What should a Noob not tackle??

[aquarices]

I've been lurking on the forums for a while now and I'm close to picking up a little boat for myself. I've never owned a boat, but I'm mechanically inclined. Trouble is, I'm not a carpenter, never did electrical work, never fixed a boat motor either. I'm just your average grease monkey who knows his way around a wrench. I'm not planning on tackling a 30" cruiser project. I'm just looking for a 14"-16" aluminum or glass runabout. Not in a hurry to get it on the water either, I can commit to a multi-year project while I learn and sort things out. Now that I got that backstory out of the way, what do you guys think is too much for a noob? Transom work looks rough, stringers not too bad. Engine work?? Yeah, maybe not. I don't know, I guess I'm just looking for what you think is bearable and what just isn't feasible for a noob to take on. Thanks and happy boating!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

My .02 - skip any boat that has wood rot issues. There are plenty of good solid boats available and unless you are really hurting for something to spend a winter on - its a waste of time gutting a boat to the core. The motors are all pretty simple - trick is being able to determine what the issue is and how much its going to cost you before you buy.

 

[Beefer]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

Don't try and tackle a Rhinoceros. Even pro's won't try and tackle them.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

If you can find one that runs, or runs badly, but has good oil pressure, no internal engine noises and a good rot free structure that's a start.
Tuning and maintenance stuff isn't hard for someone like you. If you find one with chalked up gel coat that's OK too. A poor looking exterior can be wet sanded and polished back to life in a few afternoons.
You can use your mechanical basics and this forum to guide you. Many of us have been at that very point where you are.
If you like a boat and aren't sure how to proceed throw it up on the forum, you will get lots of answers. Some of the folks on here are very sharp. You can tell by their tone and the logic of their answers.
So do you have your eye on anything?

 

[aquarices]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

If you can find one that runs, or runs badly, but has good oil pressure, no internal engine noises and a good rot free structure that's a start.
Tuning and maintenance stuff isn't hard for someone like you. If you find one with chalked up gel coat that's OK too. A poor looking exterior can be wet sanded and polished back to life in a few afternoons.
You can use your mechanical basics and this forum to guide you. Many of us have been at that very point where you are.
If you like a boat and aren't sure how to proceed throw it up on the forum, you will get lots of answers. Some of the folks on here are very sharp. You can tell by their tone and the logic of their answers.
So do you have your eye on anything?

I'm eyeballing these boats here:
Seaswirl http://bit.ly/HbrNTN
1972 fiber boat http://bit.ly/HbrPuY

I don't have any information on them though. Right now I'm still trying to get an idea of what it is I like. I want it to be small and "classic" looking. I don't mind if it's a project either as I'm looking for something to do.

 

[NYBo]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

An aluminum boat with an outboard motor is a great place to start.

 

[Oshkosh1]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

As stated...if it turns over, builds pressure, doesn't have any heavy "low end" knocking(ticking may just be a noisy lifter/loose rocker) and doesn't show obvious signs of outright abuse, many times a good tune up/minor maintenance may be all it takes. Oil changes, plugs, caps, wires, carb cleaning, fuel filter replacement etc...can go a long way and are fairly straightforward.

I pulled my sterndrive off, dropped the lower unit and replaced the iimpeller assembly, upper oil seal, then made a pressure tester to confirm the integrity of the seals in just a couple of hours.

If you have a decent library nearby, go in a you may find some good basic(and even specific) reading to familiarize yourself with the nomenclature of some marine specific parts/assemblies and their maintenance.

Good luck!

 

[NHGuy]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

Those outboards are very easy to own. Make sure you get a test run if you decide you want one of them. Also go to the outboard forum of the respective motor brands and ask about the care and upkeep of each one specifically.

 

[aquarices]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

Thanks guys! All good information. I guess the motor scares me the most. Outboard sticker prices make my hair stand on end lol. Maybe one day soon I'll have a build thread up!

 

[aquarices]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

As stated...if it turns over, builds pressure, doesn't have any heavy "low end" knocking(ticking may just be a noisy lifter/loose rocker) and doesn't show obvious signs of outright abuse, many times a good tune up/minor maintenance may be all it takes. Oil changes, plugs, caps, wires, carb cleaning, fuel filter replacement etc...can go a long way and are fairly straightforward.

I pulled my sterndrive off, dropped the lower unit and replaced the iimpeller assembly, upper oil seal, then made a pressure tester to confirm the integrity of the seals in just a couple of hours.



If you have a decent library nearby, go in a you may find some good basic(and even specific) reading to familiarize yourself with the nomenclature of some marine specific parts/assemblies and their maintenance.

Good luck!

You would think that boat motors would run forever. They don't get used as much as cars so the hrs should be low compared to a vehicle of the same age. I don't know what makes an outboard tick, but it seems like unless you boat year 'round (that must be nice) it would be easy to maintain one for a long time.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

it would be easy to maintain one for a long time.

It IS!!

There are probably more outboards from the 60s, 70s and 80s used everyday than those built since the 90s...thats when they started to get expensive.

Find a boat with a Johnson or Evinrude from the 25-45 years ago and it is pretty sure bet you can get parts pretty cheap and keep it running for a long long time.

 

[saumon]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

An aluminum boat with an outboard motor is a great place to start.

x1000!

Learn what to check for when hunting for a used outboard:
-compression (must be good; if not, forget it unless you want to try a complete rebuid)
-spark (if not, can be fixed but it could be costly)
-fuel (pump rebuid and carbs clean-up are absurdly easy)
-water in the lower unit (a no-no)

Then test it, i mean on the water, not on a tank. A lot of engines can seems to run like champs with only half their cylinder firing when tested without a load...

After your purchase, order a factory service manual for you specific engine. That will be the best investment you'll made and it will pay itself many times.

Good luck.

 

[cribber]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

Set your budget 1st and then hit Craig's list. See what local prices are going for and stick to legit local sellers. Use that as your baseline if you venture out of market for a boat. Better yet use Iboats and seach by used boats for your style. Your new boat could be right here... had to throw in the plug for Iboats.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

An aluminum boat with an outboard motor is a great place to start.

Right there is the best advice I could give and its already here. So my work is done.

Seriously, if your handy there's nothing that can't be done. Plus you've already found iBoats and all the helpful forums and that's the hard part. Tinnies are the easiest to work on and maintain. Couple that with the ease of maintenance on an OB and it's a no brainer.

 

[jdlough]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

If you are already very familiar with car motors, an Inboard/Outboard (I/O) boat may be ok for you. The motors are similar. If you go this route, search this forum for what motors and outdrives (like OMC) to avoid. Never buy anything that describes itself as an "L" drive.

Unless you are a car motor monkey, an outboard is probably your best choice. Johnson/Evinrude (basically the same company/motor) as a first choice. Mercury as a close second. Avoid Chrysler, Force, Gamefisher and others that no longer exist, because parts are hard to find.

Many like aluminum hulled boats, because if wooden stringers or transom is rotted, repairs are much easier than the same problems on a fiberglass hulled boat.


Be aware that sometimes your best and cheapest bet on Craigslist may be in buying two boats. People often sell boats for one of two things, either the boat sux, or the motor sux.

You may find a crappy boat with a decent motor.

Then find a decent boat with a broken motor.

Buying both and attaching the decent motor to the decent boat is often cheaper than buying one decent boat with a decent motor.

If you end up with an extra trailer, sell the extra trailer. If you go this route, note that it's easier to stay within the same brand of motor. Merc shifter and throttle controls don't work on Yamaha or Johnson. If the boats are similar size, you may be able to transfer the motor AND the controls from the crappy boat to the good one.

 

[aquarices]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

Ok, I see tinnies are easier, why would I want to avoid a fiberglass boat? From a project and maintenance standpoint.

edit: jdlough answered my question.

 

[jdlough]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

I like that Seaswirl you were looking at, if the motor checks out ok. Cool old boat.

I doubt it has it, but if it has power tilt/trim for the motor, that's a big plus.

 

[aquarices]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

I like that Seaswirl you were looking at, if the motor checks out ok. Cool old boat.

I doubt it has it, but if it has power tilt/trim for the motor, that's a big plus.

I like the swirl too. Not a lot of tinnies in my area that interest me despite them being easier to work on. I might just call her up and schedule a closer look.

 

[jdlough]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

The reason tinnies are easier to repair is that for a smaller tinny, they are basically an aluminum bowl, with a plywood deck attached. If you have transom/stringer rot, just remove/unscrew the deck, slap on some new stringers or slap on some plywood for the transom from the inside, reinstall a new plywood deck, and you are good to go.

To do the same thing on a fiberglass boat involves cutting out the deck, removing foam, scraping, sanding, cleaning, and a BIG headache for fixing the transom. It is usually rotted plywood surrounded by fiberglass. So, you have to either cut the fiberglass inside the boat, or cut the top of the transom and dig it out. Then reinstall a new plywood transom, and encase it in fiberglass. Then reinstalling a new deck, and linking it to the old fiberglass. It's messy. Resin and fiberglass cloth is like tar and feathers.

All that's much more work than just bolting a new deck and piece of plywood to a tin transom.


On the other hand, aside from transom and stringer work, there's a lot that's easier on a fiberglass boat. Dings, crunches, and keel dents are all simple fiberglass repairs. It's not too difficult to make these repairs look like new.

On a tinny, pounded out dents look like pounded out dents.


USUALLY, you get a better ride from a fiberglass boat. Most tinny boats aren't too curvy. The bottom and sides are flat planes bent around a form.

Fiberglass hulls can be formed into much more elegant shapes. The bow can be flared to aim bow spray away from you on the deck. The prow can cut into the waves better. Basically, designers of a fiberglass hull can focus more on what makes a better riding boat, rather than the tin designers have to focus on what boat can be made out of flat pieces of aluminum.

Fiberglass boats are always heavier, which sux for towing or horsepower of motor needed, but makes for a much more stable ride. Tinnies are lighter, so they bob around like a cork in rough seas.

If you find a fiberglass boat with a fiberglass covered DECK (instead of carpet covering plywood), that is a big plus.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Re: What should a Noob not tackle??

On tinnies dents are character and personality.