redneck joe (put this one first because it seems the most relevant):
boating experience is... I would say on the lower end of intermediate. I have been around boats for my whole life and have owned probably 10 over the last 20 years, but most of them have been 10-15 feet and used on a flat, easy-to-navigate river for fishing and stuff. I've had a few larger, my current boat before this one is an 18 footer that I take into the ocean sometimes on really, really calm days and never too far out. I say the lower end of intermediate because a) I don't trust myself in large swells or dangerous conditions, and b) because, while I am comfortable in my boats for the most part, I've never owned anything but outboard powered boats. I've only had one with a steering wheel EVER and my boats mostly haven't had batteries or electronics. They're pure fishing boats: hop in, outboard, maybe a small battery for a fish finder, external gas tank, bench seats. This is my first I/O boat, and my first with real electronics, etc.
Mechanically, I'm not too worried. I restore motorcycles as a hobby (have done probably 50+ over the last 25 years) and can rebuild engines in my sleep (although I will say: haven't done a ton of outboards, but the ones I've rebuilt weren't too bad at all, AND I'm much more comfortable with 2 strokes, although I have done my fair share of four strokes). I have most tools that exist and I'm comfortable using them for sure. I also did construction for 15 years or so, so I'm good with wood, and just generally good with my hands. That being said, there's a ton I don't know and I F-up a lot. I guess I'm trying to convey that I'm not a mechanical whiz or anything, but I feel confident that I can tear things down and put them back again... I'm comfortable fixing things, even if I don't know how to fix it, my instinct is to open it up and look and I can usually figure it out.
I can put 5 grand into the boat, for sure. maybe not now and all at once, but over time, that seems reasonable.
watermann: that's a good way to say what I was trying to convey above. wasn't trying to come off as cocky or like I know what I'm doing, because I don't really, but I was trying to say that I have done a lot of mechanical work in the past and have the tools for it, and I love building things. I bought this boat knowing it needs work, and I'm going to fix it up. But I also have a ton of questions along the way! I will start a resto thread, but for now, I just wanted to get general info about islanders and do the bare minimum to get her into the water and get a sense of what I'm dealing with. It runs, but how well? what electronics work and which ones don't? Are there leaks, and how bad? etc.
I will also look up these outdrives, thanks. When you say outboard pod, are you talking about converting this boat to outboard?
proshadetree: thanks for the info. I am definitely going to keep my eyes open for something because this one will die at some point! I think my transom seems good for now, so i might do a full gut other than the transom and then when this guy goes out finish the job with something else! Is there a more reliable (as in, parts availability) outdrive out there? people have mentioned mercruiser, is that a safe bet?
old ironmaker: we all need a soaked blanket sometimes. I don't know if I have the experience to build this boat, but I want to try! It's true that I don't know much about i/o boats but I'm a decent mechanic and good with tools. My questions are mostly coming from a place of, "i/os are brand new to me, and i've never dealt with all of these electronics before". It's like someone who has driven a car for a long time and had rebuilt cars and will be a perfectly fine motorcycle rider looking at a motorcycle and not knowing how to drive it. Someone has to tell them, "this lever is the brakes, this foot pedal is the gear shifter, this is the clutch, etc". They're just missing some knowledge, but once they have it explained to them, they'll pick it up fairly quickly because of their experience with cars. At least, I hope its like that. I feel like I might F some stuff up on this boat due to my inexperience, but I want to try and I just hope I can fix the things I F up!
Now, a question about your battery comment. I only see one set of terminals. So I'm guessing the starter and all of the electronics are on the same circuit, so I should basically set up to batteries, two more terminals, and run that into the selector, and then run whichever one is selected into the existing terminals? basically? thanks!
jasoutside: got my coffee, I'm reading! same comment as above: wet blankets are necessary sometimes. guess I'll be rebuilding and have my summer project figured out
southcogs: since ive never had an i/o boat before, I have to ask: when you say pull it, you're talking about pulling it off the boat.... but is there any chance this will ruin a hard-to-replace gasket or something? Are you suggesting I do this even if it appears to be working? also, any resources on parts I should be lookng at? ebay I guess... iboats... anywhere else? thanks
tnstratofam: yeah, thanks. running it until i find another setup seems like my plan for now. hopefully mercruiser. I will check out the starcraft section, thanks!
jbcurt00: gotcha, makes sense. If it gets to that point, is there an outdrive that easier to swap? without knowing that these holes look like, I assume it's easier to cut a larger hole than to fix and then have to cut a smaller hole? thanks!
