Need advise on possibly restoring a 1980 Chris craft 210 scorpion inboard

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Hello everyone..


As the title suggest, Im throwing the idea around of getting into restoring a 1980 chris craft scorpion 210. It has a Mercruise 228 inboard.

Its been kept outside exposed to the elements over the yrs it had a tarp over it but offered minimal protection as the interior is in need of complete replacement. The boat last was out on the water 4 years ago and last ran 2 years.. Its has seen better days.

i took two plugs out and the ends were coated in loose rust as was the bore that they were in. I assume that indicates condensation build up inside the block?
Im told that the cowling cover was always left on. Although there some rust on various parts of the engine.
Haven't been able to check much else as the keys are still in the process of being located.....

Without having much more information, my primary concern is the engine. Am i getting into a big waste of time or is this worth while considering the available information?

Im not looking to dump thousand of dollars into this.. but id be willing to put some into it as im getting the boat for free. Hopefully the pictures give you some idea into what condition this boat is in..

cheers.

 

[Mr.Stickney]

I would first check to see if the motor will turn. Grab a large ratchet/ Johnson bar and see if you can get the engine to turn at all. If it doesn't turn, the repower could eat up a good chunk of your budget.

Judging by the amount of leaves and general look of dampness I would bet its in need a full restructure.

 

[Woodonglass]

IF, BIIIIG IF, the motor is a "Runner" you can prolly do a full restoration on the boat for $4K. If the motor is not salvageable then $7K is more likely the number. 2-300 man hours to get her back on the water.

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Runner or not... Is it worth the investment or spend that money on a boat that require minimal work if at all?

 

[Bkok33]

With the boat in neutral can you spin the prop at all?

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Yes, the prop spins freely in neutral

 

[jbcurt00]

Runner or not... Is it worth the investment or spend that money on a boat that require minimal work if at all?

Used boats are a risky proposition. It almost 100% depends on condition and maintenance, and it can be difficult to determine actual condition of the boat's structure in a pre-purchase inspection.

Esp transoms, stringers, motor mounts, deck (floor) and underlying flotation foam.

It can all be fixed, fiberglass or tin boat, but it can vary greatly from what you expect to find and rebuild and what actually needs to be done once you tear into a project.

Even buying $5-9K boats, people have ended up here lamenting how bad it really was inside or hidden behind/below what appeared to be a sound boat.

Then theres motor and interior upholstery to deal w...

Buy a boat you like, for what you think you can afford to throw away. If it ends up needing work, tear into it.

If you can get out for less then 5K, w a totally rebuilt boat, you have a boat that is in significantly better shape then 95%+ boats for sale in the 5K range. But that will require you to do nearly 100% of the work yourself...

 

[Woodonglass]

TRUE^^^^!!! IF you like the boat and it's layout and your don't mind investing the time and money, Then you'll have a like new boat for IMHO at the max 7K. Don't know where you can buy a guaranteed like new boat for that kind of money. Doing the work yourself You KNOW what you have when it's done.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you want to make a small fortune flipping boats, start with a large fortune. the fact that the boat is free should tell you, it will be expensive. the most expensive boats are free.

Assume the motor is junk, the stringers, transom, and floor will need to be replaced, the interior will need to be replaced.

As WOG pointed out, it will take about 7k and a lot of work to bring the boat back. and in the end it will still be a 36 year old boat worth about $3k when you go to sell it. however it will be like new.

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Thanks for all the advice.

I ended up taking the boat and have started the process of cleaning it up..

As far I can see, The stringers seem to be encased in Fibreglass. I threw on a battery and was happy to see the trim and NAV lights functioning.
I took out each plug and sprayed seafoam into each cylinder and let it sit overnight .. I tried turing over the engine without any success.... only thing that happens is clicking of the solenoid and thats it. based on the engine's serial number (5708317) I should be looking for Service Manual #3.
Does anyone know of any websites that would have a .pdf version?

 

[Woodonglass]

Just LOOKING at the stringers won't tell you anything!!! Almost ALL stringers are encapsulated with FG. The only way to know for sure about their condition is to core sample them with a drill. Drill into them with a 3/8" bit and check the shavings. Light color and dry...A-OK Dark Color and Damp...they need attention. Drill down low and in multiple places. Also core sample the engine mounts and the transom. If, by chance, they all check out OK then fill the holes with 3M 4200 and carry on!!!

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Thanks. I'll drill them out in the next couple of days. Anyone one have any insight into the clicking at the solenoid? All the connections checked out with a test lamp on both slave and starter. I'm at a loss....

 

[52FordF2]

Have you removed all sparkplugs and tried a strong arm on the crank shaft?

Be sure to disconnect fuel line and check condition of oil before you do though. Oil and fuel may have crud in them.
May want to change oil before and check it for water moisture.

Solenoid could be bad or starter motor.

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Have tried turning by hand. Not 100% percent on the process. i was always under the impression that it's best to start the motor and then change all the fluids and plugs as the fogging will gum them up anyways.

 

[Ned L]

I'll mention that the transom may not have any wood in it as the transom of an inboard really has no stresses on it. (This is a good thing).
Good luck, it was, and can be a nice boat.

 

[Fish_out_of_water2010]

Have tried turning the motor by hand and it turns although it requires some force using a pry bar. Still only hear a clicking sound from the slave solenoid and the solenoid on the starter is warm. Any ideas?

 

[mickyryan]

I would say bad ground or bad starter either way pull plugs soak cylinders with pb blaster and fill them with marvel mystery oil , yes they will bleed down however it will free it up pretty well and blow out when you do turn it over , if you like the layout keep it.
I have seen folks buy 10k boats to halfta gutt them and do rebuild,
so if you like it keep it, gutt it rebuild it and enjoy the project ,
nice thing about project you can do a lil each month and in end its better cause you know whatya got .
that being said do you have storage or proper place to work on boat? hoa allow it? that's my present dilemma I need to complete mine so I can move it to storage my hoa frowns on boats in yards .