Hi. I am new to the forum and I see some great information here. I am starting a restore on a Wcraft offshore 248 and am hoping to get a bit of advice. I have done several restores before but never on anything as big as this beast. So here is the story (sorry if this is unbearably long) :
Me and a buddy were buying, fixing, and selling boats a few years back before the economy went south and when we both had alot more time on our hands. We each ended up with a 25' project. I got the Wellcraft 248. The boat came with 2 bad Johnson 125's. I replaced them with a single 1996 Johnson 225 2 years ago and the boat has sat collecting leaves since that time as I was too busy to deal with it. The boat needs a good bit of cosmetic and I will also have to either replace the bowrail or try to bend it back in shape from where the previous owner had a limb fall on it. I also have a sidelite on the windshield to replace. The floor down the middle of the fishing deck is soft so I will have to deal with that also. Eventually I will want to paint the whole boat. Here are my questions and I would appreciate any feed back or advice:
1. Am I insane to do all this work to this old boat? My intent is not to fix it for sale but to keep it as a family fishing boat for use on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I already have about 3K in it.
2. What is the difference between the Sportsman model and the Offshore model? I can't seem to find good info anywhere.
3. The hydraulic trim tabs were totally shot so we pulled them off. Will the boat ride ok without them for the time being or should I replace them before I start using the boat? If I need to replace them should I go with electric or hydraulic tabs?
4. What capacity is the fuel tank and how do you deal with old gas that has been sitting in there for god knows how long? Can I flush it somehow or should I consider pulling the tank and replacing it?
Again, sorry so long but I would appreciate any advice.
Me and a buddy were buying, fixing, and selling boats a few years back before the economy went south and when we both had alot more time on our hands. We each ended up with a 25' project. I got the Wellcraft 248. The boat came with 2 bad Johnson 125's. I replaced them with a single 1996 Johnson 225 2 years ago and the boat has sat collecting leaves since that time as I was too busy to deal with it. The boat needs a good bit of cosmetic and I will also have to either replace the bowrail or try to bend it back in shape from where the previous owner had a limb fall on it. I also have a sidelite on the windshield to replace. The floor down the middle of the fishing deck is soft so I will have to deal with that also. Eventually I will want to paint the whole boat. Here are my questions and I would appreciate any feed back or advice:
1. Am I insane to do all this work to this old boat? My intent is not to fix it for sale but to keep it as a family fishing boat for use on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I already have about 3K in it.
2. What is the difference between the Sportsman model and the Offshore model? I can't seem to find good info anywhere.
3. The hydraulic trim tabs were totally shot so we pulled them off. Will the boat ride ok without them for the time being or should I replace them before I start using the boat? If I need to replace them should I go with electric or hydraulic tabs?
4. What capacity is the fuel tank and how do you deal with old gas that has been sitting in there for god knows how long? Can I flush it somehow or should I consider pulling the tank and replacing it?
Again, sorry so long but I would appreciate any advice.
