convince me its still worth it

[txnavysailor]

so i ripped the "deck" out of the $200 renken today and found bad stuff.

 

[LX Kid]

Re: convince me its still worth it

I'd like to see the hull, motor, trailer etc. before I vote on this one. Ron

 

[txnavysailor]

Re: convince me its still worth it

heres some more

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: convince me its still worth it

yep that not good !!! lol it can be fixed , you just got to decide if you want to go for it !!

I tell you what if you do and you get it done and in the water !!!!!!!! ohhh man what a feeling , I did mine last year and when i got her in the water it was the best , knowing that she was built better then she was new , and knowing she was rock solid , it was like having a new kid !! John

 

[LX Kid]

Re: convince me its still worth it

What kind of boat, year, style, model, length, motor etc. Hope you have lots of spare time to devote to this project and keep the check book close by. Would still like to see hull and overall pics. Ron

 

[txnavysailor]

Re: convince me its still worth it

the boat is a 1983 renken 18 foot 8 inches. motor is an omc 2.5 liter. starts up and runs and prop turns also. trailer is solid but ugly.
heres some pics

 

[DrCox]

Re: convince me its still worth it

Everything inside looks ugly, but all is repairable. If you have a good powerplant and ooutdrive (and some free time for the next couple months) it can be repaired. You have to decide wether or not its worth it for you to put in the labor. Once you sweat and bleed into your boat, it is a whole new animal...like part of your family.


Good Luck,

-DrCox

 

[redfury]

Re: convince me its still worth it

Do you love this boat? Does it have any type of sentimental value? Do you WANT to fix it? That's all that really matters when it comes down to brass tacks. My boat is in way worse shape than that, and I have almost a ZERO on the budget line for it, but I love this boat and what I see it becoming, so I won't give up on it....I'll get there eventually.

If you don't think you have the persistence to finish what you start, or don't have the heart that is required to tackle something like this, strip it and sell the parts individually, and dump the hull/give it away for free/with the sale of the trailer.

 

[jp89bayliner]

Re: convince me its still worth it

There are members here that have repaired worse or close to as bed as yours. I guess you need to ask your self are you in it for the long haul. I hate when some one starts a project and then gives up. If you are going to go for it then go for it and never look back. It is guy's that take on a project like your yours and then finish them that give me hope for the day I will need to do mine. But what ever the choice only you can say weather it is still worth it or not. But if you do go for it the members here will be right behind you with a helping hand when needed.

 

[zach103]

Re: convince me its still worth it

well everyone else has already said it. especially red. its all up to you now.. it looks like a good boat. just needs some fixin.

 

[redeye1962]

Re: convince me its still worth it

A little wood here and a little glass there and volia it is done It is like investing in a house with good bones. It may look ugly but there is something that you must see in it worth doing. Good Luck

 

[txnavysailor]

Re: convince me its still worth it

thank you for the encouragement. i had already decided to undertake the task but i needed some reassuing from the experts. tomorrow i am ging to get all that wet rotting foam out and start disconnecting all the motor stuff to get ready and remove it.

i really like the look of the boat and would like to keep it for a while. theres a lot of work but i am single and have quite a bit of time on my hands. just need to get in into my garage so i can work on it whenever.

any tips or info on how the outdrive comes apart? i a m an auto mechanic but have never worked on a boat before

 

[zach103]

Re: convince me its still worth it

ohhh foam is the worst part i think.. good luck

 

[DrCox]

Re: convince me its still worth it

thank you for the encouragement. i had already decided to undertake the task but i needed some reassuing from the experts. tomorrow i am ging to get all that wet rotting foam out and start disconnecting all the motor stuff to get ready and remove it.

i really like the look of the boat and would like to keep it for a while. theres a lot of work but i am single and have quite a bit of time on my hands. just need to get in into my garage so i can work on it whenever.

any tips or info on how the outdrive comes apart? i a m an auto mechanic but have never worked on a boat before

I did not catch the mae/model of your motor or outdrive. Here is a thread that will start you in the right path though, also do a search in the I/O forum.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=272248

Good Luck!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: convince me its still worth it

I had the chance to buy a 77 Renken for $200 and turned it down. It was in similar condition, though the boat I was looking at had a 165HP Mercruiser. Here's how I look at this boat and how I looked at the one I was checking out...

I like the lines of the boat, but that's about it. It looks like it needs a complete stinger job (probably transom too) and then the interior, $1500-2000. The exterior of the hull is a bit rough since the keel looks to be scrubbed up on the bow, gelcoat faded (pitted?) and not sure what's going on with the rust colored primer/paint on the stern.

The main problem I see with the boat is the 120HP 2.5L OMC powerplant. 120HP is a bit underpowered for that hull since a 200+HP V8 was available in that hull. Then there's the OMC problem, OMC has been out of business for years and hard to find parts for and harder to find shops to work on the outdrive.

You have to ask yourself if it's worth putting the time and money into a boat that you don't know if the engine/outdrive is 100% functional and could be difficult to find parts and service for in the future.

Sorry if that sounded cold or rude, but I went through the same thing a few months ago.

Good luck with the project if you decide to go forward.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: convince me its still worth it

Myself, I've always liked the Renken hulls, although I'm not a big fan of a stern drive boat. They are good on fuel even if their not the fastest on the water.
After having a few Mercruiser drives and going through several complete seal and boot replacement jobs, I've actually come to like the OMC units better.
Parts aren't a really big problem, and they seem to actually be less trouble overall than their Merc counter parts.
The main gasket or boot is the biggest concern, once that is done, the rest is easy.

I've done a few Renken deck and stringer repairs over the past few years now, I've only had one that had a bad transom. All were outboard hulls. The transom is less critical on a stern drive but still very important.
Getting all the wet foam out is the worst part, once you have it all out and the lower hull clean, the job goes a lot smoother. On all of the ones I did, the upper cap didn't intrude on the lower deck or hull and hinder deck replacement. On yours, it looks like it may mean removal of the upper cap to get to the deck below the forward bow section.

 

[txnavysailor]

Re: convince me its still worth it

all the seating area in the bow is gone which makes it easy to get to the deck. im going to make it a closed bow instead of riding bow. gonna put wood decking up there eventually, like the 50s style wooden runabouts

i like having a project to work on. this will keep me occupied for a while i think. been thinking of swapping the motor when i have it out to a 4.3l but thats a long time away.
jonathan


***tangent***
can i get my "cadet" status changed? in real life i am a 2nd class petty officer USNR

 

[DrCox]

Re: convince me its still worth it

Your choice to eventually go with a different motor is awse one. Everywhere I look people are telling me that it is super hard to find OMC parts. Honestly though, I will take what I can get at this point. Currently looking for a Donor boat on craigs list for either a 125+ outboard or a I/O combo (OMC or not).
Like I said before though, It looks bad, but once all the rot is out the fiberglass hull will be fine. Take a look at my project link if you get a chance, it did not look nearly as bad on the surface as yours but I still have to do the same repairs as you due to the fact that a little rot = replace as well as alot of rot = replace.

***tangent***
can i get my "cadet" status changed? in real life i am a 2nd class petty officer USNR

First Class Petty Officer Here; But:

Here is how the Forum Rank System Works:
http://http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=275728

What did you do in the navy?

Cheers,

-DrCox

 

[txnavysailor]

Re: convince me its still worth it

all the actual hard engine parts apear to be classic chevy parts. ie starter, ignition parts, looks like an old chevy straight 6. the whole i/o thing is another world to me. if the boat was powered by a boiler and steam turbine i could do much better on the mechanical repairs

i am a machinist mate in the USNR, aka propulsion mechanic/steam systems mechanic
jonathan

 

[fixb52s]

Re: convince me its still worth it

Been there, done that.

With the foam all out and the stringers removed, you will see it in a different light. The look of rotting wood and mold can turn away even the Oops types out there. With a little cleaning out, dispair turns into hope.

Trust me, it is a lot of time and work, but I have done it, and have been enjoying my boat all summer long.

It would be a shame for a boat with those lines to be cut up and thrown away.​