Long story short, I'm getting my dad's old boat. It is a 1989 17.5 foot Bass Tracker with a 90 HP Evinrude or Mercury that hasn't been in the water in at least 10 years, maybe longer...but holds many memories.
It needs new floors,carpeting, wiring and everything. The motor and trolling motor have not been run in that same 10 years. And its been parked outside.
Where does one go to learn about boats, 2 stroke motors, and boat restoration?
Watching with interest (but without information, sorry)...
Try to find a good boat community, either online or locally. If marinas are anything like they were when I was a kid, repair will be a lot higher there than anywhere else (a lot of boat-owners treat their boat like an "arrive & drive", and don't mind paying for it). You'll always get better deals (and sometimes, even better quality) from your peers. My dad used to say, "..never pay a marina for anything other than the boat ramp."
Harsh news you may already know: old bass trackers have zero intrinsic value. If you commit to this (big) job it will be a labor of love.
A few resources on the web that will help you understand the scope and cost of such a job:
Screamandfly.com fiberglass forum
Bateau.com repair forum
Thehulltruth.com how to forum
Microskiff.com boatyard forum
Classic seacraft, classic aquasport,and many other make-specific forums have lots of build threads as well.
Is this basically a big Jon boat, aluminum hull with wood decks and console?
The v4 evinrude is pretty tough and may be worth salvaging.
Post pics and I can offer some suggestions. I like fixing boats and taking on projects but you need to be honest about the manual labor and cost up front. Lots of half-fixed boats sitting in side yards, including mine.
Scream and Fly is a forum I frequent quite a lot. That should help you there. You will get flack for wanting to restore a Ranger, but it is sentimental.
Expect to put much more into it than you will ever get out.
That 90 Evinrude has the Ficht system the 90 Mercury is actually a Tohatsu (depending on year) Both will have tons of data on Scream and Fly.
Sentiment aside, de-rig the boat keep the motor, controls, steering, and ancillaries, chuck the boat and mount it on something else.
Sentiment accounted for, please post pics. I would love to see the extent you have to get into it and how it comes out.
Good luck either way.
An 89 evinrude would be carbs not ficht.
In reply to MattGent:
Good point, I misread and thought the engine was 10 years old not the boat hasn't been ran in 10 years
My bad
Yes. It is basically an aluminum Jon boat with wood decks a front and back and a console with a steering wheel on one side. It has live wells in the back and dry storage up front.
It probably won't be at my house to get pics for at least a month. I'm just trying to learn and research now before it arrives and I tear into it because "I think I know what I'm doing".
I realize it has no outside value but my dad took me out fishing on it when I was a kid, and I will take my some out fishing on it.
Like I said it is an aluminum hull, what do I need to look at on the hull considering it has been sitting on the trailer for 10 years?
Age isn't the issue with the hull, but look for stress cracks around welds. Also, your dad may have hit something so that is a concern as well. The upside, it is aluminum and you need to gut it anyway so you can just get it welded. Check especially around the transom.
There are a few options for floors and decking. You can go back with Marine Plywood and go from there of you can do the closed air cell plastic and never touch it again.
Once you get the serial # off the engine, you can get some more information about what you should check.
On a side note, do you know how to set up an outboard for proper depth or do you have a jack plate?
Unless it's a Chris-Craft, Riva or Garwood, never ever restore a power boat.
Woody wrote: Unless it's a Chris-Craft, Riva or Garwood, never ever BUY a power boat.
Fixed that for you.
I have nothing to add other than boats really are a hole in the water where you throw money. I watched my dad throw money at boats my whole life and always wished he had turned it into dirt bikes or cars or something that was actually fun.
While it's nice out, I would disassemble everything in the hull. Look for rot, ants, bees & God's woodland critters that may have moved it.
Now's the time to reconfigure the set up, add a bait cooler etc., relocate the controls or whatever you want.
Over next winter go through the engine.
Next season you have a brand new(ish) boat for little money, some sweat equity and memories.
http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=101653.0
those boats are as simple as it gets and still have an engine. I would strip her down to the bare hull and check for stress cracks and corrosion (it can happen, expecially if stored in water near a livaboard boat) and build her up.
Marine grade ply to redo the foredeck and if you can't get the engine going, chuck it. Old outboards either run forever or you wear them out trying to start them. If abused (not winterized) then you are going to hate that engine every time you try to start it. Unlike a car, it's hard to get out and walk unless you name is Jesus
Rip the interior out. It'll be junk by now. Put in a new floor (see tinboats.com) and put it on the water. Little more than a basic aluminum jon, not much to it.
mazdeuce wrote:Woody wrote: Unless it's a Chris-Craft, Riva or Garwood, BERTRUM, DONZI SWEET 16 OR CLASSIC, HYDROSTREAM, HACKERCRAFT, ALLISON, else never ever EXPECT TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM a boat.Fixed that for you. I have nothing to add other than boats really are a hole in the water where you throw money. I watched my dad throw money at boats my whole life and always wished he had DONE SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO.
FTFY
Boating is a lifestyle, much like racing. Either you get it or you don't. Mazdeuce obviously doesn't get it, and that is fine. If it was something for everyone, it wouldn't be something special. I know guys that turn a profit on every boat they buy. Just like the $2013 challenge. How many people are ebaying them for WAY over what they have in them?
This is a love project, not a flip. Enjoy your boat when you get it finished, be sure to post pics.
Flight Service wrote:mazdeuce wrote:FTFY Boating is a lifestyle, much like racing. Either you get it or you don't. Mazdeuce obviously doesn't get it, and that is fine. If it was something for everyone, it wouldn't be something special. I know guys that turn a profit on every boat they buy. Just like the $2013 challenge. How many people are ebaying them for WAY over what they have in them? This is a love project, not a flip. Enjoy your boat when you get it finished, be sure to post pics.Woody wrote: Unless it's a Chris-Craft, Riva or Garwood, BERTRUM, DONZI SWEET 16 OR CLASSIC, HYDROSTREAM, HACKERCRAFT, ALLISON, else never ever EXPECT TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM a boat.Fixed that for you. I have nothing to add other than boats really are a hole in the water where you throw money. I watched my dad throw money at boats my whole life and always wished he had DONE SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO.
heh.. even old AC VWs were worthless once upon a time. now look at the prices nice ones are commanding
Pull the plugs, squirt some oil in there and turn the motor over by hand a few times. Then replace fuel lines/priming bulb and suck fresh gas out of a little one gallon container. Drop lower unit and replace waterpump impeller. Then see if she starts!
In reply to Flight Service:
Very true. I have only had one boat. It was a piece of junk on the side of the road that I drug home and got running. I learned how to fix cracks in the fiberglass hull myself, and replaced the floor. I had maybe $1000 dollars into it and the trailer using a lot of second hand stuff and never had a problem with it. Between me, my Dad and some friends that fished it spent 3-4 days a week in the waters around Long Island and never had a problem. When I got married and didn't have time for it anymore I gave it to one of my Dad's retired friends and last I heard it was still as reliable as ever 10 years after I put it together. Considering all my boating experience prior to that cane from Love Boat re-runs I would think repairing a boat can't be as bad as everyone says.
I don't know a lot about Aluminum boats so I can't be of much help, and neither will the links I posted above.
Is it riveted or welded? I have heard of riveted jon boats rattling loose and leaking over time.
I did rebuild a pontoon boat using greenwood-xl pressure treated plywood for the decks. I imagine you could do something similar for this one.
Should be easier to rebuild than a fiberglass hull if all the aluminum is still sound.
Shameless plug!!!
My brother owns a marine surplus outfit. While he doesn't deal with motors, he has tons and tons of parts you may need--from stainless hardware, to props to gauges to....well you name it. He is also extremely knowledgeable about all things boat-related if you need advice.
Tell him you heard about him on the GRM message board, ask for Ken--- he'll hook you up.
www.FPMarine.com
Joe Gearin wrote: Shameless plug!!! My brother owns a marine surplus outfit. While he doesn't deal with motors, he has tons and tons of parts you may need--from stainless hardware, to props to gauges to....well you name it. He is also extremely knowledgeable about all things boat-related if you need advice. Tell him you heard about him on the GRM message board, ask for Ken--- he'll hook you up. www.FPMarine.com
CANOE!!! LOL
Wally wrote: In reply to Flight Service: Very true. I have only had one boat. It was a piece of junk on the side of the road that I drug home and got running. I learned how to fix cracks in the fiberglass hull myself, and replaced the floor. I had maybe $1000 dollars into it and the trailer using a lot of second hand stuff and never had a problem with it. Between me, my Dad and some friends that fished it spent 3-4 days a week in the waters around Long Island and never had a problem. When I got married and didn't have time for it anymore I gave it to one of my Dad's retired friends and last I heard it was still as reliable as ever 10 years after I put it together. Considering all my boating experience prior to that cane from Love Boat re-runs I would think repairing a boat can't be as bad as everyone says.
Boats are only bad if you pay a marina to do the work. If you think the prices a dealership charges for a repair are bad.. wait till you see what a marina charges
Flight Service wrote:Joe Gearin wrote: Shameless plug!!! My brother owns a marine surplus outfit. While he doesn't deal with motors, he has tons and tons of parts you may need--from stainless hardware, to props to gauges to....well you name it. He is also extremely knowledgeable about all things boat-related if you need advice. Tell him you heard about him on the GRM message board, ask for Ken--- he'll hook you up. www.FPMarine.com
Canoes are perfectly appropriate in a thread about boats!
My apologies for not paying closer attention to the specific boat in question. I spent about five years working on boats, but they were all 27' or larger.
Don't ever restore a fiberglass boat. This boat appears to be worth the effort.
Woody wrote: My apologies for not paying closer attention to the specific boat in question. I spent about five years working on boats, but they were all 27' or larger. Don't ever restore a fiberglass boat. This boat appears to be worth the effort.
what is wrong with restoring a fibreglass boat? If done right, they are just as strong (if not stronger) as when first splashed. Some of them are getting quite rare too.
The problem you have to watch out for with 'glass is water saturation. Must use balsa as a "core" and if it gets wet, it will rot. This will require you cutting the top layer of glass off, digging out rotting balsa, replacing it, and then applying fibreglass back over it to seal everything back up.
Want to see what you can do with glass?
You'll need to log in to post.
