Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

[matt_haynes]

Hi everybody,

My name is Matt and you couldn't find anybody greener at boating than I am. My wife has always wanted a boat. She's been harking for years to get one. I on the other hand am more of a hunter than a fisherman. Well the powers that be along with the power of suggestion decided since I don't hunt much anymore have found that I now want to do more fishing since I'm surrounded by lakes here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. And since I wasn't going to fish from a pier or from shore with 500 people surrounding me decided to get a boat. I knew nothing about them and started googling everything boats. About an hour into searching I soon realized it would take years wading through opinions and problems many people face. So i felt like I just need to get a used boat not a new one ( In case this turns out to be some short lived dream). I needed one to fish and pull my kids in a raft. So I got on craigslist. Found a boat I thought would be okay (which doesn't mean anything), bought it and brought it home. The next day I really started looking at it and .................SON OF A BUSCUIT EATER!!!!!!!!!.....:facepalm:.....The whole damn floor is rotted out. Also the whole wiring harness from the console all the way to the engine has to be redone. The transom needs to be replaced. The whole thing needs to be repainted although I figured that it had to be done anyways when I bought it. And this boat has a bottom paint on it that is all chipping off. So as I picked my heart, stomach and lungs up off the rotted floor............I knew I probably bit off more than I could chew. But no big deal, another day has passed and I'm feeling better about it. I've tackled big jobs before and have always came out alright. So now since I want to save as much money as I can, I'm doing the repairs myself. What the heck.......I need a project anyways. I figure this will keep me busy for a whole year.

Hopefully I can get some pointers to help me along the way. There seems to be a very dim light at the end of the tunnel but with time, persistence and hopefully a few good pointers here, I hope that light will get brighter and brighter as time goes on. I will be posting pictures of the boat and of my progress as I go along.

I am about to pop the cap off the boat. I have to if I want to fix the "whole" floor. The boat is a 1986 Galaxie (not Galaxy) open bow. It is 18'3" long with a OMC 4.3L that runs. It seems to run very good. No smoking, pinging, sqreeching or sputters of any kind. The outdrive works as well but I have no idea what it is because somebody has sanded off all the paint to the bare aluminum and I can't see just what it is. I know it's a Stringer but don't know what model. I'm thinking 800??????

Anyhow I hope that I can get some pointers and hope that I can be on the lake maybe this time next year.

So I can only hope that a few of you guys here will have the patience with me. I feel like a blind man lost in the Sahara Desert right now. And about as bright as a woodpecker pecking on a aluminum telephone pole for even buying the stupid boat. :facepalm:

I have the outdrive off but there si a cable coming from the engine going into it. I can't get it off. Does anybody have any experience with these? Any help would be greatly aprreciated.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[middlewick]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

Welcome Matt (Sounds funny) I'm pretty new here myself and I've found a lot of useful info and had some very helpful replies.
You will find a ton of specific info if you use the search tool, because most dilemas have already been posted and answered and contain most of the info you will need.
When you can't find any or enough info, try to post very specific questions in order to get the fastest and most accurate replies.
Good luck with the journey, it will be educational to say the least.

 

[middlewick]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

And if you follow this link to one of my posts, you will find where southkogs gave me a couple links that have very useful info as well.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=543531

 

[matt_haynes]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

Hey thanks for the help.......I actually used that post earlier to help me find out more information on my boat.

The Hull is a 1986 model.

But the engine is not. It is a 1985.

It is a OMC 4.3L Chevy V6. I think it is a 175 HP.

The model number is 432SPMRCOM. The sticker/plate on the engine actually has 2 Model Numbers and 2 Serial Numbers. As far as the outdrive I have no idea. I've searched and searched online but can't find anything that says what outdrive this is. I know it is a Stringer. But when I go to clean it up and buy new bearings, seals, etc. etc. I have no idea what Model to order for.


Here are a few pics of my new Project......

Here is the boat. I've pulled off all the windows, bumberguard, rails and everything getting ready to pop the cap.



Here is the reason I have to pop the cap to fix the whole floor. The whole bow from the consoles to the front is part of the cap. I don't know if all open bow boats are like this or not.



Here is the engine.......



Here is the outdrive......See how somebody has sanded it down to the aluminum.



Here is the cable that's holding me up.......I can't figure out how to get it out of there.......

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

I started with a 19' bayliner with NO interior, no unrotted wood and a busted engine block. Lots of hours, fiberglass, plywood, carpet, foam, vinyl, Engine, rebuilt everything i had a boat. Wish i would have saved all that money and bought a better one. My volvo 275 drive wouldnt trim while moving. Suckfest. No 275 will. Anyway i learned a lot from guys like bond-o, don s bruce and countless others on here. These guy know what they are talking about. Be careful. You can tie up a small fortune in that boat. Trust me. I paid 500 bucks for mine w trailer and i bet over past 3 years ive spent 6k. And i did ALL the work. I bought One last month in top shape other than no engine. I took the one out of my older boat and im almost done. Its fun for me because i love to mechanic.. Take your time, ask lots of questions.

Remember this: boats that need work= lots and lots of money

 

[rickryder]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

Welcome to iboats Matt.... when your ready to rebuild your hull come on over to the restoration section and start a thread about your boat

We'll be happy to help you along to build a safe boat Along with the rotten deck you may find waterlogged foam,rotten stringers and transom.... but fortunately you found iboats....the people and the vast amount of knowledge here is invaluable.

Welcome Aboard!

 

[Ryan Ingram]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

Same here Tommy, I got a 89 Phantom with an OMC Cobra about 2 months ago for $500. I completely stripped everthing out of it except for its side panels. The upholstery was in decent shape on the bow seats. I have got it 90% done now. I rebuilt the stringers, floor, dog house, and all wood under the seats. Actually picked up the new carpet today! Only thing I still need to buy is the 2 back to back seats for driver/passenger. I have had a bunch of fun spending time on it but you know what they say B.ust O.ut A.nother T.housand...

 

[southkogs]

Re: Helo Everyone.....Extremely new to boating.........

Welcome aboard Matt:

You got yer' work cut out for you. I don't know much about the 800 (which I think you're correct that you have) and have goofed once or twice with advice 'cause they're very different from my drive. That cable is the shift assist (I think). There's a link at the bottom of THIS THREAD to a downloadable manual. Get that ... you're gonna' need it. Section 10 is the "how to take your drive off" part, and I think these are the pages for that cable ...


... now, a little warning from a brother boater with an OMC: You can probably put this boat back together, but it may not be quite as cheap as you wanted and it may take regular effort (some each year) to keep her alive. The OMC Stringers are fairly robust, and you can generally find the parts you need for them. But, they're old and have a couple of design flaws and sometimes kinda' finicky. It'll make a mechanic outta' ya'. OMC has been out of business for some time, and many/most marine mechanics won't touch them.

A few thousand bucks this coming winter ($3k to $5k-ish) would get you a lake ready boat with a Mercruiser in it. Merc's still in business and mechanics aren't creeped out by them. It could take you half of that $3k to $5k to really get this one going (new floor and all the other pieces considered), if not all of it. Weigh your cost / benefit carefully before you get rolling on this one.

Otherwise, plenty of guys here to help out as best we can (NW Redneck, Superbenk & Howard Sterndrive are names to listen to). I've kept mine going for several years now and really like my boat ... but we do have plenty of "special time" in the garage together