19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

[Mr850i]

New to iboat but have owned and been around boats my whole life. No expert at rebuilding boats by any means but very handy, in fact this will be my first rebuild. Found this boat on Craigslist, liked the style and the price was great. I'd like to save the engine and drive but can't find much info on line about the boat. Have an idea what the engine and drive is but not for sure. Would welcome any and all input. I found a Hull ID # stamped on the outside of the Starboard side of transom, it's M28205. Not sure how to decipher the Crestliner #'s and what they mean if anything.
I plan to dissassemble everything and start from the bottem up.

 

[pmillar]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

That would be an "old" drive, eh? I am no help in that area (obviously) but have to comment that it looks like a really neat boat well worth restoring. Good luck!

 

[Bondo]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Ayuh,... Cool lookin' hull...
But,...
That's an antique OMC stringer drive...
Good luck with That...

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Thank you, I thought it was worth restoring. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[jonesg]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Definately , it will be a classic.
But its probably due for a gut job.

 

[reavesga]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Got your self a project there.

The hull number does not make since to me. It should start with CRL for crestliner. Checkout this linke for more information http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.html

That is an old Stringer without TruCourse steering. It has the standard push pull steering. That is why I was confused during our earlier discussion.

Also, a GM 4 cy engine with two carbs. I have not seen that previously. I will try to take some more pictures of mine so that you can see how the interior goes together. From the pics it looks like you are missing a lot of the bits and pieces. The good news is they can all be made.

We love ours. We ran the Stringer for 2 years without issue. Then I had an electric shift switch fail. Engine redlined and something broke in the gears. I replaced with a Mercruiser using the same engine. The engine seems to have survived the brief redline event. Overall the GM engines are tough. You will probably be able to keep the engine without any problems. The drive will be a different story. If it is running well now then keep it, if it needs work, you can quickly sink $2K in it just for bearings and gears. The parts are available from a variety of sources but very expensive.

 

[reavesga]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Right side of the helm there should be a Crestliner data plate. It should have the Serial number on it as well as the year of build. Is it still there? Can you take a pic of it?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Nice looking old boat, would be a candidate for a switch over to a Mercruiser.

Looks like a tree fell on the portside windshield unfortunately.

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Cant find a Data plate, would it have been mounted to an interior piece or th the hull? I've looked everywhere for a top end gasket set for this motor but have yet to find one. Do you know where I could look?

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Nice looking old boat, would be a candidate for a switch over to a Mercruiser.

Looks like a tree fell on the portside windshield unfortunately.

I might just have do that. Im tearing down the engine to see where I stand with it and the drive..... It would be nice if they both worked.

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Nice looking old boat, would be a candidate for a switch over to a Mercruiser.

Looks like a tree fell on the portside windshield unfortunately.

Something fell on it, it was like that when I found the boat. The frame will be an easy fix, just finding a glass will be tricky...

 

[Bondo]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

just finding a glass will be tricky...

Ayuh,... You can have flat glass cut, 'n tempered at most any Glass Shop....

That'd be about $50. at my guy's place... Maybe $75...

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Ayuh,... You can have flat glass cut, 'n tempered at most any Glass Shop....

That'd be about $50. at my guy's place... Maybe $75...

That makes me feel better...

 

[chris_craft]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

seen a similar crestliner, it had a 140 buick motor with omc leg.

 

[Bluefin 19]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Hi Mr850i, I was curious how the rebuild is going. I might be buying the same boat, I was curious how the hull looks on yours, any potential problem areas. I think It has the same outdrive, and I wondered how yours worked out for you. Supposedly, it was rebuilt about five years ago, them sat until a year ago. I hope your rebuild is going well. Thanks!

 

[Mr850i]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Hi, sorry for the late responce. The project has been sitting in the back yard until yesterday. I pulled her into the driveway and started pulling the motor apart. It's a GM 153ci with dual carbs, I've never seen a dual carb 153 before but I'm trying to find rebuild kits for the carbs. the motor is in pretty good shape but I'm still going to pull it and remove the OMC Stringer Outdrive so I can replace the wood backing on the transom. I plan on stripping everything, moving the upper windshield forward 12" and building a hardtop. I'm going to paint the hull Lt Blue with the top White (like a Viking). I'm getting excited to finally get started on this fun project.

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Nice looking old boat, would be a candidate for a switch over to a Mercruiser.

+1 on this observation. Great looking hull and worthy project. However, Before you sink a bunch of time and $$$ rebuilding your engine and doing structural work, I would at least consider a merc swap. Omc parts are no longer available and pricey. My project boat came with a stringer and I was persuaded by a lot of the wiser, more experienced guys on here to make the swap, especially since I was having to rebuild engine mounts/stringers anyway (which are different for a merc setup), as is the transom. You might have to redo your hard work over again if that driveline fails you down the road. So, figure out the power situation before you finish your Tear down and start building back up.

I was able to find much more modern merc set up from a donor boat for a lot cheaper than a rebuild. Good luck and I'll be following along. You already have some of the best guys on this forum (not me, those above) chiming in and showing interest, so you have some great resources for help and guidance along the way.

 

[Kustmboater]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

I have a 1974 Norseman that i will be stripping if any of you need any parts, please pm me. I have windows, winshield, fiberglass etc.. I tried uploading pictures, but it didn't work. I can e-mail you pictures if wanted. Karl

 

[Bissen]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

I have a similar boat it is a 1969 Crestliner Norseman DC with a OMC (Chevy II) 120 HP with a Stringer outdrive. You should be able to find all the parts you need for the engine from NAPA. The Outdrive is another problem. I have a hard time finding pars for it. So If yo are willing to strip the whole boat down I would do the research in upgrading the outdrive. Good luck on the project and keep us posted. I love my boat and want to keep it for years.

 

[reavesga]

Re: 19.5' Crestliner Norseman DC project boat...

Wondering how the Norseman projects are going. I have had no problems with my hull. Pulled my OMC stringer and installed a Mercruiser of about the same vintage. Don't regret it and all is running well after a couple of years. Great to be able to use my Merc dealer for service when I need to.