New to boating - what should i do?

So i've purchased a chris craft scorpion 266 built in 1985. Its been out of the water for a few years, but it was very cheap so i'm prepared to do a bit of work.

In general i think the boat is in good condition, it was winterized before being stored originally and the friend who i purchased it off had it stored in doors (he bought a larger boat and simply stopped using this one). What are the general things i should do before getting going for next year. So far on my list i have:

- Get all required safety equip (Even although im not sure what that truly means yet)
- Get a full service done on engine / buy fuel
- Replace batteries
- Sand back hull and repaint (there are a few spots where the paint is coming off...)
- Get my pleasure craft license (i'm in Ontario Canada)
- General cleanup of interior (its a but musty from storage)
- Get radio and sound system installed - they were moved to another boat prior to storage

I noticed that in a survey done on the boat in 2004 that there was a note made that there was water in the engine bay, i've been told this can be due to cracks in the fiberglass. I'm comfortable doing fiberglass work but it looks to be in pretty decent condition to me, is this very uncommon or should it be something i'm particularly concerned about? Is there an easy way to test if there are leaks before we put it in the water?

Right now the boat is stored and shrink wrapped for the winter, the aim is to get it ready for the spring.

And because pictures always make topics more interesting...

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Welcome to iboats & Congrats on the new ride.

That is a SWEET looking boat !!. I like that big window.

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

It seem a common statememt on this forum is "the boat looks to be in good condition up top, but when i looked below deck I found a mess. Check your stringers, bulkheads, and flooring for rot.

As for water in the engine compartment, water finds its way in. Every boat I know gets it there. Trailer boaters often take the plug out and drain it. Those of us that keep our boats on the water can't do that, so we live with the amount of water the bilge pump can't take out. Not saying don't check for leaks when you splash the boat. Definitely do th upon launch.

Also, before you buy fuel, drain the old fuel first. Its probably pretty gummy by now.
Lastly, as you research what you should do, you'll find there are a hundred things you could do.

Good luck with the new boat.

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

first off........welcome to iboats ! this is the best place for you.

and congrats on the sweet boat you got !

now...lets look at it !

ndroo said:

So i've purchased a chris craft scorpion 266 built in 1985. Its been out of the water for a few years, but it was very cheap so i'm prepared to do a bit of work.

In general i think the boat is in good condition, it was winterized before being stored originally and the friend who i purchased it off had it stored in doors (he bought a larger boat and simply stopped using this one). What are the general things i should do before getting going for next year. So far on my list i have:

if i were you....i would make a gamble.....and trust the winterizing job......the motor and drive are safe....just leave them

- Get all required safety equip (Even although im not sure what that truly means yet)

- Get a full service done on engine / buy fuel

save this for the spring.....or you will have another 500 dollar winterization bill.

- Replace batteries

not till spring.....or....just take them home and charge them, then see from there if you need to replace them


- Sand back hull and repaint (there are a few spots where the paint is coming off...)

there is a lot more to this than you think......"the paint" is more than likely gellcoat.....a polyester based fibreglass resin......it may just need to be re surfaced or polished and a few scrapes repaired.......not a full job

- Get my pleasure craft license (i'm in Ontario Canada)

yep

- General cleanup of interior (its a but musty from storage)

this is where you start finding things


- Get radio and sound system installed - they were moved to another boat prior to storage

your call

I noticed that in a survey done on the boat in 2004 that there was a note made that there was water in the engine bay, i've been told this can be due to cracks in the fiberglass. I'm comfortable doing fiberglass work but it looks to be in pretty decent condition to me, is this very uncommon or should it be something i'm particularly concerned about? Is there an easy way to test if there are leaks before we put it in the water?

leaks from fibreglass are really evident....... ie..there is a big hole in the hull !........during the survey.....you dont know the conditions that the boat was under....was is on the hard?....open to rain?....was there a cracked water pipe?.....you just dont know !.

Right now the boat is stored and shrink wrapped for the winter, the aim is to get it ready for the spring.

And because pictures always make topics more interesting...
View attachment 119378
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Click to expand...

for right now....i would not replace anything......just clean....open the shrink to a place that you can walk thru and leave the shrink.........just tape it up with shrink tape when you are done.

check the outside hull under the water line for holes.......they are easy to spot......just look.......if the boat is going to be kept in the water, acid wash the hull, and bottom paint it.

clean the inner boat......vaccume, clean....walk on the deck. feel for soft spots......when you clean.....you find. !


so do an clean on the boat.......and lets see what you find !....then post back.

cheers
oops

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Never have seen a Chris Craft Scorpion quite like that one before,especially with that huge front window. Got any interior pictures? Also give us some picks of the engine compartment etc. Boat from the outside looks like it is in really good condition for its age. Look forward to seeing the rest of the boat. You will want to check the seals on the side windows. You can find new rubber for the channels but you will have to look around.

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Welcome to iBoats Forum.

I would wait until spring to start pouring money into it. You may want to 'freshen up' the winterization by pouring some anti-freeze into the block and drain it, etc. Make sure the exhaust manifolds are drained, and shoot some fogging oil into the intake manifold and each cylinder.

I would not make any assumptions about water in the engine compartment/bilge. You will have to see how the water gets in there. It could be just some rain water, depending on how the boat drains the cockpit area.

In the Spring, you will be able to get the boat running and check everything out, either on land or in the water. Only then, will you have a full list of what needs to be done.

Hull prep work can be done just about any time.

Overall, I think the boat looks good based on the pictures. Some more of the interior, the outdrive and the engine would be good to see as well.

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Some good advice, thanks for all the replies! This all pretty closely aligns with what i want to do, nothing right now! When we first purchased the boat the main priority was getting it stored for the winter because we only had a week to find storage and move it. Right now i'm planning on learning as much as i can (Hanging around here?) and getting my license over the winter. Hopefully once the winter comes we're have some free time to play around with it some more, but basically thats when i think the spending will start.


I've uploaded a whole bunch of photos i took before we got it shrink wrapped. There are some inside ones although i didnt have a lot of light because the boat was inside a big shed.
http://imgur.com/a/hqubX

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

I should mention the one thing i want to try source over the winter is a new canvas top. It was damaged prior to storage and really only the front of it even exists. I've been looking online for somewhere i can buy them, but nothing mentions our model. Has anyone here had to replace one before? What did you end up doing?

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

nice boat droo.

as far as canvass........for you now....there is only two ways.......make it your self or a upholstery shop.......the placement of the snaps make it a custom job.
you wont find one off the shelf. if you do find a used one......it wont fit correctly

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Nice Boat Droo!

All of the above advice is good, but here's my additional for you: Contact Canadian Power Squadrons and take their Boating course. Courses are currently running, but another class should be starting in January. As part of the course, you will get your PCOC, which is a legal necessity, but with CPS (equivalent in the states is USPS) you will get sooooo much more. Well worth the money, and it can save you on insurance too. PCOC is a bare minimum ticket and once you take the CPS course you'll see that PCOC's aren't worth much.

When you say the paint on the back is flaking off, are you talking about the bottom (anti-fouling) paint, or the gel-coat? Pretty unusual for gel-coat to flake, but anti-fouling paint will do that if left out of water too long, and you want to be replacing anti-fouling on a regualr basis anyway.

Cheers, and congrats on the new boat!

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

Welcome to the forum ndloo. Are you new to boating or new to this boat? That's a large boat to start with. I would strongly suggest taking a Power Squadron course if you are not familiar with operating a boat this size. Where will you be boating?

Re: New to boating - what should i do?

If you're going to have to tow the boat, I'd suggest going through the trailer carefully before you go anywhere with the boat. Start with the wheel bearings, bearing buddies, tires. Tires wear out over time, not just by miles driven. Any sign of cracking/checking, replace the tires. Get a spare, two if it's a tandem axle trailer. Mount them on the trailer and install locks on them. Make sure you have a jack in your vehicle that will allow you to jack up the trailer. If your vehicle jack won't work, buy a bottle jack.

Check the springs, shackles, connecting points, u-bolts. A lot of rust, replace them, don't take a chance. Ditto for the brackets that support the bunks and rollers. Broken springs, shackles, bunk brackets can ruin an outing. Been there, have the t-shirt. Check the rollers for flat spots, make sure they spin freely. Check the bunks for complete coverage by carpet, rot.

All this can be more easily done if you can either put your boat in rack storage or in the water for a period of time. If not, there are things you can do to make working on the trailer safer -- put the trailer up on sturdy car jacks or substantial wooden blocks. With a buddy, a couple of 2 ton floor jacks, and 6x6 beams covered with carpet, you can jack the boat off the trailer a bit to work with the rollers and bunks.

Check the welds/bolts holding the fenders. Significant rust on the fenders will be an indication that the trailer was not washed down regularly.

As you work on the trailer, wire brush away rust spots and paint with galvanized paint or heavy duty primer.

Lube the hitch coupler, make sure your vehicle has the proper size ball. Get a lock for the coupler and another for your hitch. Don't let someone steal your hard work.

Check out the winch. If powered, a "handyman" shop can check it out for you before you wire up your vehicel. Probably a good idea to replace the cable or strap.

Get a very heavy chain as "safety chain" from the bow eye to the trailer ahead of the winch stand. Get a heavy-duty strap to go from rear of trailer (on side) across the boat to the other side. Other option is straps from the rear of trailer to stern lifting eyes.

Check the towing laws for your state. More than likely, your trailer is required by law to be equipped with brakes and it probably is not. Do it. A panic stop with 4000-5000 pounds of boat behind you is an adventure. Make your life simpler, safer by installing brakes. For my rig (21' Penn Yan inboard), I'm going to install hydraulic galvanized disc brakes on at least one of the two axles.

Finally, for less than $60, replace the trailer lights and wiring. Either get submersible lights or better, plan to install trailer guide poles and mount the lights up high. If the latter, you have to ground the tail lights to the trailer because the lights will not be directly mounted on the trailer. I modified mine for lights by using sch 40 pvc 90 degree elbows, 10" sections of pipe to mount the lights, and end caps. Works well -- very visible from behind the boat, great for helping load the boat, and no problems with the lights ever. Even if you never have to launch the boat on a ramp, it makes for a more visible rig from behind. If your state requires them, don't forget the clearance lights.

I keep a journal of all that I do and need to do on my project. This is my fourth, two others successful, the third I ended up giving to Boat Angel. Some day years from now, after years of enjoy your rig, you'll pull out the journal and smile as you read through all that you put into your project.

Finally, don't get discouraged, it's a project and it takes time. But despite what the naysayers spout, fixing up a used boat is the best way to get and enjoy a boat. Even if you put a lot of $ into it, it'll be a long way from the cost of a new boat. And every time you use it, you'll smile as you watch the weekend boaters who you know are doing the math every time they launch, "this trip is costing me $x."