I have a predicament that I can't get my head around and could use some advice from experts out there, so here goes.....
I recently bought a 1975 Silverline 22ft Cuddy with a Mercruiser 233 (Ford 351W) engine which has only 6 hours on it including new exhaust risers and hoses. The boat hull is in very good condition for its age, the interior is in good useable condition and it also has a brand new canvas top. I have receipts for the engine and canvas as well as all the original manuals. It has had one owner from new and has spent it's entire life in upstate NY in freshwater and has no bottom paint.
This is the first boat that I have bought and naively, I bought it without trying it in the water, which I am now starting to regret !!
I put it in for the for the first time this weekend and it ran well and felt good but I did notice that it was taking on a bit of water. I took the boat out of the water and started investigating. I pulled out the drive and found that the U/J bellows had some water in the bottom of it and the large square-sectional O-ring was badly damaged. The U/J's are OK and don't feel worn and the bellows were in good shape with no damage.
The real problem is the gimbal bearing. It is corroded and feels rough when turned but worse than that, the housing that it sits in is also corroded, so much so that some of it came away in my hand. I know that this is actually the transom assy, so now my dilemma is do I keep the boat and spend a considerable amount of money on it or do I cut my losses and get rid of it.
I know that I may have some difficulty locating a Merc Alpha 1 transom assy for a 1975 boat, but are there a lot of differences between alpha 1 gen 1 and 2 ?
The drive unit itself is in good shape having serviced it and finding the oil clean with no sludge or particles.
I basically really like the boat. It has a new engine and canvas and is in reasonable condition and it cost me just $2000. I don't have any idea what it would cost to have the transom fitted, but I know it would be quite involved. Is it at all possible to replace this without pulling the motor?
So guys, thanks in advance and sorry for the long-winded post, but I could use your thoughts and advice. I just want to get on the water !!
I recently bought a 1975 Silverline 22ft Cuddy with a Mercruiser 233 (Ford 351W) engine which has only 6 hours on it including new exhaust risers and hoses. The boat hull is in very good condition for its age, the interior is in good useable condition and it also has a brand new canvas top. I have receipts for the engine and canvas as well as all the original manuals. It has had one owner from new and has spent it's entire life in upstate NY in freshwater and has no bottom paint.
This is the first boat that I have bought and naively, I bought it without trying it in the water, which I am now starting to regret !!
I put it in for the for the first time this weekend and it ran well and felt good but I did notice that it was taking on a bit of water. I took the boat out of the water and started investigating. I pulled out the drive and found that the U/J bellows had some water in the bottom of it and the large square-sectional O-ring was badly damaged. The U/J's are OK and don't feel worn and the bellows were in good shape with no damage.
The real problem is the gimbal bearing. It is corroded and feels rough when turned but worse than that, the housing that it sits in is also corroded, so much so that some of it came away in my hand. I know that this is actually the transom assy, so now my dilemma is do I keep the boat and spend a considerable amount of money on it or do I cut my losses and get rid of it.
I know that I may have some difficulty locating a Merc Alpha 1 transom assy for a 1975 boat, but are there a lot of differences between alpha 1 gen 1 and 2 ?
The drive unit itself is in good shape having serviced it and finding the oil clean with no sludge or particles.
I basically really like the boat. It has a new engine and canvas and is in reasonable condition and it cost me just $2000. I don't have any idea what it would cost to have the transom fitted, but I know it would be quite involved. Is it at all possible to replace this without pulling the motor?
So guys, thanks in advance and sorry for the long-winded post, but I could use your thoughts and advice. I just want to get on the water !!
