I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

[NitroHonda]

My brother gave me his boat because he didn't want to mess with it anymore. He basically got it off a job as payment for services. Anyway... I took the boat. Boat does not work. I do not have much knowledge about owning or operating a boat.

Here's my background. I'm extremely mechanically inclined. I know cars and motorcycles (my forte) aren't the same as boat motors but I'm fairly confident that I can pick it up rather quick.

First off... about the boat itself... it's a 1972 Del Magic 17 footer. It originally came with a 1972 125 HP Evinrude on it. The 125 engine was seized so my brother purchased a 1976 200 HP Evinrude and bolted it on although he never connected it nor drove it with it on. When I approached the boat... I thought about this for a second... wait a minute... That's a big goshdarned motor. I grew up on a 15 footer with an 85 HP Mercury. I'm not really scared of the power of the 200 HP motor itself but I sure do respect it.

Now we know about the boat and the engine. Is this too much motor for the 17 footer Del Magic? I'm thinking damages to the boat's hull as well as ripping apart the mount in the rear would be the biggest issue out of many issues. Another is weight. Will this engine flip the boat over. Is this motor SAFE?!?!?

I'm not afraid of power but I have a family and I intend to use this boat for family outings only. I have zero interest in the partying aspects nor the racing aspects. I just want to take my family water skiing and fishing just like I did when I was growing up. Safe boating's important to me.

I'll reserve more questions as for repair to the engine, connecting the engine to the throttle assembly, linkages, and getting the boat legal after finding out if I've got a useable engine and boat or not.

Thanks for all your input.

 

[Philster]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

That boat is likely rated for 150hp or less. 200 is gotta be too big in terms of weight overall, weight on the transom and the power is not your friend when that high.

I'd even say it was illegal in most areas.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

If i was a betting man id bet the 200 is over the max HP for the boat. I would also bet the 125 was at the top end of the max HP for it. Also im not to sure the 200 will hook to the 125 harness and controls as the 72 is electric shift and the 76 is not.
But im not a betting man and i dont know this for sure, its just a guess.

I did a quick google and those are nice looking if they are like the tri hull i found online.

Someone may chime in with the max HP for the boat so you can go from there. You may also look around for a smaller one if so desire. fleabay and craigs list are full of them, some good and some not so much.

Any way, im sure this didnt help at all,,,

Have fun with it.. and welcome to iboats..

 

[BeaufortTJustice]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

As a general guideline, the USCG has a formula that helps determine max horsepower rating...I think it is (length x beam x 2) - 90 = max hp. (double check before you use)

Remember, it is a general guideline and other variables come into play such as physical condition / integrity of the boat, weight, etc.

Others on this forum should be able to elaborate on some of those other variables and I'm sure I am missing something. Good luck, I hope this helps.

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

If i was a betting man id bet the 200 is over the max HP for the boat. I would also bet the 125 was at the top end of the max HP for it. Also im not to sure the 200 will hook to the 125 harness and controls as the 72 is electric shift and the 76 is not.
But im not a betting man and i dont know this for sure, its just a guess.

I did a quick google and those are nice looking if they are like the tri hull i found online.

Someone may chime in with the max HP for the boat so you can go from there. You may also look around for a smaller one if so desire. fleabay and craigs list are full of them, some good and some not so much.

Any way, im sure this didnt help at all,,,

Have fun with it.. and welcome to iboats..

It's definitely the tri-hull.

I've been led to believe (by the documentation that we all got from the boat owners) that the 125 came with the boat when it was purchased new in 1972. It's a 1972 Evinrude 125 HP.

I welcome all sincere input so your post helped!

 

[ziggy]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

my '72 boat has a uscg sticker right at the helm. it'll be metal and permanently fixed to the boat. it's silver, red and black letters. if ya got one of them, it'll have the max cap. hp yer supposed to put on it.

this is a '75 and kind of a bum pick for the sticker, but right above my throttle is the corner of the rectangular in shaped sticker on the white fiberglass. this is a normal location for this sticker. or somewhere very similar.


w/o that, others will have to fill ya in on how to determine what max hp would likely be. it's been discussed on the forum before, maybe search?

my gut feeling is 200 is to much too.

better to much than to little.... though if yer real overpowered yer gonna have to be careful with the throttle. use judgment. ya don't have to put it all the way forward. referring to the throttle... check with your insurance agent too. my guess is they don't like overpowered...

might check you old boat for wood rot too. rotten transoms are common in older boats and with that much hp ya better not have any rot. don't want to rip the engine off the transom.

you'll be fine with boats and your mechanical inclination. you've got it right. boat engines are not car or bike engines and they don't see the same duty in the least. engine internals are internals, everything else will be marine.

have fun with her man. boating can be real addicting if your not careful..

 

[superpop]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

I would look at the two items as two separate things. If the boat is in great shape but the motor needs work, I would sell the motor, you can probably get enough money from it to afford a nicer smaller more appropriate motor, depending on the condition of the motor. If the motor has great compression and runs like a top, but the boat is needing work such as rot repair or major interior work. Then I would sell the hull or part it out and junk the carcass and then go buy a boat that fits the motor you have. Either way, you probably don't want to run that motor on that boat. So find out what is worth keeping and get rid of the rest. No one said this was going to be cheap.

 

[grego]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

What ziggy said. The extra power is not going to be the problem, you do NOT! have to use full throttle! "but nice to have". The bigger problem will be with the "boat, engine rating" and being legal. You might try a "possitive stop" on accelerator cable. That is a lot of power for a 17 foot boat, especially in choppy water. "out of control in a small boat with a big motor, can not end good!!!!!" Personally, I would love to have a 17 footer with a 225 hp. motor. "just for fun" but NOT! for family use. Good luck.

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

I would look at the two items as two separate things. If the boat is in great shape but the motor needs work, I would sell the motor, you can probably get enough money from it to afford a nicer smaller more appropriate motor, depending on the condition of the motor. If the motor has great compression and runs like a top, but the boat is needing work such as rot repair or major interior work. Then I would sell the hull or part it out and junk the carcass and then go buy a boat that fits the motor you have. Either way, you probably don't want to run that motor on that boat. So find out what is worth keeping and get rid of the rest. No one said this was going to be cheap.

I'm not really all that worried about money. I know it can be an extremely expensive hobby but it's a hobby that my family and I want to get into. We'll handle it as we've handled everything else which is with time. Time makes money and time makes perfection. Time is usually your friend!

The hull is perfect and everything else is in great condition. There's definitely some rot on the boat. Mostly towards the rear of the boat. I had planned on fixing up the inside myself as well. I'm a carpenter although I'll need an upholsterer but will probably end up purchasing seats directly from the store. I love doing restorations.

Engines are a hobby of mine that I tackle with ease. The motor appears to have outstanding compression alas I have not put my compression gauge on it yet. The 125 motor is definitely seized but the 200 works fine. My brother got it from a fellow co-worker who upgraded his own motor to a bigger one.

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

my '72 boat has a uscg sticker right at the helm. it'll be metal and permanently fixed to the boat. it's silver, red and black letters. if ya got one of them, it'll have the max cap. hp yer supposed to put on it.

this is a '75 and kind of a bum pick for the sticker, but right above my throttle is the corner of the rectangular in shaped sticker on the white fiberglass. this is a normal location for this sticker. or somewhere very similar.


w/o that, others will have to fill ya in on how to determine what max hp would likely be. it's been discussed on the forum before, maybe search?

my gut feeling is 200 is to much too.

better to much than to little.... though if yer real overpowered yer gonna have to be careful with the throttle. use judgment. ya don't have to put it all the way forward. referring to the throttle... check with your insurance agent too. my guess is they don't like overpowered...

might check you old boat for wood rot too. rotten transoms are common in older boats and with that much hp ya better not have any rot. don't want to rip the engine off the transom.

you'll be fine with boats and your mechanical inclination. you've got it right. boat engines are not car or bike engines and they don't see the same duty in the least. engine internals are internals, everything else will be marine.

have fun with her man. boating can be real addicting if your not careful..

I'll definitely check it out then! Picture definitely helps. I'll take a gander at it when I get home next week.

Not sure what a transom is but I'm thinking it's where you clip the motor onto the boat?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

The hull is perfect and everything else is in great condition. There's definitely some rot on the boat. Mostly towards the rear of the boat. I had planned on fixing up the inside myself as well. I'm a carpenter although I'll need an upholsterer but will probably end up purchasing seats directly from the store. I love doing restorations.

The rot part would worry me. The transom is the part of the boat across the back that the motor is on. It is made of fiberglass covered wood. There are also wooden reinforcements under the deck (floor) called stringers. If there has been any water intrusion, then these important structural parts of the boat are likely rotten. An overpowered boat with a rotten transom is bad news. I'd look through the boat restoration forum to see how to check for rotten wood, waterlogged flotation, and rot in the transom wood. The forum also shows how to fix them.

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

The rot part would worry me. The transom is the part of the boat across the back that the motor is on. It is made of fiberglass covered wood. There are also wooden reinforcements under the deck (floor) called stringers. If there has been any water intrusion, then these important structural parts of the boat are likely rotten. An overpowered boat with a rotten transom is bad news. I'd look through the boat restoration forum to see how to check for rotten wood, waterlogged flotation, and rot in the transom wood. The forum also shows how to fix them.

Great! I'll look into those threads a little bit now. I'll probably agree with you on there most likely being rot there. Most of the rot that I saw was on the seats. The flooring is about 99% intact but that 1% is in the dreaded back of the boat. I will be sure to take some photos and introduce them into the correct forums.

A total rebuild would overwhelm most people but this is just something that I have a passion to do. I've restored a car from scratch and restored many motorcycles. A boat project sounds like something that I'd really love to tackle. It's not about going about it the most cost effective way which is probably just to buy another boat. I want to do this with my own hands. I figure I've at least got all winter to get a nice start and maybe we'll be able to get this boat on the water by the end of summer. I work fast but I'll set a goal of 8 months to get this done. If not, then next year will have to do.

I see that you're from Texas. I'm from Pflugerville, a suburb of Austin. Any advice on boat safety courses around here? Good junkyards or sources for boat parts? And most importantly of all... licensing. How does one get a boat legal? I just got this boat about a week ago so I need to get the title transferred over and whatnot. I have absolutely no idea on how to go about that.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

A total rebuild would overwhelm most people but this is just something that I have a passion to do. I've restored a car from scratch and restored many motorcycles. A boat project sounds like something that I'd really love to tackle. It's not about going about it the most cost effective way which is probably just to buy another boat. I want to do this with my own hands. I figure I've at least got all winter to get a nice start and maybe we'll be able to get this boat on the water by the end of summer. I work fast but I'll set a goal of 8 months to get this done. If not, then next year will have to do.

Great attitude! There are some real positives to rebuilding an old boat. For one, there's a real good chance that any other fairly inexpensive older fiberglass boat you find is going to have the same problems. Second, done correctly, it will be easy for you to make this boat even better than new and much more resistant to rot in the future. As was mentioned there's a number of GREAT threads in the restoration section that will show you how to do everything. Welcome to iboats and good luck with your project.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

Here's a link to the Texas boat registration info:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/faq/fishboat/boat/registration_and_titles/

I actually get my boat parts from ebay, here at iboats, or directly from evinrude at http://shop2.evinrude.com

 

[HappierWet]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

Here's another aspect.....What's the weight difference between a 72 125hp and a new 200 hp? Never mind (for the moment ) the power and torque difference. My question relates to the boat being able to keep a SAFE amount of freeboard. That is the distance from the waterline to normally the top of the gunwales, but in this case to the top of the lowest point on the transom.....probably the splashwell.

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

Here's another aspect.....What's the weight difference between a 72 125hp and a new 200 hp? Never mind (for the moment ) the power and torque difference. My question relates to the boat being able to keep a SAFE amount of freeboard. That is the distance from the waterline to normally the top of the gunwales, but in this case to the top of the lowest point on the transom.....probably the splashwell.

It's not a new 200 HP. The engine is a 1976 Evinrude 200 HP. It's the V6 engine. As for weight, I would say it's about 60 lbs heavier but that's just a guess. I don't really think engine weight is too much of a concern at this point. By that, I mean it won't sink the boat now will it?

 

[NitroHonda]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

Here's a link to the Texas boat registration info:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/faq/fishboat/boat/registration_and_titles/

I actually get my boat parts from ebay, here at iboats, or directly from evinrude at http://shop2.evinrude.com

That's great! I'll definitely head out there as soon as I get back home and get it transferred over to my name and legal.

Ack! It's 500 dollars for a marine license? Really? Wow. Can anyone elaborate on this and tell me what's involved and why is it so expensive?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

That's great! I'll definitely head out there as soon as I get back home and get it transferred over to my name and legal.

Ack! It's 500 dollars for a marine license? Really? Wow. Can anyone elaborate on this and tell me what's involved and why is it so expensive?

A Marine license is for a commercial boat. You don't need one of those.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

I would think 200 is a bit much but check the capacity plate, usually yellow or silver tells max hp and cargo or load. As a reference I had a older wellcraft 20 foot cuddy well made boat heavy with a deep v type hull. It had a 200 horse evinrude on it and performed very well. I could pull 2 slalom skiers with the right prop or do 45 mph with the right prop and the engine well tuned. The exact same boat was also offered with a 260 merc I/O so the boat could handle more power but the capacity plate did say 200 hp max. probably the outboard version hull. When I redid my transom it was shot and I had no clue it was that bad, I had my family in the boat was pulling skiers etc with a transom that was mush. The outboard was right about 400 lbs but after I redid the transom it was rock solid. Be very careful when overpowering especially if the hull is in question at all. I would think a nice 135 horse with the right prop and that boat would be a screamer. Good luck on however you proceed, I am a carpenter as well, had never really done a big fiberglass project. After reading for days on this site I tackeled the transom and it wasn't that bad plus it turned out awesome.

 

[Splat]

Re: I'd like to be a new boater... many questions to ask.

Just a thought here.

Check the capacity plate as others have suggested. IF you are over powered, its not illegal per sa, but god forbid you get in an accident, or someone gets hurt its a perfect excuse for the insurance company to claim you were negilant and walk away, regardless if you were reckless or not. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Bill