1974 Ouachita Tri-hull Bass Boat Restoration

[sphelps]

Small update .. All the electrical is done other than installing the 2 deck lights on the side panels and hooking up motor and controls . Stick steering almost complete .. Discovered the shift cables need replacing . They work but are cracked and corroded.. We decided to go ahead and mount them so the mechanic could go through the motor then replace them after we are sure everything else checks out . From what Lisa tells me the motor runs fine but the lower end has issues ..
May go ahead and hook the muffs up and see if it will come to life . Whats the oil to gas ratio for a 74 Johnson ?
Also moved the boat up further on the trailer ,Moved wench post and I made new 2x6 bunks that run all the way to the transom . Much better now .
Prolly could use a set of guide post to help the girls with retrieval..
Hope everyone is having a great week ! :joyous:

 

[Woodonglass]

Fuel mix is 50:1 I have an excellent source for parts for that motor if needed.

 

[sphelps]

Thanks Woody , just wish I was better with the mechanical stuff so I could save them a little money .. If I don't have to work this weekend I'm hoping to mount the motor .

 

[Woodonglass]

How long of cables do you need. I have some that are in GREAT SHAPE that I could ship to you!!! They're almost like NEW and are 10' long.

 

[sphelps]

I would need to measure but I'm guessing around 10' .
Are most all the attachment's the same . Never replaced any so I'm not sure ..

 

[Woodonglass]

I believe so. All Johnson Evinrude shift and throttle cables are the same as far as I know. PM me the address and I'll ship em if you think they'll work. Take some pics of the cable ends if you want. This is what mine are like...

 

[sphelps]

Just about to wrap up all the gazillion parts and pieces on the inside of the boat . Lisa and Kelly have been looking around for some new seats but have not found any quite the right color or price yet ... Might have to warm up the Singer and make some new covers for the old seats ...

 

[Woodonglass]

Looking at the pics the other day, I was thinking the same thing. It would be good practice on that New/Old singer you just got. Might even do some Pleats!!!!

 

[KC4ZQZ]

Hi everyone! See some awesome pics below!
But look at that ugly old seat he put on there (what was he thinking?)
Lisa and Kelly

 

[Corjen1]

Definitely needs some custom upholstery work Sam....

No Joking, the boat looks great!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Waaaaaayyyyy Kool!!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Nice looking boat. Coming together nicely!

 

[tallcanadian]

It's really coming along quite nicely.

 

[nurseman]

Looking very nice!

 

[sphelps]

Ok crew ,need some thoughts ... The motor on the Ouachita needs lower end work . Not sure what but thats what Lisa was told .. And it appears to me that the foot is an extra long shaft foot . The transom is set up for a 20 " foot .. The vent plate is probably 4" or so below the hull bottom ... At what cost do you think it would take to rebuild the lower half and maybe find the right size shaft ... This was the original motor that came with the boat from the dealer . It just seems odd that they would have rigged it with too long a shaft motor .
The other option would be something like this ...
https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/boa/4791271440.html
This guy lives right around the corner from me . Just kinda weighing the options . Tilt /trim would make things much easier for Lisa and Kelly ..

 

[sphelps]

Here is a pic of the foot ..

 

[Tnstratofam]

Seems like a good price on the Mercury. Especially with tilt and trim. Any chance of recouping some of the moneys by selling the Johnson as is? Having the tilt and trim would be a nice benefit.

By the way the Quachita is looking great.

 

[Woodonglass]

I'm thinkin that if the Girls don't mind swappin motors the Merc' would be a better deal!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Absolutely the Merc.

T&T and although Mercs might be a tougher DIY OB its 20yrs newer and i'm going to guess they wont be working on it anyway.

If they are 100% positive the Johnson was the original motor that came with the boat when Charles bought it, keep it. Wall hanger in his memory.

Someone in their family may end up wanting/needing a motor.

I suspect you could find a lower to swap long shaft to short, but XL to short, may require an exhaust tube (entire mid section) swap too... i'm not at home, and on my phone a search to compare motors will be a challenge. Send me a PM w the model# or post it here, i'll see what i can dig up about an xl shaft..

Boat looks great. A nice Merc w T&T could only make it look better, IMO.

 

[sphelps]

Any chance of recouping some of the moneys by selling the Johnson as is? .

Thats what I was thinking ...
jbc , the foot is a xtra long shaft and needs to be a long shaft .
And from looking at the pic of the foot I think everyone can agree that the foot is too long . Looks like there is filler piece just above the vent plate . That could be removed I think but it would need the right size shaft to convert ...