1970 wellcraft hull ?

i`m looking at a 1970 wellcraft some kind of weird tri-hull 17ft it has 1983 85 hp force by chrysler that runs real good. for 500.00 it has three problems first the outbourd won`t start with key but will start if you jump silaniod next the winsheild is missing but no damage to boat. and last the hull where it sits in the water is green and feels rough like sand paper no cracks the transom is strong. but did notice that there was a few chips on the sharp edge of tri-hull . is this fixable? is it just going to be a sanding and re-gel coat or bigger problem? the rest of the boat looks real nice thanks

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

Welcome to iboats!!

Hmmm where to start. I am not fond of the Force motor but if it runs... go for it. The missing windshield is common and those can be found on ebay if you want one and you may have to modify one to fit...... Even though the transom does not show cracks how does it feel with the motor up? Springy? I tend to get concerned with older boats having hidden rot inside..... CHips on the hull are repairbale and they need to be looked at ..... are they into fiberglass? If so just a bit more work is needed but they can be easy repairs. If you plan on doing a re-gel-coat I would make sure everything else is right. Gel coating can cost serious money with serious prep. Most people just use paint.

Is this your first boat?

Look up the parts for the outboard before you buy and see if they are available...... plan on a new impellar too.

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

That's a Wellcraft Airslot, one of the best designed, strongest boats made, it's a heavy sucker, but old now, and when new was rated for 125hp, I had one with a 135 Johnson on it, actually I had 3 of them, (check my signature) 1 outboard, & 2 I/O's it starts out like a trihull, then ends in a deep vee, with a step in the bottom on each side.

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

thanks for the info. this isn`t my first boat i did have a 1992 starcraft holiday 191 i/o and a small 16ft tri-hull. the transom is very strong first thing i checked out. i was going to just get the boat and use it for my fishing tournament in june and then resale but i kind of was thinking about trying to fix it up. i stoped and was looking at another boat and up by his house he had one just like the one i`m looking at except his hull was a dark burgandy i thought looked real good. plus i think that hull design is cool i was just wondering what kind of cost i`m looking at to re-gel-coat. thanks

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

I am actually the owner of the wellcraft 165 in the above poster mike. I love the boat, it is in terrible shape, but I am remedying that. It is well worth it, the boat hull design is killer and the thing is truly built to last, very heavy and few corners cut(except PO attempt at a cover up deck job). Good luck and keep us posted.

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

Is this a Wellcraft with the airslot? Any idea the model and year on this thing? I'm looking at it on Craigslist and may get it up as a fixer upper.

Re: 1970 wellcraft hull ?

My father and I had one of those. Heavy hull but great boat. It is a Wellcraft walk around cuddy cabin. Ours was 24 foot, a hand full to launch by yourself but was very solid. I just bought a 1979 Wellcraft V-20 Center Console. The airslots get up on plane pretty quickly, ours had a 305 and weighted in at about 5,000 pounds. Hope this helps.