1969 Silverline DeVille

inthedirtagain

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
321
Since my grandfather passed, no one seem interested in his boat. My grandmother asked me to take it home this summer and put it to use, so that is just what I did. I have wayyy too many memories of this boat as a kid, so I can't see selling it to strangers. Its not a perfect fit for my family, but it'll get the job done. After getting it home, I discovered that the throttle was prematurely advanced, so even though the throttle was in neutral at the helm, it was advance on the motor. Would instantly climb to 4k rpm once started.

I got everything tuned up per my manual and have had a chance to take it fishing a couple of times already, as well as drag the family around the lake on a kneeboard. The rope attaching points are too low, so I'm going to build a ski pole for it this winter. Also, there was some old skis, rope, and ladder stored in the shop, so I brought those home, too. We determined the old over-the-rail ladder is for the birds, so come this winter, I'll be building a ladder/step comb for it.

Sold grandpa's old 15hp Evinrude tiller because I prefer electric. I mounted up a MinnKota 28# that my FIL gave me, and also picked up a Group 29 battery. It trolls nicely as long as the wind isn't blowing too much. When skipping across the lake, I'm surprised how well this boat scoots along. Its running the original '69 Merc 1000 outboard. He's had some electrical and LU work done over the years, but the powerhead is all stock. That being said, each cylinder was hitting 135 lbs of compression! All told, I hit 38mph @ 5200 rpm with a really beat up 18p prop. I can't complain too much!
 

Attachments

  • photo209185.JPG
    photo209185.JPG
    185.1 KB · Views: 0
  • photo209186.jpg
    photo209186.jpg
    34.8 KB · Views: 0
Top