On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 20:30:30 GMT, Dan wrote:

Gary Warner wrote:

"Dan" wrote in message
news:eFl8c.144231$Up2.34705@pd7tw1no...

I am going to look at a '77 19' Fibertech tomorrow. I don't currently
own a boat, and am looking for something realtivley cheap to play with
through the summer. What do I need to look at when looking at this
boat, is there any thing I should know about such an old baot?

Any help would be appreciated.

-Dan


I assume that is a fiberglass boat? Is there an outboard engine on it?

Yes, it is fiberglass. It has a Chev 250 inboard.


My first boat was a 17' Winner with a Merc outboard. A few things
I wish I'd known / done:

+ The charging system was not charging the battery. This didn't show up
in my test drive because seller had battery all charged already. I could
have brought a little multimeter and checed that it was putting out
12.5+ volts.

At the moment the boat doesn't run. The exhaust manifold has a cack
(new manifold costs $500CDN) and is not attached to the engine.

+ This boat leaked. In my sea trial I was so concentrated on driving the
boat ('cause I was new at that) that I didn't notice how much the bilge
pump came on. All I saw was - the pump works, OK good. And it
wasn't constant pumping or anything (not that bad). But I wish I'd just
STOPPED driving for a while and checked out the boat in mid
ocean. I would have noticed the pump coming on quite often.

Never even hough of this, I just figured that if the hull was intact,
with no deep scratches or cracks it would be fine.


+ I *did* do a sea trial, I *did* look over the hull closely, and I *did*
look over the trailer (bearing, tires, nothing bent, etc.). This worked
well because it told me some good things about the boat.


I know that the bearings in the trailer need to be replaced, but that is
a cheap and easy job.

What should I be looking ofr when looking at the hull, just crack and
scratches, and the quality of the gel coat?

+ I wish I'd known how expensive and how much work would go into
fixing it up. I saw the boat and thought - gee, it needs a few little
things
and I can do those for not much money. But every project takes longer
and costs more than you think it will. On a bost multiply that by 4.


Oh, how much is the person asking for the boat? It might well
be worth trying to find a knowledgable person to check it out
for you. Even if it isn't a full Marine-Surveyor, any good boat
person would be well worth $50 to have them look.

The boat is $1500CDN, really cheap. The guy says he used it last year.

What I would like to be able to do is get the boat running, either by
repairing the manifold (yes I know this is difficult, but I do have the
shop and tools to do it) or replacing it. Play with it over the summer,
then sell it for $500 next spring.

-Dan

How did the manifold crack? Did water get into the engine? Manifolds
(exhaust?) don't just crack without a reason. Are you planning to put
a new engine into the boat? Have you checked the oil to see what it
looks like? If it's brand new oil, I'd be very concerned that water
got into the engine and may cause huge problems.

John H

On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!