Is my boat ready for the ocean?

[mackkie]

My friend and I just bought an old 19' Angler boat (i believe its from the 70's). It has normal wear that you would expect on the bottom of the boat. We have taken it out into a local lake 3 times just to tune it up and make sure everything is fine with the boat. It doesnt take on any water or anything like that.

The only thing that is holding me back from doing some inshore fishing with this is that the boat is severely underpowered with only a 65hp mercury engine. The max HP rating for this boat is 150hp i believe. When we cruised around the lake, we never really got on plane and just "chugged" through the water.

My question is assuming we have all the safety equipment etc., would this boat be able to handle an inshore fishing trip with it not being able to move all that quickly? I want to go off the coast of Massachusetts or Cape Cod on a pretty calm day.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Matt

If this is any help to you guys, here are some pics of the boat:

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

You really need to be able to get on plane. Did the 65 not get her up on plane? It should plane out with the 65 but it will be struggling. You need to make sure the motor is doing all it can, check compression, spark, fuel delivery, etc. Then make sure the hull isn't carrying around several hundred pounds of wet foam.

I wouldn't go offshore until I had everything right, big water gets bigger quickly. I would guess the boat is rated for at least a 150 if it is fiberglass and I would want to be as close to that as I could afford.

Show us some pictures of your rig. Sounds like you may have a good place to start.​

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Nice calm days have a way of turning nasty. Ask MURPHY--he has laws for everything. You really need enough power to get back quickly even if you are alwasy in sight of shore. Make sure that Merc is running properly. I would expect a 65 on a 19 to go in the low 20s maybe even 25, and the boat should plane somewhere around 18-20. Even so, for near shore you might consider some more power.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

That boat has some nice lines... I would definitely think it would do much better with a larger motor.​

 

[mackkie]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Thanks, we got it for $900 and its one heck of a steal for $900. The Merc fires up every time with no problems.

I think something like a 115+ would make this boat a beauty, but we dont really have the $ to buy a new engine at this time.

It seems to me that we can do some little things with the engine to increase efficiency and help it move along a little better.

Some more detail about the boat:
*There are some soft spots in the deck near the driver seats.
*Also, we noticed that it looks like the propeller isnt deep enough into the water because we can almost see the propeller when we are going at top speed.
*When we make a sharp turn the engine has problems due to little water under it
*Possibly need a new throttle because it is a little old and im not sure if we are pushing it to its max
-- I will take some more pics of the items I just mentioned, especially the propeller issue to have a more experienced boater look at it. I am new to boating, but I tried to describe the problems as best as I could

With this info, could you please tell me some ideas how I can get this boat moving along a little quicker?
Thanks

 

[Boatist]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

In the ocean there is really only one time you need good power. In the ocean when it gets rough you slow down not speed up. However if it get rough and your coming back in with a following sea you need enough power to ride the back of the wave. The waves travel at about 20 MPH and riding the back you will always be climing the back of the Swell. The key is to stay on the on back of the swell but near the top so you can see over and see rocks or other boats. This means you need to be able to do 20 MPH while climing up the back of the swell. If you go over the swell it can be deadly but also if the swell behind over takes you and breaks can fill the boat with water. On a calm day listen to the forcast and witch the weather closely and you should be good. Most ocean areas I have fished have simular patterns every day unless a storm in coming in.

Still I do not think your boat is anywhere near ready. At least for me in My 21 foot runabout I would not go out without a VHF Radio, GPS, Depth Finder and a Kicker motor. I did when I first started but one time coming back from the north we hit fog before got to the entrance to the harbor. Missed the channel on the first two tries and almost in the breaker before we could see land. If your main motor does not start or dies you need a way to get back in and you need a way to talk to the Coast Guard to let them know where your are and your plans to get back in. They will set up a watch with you to follow your progress until you reach protected waters.

 

[mackkie]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Good point.
All I plan on doing is fishing for stripers/blues during the summer. This means sticking relatively close to shore for the most part.

I will be investing in a VHF radio and possibly GPS, but i wanted to make sure, fisrt and foremost that my boat would be able to handle the ocean with it being underpowered and moving along rather slowly.

I think i need to address this issue first before I start buying electronics needed for the maiden voyage.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

good decision

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Your A/V plate should be level with or just above the keel of the boat. It sounds like your prop is allright where it is.

Does your boat have a tachometer? If so what is your WOT RPMs?

If you have a soft spot on the deck, you may well have some HEAVY wet foam below deck, and you could have some stringers that need attention.

With the motor off, push the throttle all the way forward and look at the butterflies in the carbs, they should be all the way open. If not, then the throttle needs adjustment.

You really want to look under that soft deck. Could be some issues below deck.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Not sure of where your going to run out of but around here you have to run an inlet and 65 hp on a 19' boat isn't going to cut it. Between the current and the "battle wagons" coming back home from offshore you'd be a sitting duck.

I had a 175Hp on my 20'er and at times wished I had a whole lot more.

 

[mackkie]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Does your boat have a tachometer? If so what is your WOT RPMs?

You really want to look under that soft deck. Could be some issues below deck.

-I dont have a tachometer
-What can I do with these issues to fix the problem? Links?

Its pretty obvious that my 65hp is terribly underpowered for the boat I have, but will that really limit my ability to go fishing in the ocean? What about something like Cape Cod bay?

I just am really surprised at the amount of replies that gives me the feeling that I shouldnt have even considered this idea (only reguarding my 65hp engine with my boat).

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

If that Merc isn't planing that boat on a lake, there is something wrong with the boat (saturated foam) or the outboard isn't attaining correct working RPM. Get a service manual for that Merc...test compression, test spark, get a tach and check rpms at idle and WOT. Something ain't right...stay off the briny deep until it's all right and dependable.

 

[mackkie]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

If that Merc isn't planing that boat on a lake, there is something wrong with the boat (saturated foam)

What exactly could I do about fixing this problem? Would it be an expensive fix? Is this a job I could possibly do with my friend and I (he is an auto mechanic)

Do you guys have a link as to how to properly test my engine to see if its working properly?
Also, can you tell by looking at the pics what year engine is on my boat?
Thanks!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

A manual will tell you correct idle and WOT rpms. You can get a Tiny Tach for less than $50...just Google Tiny Tach. My old 73 Merc 500 50hp used to idle around 700-800 rpms and rpms at WOT throttle were supposed to be between 4800 to 5200 best I can remember. Only a manual will tell you what your Merc should be running. Your auto mechanic buddy should know how to test compression and spark. Your Merc looks like a red band from the late 60's or early 70's, my 73 Merc 500 was a blue band. Fixing the floor requires a lot of work. Drill some holes in the soft portions of the floor and use something to take a core sample of the foam underneath. If it's wet your boat is carrying way too much weight from wet foam. That means a floor/foam and possibly stringer replacement...many threads explore this in the Boat Restoration Forum on this board. Good luck.

 

[mackkie]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

I would love to replace the wet foam, etc in the boat. When I go to rip it up and replace it, my only fear is to find I need to replace the stringers as well.

I am handy and could give the floor replacement a shot, but I just havent been able to find much on step by step instructions as to how I can replace the stringers if needed.

My only other question is how much would it cost to replace the floor and stringers if necessary?

ANY links about floor or stringer replacement instructions would be awsome -- I just couldnt find much when I searched.

EDIT: After I can get a couple answers in this thread, ill more than likely start another topic in the boat restoration section and provide many detailed pics for you guys to take a look at.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Is my boat ready for the ocean?

Search the Boat Restoration forum for "replacing floor/stringers" or "Skanky Beast." The Beast was rebuilt/restored by a fellow named Jason. He did a wonderful job with the boat and with posting info/pix to illustrate the process.
As for cost, that can go as high as you allow it to go...question is, will the boat be what you want when you get it done? If not, why not trade up to another boat that is closer/exactly to what you want. I'd get that Merc running right and then explore the possibility of trading up to a larger outboard if it still won't plane that boat. Being underpowered on the water is not a fun scenario.