New guy with old boat

[Gulfstreamer]

I just joined when I saw people on here showing off there gulfstreams, I have always wanted one and finally found one I can afford FREE!! It need`s some love but I can see a diamond in the dirt here. She`s missing a few thing`s but engine wise it look`s pretty sound.....I hope. I just picked it up on Saturday and need to lube the cylinder`s and change the oil before firing it up. Does anyone have any input on anything else I should do first other than have a couple fire extinguisher`s handy? I dont even know what year it is but from what I see on here it must be early `70s.
Andy

 

[TJDave]

Re: New guy with old boat

Nice boat. When I bought mine, it was sitting in a pasture for 3 years, but the motor had low low hours. It is the Inline 6 Mercruiser 165. I had to rebuild the carburator, put a new impeller in it, and change out all of the tilt/trim hoses. The ones that pass through the hull and into the bottom outdrive plate are a P.I.T.A. Hard to get to, even with removing the rear seats. The rear side panels (behind jump seats) in my 73 are not removeable. It was a stretch but I got it done. I hope yours come out. That was over 8 years ago, and has been running like a top since. Another problem I had was with the tilt/trim/trailer switch above the shift lever. The button for the trailer mode quit working and that switch is no longer being made. I just bypassed the switch and put a toggle switch on the dash to raise my outdrive all the way up.

Good luck with your boat.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

I`m glad you wrote down what that switch say`s, because you can`t read mine very well. Sounds like the same engine a 165 inline 6. I will have to buy some rear seat`s as mine are missing. Where do I measure to find out length of boat, I just did a rough front to back total length and it was just over 20ft.? I havent had a boat in a long time and am very excited to have scored this one, I like the way they are biult. Thanks for you input

 

[Doernuth]

Re: New guy with old boat

Nice find and great price. keep us apprised of the progress.

I would suggest trying to hand crank the engine before engaging the starter. Just make sure it isn't siezed....

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Nice find and great price. keep us apprised of the progress.

I would suggest trying to hand crank the engine before engaging the starter. Just make sure it isn't siezed....

Yes I was looking down at the crank to see how I could get a wrench on it, and gave up and just jumped starter and it turn`s real nice, so I think I will do a compresion check next.

 

[TJDave]

Re: New guy with old boat

I`m glad you wrote down what that switch say`s, because you can`t read mine very well. Sounds like the same engine a 165 inline 6. I will have to buy some rear seat`s as mine are missing. Where do I measure to find out length of boat, I just did a rough front to back total length and it was just over 20ft.? I havent had a boat in a long time and am very excited to have scored this one, I like the way they are biult. Thanks for you input

My tilt switch has three buttons: The one closest to the stern is "outdrive down/bow down trim". The one in the middle is "trim bow up/outdrive up. This button will only allow outdrive to raise so far...then stops. The button closest to the bow is the "trailer button". On mine, when it still worked, I had to press the "trailer button" and the middle "trim up" button at the same time to get it to work. If you are beaching your boat, loading, or unloading you will want this part to work.
There is a brochure posted on the "Brand that should not have died" thread. I think it said they only made 18 and 20 footers around our year.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Here`s a pic of the switch I will have make a new label for it . I appreciate the input Dave, I dont have much time to tinker with it other than I need a new battery since I charged it all day and it only turned it over a couple revolution`s hope it`s not the starter drawing too many amp`s. I will fix the terrible battery cable`s first then try again.
Andy

 

[TJDave]

Re: New guy with old boat

yep...same switch I have.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Got the cables fixed and she crank`s good now. So I did a compression test and it has 125 all the way across, plug`s look old so it`s getting some new ones. Before I fire it up. Still lot`s of scrubbing on the inside of this boat it`s a dirty one.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Well the engine run`s great, she fired right up. The carb need some attention, I know how to work on those. But my big problem is the prop just free wheel`s and when I took the water hose connection of there were little pieces of rubber trying to plug the holes O BOY. I need a blow up of what`s inside so I can understand what broke. Anyone have a link to that? Please? Told you I was a new guy with a old boat I`m an auto mechanic trying to be a boat mechanic LOL

 

[TJDave]

Re: New guy with old boat

That would be your dried up, broken impeller. It's what pumps water through the motor on a boat. Mine was the same. Not too hard or expensive to fix.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

That would be your dried up, broken impeller. It's what pumps water through the motor on a boat. Mine was the same. Not too hard or expensive to fix.

I am researching on how to do it, do you have any suggestion`s or link`s? I narrowed it down to mine is a "R" type drive and I think it`s easier to remove whole drive to operate on it. I got lost on here trying to find out more so I just Googled it. Where should I get the kit? We have no boat shop anywhere near me. Thanks.
Andy

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Well summer`s coming soon and still not ready for the water yet but I rebuilt the stern drive and engine is a runner. Now I need to save up for some new seat`s there pretty bad. Chick`s don`t dig rotted seat`s.

 

[SeanMcl]

Re: New guy with old boat

Hi Gulfstreamer,

I have a 74, and I read the other post from you asking about the blower. Mine is connected to the steel grate in the center of the transom. I can see it in your pic above, it's dead center and above the rub rail. The vent tube that goes from the forward facing scoop should just hang down somewhere near the engine. The rear facing scoop is the exhaust, and should hang clear down into the bilge so that it can clear out any gas fumes which are heavier than air and collect down in the bilge. The blower tube should also hang down into the bilge.

Post pics of the new seats once they are installed!

 

[eyegrabber]

Re: New guy with old boat

If you have NAPA store near you , they handle sierra parts that are much cheaper than factory parts. sierra parts are numbered 18-xxxx and NAPA has a marine catalog

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Hi Gulfstreamer,

I have a 74, and I read the other post from you asking about the blower. Mine is connected to the steel grate in the center of the transom. I can see it in your pic above, it's dead center and above the rub rail. The vent tube that goes from the forward facing scoop should just hang down somewhere near the engine. The rear facing scoop is the exhaust, and should hang clear down into the bilge so that it can clear out any gas fumes which are heavier than air and collect down in the bilge. The blower tube should also hang down into the bilge.

Post pics of the new seats once they are installed!

Thank you for the input I still needed that info

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Thanks eyegrabber I do have a napa so I will investigate, I even saw some decent seats at K mart believe it or not LOL

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

We had a good day on Sunday we finished the out-drive rebuild and come to find out the shift cable was bad so it wont shift all the way into drive so we put it in neutral and fired it up. A happy moment, everything worked except the tach but we can fix that later. Cant wait for some lake time.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

View attachment 106583
We got the paper work for my boat and it is a 1974. I wasnt sure until now.
I put a new shift cable in and it shifts like new again.

 

[Gulfstreamer]

Re: New guy with old boat

Found a cracked leaf spring on the trailer now I`m overhauling it. Hope the lake doesnt evaporate before I get out there.