Have read many threads here already. Thanks to so many for all the information. Some or all of what I'm about to ask has no doubt already been covered. Easy enough for a new user to get lost in the volume of information here so hoping no one will mind too much if I ask a few questions that will unfortunately be redundant to many of you.
Have a chance to get a 1984 IMP 19' with a 305 and the OMC stringer drive. Boat is a proverbial "barn find" owned by a now elderly couple I've known for many years who have used it two or three hours a weekend five or six weekends a year. Always been stored dry and in overall excellent condition. They're offering it for a song but I'm not familiar with marine products. My hobbies have always been street rods and motorcycles. Haven't worked on boats since a couple of summers worth of summer jobs at a marine 25 years ago. But the kids so "check it out" so checking this out I am.
Doing homework on the boat model the only real negatives I commonly find are remarks on the OMC drive system. Some hyperbole but some generally reasoned doubts as well. Boiled down my largest question would be do these drives really suck? Are they a mechanical problem regularly waiting for a place to happen or is the complaint against them just the manfuacturer's failing so the units are now obsolete with concern for parts supply?
Homework shows the same basic drive system in use from its OE from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s. A production run of that length would suggest a successful product by most manufacturing standards. That doesn't mean that age hasn't shown some shortcomings though. If so what might they be?
If the major complaint (and a legitimate one it could be) is the units having become obsolete due to lack of manufacturer support my next thought would be to the aftermarket. Was the production run on these long and large enough that a successful aftermarket has developed or is there real concern that a boat is dead for lack of spare parts for the outdrive?
I've got to let the current owners know whether I'm a buyer or not in a day or two. So anyone who has time to answer right away is very much appreciated. Thanks.
Have a chance to get a 1984 IMP 19' with a 305 and the OMC stringer drive. Boat is a proverbial "barn find" owned by a now elderly couple I've known for many years who have used it two or three hours a weekend five or six weekends a year. Always been stored dry and in overall excellent condition. They're offering it for a song but I'm not familiar with marine products. My hobbies have always been street rods and motorcycles. Haven't worked on boats since a couple of summers worth of summer jobs at a marine 25 years ago. But the kids so "check it out" so checking this out I am.
Doing homework on the boat model the only real negatives I commonly find are remarks on the OMC drive system. Some hyperbole but some generally reasoned doubts as well. Boiled down my largest question would be do these drives really suck? Are they a mechanical problem regularly waiting for a place to happen or is the complaint against them just the manfuacturer's failing so the units are now obsolete with concern for parts supply?
Homework shows the same basic drive system in use from its OE from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s. A production run of that length would suggest a successful product by most manufacturing standards. That doesn't mean that age hasn't shown some shortcomings though. If so what might they be?
If the major complaint (and a legitimate one it could be) is the units having become obsolete due to lack of manufacturer support my next thought would be to the aftermarket. Was the production run on these long and large enough that a successful aftermarket has developed or is there real concern that a boat is dead for lack of spare parts for the outdrive?
I've got to let the current owners know whether I'm a buyer or not in a day or two. So anyone who has time to answer right away is very much appreciated. Thanks.
