MY FIRST BOAT

[tsubaki]

Leave the wife at home or tell her it's her or you ;D
If you have no other choice paint it.
I'm in the process of removing old paint on the upper deck and getting back to the original gelcoat.
You can watersand with sponge blocks and buff with coarse rubbing compound to return to an almost factory shine. This can be done in incriments so as to not take all your time.
Just my 2 cents.

south bend indiana

[Blue_Runner]

I think the home office for Thermo Products used to be up in South Bend. Ive never been but he used to go every year.

My dad is the plant manager for Thermo's NC plant.

[tsubaki]

Love South Bend rods when I can find them.

[Fitz]

Jason:

Your boat has the same hull design as mine:

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...umName=album06

It looks like you found a nice solid hull with a good engine. I don't know if you'll be able to reach tuna territory, but I added a lot of range by installing a third fuel tank under the bench seat that I installed in the stern. It holds about 18 gallons. My boat's prior owner also liked to fish offshore. In order to get additional range he secured two portable 12-gallon tanks on either side of the engine in the engine well, which you can see in some of the photos on page three.

I really like the in-floor hatches of the V-20 models that were produced in those years. When I'm fishing I fill my rear hatch with saltwater and use it to hold any fish I catch. Even after a full day in the sun, the fish are generally still alive when I return to the dock.

A number of guys on this site will likely advise you to replace those teak hatch covers with starboard in order to reduce your maintenance. If you're inclined to do so, please don't throw the old ones out. I may be interested in buying them from you.

I hope your boat gives you as much pleasure as mine has given me. Good luck.

Fitz

[msbhammer]

Fitz, glad to see you posting. I have always like your V with all that stained woodwork. She looks sweet. ;)

[mauryc]

Is it just me or has the transom been reworked? The pic of the motor shows what looks like a redone transom top. My old 75' had a alum. cap on the transom.

about how long will 40gallons last on this boat

[tsubaki]

You can expect to burn around 6 gallons per hour average.
Doing the math different ways as to either trolling, running out and anchoring or just cruising, you can burn it all up in less than a day or last almost a week.
In my case I will run for 45 minutes out, fish,move around a couple of times and return home. This usually translates to 8-12 gallons used in a day.

[tsubaki]

And don't depend entirely on the fuel gauge(s).
Notice the tank tapers from top to bottom.
Best way is to level the boat by placing a 2' level at the floor of the tank, run the jack stand up or down till level, drain the tank(s)and put back 10 gallons and check the gauge (calibrate if possible) as to where 1/2 a tank is.