1968 alpex sea aira I/O

[therealbuddah]

hi there, 1st post, got this classic for nothing but me supplying the trailer. sat in the basement of our machine shop (NAPA auto parts) for years. anyway wondering if anyone can give me some more information about this boat maybe capacities/size specs, also i would like to raise the floor a bit for better fishing. 1st project and its a big one any help is greatly appreciated thanks.

 

[captmello]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

Wow, that boat takes me back. My family had a '67 Alpex when I was a Kid. Many good memories.

I must caution you however, about the old I/O's. Keeping those running and operating can be very difficult. I can't even tell what drivetrain you have.

Do you know?

IMO, while it may be a good boat with a solid hull, the old I/O scares me. I/O's are enough work without getting into something with no parts support or mechanics to work on them. Not trying to discourage, just being realistic.

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

i'd say, first order of business...find you and old donor boat that has a mercruiser complete setup....your boat is currently setup for an OMC Stringer i/o, which parts are fairly easy to find, their prices are very high...and it appears that you are missing quite abit of the pieces from the interior engine bay...

if you look around, you can find some pretty cheap boats with merc i/o's in them...usually boat is trashed but drive system complete

 

[tinkeringwackyone]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

I haven't seen an aplex in years, we had one when I was a kid and sold it to my grandparents, learned to ski behind it. although it was an outboard I look back and wish I had it back. I agree with the comments above about the drive. If we were closer I could send you the extra mercruiser 120 and pre alpha drive I have. I have the complete unit. good luck with your project.

 

[therealbuddah]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

Thanks for the replies. i've read some bad stories about the outdrive unit itself, but the engine is rebuilt sitting in our machine shop wrapped in plastic just waiting for me to finish the floor lol. i'd like to leave the drivetrain the same but if worse comes to worse i guess now would be the time to switch it over. everything else on the boat seems sound, no cracks in the hull, no big scratches or chips in the coat, linkages and steering seem to operate well. guess we'll see what happens i'll post on the progress tho it will be slow as i'm short on cash like everyone seems to be now days lol. Also if anyone has old documentation....i.e. brochures, capacities, size specifications....it would make it alot easier on me when it comes time to register as there is no capacity plate or title card...as far as i can tell it was made before they were required??? Thanks again.

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

well..depending on which engine it is, you could still use that engine....just the the bellhousing and manifolds and such from a mercuiser (along with the rest oif the drive system.......

basically...a chevy 350 is a chevy 350...whether it's coupled to an OMC or Mercruiser

 

[therealbuddah]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

its the little ford 4cyl lol....but a fresh engine none the less. i would like to get it together as it was just to get it in the water, save up money for a bigger engine/different drive. i think it would be a great boat for the small lakes that are around here and also quite the head turner

 

[therealbuddah]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

well....dug into the boat some more today and...yup...there it was...balsa core. So, to replace with plywood, or use foam, or put balsa back in (looks like a pain in the ***) also it seems everything is rotted including under the stringer mounts. Looks like that mercruiser conversion just might be in the works. Another question is what about converting to an OB. Is the transom strong enough the way it is or would that be a completely different build from what the I/O is setup for?

 

[therealbuddah]

Re: 1968 alpex sea aira I/O

ripped apart that OMC Stringer, yuck haha. Anyone looking for a parts unit send me a pm, ball gears are the press on type, only about 20% wear. I'm sure there are other usable parts it'll be cheap anyway but u must take the whole thing. Boot looks great no tears that i can see and seems to be quite plyable yet. shift cable is junk as the previous owner did a nasty hack job so it came apart when i separated the units for removal (by myself no cherry picker so I took it apart piece by piece).