1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

[speedemon]

needs fiberglass work for the lights and rail mounting points also upolstry and some light wood work to fix the storage in teh cabin. is this boat worth fixing?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

Welcome to iboats.

1973 is old but restorable depending on what powers the boat. Some older boats are worth the time and some are worth selling for parts.

Got any pictures? How deep is your wallet? Restoration is fun but can cost big bucks.

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

i'll get some pics posted up shortly.

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

sorry it took so long to get these up. i'll have some mor ein the next post, i no rob vt has been waiting for these

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

i was going to get some of the motor but when i set my camera down to get out of the boat apparently i set the camera donw in a puddle of water left from teh recent rain. not sure if its completely fried but the screen isn't working right now


i'll try getting motor pics when i get it off. i need to check out the transom, looks like it may be starting to rot at the top

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

any ideas on how hard this transom would be to fix if it is starting to rot? i think it is on ly the top corner where it meets the hull. also this is a closed bow boat, i was thinking about opening th ebow and making it a bow rider, how hard would this be since there is already a compartment with seats in the bow.

i know i'm asking a lot of questions but i can only access the site from working and i can't really surf all the links without getting in trouble. thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

sorry, also a correction to the subject, this is a cruiser I not an IJ. not sure if this will help any of you out there

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

Speed,

These are great boats to restore. BUT, like anything it will take time and money. I would guess you need need a transom, stringers and deck. Pretty much everything. A full resto will run you at least $2K plus many many hours. I would first check out the engine and see if it works or could be made operational first. If the motor is good then you can either restore or look for a better hull. Personally I would restore this one only because you will know ahat you have when you are done.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

needs fiberglass work for the lights and rail mounting points also upolstry and some light wood work to fix the storage in teh cabin. is this boat worth fixing?

I see you have put up some pics m8..

Just non that I saw showing the areas that you had questions about..

Is the floor mushy ? Are the cabin bulkheads gone ?

Your probably looking at a full resto here..but its just too hard to tell with all the overall pics you have.

Take/post some Good pics of all the areas that you can visually see problems with.

YD.

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

the deck feels real solid, the small "cabin in the bow looks good minus the dry and cracked cushions and some minor wood work.

there are a few chips in teh gel coat on the hull, looks like the previous owner ran it up the beach a few times, no keel guard, nothing major.

i will try to get pics of the area of teh transom that concerns me this evening when i get home. may not be a great one since the piece of trim covering it goes under teh motor.

is it hard to lay down new carpet on the deck and panels or is it just like laying carpet on a cement floor without padding?

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

so from reading the info page for manatee boats i read that my boat is only rated for 120hp. the motor that i have is a johnson 140 V4 VRO. i am going to guess that the 140 means 140hp. is it safe to run this motor and just not go WOT or should i get a lower hp motor?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

Did you buy this boat ?.. you said MY boat..

YD.

PS. Are you wasting our time here ?...
PSS. We are here to help..not to help others buy and slam boats...
PSSS. I say if you havent bought the boat..then Buy it..its a good looker..cough..

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

i say my boat becuase it has been in my yard for the last 2 years and i keep getting the fines for it. i am waiting on the paperwork back from teh current onwer so i can either 1.) give it back to his parents because he for some reason wants to hang on to it even though he hasn't contacted me about it in 2 years or 2.) go register it in my name so i can start working on it. i am trying to figure out how much work i have ahead of me so i can plan and space it out and fit everything into my budget which is very slim.

i'm sorry if previous posts seem misleading but i am trying to handle everything that has piled up over my 7 month deployment that i just returned from.

forgive me.

 

[Damifudo]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

Lets seem if I can help answer some of your questions.

1. If you do a rebuild your 140 hp will be fine. My 18 ft manatee now has a 150 and is rated at 145 hp. Make sure your transom is solid or that 140 might be sitting next to you when you take off.

2. If the floor is orginal I bet it is going need replaced unless it was stored inside most of its life. The orginal Plywood was not sealed on the bottom.

3. Making it a bow rider? I wouldnt tons of custom work it would be cheaper to scrap and buy a bow rider if you want one. I love that mine is a closed bow. Take a good wave over the bow and you will be glad its closed.

4. Plan on spending 2500 to 3000 on the restore. Then shop what 2500 to 3000 will get you on craigslist. If your still heading for the restore you will have a great little boat in the end.

5. If you dont hold the title to the boat I wouldnt spend a nickle on it.

Good Luck

 

[speedemon]

Re: 1973 manatee cruiser IJ (18 foot)

just got off the phone with the current owner (in washington state) and he is sending me the title signed. the boat is mine. i won't start anything til i have title in hand but now i know and i can start putting plans into motion.