Daniel1947
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2010
- Messages
- 267
My first boat, purchased used in June, 2010; 1989 ASTRO QUICKFIRE 18FS with a Mercury 150HP Black Max. I had absolutely no knowledge of boats and large HP 2 cycle engines even though I have been a mechanic, drag racer, 4 cycle engine builder etc. for most of my life; also some minor fiberglass work on the race car.
The man I purchased the boat from was extremely friendly, said he purchased it new, it was âgarageâ kept, wanted to sell it because kids were grown and had other projects; we moved it out of his garage, he hooked up the water, showed me how to crank it etc. It started and ran great. I bought it, titled and licensed it and got it on the water in late July 2010. Enjoyed it immensely until late September when the engine locked up. Due to finances it took awhile to overhaul engineâ¦#3 cylinder burnt a pistonâ¦I now know how a 2 cycle works and also how expensive it is to rebuild. Most of 2011 and 2012 were spent putting together funding and purchasing partsâ¦$108 for one piston?
OUCH! I bought a set of 8 for my 360 Dodge truck V8 for $120. Got engine finished and back on the water mid 2013, boat ran great.
July 2013, was on the water and started noticing driverâs seat was loose. While kneeling on the deck looking to see how it was attached, I put half of my 240 lbs. on one knee, through the deck into the foam. To conclude, upon closer examination I determined that the deck was rotten; upon closer examination I noticed the two bulkheads between the stringers were also rotten. Since I have been investigating and looking for info on I-Boats Forum, I was pretty sure I had major repairs to do. And as the following story unfolds, I will be asking for assistance from all you experts and non-experts alike.
I Plan on completely redoing the stringers, deck and possibly the transom; however at this point I cannot tell yet if transom is also rotten, but with everything I am reading on I-Boats forum, I am not going to bet against it. I will be drilling pilot holes in the lower transom in the next couple days. As the plan goes right now, this will be a complete âcap offâ restoration. Since I am retired, I need something to do besides yard work etc., and hopefully the girl friend wonât mind me using the garage and wonât throw me out and maybe she wonât mind parking outside in the driveway.
Actually this first post is kind of late since I have already started the deconstruction and have the cap off as well as deck and most foam has been removed. I have beaucoup photos and will try to post them in some semblance of order with some captions as I go. I am thanking everyone in advance for any advice and knowledge coming my way. So here we go everyone.
This first photo is just a test to make sure I have it right.
http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/DA...y/IRISH%20TIDE
The man I purchased the boat from was extremely friendly, said he purchased it new, it was âgarageâ kept, wanted to sell it because kids were grown and had other projects; we moved it out of his garage, he hooked up the water, showed me how to crank it etc. It started and ran great. I bought it, titled and licensed it and got it on the water in late July 2010. Enjoyed it immensely until late September when the engine locked up. Due to finances it took awhile to overhaul engineâ¦#3 cylinder burnt a pistonâ¦I now know how a 2 cycle works and also how expensive it is to rebuild. Most of 2011 and 2012 were spent putting together funding and purchasing partsâ¦$108 for one piston?
OUCH! I bought a set of 8 for my 360 Dodge truck V8 for $120. Got engine finished and back on the water mid 2013, boat ran great.July 2013, was on the water and started noticing driverâs seat was loose. While kneeling on the deck looking to see how it was attached, I put half of my 240 lbs. on one knee, through the deck into the foam. To conclude, upon closer examination I determined that the deck was rotten; upon closer examination I noticed the two bulkheads between the stringers were also rotten. Since I have been investigating and looking for info on I-Boats Forum, I was pretty sure I had major repairs to do. And as the following story unfolds, I will be asking for assistance from all you experts and non-experts alike.
I Plan on completely redoing the stringers, deck and possibly the transom; however at this point I cannot tell yet if transom is also rotten, but with everything I am reading on I-Boats forum, I am not going to bet against it. I will be drilling pilot holes in the lower transom in the next couple days. As the plan goes right now, this will be a complete âcap offâ restoration. Since I am retired, I need something to do besides yard work etc., and hopefully the girl friend wonât mind me using the garage and wonât throw me out and maybe she wonât mind parking outside in the driveway.
Actually this first post is kind of late since I have already started the deconstruction and have the cap off as well as deck and most foam has been removed. I have beaucoup photos and will try to post them in some semblance of order with some captions as I go. I am thanking everyone in advance for any advice and knowledge coming my way. So here we go everyone.
This first photo is just a test to make sure I have it right.
http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/DA...y/IRISH%20TIDE
Last edited:
