all new. Its the only thing the po didnt halfass.

Bad news. Fuel tank is full of holes. I have decided not to go any further with her. I am selling the entire hull and liner minus bow rails and console. If nobody is interested, she will make one more voyage offshore.........

Post the GPS numbers please!:zip:

She does sound like she is in rough shape....

Here are a few pics of the boat. There are a few pics of the stringers but they dont do justice as for the extreme rot of the stringers. Also two pics of it in the water with the Yamaha hanging on the transom.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishsel001.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishsel002.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishsel006.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishsel005.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishsel003.jpg

More pics
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...shsel001-1.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...shsel002-1.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...shsel003-1.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...shsel004-1.jpg

Curapa when you said it was built like a tank, you was right. Thats a helluva lot of wood in the hull.

I think you made the right decision. Hate to see her get thrown out but thats alot of work. Good to see the stringer layout. I always knew mine was a solid heavy beast for her size. I see why now.

Stink she aint a total loss. I did get a center console and rubrail, i hope to use them both on the v20 rebuild. So parts of her will live on. I hope the rubrail will be long enough to do the sides. Also i may use the front deck if i dont go with a shortened cuddy. I will tell you she hauled just like the v20 behind the truck so she has got some weight. Also it wasnt the work that discouraged me it was the money it would take. Heck i dont mind working on boats.

I understand.

Just a thought, but a shortened cuddy (mostly only useful for storage) with that center console setup would be sharp. Kinda like the sport cuddy Makos, or contenders. Way more fishable than the V20 cuddys with a ton more deckspace than the 18. :beer:

You are correct, thats why i am considering a shortened cuddy is for storage. V20 Sport-Fish??????? lol

Thanks for posting those pictures that really sheds some light as to what's beneath my 18 fisherman and will be invaluable for future reference.

Can you elaborate on the extreme rotting of the stringers?

Rot seems to be pretty common on your average 70's early 80's v20's. I have looked at numerous v20's in my area and all the ones I've seen that are supposively in great shape have rotted transoms. Unless you have a creampuff!!!!

Every joint where a stringer meets a cross stringer (aka floors) it is broken. If i stand on some of the stringers they fold over. Whoever had this boat before me was an idiot. Noway this much has rotted out since they replaced the transom they had to see it, hell they even cut 12'' off the stringers to tab new stringerlets onto. I found spots where i dug wet rotted wood out all the way to the hull.

If only i pulled a rod box out when inspecting it before buying it. :cen: :cen: :cen:

jsgeorge4x4 remove your rod boxes you should be able to get to the floors and maybe the stringers from there. Tap on them with a hammer. It should not bounce. It should sound solid.

This is a stringer i am standing on.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot006.jpg

Side of gas tank stringer

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot001.jpg

Rear of gas tank bulkhead

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot002.jpg

Wet soaked wood and i just took a hatchet and hacked the skin off. So since 1982 this is the first time this wood has seen light. I dug wood out all the way to the hull here.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot003.jpg

This joint is broken.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot005.jpg

This is rot where Wellcraft did not seal the cut out for the fuel hoses in the stringer.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot004.jpg




This weekend i will take the center console and all the trash out of the boat and take a few pictures of the entire stringer layout for everyone to see how it looks without stuff in the way.

Them Natural Light beer cans in the last pic looked like my build when I started wacking and jacking on the stringers!!!!!! The Nattys helped out alot to numb the itch !!!!!:beer:

I have never tried Natty Light, Kracker. I nmust have found about fifty empty cans in the stringers, some of them i dont know how they got where they did. :head:

Here are a couple pics of the gas tank. You can clearly see the hole in the close up. Notice its only corroded where the foam was.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot007.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...fishrot008.jpg

I linked a website on a thread here a few months ago about the harm of foaming gas tanks in. Give me a while to find it.

Found it; www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm