1971 F26 Trojan

[pilot0391]

I just recently was given (if I want it) an F26 Trojan. The boat is currently in the water at a slip about 2 hours from here. The guy claims that there is water getting into the oil. The engine is a 318 Chrysler. The boat was kept in brackish water in the Hudson River north of NYC. The boat appears to be in good shape with the exception of the engine. Any advice on if I should get involved in this project. What can I expect to find on a 40 year old boat?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

If you have the resources and time it should be a fun project. 318's are plentiful but the swap could be time consuming. I would focus on the powerplant first

 

[pilot0391]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

Yeah that was pretty much going to be my focus at the start anyway. I'm still not really sure I want to get involved with it because it's an inboard and the trailer I have isn't designed for that. I'll need to modify it just to get the boat up here to work on it. Doing an engine swap, if necessary, doesn't worry me. Do you know if it's possible to get and documentation on these boats anymore? It would be nice to have a general set of dimensions to go by to set the trailer up to tow it without damaging the drive line.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

It's probably not written/printed anyplace that we will find. If it is at a marina ....you might be able to rent a trailer and get it to your work area or if budget permits......work on it at the marina in dry dock.

 

[bigredinohio]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

On a 40 year old boat, I'd check for rot in the transom, stringers and deck (floor) if they haven't been replaced already.

Do you have any pictures?

 

[25thmustang]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

On a 40 year old boat, I'd check for rot in the transom, stringers and deck (floor) if they haven't been replaced already.

Do you have any pictures?

This is very true and a great starting point. One of the positives of an inboard boat, the transoms would seem to fair better than a stern drive counterpart. Less chance for water intrusion as the only underwater items that might let water in should be the thru-hull drain, trim tabs and possibly a transducer. The exhaust, and swim platform should also penetrate the transom, but above the waterline (or close for the exhaust).

Check into hiring a mover? I had mine moved 30-45 minutes for under $500. You might be able to do it for a decent price?

 

[pilot0391]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

Thanks for the input, renting a trailer or hiring someone to do it really isn't and option since it's over two hours driving time away. I have found a trailer I should be able to adjust at the marina to accomodate the the boat without damaging the driveline. The boat is in the water currently but I will definitely do what I can to check for rot. Any quick and dirty ways to do that, other than tapping on the hull and listening for changes is sound? The sad part is, if it wasn't for the engine leaking water into the crank case I could drive the boat right up the Hudson River to the Mohawk and pull it out 10 minutes from my house! Oh well, can't get lucky all the time!

 

[VaBeach1234]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

Pilot039,.
I have a 1972 F26 Trojan. The 71 and 72 models are almost identical. I've replaced the 318 with a remanufactured 318. It has a paragon V-drive transmission.

Here's a link to my photobucket site with pictures and projects.

http://s853.photobucket.com/albums/ab96/vabeach1234/Trojan F26/

Make sure to look through my other photobucket albums for other projects.

It's a great boat. Very roomy for a 26 foot.

I would recommend joining the trojanboats.net forum.

http://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/

There is a wealth of knowledge there specific to just Trojans.

If you are replacing the engine, you are pretty limited to the type engine you can fit in the bildge. Newer 5.7 Vortec models are too high for the engine comparment with the V-drive setup. You can always get a Chrysler 360 if you want more power. It's just a stroked 318. I'm pretty sure a older Ford 351 will fit also. FYI, these boats are not speed boats or blue water boats. The flat bottom stern is great for fuel economy but can't split waves in high seas. My cruise with my 318 is about 16 mph and top speed at around 23 mph.

Good Luck

 

[pilot0391]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

VABEACH1234, Thanks for the pictures, you have a beautiful boat. It's nice to see what mine can look like when I'm done with her. I brought it up from NYC this past Sunday and drained the sludge out of the oil pan and have started to flush waste oil through it to get the water out. I can't remember if I posted it but supposedly the engine needed to be replaced due to water in the oil. It is my belief that leaving the cover off the carb. and a redesigned hatch cover allowed rainwater and snow melt to run directly down the throats of the carb. Gotta love stupid people who give away boats that aren't broken! I was running waste oil through it tonight and she fired off and ran, very loudly! The previous owner had removed the water jackets and I haven't reinstalled them yet. IT ran for about 10 to 15 seconds or so without any discernable knocking. I'll renstall the water jackets, and put water to her and make sure the transmission works then hopefully put it in the water this weekend.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

VABEACH1234, Thanks for the pictures, you have a beautiful boat. It's nice to see what mine can look like when I'm done with her. I brought it up from NYC this past Sunday and drained the sludge out of the oil pan and have started to flush waste oil through it to get the water out. I can't remember if I posted it but supposedly the engine needed to be replaced due to water in the oil. It is my belief that leaving the cover off the carb. and a redesigned hatch cover allowed rainwater and snow melt to run directly down the throats of the carb. Gotta love stupid people who give away boats that aren't broken! I was running waste oil through it tonight and she fired off and ran, very loudly! The previous owner had removed the water jackets and I haven't reinstalled them yet. IT ran for about 10 to 15 seconds or so without any discernable knocking. I'll renstall the water jackets, and put water to her and make sure the transmission works then hopefully put it in the water this weekend.

Water getting into the carb won't make it into the oil... Check the oil often as you're running it, might be blown gaskets somewhere, hopefully the block isn't cracked. Assume the problem isn't fixed, if you forget about your oil and run it with more water getting in, you're going to mess stuff up pretty good.

 

[pilot0391]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

With the boat sitting and water dripping down into the cylinders it will leach past the rings on the pistons and pool in the crank case. This is no differnet than what will happen to a normal automobile engine. I had planned on testing it at length prior to running it out on open water regardless.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

Have never had that happen to me, didn't think it would be possible. I hope you're right and wish you luck anyhow!

 

[pilot0391]

Re: 1971 F26 Trojan

It really looks as if the previous owner just didn't have a clue. A rebuilt/redesigned hatch cover, a replacement aftermarket carb too tall to put the cover back on, never putting the running canvas on the boat even though it was sitting under the v-berth, and all the rain/snow they had down there last year. We'll see what happens when the water jackets are back on. I went into this thinking I would need to replace the engine. If I end up having too, I'm no deeper into this project then I figured I would be anyway at this point.