Now what do I do?

[gerg1962]

Okay I have this '71 Reinell 24' boat with an OMC sterndrive. The motor seems stuck and actually so is the outdrive. I took the sterndrive off and the ball joint is stuck. The output shaft on the intermediate housing is stuck too, maybe the engine?

While trying to remove the drive shaft the intermediate housing basically crumbled around it!

So, now what do I do?

I suppose the easiest option is to find a replacement outdrive unit. I see one for sale locally.

How do I know what year OMC unit will interchange with what I have?

There is no tag on the out drive so I do not know what model it is.

Will any year OMC set up bolt to the back of the 307 GMC motor in there?

I don't suppose it would be that easy to mount up a mercruiser or some other more current outdrive?

The boat was free so if I can not find a very low cost solution I will strip it of anything usable and give it away for a playhouse or something.

Your helpful input welcome.

Thanks,

Craig

 

[Bondo]

Re: Now what do I do?

The boat was free so if I can not find a very low cost solution I will strip it of anything usable and give it away for a playhouse or something.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... It was Free, for a reason....

That sounds like the way to go.....

It costs me $60. a ton to get rid of what's left.....

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Now what do I do?

The motor was a good one.The drive NOT!!!
OMC couldn't get a handle on the sterndrives.
Most were junk just waiting to break.
There were a few that lasted,not many.
They made a few drives from the manual shift to the electric shift and actually a goof drive called the king Cobra for the BBC.
Just strip it and go to the dump with the rest.
OR!!! Get the parts to change it over to Mercruiser or Volvo.
But it's gonna be way easier to get a different boat.J

 

[southkogs]

Re: Now what do I do?

Decision time, and maybe or maybe not as catastrophic as it looks:

First, is the boat itself in decent condition? It's usable, you like it and isn't a ton of work just to get on the water and enjoy? If so, and there's not much money needing to be spent there ...

Second, does the engine run consistently and well (without the outdrive on it - you mentioned it "seemed" stuck)? If so, and there's not much money to be spent there ...

Decide how much you can risk. I picked up an outdrive for my '72, in working order for $450. That's not common, but it can be done. If you can risk several hundred bucks to make it go, and the rest of the boat is in good working order ... then the OMC isn't necessarily the worst thing you can do to yourself (though, your milage may vary ).

If the boat is a complete project ... I agree with the other guys. Don't put yourself through that. Strip, sell, scrap and find something fun.

 

[Part-time]

Re: Now what do I do?

If your boat is in good condition and would be sea worthy if not for the drive isues.
Find a boat that is good for scrap that has a good mercruiser or volvo-penta.
I don't know where you are but around here I can get boats with good motor/outdrive between $500 - $1,000
Most of the time it's because they've been stored improperly and the bow filled up with water or the interior is finished.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Now what do I do?

If your boat is in good condition and would be sea worthy if not for the drive isues.
Find a boat that is good for scrap that has a good mercruiser or volvo-penta.
I don't know where you are but around here I can get boats with good motor/outdrive between $500 - $1,000
Most of the time it's because they've been stored improperly and the bow filled up with water or the interior is finished.

Thatsa' lotta' transom work! Also, make sure the transom was built to handle a Merc. That OMC isn't putting any pressure on the transom (to speak of) and sometimes if a boat was built for OMC they eased up on the transom build.

 

[undrh2o]

Re: Now what do I do?

EDIT: Please read the forum guidelines on selling

thanks-

 

[gerg1962]

Re: Now what do I do?

Good morning!

Well the boat itself is in decent overall condition, needs a thorough cleaning. It definitely shows some deterioration from being exposed to the elements. The hull seems sound.

I am not sure about the engine yet, as to if it can be made to run without much effort.

I did find an OMC outdrive locally but I don't know enough about them to determine if it is worth the money or if it will be doomed to fail soon. The cost of a rebuilt outdrive would be far more than the boat is worth as a while.

I don't know enough about any of this to attempt a conversion to a Mercruiser or Volvo and that sounds expensive too.

May be best to strip it and dump it as has been indicated.

I am in the nw corner of Washington state so there are plenty of boats around here including some that would probably cost less than what it would cost me to get this one going.

I will dive into the engine before making any further decisions.

Thanks for the all the input.

Craig

 

[southkogs]

Re: Now what do I do?

So, for the encouragement part:

Depending on what kind of budget you have (to buy or repair), and how much work you can/want to put into it ... there's plenty of help on the boards here. When you get an idea of the engine, give us an update. Suggestions will start to follow, but once you put a budget on stuff for us we'll let you know if it's realistic or not. We can also suggest alternatives too.

Trust me ... this bunch will want to see you on the water!

 

[gerg1962]

Re: Now what do I do?

Okey doke, I will let everyone know.

As far as budgets are concerned I could probably dump as much into it as it needed but having done this more times than I care to recount with respect to automobiles I am really trying to keep the costs under control.

Originally, I set my self a budget of $1000 to get this puppy in the water and running. Now that I know the outdrive is ready for the scrap heap I think the reality of that budget is quickly fading and making me lean more towards scrapping it.

As indicated I will assault the engine and see what I can determine.

Thus far I have $67 for titles and registrations, $39.95 for a light kit for the trailer, $23.00 for a 2 5/16" ball, probably $5 worth of water to power wash it and perhaps $60 in gas to drag the thing home. I think the trailer alone is worth the price of admission we shall see about the rest!

Craig

 

[southkogs]

Re: Now what do I do?

Okay - reason for asking is that for about $3k or so, you can probably dig up a pretty nice, lake ready boat this time of year. And if you have that much to spend, I'd probably suggest going that route as opposed to fixin' this one.

 

[gerg1962]

Re: Now what do I do?

I think your point is well taken, I am seeing a lot of boats out there for not too much money which appear at least to be ready to sail which my boat clearly is not.

Over this way we would call it an island boat, for San Juan Islands cruising!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Now what do I do?

Yup - salvage what you can outta' this one then, and start the hunt!

BTW - depending on how much effort you want to put into it, some of your parts will surprise you on how they'll sell on CL or eBay. I unloaded an old outboard as a parts motor last year for $100, and the guy drove down from Illinois to pick it up. I was really surprised as to how easy it was to sell.