Mercruiser Limousine???

[roadhouse_1]

Has anyone ever heard of a Mercruiser Limousine? I found a free boat down the road and it has a decal on the dash that says "Mercruiser Limousine". This is the only marking I can find that even hints at what it is. Did Mercury ever even make boats? I'm new when it comes to this, but it seems to be a 1970s generation. I'll post pics when I can. Hopefully that will help to better identify the boat.

 

[shrew]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

There is a type of boat called a Limousine Tender. It's usually used as a tender for mega-yachts. They traditionally have a hard top on them. Many I've seen have a sliding hardtop where the entire top and sides slide back as one piece on slides on the gunnel. Is there a chance you can post a pick?

I wonder if this is an old limousine tender powered with a Mercruiser motor. Below are links to some examples that come to mind.

http://www.nauticatender.com/

http://www.charterworld.com/news/de...uxury-tenders/delphia-yachts-tender-limousine

http://www.vikal.com.au/limousines.php

 

[CaptainSkip]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Shrew,
Wow, nice! Never heard of those...that's slummin it, for those that can't afford a helicopter for their yacht.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Is there somewhere on the boat that should have an ident plate? I'll definitely post pics when I get home tonight. It doesn't look like the boat ever had a top though. Actually it seems it only had two seats up front. It does have an old Mercruiser 120 inboard, and a Berkley Trilene sticker, so probably a fishing boat. It's about 18' and a runabout style. It says Sea Breeze on the transom, but I think it's the old name. There are, apparently, boats from the 70s made by a company called Seabreeze though, and they look similar. Again, hopefully pics will help.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

 

[Beefer]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Is that a serpent sticking up out of it?

There is no such thing as a free boat. What you have there is a 'no initial cost for ownership' hull that hasn't seen water in 23 yrs. If there are no structural problems, and the engine is salvageable, figure your boat will cost about $1500 to make somewhat seaworthy.

Hull has a nice shape though. Looks like it would handle nicely.

 

[shrew]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

That is interesting. To be honest, it does look like it has at least one trait of a limosine tender. Notice how the bow rail is split and run down to what look like hand rails into the open bow? (It's really tough to clearly see from the pic). That is a common trait in a limosine tender. They are used to load/unload passengers between the dock and the boat. I guess it was easier and faster to pull bow in and tie off, then let the passengers walk right off the front, rather than jump over the gunnel or transom. If I recall, i think they'd short rope the bow, then knock it into reverse to hold the boat steady. It also kept passengers away from any running gear. I believe this was also very handy when there was limited dock space and minimized having to wait for a space to bring the boat up to the dock beam-to.

I'd be curious if the bow actually has steps going through the split and if the rails do look more like handrails. That would lead me to believe it is a very older limo tender. They are very rare.

Just a guess on my part, though.

 

[wa_ssv197]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

That would be a very cool project.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Just realized the dash ident says Mercruiser Marine, not Limousine. It's really faded and the C in cruiser is bigger than the other letters, so at first glance i swore it said Limousine. The plot thickens I guess.

 

[shrew]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Mercruiser Marine, Berkely Trilene.....it sounds like the PO simply liked to stick stickers on his boat. Any Mobil, Exxon, or Castrol stickers on there LOL.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Tell me about it. At least the Mercruiser Marine one is an original name plate. A coworker of mine thinks maybe it's an old Glastron. The steering wheel is a RideGuide. Is there anyway to backtrack from there, i.e. only certain manufacturers used it back then? Just a thought. I'll probably be picking it up Sunday, and no matter what it turns out to be, it'll keep me busy fixing it up.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Actually it looks as though Mercury makes/made Rideguide steering wheels/helms. Sorry if this is already obvious to the boating veterans on here.

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

I'm thinking it's a Glastron now because a coworker (who is fairly "old boat savvy") thinks so, and I found this pic that looks very similar in style to the boat I'm looking at.

http://www.bloodydecks.com/classifieds/showfull.php?product=2113&bigimage=DSC02035.JPG

 

[roadhouse_1]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

Figured it out. It's an old T-Craft, a 68' I think. The serial # is 68 211339. I'm guessing the 68 is the year. I'm not sure of a model though. All I found out was that T-Craft went under in the 80s. Does this mean it could be worth something if I restored it? And if I did, I'd have to reglass/reframe the deck and build/glass a new transom (at least). How much glass are we talking for a boat this size? Plus rebuild a motor among other things. Is it even worth it?

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Mercruiser Limousine???

It's only worth it to you. Any money you put in is probably going to stay in. Whatever you get back is found money.