New boat owner

[luke.tanner07]

Hello everyone,
I'm not sure I can call myself a boat owner... I picked up a 1960 Seaswirl Runabout last night that someone gave up on. Poor thing was sitting on the side of the road with a free sign on it. It has a small outboard motor unattached, no windshield, no steering/power controls and no seating but came with a working trailer, a couple of seats unattached and the title so I can't argue. I literally have no idea how to restore a boat or anything about upkeep (I know I can read about most of that on the interweb) but any insight you may have would be greatly appreciated. I imagine the first goal is to see if she leaks? Then maybe get the motor running...

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

You've come to the right place. There are forum sections on restoration and most brands of outboards. Take some time poking around there before digging in, and post questions as you get into the job. Probably the most valuable thing you got is the title. Without it, you would have a large planter for your front yard. Is this an aluminum or a fiberglass boat?

 

[jbcurt00]

Sorry Luke the pix didn't post

If they appear on your screen it's because the image is cached by your browser or computer. Get a free 3rd party pix host, I like Photobucket, but there are others......

Then use the IMG code to post your pix. It looks like this:
IMG]http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/photo1_zpsf8705383.jpg[/IMG

and pix show up nice and big IN your post rather then as attachments that must be opened:

BTW: the most expensive boat you'll likely own will start out free..........

Post some pix. If the trailer's decent, you could have done ok, regardless of the boat's condition. Even better if the motor can be made to run inexpensively.

If you decide to finish the project, you'll likely be undoing or redoing some or all of the previous owner's work. More on that after we can 'see' what you're working on

 

[kmarine]

If you are interested in boating acquiring the boat is a good start. Identifying what it will take to be seaworthy is the first step before sinking your hard earned cash into a money pit. Start by checking for rotten transom or stringers. most of the materials needed to repair this is not expensive, but a lot of time and dirty work is necessary to do the job right. Make sure you like the boat. it may be less expensive to buy a operating used boat than restore the one you have. Before starting the engine do a compression test to make sure the engine has any life left. there is a possibility always that the boat sat the engine may be fine. good luck and enjoy the project.

 

[luke.tanner07]

Thanks for the help. I want to primarily use this as a fishing boat so it doesn't have to look new or even the way was originally designed. I just thought it would be fun. I agree the free things in life cost the most haha. It's a fiberglass boat but that's about all I know. I will post some photos when I get home. These are from when I first brought it home.