Last Mohecian
Administrator
If any of you are going Wed I am going to try again to drag my boat out. I may not launch it but I'm looking for some suggestions.
I got this boat for free. Sad story but the person who started the project was tragically killed in a car accident. The motor was already built and sitting on an engine stand ready to go in the boat. Up until this point the majority of work and money I have put into it could easily be transferred to a car project. I have had boats in the past but not a project until this one.
As for the boat hull and trailer, so far I have put the motor in the boat, replaced wood in the transom, had new fuel tanks built out of aluminum, and replaced the carpet with the cheap stuff from Lowe's. Basically I have done what was necessary to go to the lake to see how the boat performs without getting in too deep.
On the first trip to the lake I had a rocker that was tapping like crazy and a carb that needed a serious rebuild. The boat showed signs of a small leak but I did not have time to track it down. When I say slow there was about a gallon of water in the hull after sitting in a slip for about an hour.
Today I made a second trip to the lake after cleaning up the carb and installing new Comp Cams roller rockers. The motor ran much better in the driveway and performed better at the lake but still leaves a lot to be desired. It seems to struggle to get up on plane. The lake was nice and smooth today. Not glass but not rough by any means.
I had time to track the leak today. There appears to be several small holes in the hull where screws were driven through it. I counted 3 on each side. The are about the size of a 6-32 screw. The sub-floor has also gone soft in the three years it has taken me to get to this point. Thanks to my new 30 X 32 shop at the house I do have space to do the work so progress should be quicker.
My debate, Is the hull desirable enough to repair or should I scrap the boat and look for a TA in need of a motor? I'm not looking for top speed, just something semi-reliable with a little bit of a cool factor. I'm not interested in swapping the Jacuzzi drive or Pontiac motor. I like the idea of the Pontiac being a little unique and I do not want the work and expense of swapping to a Berk.
Just for the record, I'm 40 with a very understanding wife so that is not a problem. I know it is hard to say without seeing the hull I just don't want to waste a bunch of time and money polishing a turd. I think my plan at this point it to remove the motor and continue to try and salvage the hull. If a project cars turns up I'll change directions, otherwise the boat will get done at some point.
Suggestions? Opinions? :shrug:
Sorry so long winded.
I got this boat for free. Sad story but the person who started the project was tragically killed in a car accident. The motor was already built and sitting on an engine stand ready to go in the boat. Up until this point the majority of work and money I have put into it could easily be transferred to a car project. I have had boats in the past but not a project until this one.
As for the boat hull and trailer, so far I have put the motor in the boat, replaced wood in the transom, had new fuel tanks built out of aluminum, and replaced the carpet with the cheap stuff from Lowe's. Basically I have done what was necessary to go to the lake to see how the boat performs without getting in too deep.
On the first trip to the lake I had a rocker that was tapping like crazy and a carb that needed a serious rebuild. The boat showed signs of a small leak but I did not have time to track it down. When I say slow there was about a gallon of water in the hull after sitting in a slip for about an hour.
Today I made a second trip to the lake after cleaning up the carb and installing new Comp Cams roller rockers. The motor ran much better in the driveway and performed better at the lake but still leaves a lot to be desired. It seems to struggle to get up on plane. The lake was nice and smooth today. Not glass but not rough by any means.
I had time to track the leak today. There appears to be several small holes in the hull where screws were driven through it. I counted 3 on each side. The are about the size of a 6-32 screw. The sub-floor has also gone soft in the three years it has taken me to get to this point. Thanks to my new 30 X 32 shop at the house I do have space to do the work so progress should be quicker.
My debate, Is the hull desirable enough to repair or should I scrap the boat and look for a TA in need of a motor? I'm not looking for top speed, just something semi-reliable with a little bit of a cool factor. I'm not interested in swapping the Jacuzzi drive or Pontiac motor. I like the idea of the Pontiac being a little unique and I do not want the work and expense of swapping to a Berk.
Just for the record, I'm 40 with a very understanding wife so that is not a problem. I know it is hard to say without seeing the hull I just don't want to waste a bunch of time and money polishing a turd. I think my plan at this point it to remove the motor and continue to try and salvage the hull. If a project cars turns up I'll change directions, otherwise the boat will get done at some point.
Suggestions? Opinions? :shrug:
Sorry so long winded.
