my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

[frozenhawaiian]

picked her up off craigslist for $800. came with a 1971 25hp johnson, runs like a clock. she's a little rough around the edges and I have some work still to do on her. I'd like to reinforce the foredeck, the windshield is cracked and needs to be replaced and as you can see from the photos the paint could also stand to be redone but I don't have the cash for it at the moment, I'm really liking this little boat. oh also, what kind of horsepower can these boats take? I have an old 40 horse I'm debating having fixed.


IMG_0166 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr


IMG_0161 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr


IMG_0168 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

 

[hobiekat]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

The Carefree is rated for 40 hp max according to the brochure on Fiberglassics.com. I bought a 77 this winter and it has a 40 Evinrude on it. Haven't had a chance to do anything with it yet. Also got it on Craigslist, got boat, motor, and trailer for $300. The guy said motor runs but he lost the key and I bought not knowing for sure if it runs or not. Talked to a friend today who is a boat mechanic and he's going take a look at it in the next week or so. Mine looks just like your's. Pretty simple boats, mine needs some work too. Good luck with your boat.

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

thanks, I'm loving this little boat.

 

[yanks21]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Hey! Welcome to the neighborhood! I have a 70' with a 69' Johnson 55hp on it. No issue, makes a great ski boat. I have had mine since 98 and its a great boat. Done some work to her too. If you read the ID plate, near the drivers side gunwale, she's rated for 4 people and a 35 HP motor. Mine had the 55 direct from the dealer in Oneonta, where she was purchased new by my wife's grandfather, for her uncle. I got the boat from him. If I can be of assistance in any way, please let6 me know!

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

thanks for the warm welcome yanks21, i'm loving this little boat, the 25 is staying for the time being, but she's getting new paint all around, white hull and navy blue topsides and nonskid in the cocpit, installed 4 brand new seats a few days ago and a fishfinder is coming in a few days. what I'm really in a quandry about is a new windshield, I can find only 1 company that sells windshields for these boats and i'd really like to find a cheaper alternative to their $430 replacement.

 

[mr 88]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Save those seats. The funNsun seats were a option that has very few surviving.Try nicklecityclassics.com for you windshield,listed in the for sale section. You can also make your own,search the restoration forum here or on fiberglassics,another option for you.Both resto forums will have many tips for prepping and painting your boat,I highly recommend you read up before starting.

 

[yanks21]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Would it be possible to get some close-ups of those Seats. I have the base plywood seat mounts with removable cushions. Curious how they got those Fun'n'suns to stay there. I'm looking to replace mine. I just have to get more picks of my boat on this site...

 

[mr 88]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

His seats appear to have been modified.Mine has a seperate base for each seat that is secured to the floor with a "L" bracket,one side of the L to the base and the other to the floor,check out pics @fiberglassics.com in there library section.

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

yes the seat mounts were customized, at this point all of the od seats have been removed, the plywood base of one was rotted but the other 3 are in decent shape, the vinyl covering is faded and a little sticky though.

 

[yanks21]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Thanks for the reply. I have the base seats(one piece seatback, removable base cushion). I have been looking to add a Fun'n'sun type foldable bench, but cant figure out how to mount it in the Carefree's sloped floor. How long are those when they are unfolded?
On another note, I used marine carpet on the floor. Glued it right up to the gunwales. Works great at keeping the boat looking clean, and you dont stand in puddles as much(i use mine for skiing alot).
I have some picks I will post on my thread "70 Carefree" this week. BTW, make sure that center deck cleat is backed by something. Mine was just screwed into the flotation foam. One good tug and whoops! I put some 1/2" plywood under it.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Nice looking boat! Looks like a cleaner version of the one I'm working on acquiring. The previous owner is looking for the title, but the good news it was last registered to him in 2006, so worst case scenario we will have to go down to DMV and pay $60 for a duplicate. I'm guessing there's some floor rot, but after finding out more about the construction thanks to yanks21 (I sent you an e-mail, btw) I'm confident that I can fix it myself. Transom seems ok, but it want to make sure its in solid shape. My local lakes are both 9.9 but I'm not far from the Delaware River where I could really put a 35 or 40 to good use. Good luck with her! Hopefully will be posting pics of mine soon.

 

[SaltyRob]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

I just bought a '71 Carefree yesterday. The ID tag says max hp is 40.

 

[yanks21]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Even though the plate on mine says 35, when my wife's uncle bought her new, he had a 55 installed on it. It was a leftover 69 Johnson 55HP. It works great. Excellent ski boat, tubing, etc. She has no trouble handling the extra horses. IH! I got your e-mail. How goes the title fight?
I'll post some pic on my Carefree ASAP. one of the Carb fuel lined is leaking, so i'm out of action for awhile.
JJP

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: my new (well new to me) 71 carefree

Even though the plate on mine says 35, when my wife's uncle bought her new, he had a 55 installed on it. It was a leftover 69 Johnson 55HP. It works great. Excellent ski boat, tubing, etc. She has no trouble handling the extra horses. IH! I got your e-mail. How goes the title fight?
I'll post some pic on my Carefree ASAP. one of the Carb fuel lined is leaking, so i'm out of action for awhile.
JJP

The guy who has it now is still looking for it, but in the event that he doesn't find it, the previous owner (who is still in DMV's database as the current owner since it was never signed over) is willing to come to DMV with me in order to request a duplicate which will be a simple process. Hopefully my neighbor can just dig it out though. I haven't had a whole lot of time to devote to thinking about the boat with a baby on the way and now my truck is in the shop-if you want to laugh see my latest post in Dockside Chat "How was your morning?" I'm more psyched than ever now though because I just found out that I'm only about an hour and a half away from a pretty large (by NJ standards) Army Corps lake in PA-Blue Marsh. Seems like a good place for a day with the family on the water.