1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

[Owens70]

Hello,

I just want to introduce myself and my new project. I plan to be an active member for a while and I am sure I will be needing as much advice as I can get.

A short introduction. My name is Eric, I am 24 years old and happily married for 3 years. I have grown up on a small lake and spent as many weekends on the lake as I have off of it. I am no stranger to boats about 30' or under. Mostly speed boats and pontoons. I have just purchased by first boat! This is a project boat, but I consider myself an avid DIY guy. I have accepted this challenge!.

About the boat. This boat is a 1962 Owens 16' runabout. My neighbor has had this boat on the lift for about 10 years. He was the second owner, purchased it from the original in 1992. I finally offered him $100 for the boat, engine, and trailer. He accepted it!

What I have received is a 1973 Evinrude 115HP outboard. According to the last owner the engine just needs a new Rectifier and should turn right over. I have ordered the part for $30 and am just waiting on it. The trailer is in great shape with new tires, boards, lights, winch cable, ect.

Back to the boat, Currently the hull and transom seem good. The seats are all rotted out. I have already designed new ones (will be happy to post the designs, they are well done in a 3D drafting program.) and purchased the lumber, vinyl. I will build then in the next week or two. The deck I can tell needs to be replaced. It feels squishy. I will post pictures of the deck replacement as I am working on it. I will probably ask for specific advice as I need it. I have done a fair bit of research and feel confident in the project.

So that is really all for now. Just wanted to make myself known and maybe talk with some of the guys here to make communication easier when needed. I have posted pictures of my new toy and am excited for the project to really get underway!

Thank you for sticking with the read. If you have any questions at all or would like more pictures of this beauty, I will be happy to oblige.



Regards,
Eric H.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Welcome to iBoats! Very nice looking boat. A 115 hp motor on a 16' 1962 boat is, IMHO a bit over powered. I would highly recommend you look for a USCG plate on the transom to se if you can determine what the mfg recommended for power on her. I'm pretty sure it would have been in the 70 to 80 hp range. If you have not taken a core sample of the transom I would also highly recommend that you do this as well. If you're gunna hang the big motor on her, you wanna make sure the transom is sound and one of the bes ways is to core sample it, preferably as low down to the hulll as you can get. If the deck is soft, this could mean the stringers and bulk heads under the deck are also compromised. Not sure if Owens used floatation foam in 62' but you will know soon enuf when the deck comes out. The old Rude's are great engines but again I think she might be a bit big for the boat. Lot's of great help here on the forum so keep posting your pics and questions and we'll be here to help you all along the way.

 

[Owens70]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Hello,

Thank you Woodonglass for the reply. I will take a closer look at the transom to verify it's true condition before putting the strain of that beastly 115HP outboard against it. Once I get the deck up I'll get some details pictures posted.

The past owners says he has been running it sense the 90's with the engine and my dad had a 16' with the same engine years ago. I agree that I should do more research on the consequences of running this much power and make sure that I am doing it correctly to avoid a sinking or worse. Thank you for the advise. You may have helped me avoid a potentially dangerous situation if I hadn't bothered to do research before running it.

Thank you.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Not only that, but.. In Oklahoma, if you are running over the limit on HP your insurance is Null and Void. And the Lake Patrol can and will cite you for running over horsepower. Not sure what your state reg's are but it's worth looking into.

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Welcome aboard Eric ! You just gotta love the old fiberglass boats ! Glad to see you are going to bring her back to life.
It would be nice to see the seat design. I am just about at that stage for mine.
Keep us posted ! S.P.

 

[Owens70]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Hello sphelps

I'm posting my seat designs here. I don't have much of a budget so my cushions are pretty basic. I am getting some seat foam from Joann's Fabrics along with the vinyl. So for the cushions I'm basically just wrapping vinyl around the foam on a treated plywood board cut to size and shape. I cant really afford to have them done and don't have the machine for the heavy sewing. I still think this will be functional and will look nice if I take my time. I can't wait to post the finished products next week.

If anyone can make suggestions or improvements on my designs before next week when I start construction, I will be happy to implement them and upload new renderings.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

This might be of interst...
"Building and Upholstering a Bench Seat"

 

[Owens70]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Thank you for the video. I have book marked the link for reference. For now due to the lack of funding for a powerful enough sewing machine to make proper seams (my wife would beat me with a hose if I brake hers) I am going to try making seats without seams. It may come out looking like junk, but we used this method for making the vinyl seats for the booths at my dads bar and they look nice. Hopefully it looks good on the boat. I will post pictures of the finished project after next weekend regardless of if it's success or failure. I will share my story and make videos to help anyone else trying to make seats on a budget. Hopefully its a successful guide and not a "what not to do"

Oh I forgot to mention, I am putting the bench in the rear of the boat on hinges so I can store behind it, reach the bilge pump, and still allow the cover to fit.

Regards,
Eric H.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Keep checking CL. I did those with a $75 sewing machine.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Welcome to iboats. Great boat you got there, but married for 3 years at 24!?!? Yikers!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Welcome aboard. Nice project for $100. That'll be a sharp boat all fixed up.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the 115 being overpowered. That 16' is a little more substantial than the one I had and some others I've seen that were rated for 90 which is still typically a 4 cylinder motor.

The rectifier has nothing to do with running the motor, just charging the battery. So charge up your battery and see if you can get some fire to that old beast. Parts support for the '73 should be pretty decent. I ran a '73 Johnson 85 for 5 seasons and sold it in excellent running condition a few years ago.

 

[Owens70]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Thank you ezmobee I had assumed that the rectifier was part of the ignition system, helping to regulate spark or something along those lines. Do you happen to know white size battery I should get? Unfortunately I can't keep the boat at my apartment, so starting it is going to have to wait until next weekend when I go back to my dads to pull it out of the water. Do you happen to have a link to a site that has good information on some basic things to check on an outboard before starting one that has not been run in a couple of years?

Thank you guys for info so far. I am really enjoying this forum and can't wait to be able to post updates as projects complete.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

This should help...
Bringing an Old Outboard Back to Life

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Just go to Sears and grab a "marine starting battery".

 

[Owens70]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Okay, so here is the latest plan.

I have spent about 20 hours of actual reading and video watching to get where I am at now.

BTW http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=510077 The thread where friscoboater rebuilds the 95' Sea Ray is amazing. This has really helped me come to the following conclusion.

I am pulling the boat out of the water on Sunday. This will give me a chance to comb through the engine and check the condition of the fluids as well as change them ect. If I find that the engine is solid and looks like it will last for several years to come with regular maintenance then I am going forward with the project. If not I will be looking to see what I can get for the the whole package. I know I'd at least get my investment back on the trailer alone.

If the engine is good then I will proceed with a full rebuild of the wood in the boat. I am figuring about $1500 to $2000 to do this properly. (let me know if I'm way off) I plan to replace deck, stringers, transom, and repaint the pink to maroon. I figure to take about a year to complete this working on my income and pace.

I feel confident that I can do this. I plan to use the same methods as friscoboater used on his project, just on a smaller scale and adjusted to my boat.

I am super excited for this project. I have rebuilt a car but never a boat and am very exited to have a project to work on and I know I will get a lot of help from my dad and brother on this.

What do you guys think? I will post pictures when it's on the trailer and let you know what the engine status looks like.

Regards,
Eric H.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1962 Ownes 16' runabout - Project Pink Panther!

Sounds like you have a perfect handle on what it will take to do this project properly. Good luck!