Whatarush151
Recruit
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 1
Renavation 1993 Century Arrow 230 22'6" ski/tow boat OMC 5.7 w/Yamaha 5.7 Sterndrive
Greetings to all my fellow mariners out there, I have found some great info on this site so I decided to register with Iboats.com and put my rebuild/refurbish work up for comment/discussion. I am a 10 Year Navy Veteran who grew up on the lakes of Texas and I am a pretty good mechanic when it comes to troubleshooting and part swapping. I have had a few fish/ski combos with outboards through the years, but this is my first I/O and I am looking forward to years of fun with this not so common boat...
I live on Canyon Lake here in Texas, so during the summer there are lots of Daddy's money tow boats out on the lake with kids who have no idea what they are doing. If I am not helping said kids learn how the tilt works on their boat, I am helping them with how the 4WD works on their truck, and how they should put it in 4WD BEFORE they back down the boat ramp, or I am pulling the ones what switched it to 4WD out enough so they can actually engage the 4WD... I say all that to say that I did not want another master craft/air nautique/Malibu just like all the other over priced boats racing around the lake.
So the search began on Craigslist for a special boat that would be mine, that would have its own style. I came across a guy with a 1993 Century Arrow 230, with a OMC 5.7 and a Yamaha 5.7 stern drive. Now all he knew was that it was a Century, there is nothing on the boat or title with any type of model info, but after quite a bit of research I have determined it is an Arrow 230 with a 260 hp V8. It was a little frustrating not being able to find much information about this boat, nor being able to find specs for it, so I was under the impression I might have made a bad choice, but the fact of the matter is I really like the look of this boat and the way it sits in the water and so I was hooked on the pictures on Craigslist. Once I arrived I realized that the boat was in much worse condition then was told to me on the phone, big surprise, and while I knew it was not worth $2500 I knew it did have huge potential if I could get it for the right price. They guy swore up and down that it ran and it just needed a tune up, but I figured if he got it running I would never be able to talk him down on the price so I just picked it apart, got in my truck to leave, then rolled my window down and offered him $1000 cash for it as is, I should have known it was not going to run, but I was hoping for a miracle... He took the $1000 and I towed it home and began the clean up process, the floor was pretty solid but I did feel some sponge in a few places so I went ahead and tore it out so I could do it right, I pulled the gas tank as well since I was in there and found that the gas was SEVERAL YEARS old, and nasty... So, any help on what I should clean out the tank with would be appreciated because there is some build up inside from what I can see through the gas gauge hole. I attempted to turn the motor over and it tried but it felt like it was in a bind, and after I pulled 3 rusty/slimy spark plugs out I realized there was a leak... So I have 2 cylinder on one side and one on the other that have water in them, but the oil is good, no cloud whatsoever so I think I can just do a top end rebuild and get it running. Now since I am a guy I had thoughts of stroking it out to 383, but once I settled down I thought that the Yamaha out drive might not be rated for much more than 300 HP so I should stay within the stock HP range of 260-280. Here is the fun, I am not swapping parts here I am doing a top end rebuild and I am not sure how much I will need to spend to do it Right. This is where I need the combination of all the knowledge on this site. What would be your recommendation for the motor knowing some of the issues? I am thinking, new heads, new pistons, new gaskets, carb rebuild, new plugs, wires, distributor cap(it is cracked), impeller replacement, stern drive tune up and then if I want more out of the engine what could I do in this process to add 10-15 Hp? Different Prop maybe? I am looking for hole shot power for towing, and then cruising speed, not stupid speed... This is where I am at now, also there is a lot of oxidation on the paint and I picked up some rubbing compound, is that enough or will I need to sand with high grit auto paper? I appreciate your interest in my project and I look forward to your comments.
Greetings to all my fellow mariners out there, I have found some great info on this site so I decided to register with Iboats.com and put my rebuild/refurbish work up for comment/discussion. I am a 10 Year Navy Veteran who grew up on the lakes of Texas and I am a pretty good mechanic when it comes to troubleshooting and part swapping. I have had a few fish/ski combos with outboards through the years, but this is my first I/O and I am looking forward to years of fun with this not so common boat...I live on Canyon Lake here in Texas, so during the summer there are lots of Daddy's money tow boats out on the lake with kids who have no idea what they are doing. If I am not helping said kids learn how the tilt works on their boat, I am helping them with how the 4WD works on their truck, and how they should put it in 4WD BEFORE they back down the boat ramp, or I am pulling the ones what switched it to 4WD out enough so they can actually engage the 4WD... I say all that to say that I did not want another master craft/air nautique/Malibu just like all the other over priced boats racing around the lake.
So the search began on Craigslist for a special boat that would be mine, that would have its own style. I came across a guy with a 1993 Century Arrow 230, with a OMC 5.7 and a Yamaha 5.7 stern drive. Now all he knew was that it was a Century, there is nothing on the boat or title with any type of model info, but after quite a bit of research I have determined it is an Arrow 230 with a 260 hp V8. It was a little frustrating not being able to find much information about this boat, nor being able to find specs for it, so I was under the impression I might have made a bad choice, but the fact of the matter is I really like the look of this boat and the way it sits in the water and so I was hooked on the pictures on Craigslist. Once I arrived I realized that the boat was in much worse condition then was told to me on the phone, big surprise, and while I knew it was not worth $2500 I knew it did have huge potential if I could get it for the right price. They guy swore up and down that it ran and it just needed a tune up, but I figured if he got it running I would never be able to talk him down on the price so I just picked it apart, got in my truck to leave, then rolled my window down and offered him $1000 cash for it as is, I should have known it was not going to run, but I was hoping for a miracle... He took the $1000 and I towed it home and began the clean up process, the floor was pretty solid but I did feel some sponge in a few places so I went ahead and tore it out so I could do it right, I pulled the gas tank as well since I was in there and found that the gas was SEVERAL YEARS old, and nasty... So, any help on what I should clean out the tank with would be appreciated because there is some build up inside from what I can see through the gas gauge hole. I attempted to turn the motor over and it tried but it felt like it was in a bind, and after I pulled 3 rusty/slimy spark plugs out I realized there was a leak... So I have 2 cylinder on one side and one on the other that have water in them, but the oil is good, no cloud whatsoever so I think I can just do a top end rebuild and get it running. Now since I am a guy I had thoughts of stroking it out to 383, but once I settled down I thought that the Yamaha out drive might not be rated for much more than 300 HP so I should stay within the stock HP range of 260-280. Here is the fun, I am not swapping parts here I am doing a top end rebuild and I am not sure how much I will need to spend to do it Right. This is where I need the combination of all the knowledge on this site. What would be your recommendation for the motor knowing some of the issues? I am thinking, new heads, new pistons, new gaskets, carb rebuild, new plugs, wires, distributor cap(it is cracked), impeller replacement, stern drive tune up and then if I want more out of the engine what could I do in this process to add 10-15 Hp? Different Prop maybe? I am looking for hole shot power for towing, and then cruising speed, not stupid speed... This is where I am at now, also there is a lot of oxidation on the paint and I picked up some rubbing compound, is that enough or will I need to sand with high grit auto paper? I appreciate your interest in my project and I look forward to your comments.
