Well here we go again...

[i386]

Got this from FIL today, "free".

Chris Craft Scorpion 186
Mercruiser 5.0L V8

It's been uncovered for 2 years. It's going to take me some time to assess what all it needs. I'm told the engine is fine but there's some trouble shifting in reverse. I am not sure what kind of shape she's in structurally yet. I'll have to clean it out and go from there.

The gelcoat is in great shape. It just needs a good polishing. All hardware and windshield seems to be good. It has a bimini top, unknown condition. The upholstry needs work. Deck and below, unknown.

Any info on how these are constructed would be greatly appreciated. I don't know if it has wood stringers. Any common structural failures specific to this model would be very helpful to know about.

Here she is...

 

[zach103]

Re: Well here we go again...

Deffinitly looks better than the other one when you got it... great looking boat.. is this one a present for mrs i386 for graduating?

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

Deffinitly looks better than the other one when you got it... great looking boat.. is this one a present for mrs i386 for graduating?

Not really a graduation present. He knew it needed work and hated to just let it sit and go to pot. I've been told to come get it several times, but I wanted to make sure he was sincere. This is actually the 3rd boat he's given me. He's seen how well I took care of the 1st one, he's seen me working to fix the second one. I guess he feels like it's in good hands. He didn't want to sell it and would just rather keep it in the family.

A boat this size can be a lot more expensive to repair then a small fishing boat so we'll just have to see what all it needs. With all the experiences I've read about here and with my own, I won't be surprised at any thing I find.

 

[fishie]

Re: Well here we go again...

nice... am I gonna see this one out on Lanier?

 

[oops!]

Re: Well here we go again...

chris'es are great boats 386.

the shift thing could just be a cable adjustment, the uph looks great from the pics.....and you said it was uncovered???

well, you know what you might be getting in to. lets hope its sound...!

awesome boat

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Well here we go again...

the shift cable for the connection at the engine to the outdrive, are known to be a problem, in going bad, and not shifting to reverse. your control cables go to the engine, and then a short one to the outdrive for shifting. also bellows between the transom and drive, can leak causing this problem. Prime the oil pump, pull the plugs and turn the engine by hand, nut of harmonic balancer. feel for any hard spots, i learned this the hard way, as i ended up bending push rods, with the starter.

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

Prime the oil pump, pull the plugs and turn the engine by hand, nut of harmonic balancer. feel for any hard spots, i learned this the hard way, as i ended up bending push rods, with the starter.

This advice is for checking it out before I try to start it the first time, correct?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Well here we go again...

yes, make sure it will turn before hitting the starter, there is enough torque with the starter to do damage.

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

yes, make sure it will turn before hitting the starter, there is enough torque with the starter to do damage.

Thanks! No tellin' how much trouble you may have saved me by telling me that! I'll be seeing y'all in the Mercruiser forum before too long. It'll be a couple weeks before I start messing with the engine. For now I just want to get it cleaned up and and see what all needs done to it.

 

[zach103]

Re: Well here we go again...

Can't wait to see those pictures.. it doesnt look to bad.. deff going to be a nice boat when your done with it.

 

[TriadSteeler]

Re: Well here we go again...

From the pics, here is the only thing i can tell that it needs

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

Hah that's great. Believe it or not, the thought already crossed my mind.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Well here we go again...

Looks good.... nice boat. Yup.... pull the plugs and give every cylinder a shot of Sea Foam..... leave the plugs out and turn the engine by hand a few times (or use a ratchet) to make sure everthing is free.....

Dump any and all gas that may be in the tank........ I doubt it is any good except to mix in with the lawn mower gas.

Have fun.

 

[kbomb]

Re: Well here we go again...

Great looking boat. That will be a fun project.

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

Well I cleaned it out yesterday and vacuumed up all the leaves and pine straw.

This is what I know so far...

The driver and passenger back-to-back lounge seats are shot. Both have rotten frames.

The plywood backer on all the bow seat cushions are all rotten or beginning to rot. The vinyl doesn't look too bad though.

Some trim pieces which is just vinyl stapled to wood with foam are rotten.

The carpet is all in tact (no tears or holes) but doesn't look to good.

I can buy new back-to-back seats. I can repair the rest of the vinyl work myself. It's just a wrap and staple job with no sewing.

All the bright work looks fine.

The gelcoat just needs a good wax and polish.

^^^ All of that needs to wait on this...

I need to see if I can get the engine running. I am told it's fine except for the shifting problem. There's some rust on the intake manifold with a few bolt heads in bad shape. There's also a few places where it looks like a small vacuum hose might have once been but no longer. There was a handful of drain **** looking plugs in the driver's cup holder (no idea where they go) and a few water hoses have been taken off. I'm wondering if this was just to get all the water out for storage.

I know he replaced the deck years ago. I remember once he told me he used PT plywood. When I walk around on the deck it feels like the fiberglass has come unglued from the deck in places. I think we all know why that is. He claims the stringers are not wooden, but I don't know if he's right about that. The transom seems solid. The only screws in it are factory. I am willing to do a deck job on it, but I don't know about pulling the cap on this one and doing the full deal. I'd really like to know what those stringers are made of.

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

A few more pics of the interior now that all the junk is out...

Guys, take care of your boats. They go down hill fast. This thing was in very good condition only 2 short years ago.

 

[rocket1968]

Re: Well here we go again...

Looks like the bottom of my seats a few years ago! How do you get these free boats? You have my dream boat here, it is also the one on the cover a clymer for mercruisers.

The seat repairs are at least a fun repair. If the vinyl is good, get out the jig/circular saw and some marine plywood and start cutting out some new ones. I had to reaplce everything including the engine cover. (people sat on it and broke it). I used a air powered staple gun and new padding and had it all looking great. The biggest problem was realigning the seat hardware to get it to fold down again.

Also, I was using battery powered saws which really made it go quick, no cords to keep moving. That boat has a great look and engine, unlike my tri hull (no offense to Trihull people). If the boat is not wanted, give me a call!

 

[i386]

Re: Well here we go again...

Looks like the bottom of my seats a few years ago! How do you get these free boats? You have my dream boat here, it is also the one on the cover a clymer for mercruisers.

The seat repairs are at least a fun repair. If the vinyl is good, get out the jig/circular saw and some marine plywood and start cutting out some new ones. I had to reaplce everything including the engine cover. (people sat on it and broke it). I used a air powered staple gun and new padding and had it all looking great. The biggest problem was realigning the seat hardware to get it to fold down again.

Also, I was using battery powered saws which really made it go quick, no cords to keep moving. That boat has a great look and engine, unlike my tri hull (no offense to Trihull people). If the boat is not wanted, give me a call!

Yea, I can repair the bow seats, no problem. The engine cover is also in good shape except for the padded trim pieces which I can also repair. One of the padded "side covers" also needs fixing. I can do that too. Pretty much all the repairs involve stapling vinyl and padding to some new wood. That I can do.

The two back-to-back seats are shot though. They'll need replacing.

Yea, I've been lucky with the free boats.

My FIL had 2 fishing boats in addition to his own Bass Tracker. He gave the better of the two (the Crosby Sled) to my BIL because he has kids. He gave me the little Bream Buster.

The BIL left the Crosby backed into the edge of the woods uncovered. It filled with rain water, wrecked the trailer and rotted the deck. It's mine now.

He was no longer interested in having a ski boat. It bounces around and hurts his back he says. He also spends a lot of time on his Harley Davidson Electra Glide. He knows I take care of boats so he gave me the ski boat. BIL didn't take care of the first one, and he has no way to pull it anyway so he gave it to me (not to mention fuel, insurance, and maintenance). There's other private reasons he wants to keep it in the family. Out of respect for him I will not mention those things. Memories of lost loved ones. Let's leave it at that.

It'll do his heart good to see it back in ship shape. Same goes for the Crosby.

 

[INJUN]

Re: Well here we go again...

Beautiful boat!
I would only replace the wood backings and remake the seat frames, cause the uph looks good in the photos. I'd also leave the floor alone for the season and have some fun first. A little cleanings' all.
I'm not much in the mechanics' area but a friend of mine had the same hull and it was one of the fastest I've ever been on, so hold on!
You can't beat free!

IMO

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Well here we go again...

Nice boat. Mine is the 178,but is basicly the same as yours less one foot.

As far as the construction, I would think the construction should be similar to mine. For the stringers, I enclosed a photo so you can get an idea. Your fuel tank will be between the ski locker and engine compartment bulkheads. Mine has 2 main stringers that run the total length of the boat, and two more that start at the ski locker bulkhead and run forward. There is no reinforcement ribs, but yours might since it is a larger boat. The stringers are indeed wood wrapped with glass.

If you do replace the deck, I would suggest making the deck above the tank removable in case you need to get to the tank out in the future. You will also find the fill and vent lines run from the helm, under the deck (surrounded with foam) to the tank. My hoses were toast.​