new member... recent 79 v20 cuddy purchase

billmongold · #1 03-29-2014, 01:10 PM

hey guys, glad to be active.
a little background on me; i live in waretown, nj (i noticed quite a few fellow nj v20'ers) and have grown up on the water and my parents always had boats growing up (13' whaler, 17' whaler, bertram moppie, 30, larson, and 36' pacemaker sportsfisherman). I currently work at Viking Yachting Center in new gretna, nj as a marine technician. its quite a difference being used to a late 70's pacemaker and thne jumping on a 2013 viking 74' enclosed bride convertible, lol.

anyways i have recently purchased a '79 wellcraft v20 cuddy with an '85 yamaha precision blend 150 outboard. the boat needs a few things but it's the first vessel that i have ever owned and feel as though i got a good deal ($50 with trailer). boat seems solid but the under deck fuel tank is not being used (6 gal portable fuel tank on board). also there is premixed 2 stroke gas in the tank (which worries me; i'd like to have the precision blend system working, even though i am not familiar with it. i do have vro experience though. seats are missing on the boat and it looks like someone tried to patch bolt holes on the cockpit deck (poorly). paint is faded and wiring is super messy, but its nothing that can't be fixed. there are no electronics on the boat. tried to fire the yammie up yesterday after installing a good battery and it has stale gas so i'll need to rebuild the carbs before i can update on how it runs, but it will fire on starting fluid (i know not the best idea but i wanted to know if i rebuilt the carbs that it would run). the tilt support lever is also rusted up so i can't use it. plus i had a trailer tire blowout on her maiden (trailered) voyage home.

I'm happy to be a member of the site. i've been browsing around and it seems as there is a wealth of knowledge on this site. it's nice to see reference pictures of completed boats, because mine is missing seats and all kinds of stuff. thanks for having me, guys. on to the pics.

Destroyer · #2 03-29-2014, 01:32 PM

For $50 you got a steal. First things first... welcome to the site! Happy you found us!! Since there are so many different things you just mentioned I will suggest that you DO NOT try to do everything at once. Take small steps.. do one project at a time. First, check the transom and the floor for soft spots. If they pass then clean it so you're not working in dirt with every repair. If it were me I'd check out the tank first, and once that's clean and I knew it wasn't leaking then I'd go to the wiring, then the engine. Once the major things are up and working like they should, I'd start on the cosmetics, like the floor holes, seats, etc. Get the majors done first. Just don't lose heart. You have a lot of work in front of you, but in the end you'll have one of the best damn boats in it's size that's ever been made, and you'll turn heads everyplace you go.

billmongold · #3 03-29-2014, 01:42 PM

thanks man, i appreciate it. after seeing all the posts on bad stringers and transoms, i'm terrified to check them. i'm going to do all the mechanical stuff first then worry about making it pretty. i was just going to buy and sell it but i brought me 13 month old daughter aboard to see it. i sat her in the helm on my lap and she was laughing and playing with the controls and steering. at that point i decided i should give her the same nautical experience i had as a child (my girlfriend is not as happy about me keeping the boat as i am, seeing as how it needs so much work/money). but the first time i take them tubing in the bay i'm sure she will see it differently.

Striper80 · #4 03-29-2014, 03:49 PM

$50 sounds like a steal. You've got a bit of work ahead of you but they're definitely a good riding boat. Once I got my boat home in October I put my daughter on it in the yard and she loved it too, definitely a good feeling. Best of luck with your project.
On my 82 Grady the tank had a lot of sediment in it but wasn't leaking. I flushed it out and painted it with coal tar epoxy. I got a nice price on the fill and vent hoses on amazon.

billmongold · #5 03-29-2014, 04:23 PM

im just worried because a previous owner bypassed it. i may pull it out and have a local aluminum tank place pressure test it. if it has some leaks it may be worth getting welded patched? i was contemplating throwing a 15 gal portable tank on board but they are expensive. if im going to spend $200 on a small tank, i may as well spend 400 on a todd plastic belly tank. all the hoses and stuff i can get at work at a discount. and if they dont have it, we're a yamaha dealer and can get stuff from mesco and a few other places.

Striper80 · #6 03-29-2014, 06:35 PM

I got extremely lucky with mine. It had a few pits but nothing perforated the tank.

billmongold · #7 03-29-2014, 06:56 PM

Hopefully its bypassed for some dumb reason, but it seems like these boats have water retention problems in that area. At least from what ive read on here. Plus my boat is on the older side

Destroyer · #8 03-29-2014, 08:35 PM

My 78's tank still holds gas with no leaks. Think twice about pulling the tank though. From what I've seen by members here who have done it, it's not the easiest job in the world. The foam grabs and holds it like a suction cup. Flush it out, clean it, then check for leaks.

buckleyjr · #9 03-29-2014, 09:11 PM

Welcome to the site! Glad to see another Jersey V on the site. Good luck with her.

dan4836 · #10 03-29-2014, 10:21 PM

Great boat and can't go wrong with the price!

I paid too much for my boat ($2,500.) but I did get a good trailer and the engine is in great shape ( I have the I/O 470)

I will be boating out of Point Pleasant this year and will do some boating in the Barneget Bay. I am currently redoing floors and stringers and fuel tank.

I am putting a lot of money into the boat but in the end, I will have an awesome 20 foot machine!

Take a look at my pics for current work. I am redoing my console the way I want it and found a 52 gallon polly tank.

You will find a lot of great advice from the members on this site

Dan