I have been a member here for a while, though mainly lurking. I have been on the water all my life, stated out in a 12' aluminum with a 9.8 mercury (which I still have), I currently have a 15' '87 Stott Craft bass boat with a '79 140hp evinrude that I picked up about 6 years ago for $500. It had just enough room for my wife and I when we were childless (she loves to fish), now that we have two little ones, it is not practical. I think I have decided to sell it since it has been in the water once since my first child was born (now 2 1/2years old).
This is where my new project comes in. I have my grandpa's old boat that I have been keeping in my barn, out of the weather for the past 4 years. It is a 1978 16' Custom Craft w/ fantail and 1979 70hp Evinrude. My grandpa passed away when I was in 5th grade (I am now 28), the boat sat behind my dad's barn for years, then made it's way out into the pasture. The front was always elevated with the drain plug out so it held no water. Hurricane Rita knocked it off the trailer, which had rotten bunks and a rusted out tongue. I replaced the tongue, and built and carpeted new bunks and got it back on the trailer. I hauled the boat to my house to fix it up (over 5 years ago). The motor had been sitting for 15 years, so I pulled the plugs and filled the cylinders with penetrating oil before trying to turn the motor. It set for a week, I pulled the plugs and drained the cylinders and it turned over fine and had good compression. I cleaned the carbs and had it running in 30 minutes.
I know the 16 footer is still small for a family of 4 to go out on, and do have plans of eventually getting a pontoon boat later down the line for going out on the river, but this is what I am working with for now and with its deep sides, it is an improvement over my current bass boat. The main reason I am fixing up this boat is because of sentimental attachment to it. I remember going shrimping with my grandpa and dad when I was small, pulling a 30 or 35' troll (hence the fan tail). My grandpa had a culling board that he had made out of cedar, he removed the windshields and put it in front of the split consoles. I would sit on the front casting deck with a pair of gloves and tongs and thrown the gar and mullet over board.
Here are my questions :
1) The motor. At one point my grandpa decided to change the gear oil him self and filled it from the top. The next trip pulling the troll burned the foot up. He found a replacement foot at a good price (too good). They changed the foot, and the next time they went to launch, they found out that the foot must have been off of a counter rotation motor since reverse was now forward and forward was now reverse. This did not effect them much since pulling the troll was a low speed ordeal any way. It only came into play when trying to out run a storm.
Here is my options, The hull is rated for 75 or 80hp, Ill have to check the tag. I originally purchased my bass boat to pull the 140hp motor (its hull is rated for a 90hp) or the foot and put on this boat. After seeing that the bass boat only needed carpet and a good buffing/polishing I decided to fix it up back then. I have a 1980 115hp Johnson V4 that is in good running condition, but part of the cavitation plate above the prop and a piece of the fin at the bottom of the foot are broken off (it came off a boat that was used in a impounded lake with lots of submerged trees and stumps). I also have another 1979 70hp evinrude I picked up for $75 as a parts motor that went under saltwater during Rita and ceased the motor, however the foot is in great shape, no chips or bends, shifts fine, and spins freely in neutral. As a bonus it also had a practically new SS prop in a pitch I did not have, so now I have a 15, 17, 19, and 23 that will fit all 3 of these running motors.
Obviously the 140hp is overkill, the easy answer seems to be put the foot off the locked motor on the motor that is currently mounted to the boat. Is there any reason I should look at changing to the 115 v4? would the good foot of the 3cyl 70hp mount to the v4 115 if I did?
2)Structural integrity
The hull and transom are in great shape and very solid, The casting deck is soft around where the seat post was once mounted and the edge of the plywood is exposed. I plan to cut the casting deck out completely and rebuild it. I will most likely close in the rear access hole and put two top mount hatches to gain access and keep everything inside dry. I will also likely relocate the batteries to the under the casting deck. The fuel tank will probably stay in the rear.
The fan tail is soft at one rear corner from throwing the doors on it. I plan to completely remove the fan tail since I never plan on pulling a troll. Is there any reason I should leave it?
There is once spot on the outside of the hull, about the size of a quarter, where a piece of the rusted bunk board mount went into the side of the hull. It did not go all the way through, just through the top coat (will post picture later). My plan is to clean out any loose material with a die grinder and fill with a two part epoxy. Would this be suitable? Being such a small spot I am not too worried about the look of the repair, I just want it to hold and be water tight.
Here are some pictures from the first time I began working on this boat. The only thing that is different is each dash has a large piece of 1/4" brushed aluminum where the steering wheel mounts (mount welded in) and covering where the glove box once was (may mount a radio later). I still have one of the windshields and the top frame which needs new canvas.
This is where my new project comes in. I have my grandpa's old boat that I have been keeping in my barn, out of the weather for the past 4 years. It is a 1978 16' Custom Craft w/ fantail and 1979 70hp Evinrude. My grandpa passed away when I was in 5th grade (I am now 28), the boat sat behind my dad's barn for years, then made it's way out into the pasture. The front was always elevated with the drain plug out so it held no water. Hurricane Rita knocked it off the trailer, which had rotten bunks and a rusted out tongue. I replaced the tongue, and built and carpeted new bunks and got it back on the trailer. I hauled the boat to my house to fix it up (over 5 years ago). The motor had been sitting for 15 years, so I pulled the plugs and filled the cylinders with penetrating oil before trying to turn the motor. It set for a week, I pulled the plugs and drained the cylinders and it turned over fine and had good compression. I cleaned the carbs and had it running in 30 minutes.
I know the 16 footer is still small for a family of 4 to go out on, and do have plans of eventually getting a pontoon boat later down the line for going out on the river, but this is what I am working with for now and with its deep sides, it is an improvement over my current bass boat. The main reason I am fixing up this boat is because of sentimental attachment to it. I remember going shrimping with my grandpa and dad when I was small, pulling a 30 or 35' troll (hence the fan tail). My grandpa had a culling board that he had made out of cedar, he removed the windshields and put it in front of the split consoles. I would sit on the front casting deck with a pair of gloves and tongs and thrown the gar and mullet over board.
Here are my questions :
1) The motor. At one point my grandpa decided to change the gear oil him self and filled it from the top. The next trip pulling the troll burned the foot up. He found a replacement foot at a good price (too good). They changed the foot, and the next time they went to launch, they found out that the foot must have been off of a counter rotation motor since reverse was now forward and forward was now reverse. This did not effect them much since pulling the troll was a low speed ordeal any way. It only came into play when trying to out run a storm.
Here is my options, The hull is rated for 75 or 80hp, Ill have to check the tag. I originally purchased my bass boat to pull the 140hp motor (its hull is rated for a 90hp) or the foot and put on this boat. After seeing that the bass boat only needed carpet and a good buffing/polishing I decided to fix it up back then. I have a 1980 115hp Johnson V4 that is in good running condition, but part of the cavitation plate above the prop and a piece of the fin at the bottom of the foot are broken off (it came off a boat that was used in a impounded lake with lots of submerged trees and stumps). I also have another 1979 70hp evinrude I picked up for $75 as a parts motor that went under saltwater during Rita and ceased the motor, however the foot is in great shape, no chips or bends, shifts fine, and spins freely in neutral. As a bonus it also had a practically new SS prop in a pitch I did not have, so now I have a 15, 17, 19, and 23 that will fit all 3 of these running motors.
Obviously the 140hp is overkill, the easy answer seems to be put the foot off the locked motor on the motor that is currently mounted to the boat. Is there any reason I should look at changing to the 115 v4? would the good foot of the 3cyl 70hp mount to the v4 115 if I did?
2)Structural integrity
The hull and transom are in great shape and very solid, The casting deck is soft around where the seat post was once mounted and the edge of the plywood is exposed. I plan to cut the casting deck out completely and rebuild it. I will most likely close in the rear access hole and put two top mount hatches to gain access and keep everything inside dry. I will also likely relocate the batteries to the under the casting deck. The fuel tank will probably stay in the rear.
The fan tail is soft at one rear corner from throwing the doors on it. I plan to completely remove the fan tail since I never plan on pulling a troll. Is there any reason I should leave it?
There is once spot on the outside of the hull, about the size of a quarter, where a piece of the rusted bunk board mount went into the side of the hull. It did not go all the way through, just through the top coat (will post picture later). My plan is to clean out any loose material with a die grinder and fill with a two part epoxy. Would this be suitable? Being such a small spot I am not too worried about the look of the repair, I just want it to hold and be water tight.
Here are some pictures from the first time I began working on this boat. The only thing that is different is each dash has a large piece of 1/4" brushed aluminum where the steering wheel mounts (mount welded in) and covering where the glove box once was (may mount a radio later). I still have one of the windshields and the top frame which needs new canvas.
