Quote:
Originally Posted by Larryrsf
Thanks. I really don't know. I got if after it had sat in a field for 14 years. It was obviously an ocean fishing boat. It had dozens of rod-holders and a big bait tank, an old fish finder, and ship-to-shore radio. The bottom was blue after I power-washed all the oxidation off. But who knows what or if any bottom paint was on there?
I really had little choice but to install it in a Marina after I put it in and then the trailer fell apart! And trying to use if from there all Summer seemed like a good option since there is NO CHANCE that any marine mechanic would work on it for me. The carbs need to be rebuilt. They told me that, but then they told me they have a months-long backlog of work. So what is an owner to do? I just add carb cleaner to the fuel and go!
Everything is a trade-off, a risk we take. If it blows up, I will remember that I got the boat, motor, and trailer for $100!
Larry
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Well, when becoming an owner of a vintage boat, you wind up taking on a tremendous amount of the work yourself. I purchased a 1977 V20 Cuddy, with a 1971 Mercury 1350 outboard about two weeks ago. There's a thread here that I started under "Repairs" that I will wind up doing myself.
Just to get the motor to where I'm comfortable, I'll be rebuilding the water pump, fuel pumps and carbs. Doing a full tune-up, new plug wires and distributer parts, replace any bad wiring and all the seals (and possibly bearings) in the lower unit. Then, I'll be rebuilding the controls and replacing the wiring.
All this for a boat that was in the water last year and fished. Some here may think its a bit of overkill, but I've seen some things in the way that the boat was maintained (or not) that make me scratch my head. I prefer to minimize some of the problems that I may have inherited.
To take a vessel that has "sat in a field for 14 years" and "add carb cleaner to the fuel and go" takes a level of confidence in the PO that I don't possess. Great boating to you!