The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

[stbuckley]

I am the happy purchaser of an 1987 Amerosport 283.

Bought from a couple that have owned it for one year. They bought it from the original owner!

I figure if someone owned that boat for 25 years, they must have liked it a bit.

Inside is pretty good, outside a bit faded. I'm turning it into my summer cabin, so a lot of what I'll be doing is comfort based. For instance, first job is to get and trim a 4 inch memory foam topper to maximize V-berth comfort.

I have twin 4.3s, maintained but not rebuilt. Electronic ignition is something I am also looking at.

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

Photo (just for the heck of it) (Click to embiggen, have to learn how to scale correctly)

 

[bigdirty]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

nice looking boat Been looking at these, really like them..found one around my area for sale with twin 454/bravo setup.. THAT would go pretty good... but the one motor needing work, and the 14k asking price is way out of my budget for now :lol: Got any pics of the cabin?

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

nice looking boat Been looking at these, really like them..found one around my area for sale with twin 454/bravo setup.. THAT would go pretty good... but the one motor needing work, and the 14k asking price is way out of my budget for now :lol: Got any pics of the cabin?

I'm not the biggest fan of V-Berths. I think a little work with a foam mattress and some bolsters might result in something more bed-like.

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

So, spent the weekend poking around on the boat. Projects:

1. Replace the upper and lower tracks for the sliding plexiglass main hatch/door. I hope Chris Craft has them, otherwise might have to spend hours trying to find a source for what looks to be a basic track. Does anyone speak track?

2. Wandered around with a circuit tester, and found some dead switches. Took out one of the old mini florescent tube lights, looking for a replacement that isn't fluorescent. (This should be a refuge from office lighting.)

3. It seem that the cushions that go on top of the dropped dinette table to make a berth are missing. Have to come up with something else. I really thought the seatbacks would come off as fillers, but does not appear to be the case.

4. Horn doesn't work. How am I going to have my 5 year old nephew on a boat with a giant air horn that doesn't work?

5. Need a small dehumidifier, can't leave the AC on when not there (occasional very low tide).

6. Rebuild remote spotlight (see nephew not above. Pew-pew!)

7. The captain and passenger pedestal seats are very beat up, and the opening setbacks have no locks. I wonder it its worth removing those seats from the box pedestals, and replacing with something salvage/better?

Anyway, if anyone has any advice on any of these questions, I'd be happy to hear it.

Thanks

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

I'm glad you started this forum. Thanks a bunch. Been trolling the older amerosport forum and it's getting lonely over there.

I have just purchased a Chris Craft 1987 amerosport 283 and am just days away from getting It in the water.

I live in grand island ny in between buffo and Niagara falls so were getting ready to lift the ice boom on the Niagara river then will be ready for the season.

So far we are working on cosmetic stuff. Pulled carpet, going to walmart today to look at 4 inch memory foam. My colors look exactly like yours but cushions are more of a canvas so need to place and freshen them up.

Sounds like yours has ac, pretty sure mine doesn't. How can I be sure?

Let me know how to post pics and I will get some posted.

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

Do you replace the old cushions with the memory foam or put it on top?

 

[redneck joe]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

are the tracks like a house sliding glass door? If so a couple things to look at. One - it the raised part of the track gouged out? They make a stainless steel cap that will hammer over that to give you a smooth ride. You local hardware store should have this.

then you need to fix the cause of it gouging which is normally worn out/poorly adjusted rollers. Most rollers have screws you can adjust up. They may be bad - the bearings go out. You can find these sometimes at the hardware store as well or find a full service glas shop (prefereable the one that has been there for a hundred years) and see what they can dig up/order. I used to run a glass shop and one of our suppliers (CR Laurence Sliding Glass Door Hardware) usually had what the customer needed.

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

That's great. I was hoping there was someone out there to compare with.

Memory foam - I just put it on top of the cushions and then stuck a couple of WalMart long pillows on the sides. I'll put up a photo later today,

AC - Mine is connected to the bottom 115 breaker (yellow). Intake is under v berth, blows out from front setee to space under
table.

I figured out how to drop the table to form a berth, but don't see where the filler cushions are. I though the back cushions would come off, but mine don't budge. Ideas?

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

Mine had two more filler cushions that go over the table. I can't fifer out how to send pics or I would send some.

Spent some time on the boat getting it ready to hopefully get on the water tomorrow. Will have to stay in the canal until ice comes down the river. There's a book holding all the ice back on the lake and ice will flow down the river.

Do you have steps to step on to go on the outside of the bow?

I have some type of wooden box secured to the wall to step on.

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

I just was yours in the pic. It looks like you have tables to step up on to go out on the bow. Is that right? My back seat needs some changing up but may have to wait till next year.

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

I just was yours in the pic. It looks like you have tables to step up on to go out on the bow. Is that right? My back seat needs some changing up but may have to wait till next year.

The seats across the transom have bases that wrap to the sides, which gives a step up onto the top of the coaming. They are removable, leaving just he pads across the inside of the transom.

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

After tickering around the boat today I noticed my head wasn't attached to the hoses. In fact the head was nothing more than a porta potty that you need to take off the boat and dump in a toilet.

I'm looking to replace it. What toilet can I attach to the two tubes that are coming in.

Is it possible to add a pressurized system? Do I want/need or have a pressurized system? Do I want/ need to install a holding tank?

What price range for each unit am I looking at? What's the simplest and least expensive that I do not have to carry out of the boat and dump?

Thx!

 

[stbuckley]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

I'm still puzzling out how my head works. It looks like a Porta-Potty, but can be pumped out (supposedly).

There is a poster here who is the ultimate resource on marine toilets (the headlady?). Dig around, she has created some fantastic guides and info. Really useful stuff.

Today's projects:

Finish replacing flourescent lights with LED strips. I put in one of these already, and its perfect. Even uses the old screw holes.

Replacing the lights above the dinette (found same looking light, but aluminum, for around 7 bucks! Cheaper than replacing just the switch.)

Wiring the new TV to a step-up transformer so it can run off the 12v


The fill-in cushions for making a berth out of the dinette. Where are they stored? And are the definitely not the seat back cushions?

 

[Vinnyamerosport]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

Hope all is well.
I am having a hard time getting my boat to plane. I have a trim tab switch on my switch panel, built nothing on the dash. Am I missing something? Someone mentioned there is a motor by the engines that controls the trim tabs.

I am still trying to find the waste tank for the toilet. I have the hoses but not sure if there is a waste tank on the side of the boat as there is not one I can find in the engine compartment.

Can you tell me how to post pics?

Thx vin

 

[bigdirty]

Re: The Completely Un-Official (but New) Chris Craft Amerosport 283/284 Thread

The trim tabs will not adjust the boat to plane, they will in fact hinder it due to drag.

*edit* Actually, in some cases you CAN use the tabs to help get the boat UP on plane, but once its up and running i've always backed them off. *edit*

Trim tabs can help keep the boat level side to side while running, but ideally you want as little trim tab as necessary. To 'plane' nicely you need to use the DRIVE trim, which raises the outdrives a bit, and trim it up slightly as you are running. Every boat is different, you just have to play with it and 'feel' it.

Has to have a waste tank, if you have the hoses in the head.. unless the previous owner removed it, but I cant see that being the case.. maybe hidden somewhere behind a panel or wall in the rear cabin or hard to reach spot in the engine bay?

 

[284Bullitt]

Just bought my 283/284 - twin OMC - nice boat needs vary little work - hopefully mainly cosmo ?????????

Someone asked about air conditioner - if yours is a "center entrance" look under the bed - if its a side entrance - look next to the stairs - like in the picture above - you should see a white square shaped vent cover. Hope that helps.

Anyway, I live in Lancaster NY - just bought mine for 9 K , he was askin $14-a few months ago--- I think it was a decent buy ! ? The owner took me out on Lake Erie - at 3400 RPM it just planed out and travelled smooth. Seems like a nice solid boat - noticed some minor drive line vibration during acceleration - seemed to smooth right out once it leveled out. No problems with stirring - it does have symmetrical blade rotation ?

I want to change to one right hand and one left hand rotation. I hear different stories - some say just get a right hand and one left hand prop - others say you have to change out the tranny - anyone have experience with this ?/???

I heard changing will help it run straighter - ?????????

I will post pictures soon. Looking for anchor pulpit for the front / used will do - wood preferred.

Thanks

 

[284Bullitt]

Just bought my 283/284 - twin OMC - nice boat needs vary little work - hopefully mainly cosmo ?????????

Someone asked about air conditioner - if yours is a "center entrance" look under the bed - if its a side entrance - look next to the stairs - like in the picture above - you should see a white square shaped vent cover. Hope that helps.

Anyway, I live in Lancaster NY - just bought mine for 9 K , he was askin $14-a few months ago--- I think it was a decent buy ! ? The owner took me out on Lake Erie - at 3400 RPM it just planed out and travelled smooth. Seems like a nice solid boat - noticed some minor drive line vibration during acceleration - seemed to smooth right out once it leveled out. No problems with stirring - it does have symmetrical blade rotation ?

I want to change to one right hand and one left hand rotation. I hear different stories - some say just get a right hand and one left hand prop - others say you have to change out the tranny - anyone have experience with this ?/???

I heard changing will help it run straighter - ?????????

I will post pictures soon. Looking for anchor pulpit for the front / used will do - wood preferred

 

[284Bullitt]

Cant seem to post - test !

 

[stbuckley]

OK, time to get this thread up and alive. Off-season is good time for chores.

284Bulitt, On mine (twin crusader V-6s) the engines are counter-rotating, so there is a left hand and a right hand prop. That's why she backs up in a straight line.

If you don't have counter rotating engines, you need a geared adapter that makes the prop shaft spin the other way.

Watching the price of gas fall, and prying for a cheap-gas summer.