New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

[zeegler]

Hi everyone, I just got a great deal on an old fibreglass boat with a trailer. It's a 14 foot McCulloch, and it's in pretty decent shape, but it needs a bit of work and I need to find a motor for it. I have a few Q's:<br /><br />Where can I find out some info on this boat? (such as how old it is, etc..)<br /><br />What size outboard do I need?<br /><br />I plan on pulling out the deck and seats, and replacing them. Am I in for any major surprises?<br /><br />If anyone has any comments or ideas, please respond. Thanks.

 

[epresutti]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

Zeegler,<br /><br />Don't know motor size etc.<br /><br />But i'll guess the surprise your in for (the same one I had), was once you pull the deck you will probably find the stringers are bad as well. I went overboard (punn intended) and stripped the entire boat down to the hull and re-built (re-building) entire structure, stringers, gunnels, deck, seats, compartments, etc.<br /><br />There are effective ways to just replace and/or repair the stringers if they are bad. You had better take a good close look at the transom while your at it.<br /><br />Hope this helps, don't be afraid!<br /><br />Cheers.<br /><br />emp.

 

[Hooty]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

Howdy zeegler,<br />Welcome to the board.<br />Ed's right, you may have a project on your hands or maybe not. You won't know 'till you get into it. Look on the transom of the boat and see if you can find a tag or plate that tells the hull id no. power rating and capacity. If ya can find that,it'll be a big help. I don' know how old the boat is but you may get some help at <br /> http://www.fiberglassics.com/ <br />Keep us posted<br /><br />c/6<br /><br />Hooty

 

[suzukidave]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

welcome to the site zeegler...<br /><br />If there is no manufacturer's plate on her there is a us coast guard website with a formula for calculating max HP based on length and transom width. Don't havbe the link but it's been posted in the past so check old posts. Offhand, if it's a single v hull I'd say you should be looking at 50hp or less. Also, make sure your transom is solid before you install anything.<br /><br />Ditto, to what Ed said. There is a paperbook book, restoring old runabouts, you can get off amazon.com. (author's name Anderson?) It is a gold mine on how to replace stringers, floors, seats, transoms, patching hulls etc...

 

[zeegler]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

Thanks for the responses guys! <br /><br />Wow, I didn't even think about the stringers. How could they be bad? Does the fiberglass develop stress fractures? I've never done any fiberglass repair, so if I really need to, it will be a learning experience to say the least. How will I know if they need repair? <br /><br />I will only be using the boat for fishing and cruising around in, so I'm not that concerned about having a ton of power. A 25-35hp outboard would probably suit me fine. <br /><br />By the way, I've heard a lot about McCulloch motors and superchargers, but I didn't even know they made boats until I found this one.

 

[crab bait]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

if the boat is newer then 1972 ?? .. the last digits of the 'transom tag' indicates month & year.. if it's a tiller boat ,smaller motor than if it has a steerin' wheel..altho , a 25 to 30 hp ... no questions asked... welcome onboard & good luck ....

 

[blifsey]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

The stringers are wood fiberglassed to the hull. On some boats, the fiberglass didn't even cover the entire wood. Water getting under the deck would rot the wood. Many newer boats use a composite stringer so this can't happen. Search through the older posts for floor, stringer, rot, etc. and you'll find some very good threads on the subject. There's several links in these older messages to "project pages" where the boat owner posted pics and written details. <br /><br />BL...<br /><br />PS. Also search for chainsaw

 

[hltenterprises]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

I saw a site posted the other day that deal with the same issue. http://rotdoctor.com/ <br /><br />This site has a lot of good infromation about what you are about to tackle.<br />Good luck and welcome

 

[steelespike]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

Zeegler, Your boat was probably built for the<br />McCulloch outboard company.It may be collectable<br /> to a McCulloch nut.<br /> Scott Atwater was purchased by McCulloch and I believe McCulloch marketed Motors and boats.<br /> At any rate try www.scottatwater.com they may be able to help with info. or direct you in the right direction.<br /> It would be nice to save a little bit of outboard history.<br /> Good luck.

 

[zeegler]

Re: New guy here, questions about cheap old boat that I just bought.

Hey thanks, that's the most info I've found on McCulloch yet. I brought her home yesterday to start cleaning and repairing, and I noticed a nameplate on the dash that says "Royal" could this be the boat model? If I get the number off the side of the boat, would that help identify it?