Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

[TripleJGraffis]

There are few restoration threads for 1989 Maxums in the Restoration area. I found this one, and while it only outlines the beginning stages, it may have useful information/pics for you:

1989 maxum remodel with updated pics, advice please

Boat is a 1989 maxum open bow. I have spent the day doing what was going to be a few small repairs but led into a full remodel. I have gutted the boat and decided to remove the back to back seats and replace them with pedastals and chairs if at all possible. My question is the bases appear to be...

forums.iboats.com

The stickies that @Scott Danforth linked are super helpful, too. The best advice I can give is to approach this project exactly as you state: something you're doing to learn more about your boat and to enjoy the work. Many of us found our restorations to be very enjoyable (well, except maybe for grinding out the old fiberglass) and very helpful in learning about our boats. Just be sure you know what you're getting into, dollar-wise as well as labor-wise. Reading other resto threads will give you a good idea of what to expect. Also, if you post your progress, including pictures, you'll get lots of advice and guidance along the way.

Good luck!

Thank you! I'll do just that!

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Yep I agree with all the responses about the likelihood of rot due to it being left open. I’d also question the seriousness of the seller about fixing it; anyone who knows wood/composite boats knows leaving them open to the weather is a death sentence. Be prepared for a complete gut & rebuild.

I'm planning on the worst

 

[TripleJGraffis]

i think most of the responses here are saying its a bad idea to spend all your time and money to fix an old boat that has been left to the elements and with a broken motor as well.

you will get plenty of experience doing the resto so go for it , there is plenty of good info on the internet , there is also lots of bad as well.

start with a total strip down to bare bones and assess the project from there. look at the cost of materials and incidentals , they are expensive , you will also need special tools and extra tools most people do not have on hand for things like the drive and fiber glassing. shop trolley build to move it around , a step ladder is also a must .
at that point that is where you can say with confidence if the project is worth all your effort or not.

look at the big picture ,? is the boat what you want , ? is it going to be as good as you are going to be expecting when all your time and money has gone into it.


keep the tread up to dat as you go and ignore the nay sayers unless there criticism is constructive appreci

i think most of the responses here are saying its a bad idea to spend all your time and money to fix an old boat that has been left to the elements and with a broken motor as well.

you will get plenty of experience doing the resto so go for it , there is plenty of good info on the internet , there is also lots of bad as well.

start with a total strip down to bare bones and assess the project from there. look at the cost of materials and incidentals , they are expensive , you will also need special tools and extra tools most people do not have on hand for things like the drive and fiber glassing. shop trolley build to move it around , a step ladder is also a must .
at that point that is where you can say with confidence if the project is worth all your effort or not.

look at the big picture ,? is the boat what you want , ? is it going to be as good as you are going to be expecting when all your time and money has gone into it.


keep the tread up to dat as you go and ignore the nay sayers unless there criticism is constructive .

Appreciate the input!

 

[TripleJGraffis]

to add to my last post !, one very important thing to do before moving on , be sure all the paper work is in order and the boat is in your name..

here is my Maxum SR1800 that was a basket case when i got it.

What paperwork do you speak of? I did register it in my name and am waiting on the title and sticker. Am I missing something else?

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Good luck mi amigo! I too bought a fixer from FB but sounds like mine is in much better shape than yours. I didn't see where the engine model was mentioned. Is it an OMC? If so, do you have the model number for us to look up? Thanks, and again, best of luck.

OMC??? I don't have a model number. For the life of me, I can not find any identifying info on this motor.. I don't even know how to get it rebuilt by a shop without knowing what it is... how old it is....etc

 

[stresspoint]

so long as it is in your name you are generally good yo go,
last thing you want is to complete the rest and someone come along and say its their boat because of a bad paper trail..

 

[Scott Danforth]

OMC??? I don't have a model number. For the life of me, I can not find any identifying info on this motor.. I don't even know how to get it rebuilt by a shop without knowing what it is... how old it is....etc

post pics of the motor and drive. very easy to identify

 

[redneck joe]

Everything i see online is the XR is an outboard model that came with an 85 hp Force.

 

[docben]

OMC??? I don't have a model number. For the life of me, I can not find any identifying info on this motor.. I don't even know how to get it rebuilt by a shop without knowing what it is... how old it is....etc

If it was an OMC you would know it right away by looking on the valve cover, where most of the model numbers are.

 

[shinytopgeezer]

What paperwork do you speak of? I did register it in my name and am waiting on the title and sticker. Am I missing something else?

It sounds like you're well on your way with having been to get the title work and registration started. Look on line for Wisconsin legality'so you can double check the registrars efforts. Trailers always seem forgotten about. Often the registrations don't match the rolling unit. Many were sold with just a glorified decal (that notoriously fades away) for a serial tag. If you bought it from out of state it can be a real mess, at least here in Ohio. Best of luck with your project and stick with iBoats, lots of good help here!

 

[JASinIL2006]

I think in Wisconsin, trailers don't have to be titled if the boat+trailer is 3000 pounds or less. I live in Illinois and I almost bought a WI boat when first looking for one, and the non-titled trailer caused me to look elsewhere. (That, plus the fact that there were issues with the boat.)

 

[Lou C]

Mercruiser engines were pretty much always painted black, OMC used charcoal grey in that time period.
Post up some pix of what you have.

 

[Scott Danforth]

and every spec on-line says the '89 1700XR is outboard with an 85hp Force.

As a former cheesehead, Registering in person used to be easy, especially the Green Bay office on 29.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

so long as it is in your name you are generally good yo go,
last thing you want is to complete the rest and someone come along and say its their boat because of a bad paper trail..

Agreed 100% Yes. I registered it at the DNR. The weight limits in Wisconsin do not require me to register the trailer, so I skipped that, but the boat is definitely in my name. I am just waiting on the actual title and registration sticker to place on the hull.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

post pics of the motor and drive. very easy to identify

I can do this at a later time.....but I hope it is easy. I can not find any identifying information on it.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

It sounds like you're well on your way with having been to get the title work and registration started. Look on line for Wisconsin legality'so you can double check the registrars efforts. Trailers always seem forgotten about. Often the registrations don't match the rolling unit. Many were sold with just a glorified decal (that notoriously fades away) for a serial tag. If you bought it from out of state it can be a real mess, at least here in Ohio. Best of luck with your project and stick with iBoats, lots of good help here!

I do not need to get the trailer registered in Wisconsin because the weight limits exceed the combined weight of the trailer and boat. I would prefer to register the trailer for legality purposes if I ever want to take it out of state, however, according to the DMV, I need a certificate of origin to be able to register it. I do not have that and the previous owner never obtained it as well. I do not know how to get a new one in my name either becasue the DMV said that one was needed to get a copy as well.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

I think in Wisconsin, trailers don't have to be titled if the boat+trailer is 3000 pounds or less. I live in Illinois and I almost bought a WI boat when first looking for one, and the non-titled trailer caused me to look elsewhere. (That, plus the fact that there were issues with the boat.)

This is correct. I want to title the trailer anyways just to cover my keister, but the DMV won't help me with that until I produce a certificate of origin, which I do not have and neither does the previous owner. I can not even get a copy of one without the original, so it looks like I just need to keep the trailer in Wisconsin or get a new trailer down the line.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Mercruiser engines were pretty much always painted black, OMC used charcoal grey in that time period.
Post up some pix of what you have.

Well that's good to know! It is a black engine block. Definitely not gray

 

[TripleJGraffis]

and every spec on-line says the '89 1700XR is outboard with an 85hp Force.

As a former cheesehead, Registering in person used to be easy, especially the Green Bay office on 29.

This is correct...At least in my case. Registering the boat was very easy. I just went to the DNR and had a temporary registration in hand within 20 minutes. Getting the trailer registered, is proving to be a real pain however,

 

[redneck joe]

Put up a pic of the motor. That is the sticking point at this time.