New to the forum and a possible restoration project!

[TL-Iguana]

Hi all!

My name is Simon, and I am brand new to this forum. I have done a lot of research on this boat and motor that I acquired with the purchase of my house. Unfortunately it doesn't have any identifying marks on it so I don't really know what I have other than the motor!

I am hoping I have come to the right place to post some pictures and see if I can get some advice from people that seem to know a lot about boats! I have read through a lot of threads and I have started to learn a little bit about what I am up against when it comes to restoration, and this is a project that I would like to take on myself in my spare time. I guess my question is, do I have something that is worth while to restore, or is there anything that is glaringly obvious that will give me problems down the road? Please excuse my ignorance, the boat was free so I hope to find out if its going to be worth my time and investment to restore it. If anyone can perhaps tell me what this boat is, or perhaps who made it that would be awesome as well! I really have no information on it at all. The motor looks to be in good shape for its age, of course it is missing a few bolts (unsure of why) and the propeller is nowhere to be found, but again if this seems to you guys like it may be worth while I will happily invest a few dollars to bring it all up and running. I'm very handy mechanically, and have a working knowledge of how to lay fiberglass, but Ive never actually worked on a boat before! Just had a lot of fun growing up in Ontario and taking my dads boat out fishing every morning. Your opinions are very much appreciated if you can let me know what you think I may have, and if its worthwhile to try and fix up!

Thanks all in advance for your time and information Below is a link to the pictures I have of my new to me boat!

I tried to link the photos as I usually would to a forum with the IMG code from photobucket, but it keeps giving me errors... I apologize I will try again soon to make it easier than linking to a slideshow..

http://s168.photobucket.com/user/tliguana/slideshow/boat

 

[coolbri70]

:welcome:welcome to the forum, find out what it takes to get a title for it if you don't have it, before you sink any money into it

 

[Mud Puppy]

Yes, Welcome TL to the best place on the web for help and parts (from our gracious hosts)!

I would agree ^^^^^. If you have the stuff to make it legal it can be fixed, BUT...

be prepared for a lot of time and money. Not to hang crape, but yours is similar to mine in damage. About the only thing that appears good is the steering wheel. Since you have no history with it, not your dads or grand pappy's, it's just an old boat.

Not knowing how long it's set, the first thing I would do is (or have someone) run a compression check on the engine. The crack near the previous repair weld bothers me some; was it a bad repair, or is there something more serious going on there? Is the lower unit any good?

You have some major structural damage at the stern and the transom needs replaced. From what I can tell, where the carpet is pulled or missing, the deck has more than likely been compromised, as well as the glass around your stringers is shot and they more than likely will need replaced. With the bad deck, the foam will be soaked and trash. The hull cap has cracks that are pretty easy fixes and look worse than they really are.

At least you have seats, but from what I have seen of the deck, it has been uncovered as much or more than it has been covered, so they may rip out the first time out and the foam may be dead.

I would say you are looking at a total rebuild from bow to stern.

If you should decide to drop an easy grand (or more), we will be here for you.

 

[TL-Iguana]

Thats awesome!! Thankyou so much for the advice so far! The title is no problem, It was sold as part of the estate that I bought and therefore a bill of sale was provided for it so registration is possible in my name. As for a compression test, that I will definately be doing, and hopefully in the next couple weeks. It was the boat itself that I was indeed worried about. The cracked weld is in the aluminum tray that is under the motor cover, it does not seem structural, and the lower unit seems to be intact but is missing lots of screws... Again something I will be looking more into as maybe theres nothing inside.. I havent yet had the chance to open it and see... The boat has been uncovered for years and yes this is what I was unsure of. I was reading on how to replace a transom and it doesnt seem like its too too complex which is a project I think i would be ok to tackle. The stringers I will look at this weekend more than likely. I am hoping to get the boat towed into my garage so I can lift the motor off and have a better look at the transom. By foam I assume you mean there is some sort of foam in between the stringers? The seats are not bolted down and will be removed this weekend as well.

I really appreciate the response so far, and being that it hasnt yet cost me anything, I am willing to put a grand or 2 into working on it in my spare time, as I think it looks so much better than just buying an aluminum craft for the same price!

Thanks for the replies so far

I already feel welcome!!

 

[jbcurt00]

I really appreciate the response so far, and being that it hasnt yet cost me anything, I am willing to put a grand or 2 into working on it in my spare time, as I think it looks so much better than just buying an aluminum craft for the same price

You'll fit in fine here.

The fellas in the tin hats :tinfoil3: will be along shortly to throw tomatoes or bricks..........
:brick:


:fencing:

When the forum's not in upheaval, it's a great place to keep a record of your rehab and get all the help you'll need to get the boat back in action.......

Best of luck w/ your project and welcome again

 

[sphelps]

Welcome aboard TL !
With the right mind set and a bit of time and money there is nothing there that can't be fixed back to better than new condition ! As jbc posted once the forum gets back to earlier form there is no better group of guys and gals than right here to help ya through the process ..
Good luck and keep us posted !