Taking the plunge!

[ludacrous999b]

Hey all, new here. Just bought myself a brand spanking new (lol) old boat. This 1981 v20 CC (steplift?) was so low in cost I couldnt pass it up. I know it will be a project boat, and I KNOW I'll sink a bag of money or two into it, but that boat it pretty to me right now and I cant wait to get started on her.

Here she is!

I'm starting a restoration thread on iboats to get opinions on restoration and repair. Anything you all (as v20 owners) would have to imput on first impressions would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[Destroyer]

Welcome to the site. Congratulations on your purchase. Like all V20 project boats you have a diamond in the rough. How much you are willing to spend in time and money will determine how brilliant your finished boat will be. You've certainly come to the right place for information on what to do and not to do on how to restore her. The people here have years of experience in these matters. So if you have questions, just ask away or better yet, do a search here for the answer to your questions. At the very least, you got a tandem axle trailer for under $500, and assuming it's not rusted out that's a good deal in itself. Please remember that one picture is worth a thousand words.. and we love boat porn here. So please post pictures of your restoration project.. it's the thing we love to see most..... well, almost most.. there are a few other things I can think of, but this is a family site.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by ludacrous999b

Hey all, new here. Just bought myself a brand spanking new (lol) old boat. This 1981 v20 CC (steplift?) was so low in cost I couldnt pass it up. I know it will be a project boat, and I KNOW I'll sink a bag of money or two into it, but that boat it pretty to me right now and I cant wait to get started on her.

Here she is!

I'm starting a restoration thread on iboats to get opinions on restoration and repair. Anything you all (as v20 owners) would have to imput on first impressions would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the site...are you the same Ludacrous as seen on THT for lo, these many years?

[step up here]

welcome to the site.
dont even think of touching the out drive and motor other then to remove it! the boat is just fine and still is truly one to finish with a bracket and outboard motor. butt! then again its your boat now and i wish you the best of luck with your project.

[ludacrous999b]

Originally Posted by reelapeelin

Welcome to the site...are you the same Ludacrous as seen on THT for lo, these many years?

I'm afraid not, couldn't even tell you what the THT forum? is. Bought new tie downs ratchet straps, light kit and high temp grease for the trip home. I'm really worried about those tires, located some shops down there that can replace the tire for me, hoping the bearings and hubs aren't ready to fall off.

As far as the I/O goes, I have an old friend who has done marine motor repairs, gone as far as breaking a seized motor and getting them running well. I'm about to invest in researching the dreaded OMC downsides. I won't ask here b/c I'm sure there will be plenty of previous posts to go by.


And BTW Reelapeel, I'm from Charlotte, NC. I'm in the military and was put in the lovely middle of nowhere Missouri, or Misery as I've taken to calling it ;-) At least there is a decent lake nearby to keep me motivated!

[spareparts]

If you got it for $275, you did pretty good. I have 26 years in the marine business, I held a Mercruiser Master, Mercury Certified, OMC sterdrive, Yamaha 5 Star, Volvo gas certified, and various other classes, schools and marine education. I can tell you with out a doubt, from my experiance, do not waste one dime on that motor and drive. Pull it out, glass up the transom, put a bracket on the back, bolt an outboard on and ride. There are very few parts available for those drives. I can't tell from the pic, but if its a hydromechanical drive(no anode above the antiventalation plate), the factory couldn't even make them work, if its a mechanical drive, they only work for a short amount of time before breaking again. IF you want to swap out for another type of I/O setup, you're still going to have to glass up the transom and start from scratch anyway. Unless you find a bad boat with a good drive, it will cost you far more than dong the outboard bracket idea.

PS, welcome to the site, feel free to ask any questions and good luck

[ludacrous999b]

Thanks for the advice on the motor. My main concerns start with the hull transom stringers and deck. I came into this one knowing the boat would have some problems but I love a project. I've heard a lot about Wellcrafts having leaky transoms, so it's the first place I'll look.

So I just went to marineengine.com and looked at my era engine, parts? unavailable, unavailable, unavailable, $14.44 for a water drain elbow adapter... out of stock...

[Road King Cole]

Welcome to the site. Definitely a diamond in the rough.

Another option would be to convert it to an outboard. MJ has a great thread on that for when he did it to his.

rkc