74 arabian......a good boat ?

[kelly0995]

hi all , ...im thinking of buying a 74 arabian 454/350 hp.
im going to see it monday , i know vintage car's but boat's i have no clue, what should i look for? iv'e read about stringer's, did these have problems with this, how do you check? it has 600 hr's on it , is that alot?
do any of you guy's have/had one of these ?....how would you rate.......any thought's?
thanks, kelly

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

I have a 74 Arabian, but it has a Chrysler 440. Yes stringers can be an issue as in all wood framed boats. No 600 hours is very low. Look for soft spots in the floor and the drivers seat plywood likes to rot. There are plywood shelfs on both sides of the engine. make sure there flat and level ,when the stringers are shot these will become lifted and separate. Century builds a very high quality boat.

Here is the factory photo from the 1974 Century catalog.

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Is this the boat your looking at?
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/2372943751.html

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

thanks tahorover............there's nothing better than getting advice from someone that actually own's one!......the lake we go to(big bear,ca.) has an elevation of 6200ft. , so i'll proabably have to lean the carb. a bit..........the lake is pretty glassy in the morning but get's pretty choppy in the afternoon , how dose yours handle rough water ?......also , the v-drive compared to io ,..better?..........
i can't wait to see it monday ,..if i get it i'll post some pic's and keep the fourm updated along the way with the restoration process to help other's as i learn.

I have a 74 Arabian, but it has a Chrysler 440. Yes stringers can be an issue as in all wood framed boats. No 600 hours is very low. Look for soft spots in the floor and the drivers seat plywood likes to rot. There are plywood shelfs on both sides of the engine. make sure there flat and level ,when the stringers are shot these will become lifted and separate. Century builds a very high quality boat.

Here is the factory photo from the 1974 Century catalog.

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

yes , ......what's your opinion?....worth it?

Is this the boat your looking at?
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/2372943751.html

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

My thoughts on that boat.
It has been for sale for a loooooong time. 12 to 18 months.
I'm not a fan of it's hull graphics.
I prefer the swim step set up to the boarding ladder.
It's a heavy boat and a single axle trailer is not enough. The only reason you can get away with a single axle is the Arabians rear weight bias. The trailer and boat will be near 4000lbs and I'm betting it has a 3200lb trailer axle and tires. Make sure the tires are top notch and have the right load rating, there under a ton of stress.
The interior looks original and the seat bases and frames may need to be rebuilt. A OEM interior kit is available but cost almost as much as the boat.
The engine and drive set up is very reliable but keep an eye out for low oil pressure. I only know of two, it seems that mercruiser shipped a few engines with the wrong oil pick up for a flywheel forward install. These engines suck in air instead of oil for the short period of time your not on plane.
The mercruiser drive plate will die around 800-1000 hours if the boat is used for skiing often.

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Here are a few vids
I picked up this 78 Arabian for a good friend and shot this vid so he could see what he just bought! Paid $1600.00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyL7iPH5lAU

The trip in my local river with Rich seeing his boat for the first time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHZOLquWYhw

The vid I like to watch during the winter when I can't boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7gNOz3U29E

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

i hear you on the trailer , this may be one of the reasons it's been for sale for so long , and also the price he's had on it is twice what he's asking now.
the good thing about the trailer is i only need to tow it 110 miles to our lake cabin where it will stay in bigbear , from there i'll only need to trailer it a 1/2 mile to the boat ramp.
the transom look's different on the 75 & later model's , was this the last year for this hull?.............bigbear lake can get a little choppy in the afternoon , are these boats good in rough water?..............the hull design and weight i think would be a plus for these conditions.

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Yes the v bottom,high freeboard, big block weight and inboard underwater gear all help with rough water.

You think Big bear gets bad, come try Tahoe! Storms from the south push water the entire 22 miles and you get big surf on the north shore.

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

1,600.00 !.....that's a great deal you got for your friend on the 78.............i talked to the guy a couple hours ago,.... gonna go see it in the morning , he's down to 2,000 on the price , he claim's to know alot about boats & say's the stringer's & wood is good......we'll see..............i'll post the results when i get home tomarow.

Here are a few vids..
I pick up this 78 Arabian for a good friend and shot this vid so he could see what he just bought! Paid $1600.00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyL7iPH5lAU

The trip in my local river with Rich seeing his boat for the first time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHZOLquWYhw

The vid I like to watch during the winter when I can't boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7gNOz3U29E

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Here is some more pics from the 74 Century catalog. A Arabian was the same money as a new Cadillac!

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

well.......i just bought my first century boat !

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Post up some photos of her.

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

hey tahoe , ..i went to look and gave a deposit yesterday , i'll pick her up next saturday and shoot some pic's then.

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

she's the same kinda avacado green like in the catalog pic's you sent ,the graphics were put on by the orignal owner , there supposed to simulate some pattern that century used in the 50's/60's he said . there paint not gel so it'd be easy to remove , but , i kinda like em.......we'll see......as for the rest of the boat , rock stock orignal right down to the orignal plug wires and dist. cap.....decals& stickers all in tack & clean. ..........lookin thru the oil fill on the valve cover at the head/valve springs/rockers all clean as a whistle.

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

we fired up the engine ,......sounds beautiful....smooth as silk on all 8 , ....no smoke or blow by either................the hull was clean and looked to be solid , the plywood on both sides of the engine you told me about looked flat and intact , the seat's are about to give up the ghost but will be ok for this season , i like the drink bar that opens up in the back of the captains seat lol.............. l'll spend this summer shakin out all,if any , mechanical issues then next winter get an interior kit/ do all cosmetics etc.............bring er back to her former glory she well deserves.......

 

[smclear]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

If you need any part for your Arabian, check out these guys. They have "all stuff Century" and really know their stuff plus they're just great to work with. Best to contact them directly. I'm not sure how often they really check/respond to communications via their website.

http://classicboating.com/

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

Be very careful of your drivers seat. On my second trip out my seat broke. There I was going over 50mph and going over the top of a wake. Without any notice I was looking up at the sky laying on the floor of my boat. I drove all the way home standing up. I built a copy of the Century seat out of mahogany. I like sitting on top and looking over the windshield, so I beefed her up inside. The bar is a nice feature and as far as I know the Arabian and Coronado was the only models to get them. There is also room for a 50+ Qt cooler on ether side of the engine.;-)

If your on Facebook the Century Boat Club has a page to join:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_346384992329&ap=1

 

[kelly0995]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

nice work !.............i'll look mine over closely................do you have pic's of the 46 garwood?.......

Be very careful of your drivers seat. On my second trip out my seat broke. There I was going over 50mph and going over the top of a wake. Without any notice I was looking up at the sky laying on the floor of my boat. I drove all the way home standing up. I built a copy of the Century seat out of mahogany. I like sitting on top and looking over the windshield, so I beefed her up inside. The bar is a nice feature and as far as I know the Arabian and Coronado was the only models to get them. There is also room for a 50+ Qt cooler on ether side of the engine.;-)

If your on Facebook the Century Boat Club has a page to join:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_346384992329&ap=1

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 74 arabian......a good boat ?

I bought her for $2500 and spent four years getting her in shape. She has been in Classic Boating magazine(aug-sept 2000) and American Powerboat. She took a 2nd place at the Tahoe concours d'elegance