1970 islander 22

[alumi numb]

just joined and first post.
i picked this thing up with the intent of scrapping the hull and keeping the trailer.
then noticed the hull was in great shape with no dents at all.
so at this point all wood has been replaced including the cabin wall.
for the cabin wall used 3/4" oak ply coated with minwax helmsman spar urethane.
floor and seats are exterior grade fully sealed using white enamel.
the original wood was not coated at all and lasted at least to this point so i think i'm ok.
the transom is not rotted at all and the lower unit seems fine.
did replace the front motor mount wood.
will replace the impeller as will pull the lower and replace bellows grease and check bearings..
now to the piont.
the engine is stuck as it had set for about 15 years.
i see no evidence of a cracked block, oil looks great as it had no water in it when i drained.
actually the engine looks very nice exterior wise and is complete.
have not taken the engine apart yet so have no true idea what i'm dealing with.
i did pull the valve cover and all looks fine there.
pulled one rocker off and could see no wear to it so i'm taking that as a good sign.
question now is, i see on ebay one can get a rebuild kit pistons and all for about $275.
can the engine be rebuilt in place without having to pull the block?
this looks like it would be the easy way out i'm hoping.
on the other hand.
if all looks good inside was wondering this.
could i just drop the rod caps remove the ridge and pull the piston/rod thru the top.
hone the cyl's and replace rings if tolerances are in then plastigage the old rod bearings.
if they are in then put things back together.
also gen maint like hoses and belts.
are there any hidden things to look for?
were would i look for cracks, the most common places?
if boring should be required can i use 140 pistons or just get the required over size?
i'm trying to make this as easy on myself as can logically be so any help will be met with a thanks and gratitude.
thank you.

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Hello Al,

Sounds like the cylinders may have a slight coating of rust on them, and that's a diagnosis from a distance. It is really impossible to give any concrete answer to that question, but trying to loosen rings may not be a bad thing on yours providing you do the post-trauma checks and stuff.
You can check the rust condition with a bore scope (rent or borrow one) to visually see what the deal is there, or shine a light in the plug hole if you can manage that and really see in there! (right!)
As for re-doing the cylinders, you can't get at the conrod bolts to pull the pistons out of the top in a boat like that.
You could try the farm remedies that prevail, like pouring some oil in each cylinder and letting it sit for a while and then gently try to rotate the crank by hand with a rubber hammer and a Johnson bar (easy now!), be careful not to get carried away and ruin a good motor through impatience (Been there!)
some penetrating oil could be effective, but again, the rubber hammer idea is only ok if you don't get carried away.
Gently tap the bar a little after having it sit for a few days and tap the other way again in another day or so and do that back and forth and maybe it will give.
The thing about freeing a block like that though, is that in a boat, it has to come out and be disassembled to be cleaned and inspected for ridges in the cylinders anyway (if it was a hard go.), so why not take the thing out in the first place and do it properly?
I have freed some of them where they were very LIGHTLY stuck and have gotten away with running them (after inspecting the cylinderwalls with a scope and changing oil a few times.) with no trouble at all, but if you really have to WORK at getting them un-stuck, you are already in bad water anyhow, and need to pull it out and apart when you get it to turn over.
After that you can judge for yourself if you want to continue or give someone else the joys of restoring.

From there you are on a pay as you go deal and you may not be up to that.

My thought? If it takes a lot of effort and work, it is going to center on cost and time!
Many folks will burn out AFTER spending a lot of hard earned bucks and time, and then give up to only let it slip to someone else who has the experience and/or patience to do that kind of work.

Projecthog.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

thank you projecthog.
yes some rust in there and have filled all cyl's with oil.
just to stop the rust if for no other reason.
will give the bar/rubber hammer a light try.
having said that as i was writing the above i knew the right way was, well the right way.
never did a boat engine but have car engines.
so now tare down time i guess.
now i need a manual.
thanks again and will get some pic's of her in the morning.

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Looks like you are just like me, the car thing and all.
The rust may not be so bad you never know.
I just got my own manual in from Overtons, It is pretty good, but like any other "clymers" or "chiltons" manuals, it lacks explanation sometimes.
Again...good luck and success to the finish!

projecthog.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

sorry projecthog for not getting back but had the unthinkable happen last night.
neighbor woman knocked on the door so i let her in she was drunk and wanted to barrow $50, wife wasn't home yet.
told her h*** no!
then she didn't want to leave so i said suit yourself, wife will be home soon and handed her the remote then went to the computer room.
next thing i heard a loud crash, ran out and noticed the front door open.
she had grabbed our 5 gal. carboy with about $800 in change.
it slipped out of her hands and broke all over the porch.
funny, there was glass all over but the change just stayed in a big pile.
never lost a dime but she got a night in jail.
in the morning will take our report in.

now did just as you said and guess what, she freed right up.
besides the oil that i put in the cyl's i sprayed almost a whole can of rust buster in there and gave it about an hour.
sprayed down the valve stems and springs also.
then took a long screw driver with a piece of wood for a fulcrum and worked the exposed flywheel teeth just above the starter very easilly.
did that back and forth thing and then i noticed movement.
wow this is good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
got a couple of full turns out of it then looked in the bores and light shined back at me, this is good also.
the bores looked fine as everything seems to.
i don't think this thing really had that many hours on it.
the drain plugs were just over hand tightened so that makes me think it had been winterized.
anyway i'm happy as can be.
now need to replace the bellows, check and grease bearngs.
again thank you very much.

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Cool,

I would suggest a good going over with light oil in the cylinders and lots of turning over. And recheck the cylinders to make sure there is no corroded parts left if any at all,(doesn't sound like you have any problems anyway.) and to change the oil a couple of times in a row including the filter at first run.
Better to spend and waste some cheap oil, then to bust something in the middle of the Atlantic,....er....lake.
Cool you got your change back, I had a 1 gallon glass jug with pennies that froze in there too, had to bust a good shinejug to get the pennies out.

I just found another Scraft today, glimpsed it in the back of a house and went and asked and was told to come back tomorrow and please get it bought and get it out! (women!) I think it might be a '75, and it's an Islander to boot, just my thing, all I know is that it is a 6 cylinder, and that I can see it tomorrow. Wish me luck.

PH.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

good luck on the boat and that lottery ticket you got.
the ole stovebolt hu, i like that engine.
i here you on the oil and cleaning out the cyl's
so far i'm really impressed with how this engine looks.
what's in the crankcase right now is a 30/70 ratio of diesel/oil way over filled.
just thinking that might help pull into the bearings and dissolve sludge if any.
removed the fuel pump and put in a bucket of diesel/oil.
trucks a 04.5 dodge cummins diesel so i have cans of it.
the spring for the filter put in vinegar as it had a little rust on it.
the two gas tanks i put vinegar in just in case of some rusting.
stuff works great just takes a while.
more than likely will get another pump but did this anyway, it seems ok however.
you know i have really fallen for these aluminum hulls.
well again good luck and i mean that.

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

oops

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Good deal Lume...Ticket hey yeahh,

That motor is gonna purr I know, But seriously, if it were mine I would definitely rebuild, or at least pull everything off and out and check the specs.(People do it with their girlfriends!)
It seems to be in alright shape so it'll be worth doing the ol' girl a service for hanging in there till you got there.
I'm telling ya,..those older Scrafts are built like Cherokee'140's and Sherman tanks. They are indeed worth the time of day, and definitely the effort to restore. (Not a whole lot goes real bad on them unless dinosaurs......never mind that's my daughters thing!)

As for the one I spotted in the guys yard.....he saw the $$igns and wants $4000 for the boat, that's with a rebuilt motor and includes the trailer and everything that's on the boat.(No budgee pricee! ((That's pidgin English for those of you who like languages or were in Shanghai in WW11.))
The price is not what bothers me, I have committed to another Star (Chief)
and laid down the money for that one, couldn't resist....new motor new leg including intermediate gear, new floors and most of the rest of the boat is squeeky clean.
So I am scrambling to get the cash dug out (Selling the kids and wife.) Just joking, Sold her the last time.
We don't fight over boats and submarines anymore, she told me to go, and I do what I'm told!, now we are the best of friends.
More of my life story next issue.
Anyhow...,
I can work on that deal 'till spring, he is not putting it up to sell, I am a lucky guy!

Hey...carry on Alum, and treat 'er with respect, and then it will only cost marginally more.

PH.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

i understand completely projecthog and a complete teardown may happen.
that would be the 100% right way.
problem right now is i have 2 houses to finish renovating.
one for sure will be sold may keep the other then want to buy one in jonesboro ar.
son and i have a complete wood shop and he is great at it.
he also works for a company that builds cedar homes/buildings.
this is a dream right now but after the above is taken care of i'm thinking of setting up to restore these old girls.
both he and i are mechanical, i know metals and he knows wood.
plus father in law was a a&p for about 35 years and one smart person.
the resto idea is just a lot of b.s. right now but will see.
respect, yes.
have a thing for breathing life back into things that everybody gave up on.
with the right equipment the sky's the limit on what you can do with these things.
i also have two sets of bows but need new fabric.
i had to tow her 500 miles and didn't even know she was back there, nor did she effect mileage much.
when i was fueling up someone at another pump said "that's a neat looking boat, will be nice when you done".
i knew right then and there i was on to something.
happy thanksgiving!

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

this is her.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

http://s424.photobucket.com/albums/pp325/aluminumb/
just going to keep trying.
ya know, i don't know what i'm doing.
"help"
thank you north beach.

 

[North Beach]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Alumi,
First you have to upload the photo to a hosting service like photobucket and then paste the url into your post.

If you want, you can email the pic to me at clay@sticknstring.com and I'll try and help out!

Or you can sign up over at starcraftowners.com and they have an image hosting service for member's boats there. Here's the link

http://www.starcraftowners.com/

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

and thank you for the starcraft owners link.

 

[North Beach]

Re: 1970 islander 22

That's gonna be sweet when you get it done!

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

I am going to have to get an assistant (her) to sort out all the posts
I'm involved in! (3 I think, but I am getting older you know!)
Indeed! looks like a winner to me.
White is always indicative of a good thing except in battle.
Bet you're just proud as a peacock with that boat!
Makes me want to go get another one too! (That's the PH in my name!)
To think I was originally going for an Islander, and ended up with a Chief (not a bad thing) and another glass cuddy! And I still don't have anything I need to take apart.
Well...
The glass cuddy will never leave the yard alive, as I have "plans" for it, heh heh heh!
I probably will get a summer out of it, but then the drive will most likely get married with another unsuspecting 20 or 22 foot open Scraft to revive the old "chevyinanaluminumboat" idea. (Used to rebuild lake flying boats.) Got that guy who couldn't phone back about the 20' runabout on the hook again, but he just can't make up his mind and he can't understand why I don't want the motor or the trailer
Beautifully crafted 20' aluminum runabout, with an outboard on it, just whimpering to get converted!
As for running into each other, as you mentioned in another "hijacked" post on the forums, It could very well happen as I may be out and at large in any of the big lakes this summer!
I have not been out on big water for at least three years, and miss the "lost in space" feeling.
Gotta go, take care,
PH.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

loving this thing more every day.
woe is me i may have just taken on another project.
i need another one like i need a hole in my head.
keep smilin.

 

[projecthog]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Watch out for that project hogging effect!
I am hopelessly addicted myself!
It could be "MBS" (Still gotta figure out what that is! Multiple Boat Syndrome maybe?)
In any case, When you start having the shakes or feel cold/hot noticably more often, most likely you will have scanned another boat, but haven't connected the dots yet
PH.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: 1970 islander 22

yes i know!
ones a free glass hull and trailer "just get it out of my yard" but can't get there for a couple days so will see.
another is a glass boat & trailer and has a good running 120 i/o for $150 obo.
yet another apart 140 i/o bayliner cuddy with trailer for 300 obo.
well probably nothing will come of this but will check out, who knows right.
take care.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1970 islander 22

Hey alumi numb sorry to dig up this old dusty thread but I was curious how the Islander is looking these days? Hope you didn't give up on the big tin can she looks like a real fine specimen. Got some updated pictures to post?

Islanders have been my favorite boat since around 1987 when I was 10