reelfishin
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 3,050
I picked up my 7th boat the other day, my first MFG, its a 1965 Edinboro going by the brochure pics and specs at Fiberglassics.com.
It's in pretty decent shape the way it sits other than a rusty trailer with rotted tires. The hull is untouched other than a handful of snaps screwed into the outer gunwales for the various canvas tops it has. Its been sitting outdoors for years, but it seems amazingly sound so far. The floor and transom seem rock solid so far, I'll know more after I finish cleaning it up a bit and getting all the leaf stains and tree sap off it. It was covered but not well. The seats and floor look good and I can stand on the lower unit with no signs of transom flex. There was some water in the lower floor but not much and there was quite a bit sitting up front on the upper deck. the bow was down so it didn't drain out but it looks like it only recently got stored bow down.
It was actually part of an estate sale, I got it along with several other boats and motors for a song. The motor on it is a Hydro Electric shift three cylinder with melted wiring from some sort of short.
It's got a 12 gallon steel tank mounted in the rear with the filler being inside the boat on a bracket. (That will have to change), it's got a fiberglass hardtop that wasn't mounted on it, its got a glass windshield even though the brochure lists plexiglass, it's automotive safety glass and looks just like the one in the brochure.
The seats are white, reclining with metal legs, there's a storage compartment under the bow deck, I haven't ventured in there yet, and there's a full canvas enclosure, partial soft top, and rear soft top enclosure which was in the boat. I haven't messed with those yet.
The blue upper gel coat looks good other than all the snaps that were added. The white lower hull is dull but unharmed in anyway. It is bottom coated down low but with what looks like older copper ablative. It rubs off pretty easy revealing un-sanded gel coat beneath it.
My biggest surprise was the fact that the floor and transom are so solid after having been most likely stored outdoors or at least outdoors for it's more recent past. It was last run or registered in 1972.
I've looked at several MFG boats from this era over the years but have never found one up till now that wasn't totally butchered or so torn up it wasn't worth the trouble to bring back. This thing will look good and be a viable boat the way it looks with a good detailing, fresh trailer and motor swap.
I did get a couple of what look to be new old stock 3 cylinder motors with the boat but they are all also Hydro electric shift Evinrudes.
I've contemplated using one to keep it more period correct but I think I like the reliability of a newer motor.
The same goes for the old style cable/rope pulley steering. A Teleflex system is most likely in it's near future.
They advertised all glass construction and glass stringers on these. Were the floors glass over wood or all glass too? I am assuming the transom contains wood, I can't picture them doing that in all glass in 1965?
Even the hardware is clean and un-pitted. Which is rare in these parts with all the saltwater.
After seeing all the water, I first looked up the advertised weight for both the boat and motor, then took it to the local truck stop and weighed it. I was surprised at how light, it all was. The boat, motor and trailer were under 1,400 lbs, they list the boat at 720lbs, a three cylinder OMC weighs in at about 220 lbs, and the trailer I am guessing is around 440 lbs. Plus the fuel tank and battery. It's all pretty much right on the money weight wise, I was expecting to see it a few hundred or more pounds over that with some wet foam but I have my doubts now. I knew it was light when I was able to walk it around on two rotted tires at the sale by myself. I was able to walk it out to my truck and trailer by hand with little effort even with two badly rotted and flat tires. I flat bedded it home not wanting to deal with a tire change there. The trailer is actually fixable, some tires and some paint and lots of elbow grease and it could be ok, but I have a full roller trailer here that will work a lot better.
As far as motor options, I have several late 60's three cylinders that came with the deal, but I also have a few to choose from in my garage. It's rated for up to 100hp and I have a good Evinrude 90 hp that doesn't have a home, but I really like how gentle the bigger twins or even a later triple are on an old wood transom. The idea of the 90 HP with Power tilt and trim though is nice but I don't know how this will ride with all that weight in the rear. With power tilt and trim the 90 hp is up around 300 lbs or so. While the triple cylinder is only just over 200 lbs. (A 50 hp twin is only about 180 lbs.)
I do have a super clean older Merc 40 which is even lighter at about 150 lbs but I don't think that will have enough to push an Edinboro which measures 16.5' and nearly 80" beam width.
It's in pretty decent shape the way it sits other than a rusty trailer with rotted tires. The hull is untouched other than a handful of snaps screwed into the outer gunwales for the various canvas tops it has. Its been sitting outdoors for years, but it seems amazingly sound so far. The floor and transom seem rock solid so far, I'll know more after I finish cleaning it up a bit and getting all the leaf stains and tree sap off it. It was covered but not well. The seats and floor look good and I can stand on the lower unit with no signs of transom flex. There was some water in the lower floor but not much and there was quite a bit sitting up front on the upper deck. the bow was down so it didn't drain out but it looks like it only recently got stored bow down.
It was actually part of an estate sale, I got it along with several other boats and motors for a song. The motor on it is a Hydro Electric shift three cylinder with melted wiring from some sort of short.
It's got a 12 gallon steel tank mounted in the rear with the filler being inside the boat on a bracket. (That will have to change), it's got a fiberglass hardtop that wasn't mounted on it, its got a glass windshield even though the brochure lists plexiglass, it's automotive safety glass and looks just like the one in the brochure.
The seats are white, reclining with metal legs, there's a storage compartment under the bow deck, I haven't ventured in there yet, and there's a full canvas enclosure, partial soft top, and rear soft top enclosure which was in the boat. I haven't messed with those yet.
The blue upper gel coat looks good other than all the snaps that were added. The white lower hull is dull but unharmed in anyway. It is bottom coated down low but with what looks like older copper ablative. It rubs off pretty easy revealing un-sanded gel coat beneath it.
My biggest surprise was the fact that the floor and transom are so solid after having been most likely stored outdoors or at least outdoors for it's more recent past. It was last run or registered in 1972.
I've looked at several MFG boats from this era over the years but have never found one up till now that wasn't totally butchered or so torn up it wasn't worth the trouble to bring back. This thing will look good and be a viable boat the way it looks with a good detailing, fresh trailer and motor swap.
I did get a couple of what look to be new old stock 3 cylinder motors with the boat but they are all also Hydro electric shift Evinrudes.
I've contemplated using one to keep it more period correct but I think I like the reliability of a newer motor.
The same goes for the old style cable/rope pulley steering. A Teleflex system is most likely in it's near future.
They advertised all glass construction and glass stringers on these. Were the floors glass over wood or all glass too? I am assuming the transom contains wood, I can't picture them doing that in all glass in 1965?
Even the hardware is clean and un-pitted. Which is rare in these parts with all the saltwater.
After seeing all the water, I first looked up the advertised weight for both the boat and motor, then took it to the local truck stop and weighed it. I was surprised at how light, it all was. The boat, motor and trailer were under 1,400 lbs, they list the boat at 720lbs, a three cylinder OMC weighs in at about 220 lbs, and the trailer I am guessing is around 440 lbs. Plus the fuel tank and battery. It's all pretty much right on the money weight wise, I was expecting to see it a few hundred or more pounds over that with some wet foam but I have my doubts now. I knew it was light when I was able to walk it around on two rotted tires at the sale by myself. I was able to walk it out to my truck and trailer by hand with little effort even with two badly rotted and flat tires. I flat bedded it home not wanting to deal with a tire change there. The trailer is actually fixable, some tires and some paint and lots of elbow grease and it could be ok, but I have a full roller trailer here that will work a lot better.
As far as motor options, I have several late 60's three cylinders that came with the deal, but I also have a few to choose from in my garage. It's rated for up to 100hp and I have a good Evinrude 90 hp that doesn't have a home, but I really like how gentle the bigger twins or even a later triple are on an old wood transom. The idea of the 90 HP with Power tilt and trim though is nice but I don't know how this will ride with all that weight in the rear. With power tilt and trim the 90 hp is up around 300 lbs or so. While the triple cylinder is only just over 200 lbs. (A 50 hp twin is only about 180 lbs.)
I do have a super clean older Merc 40 which is even lighter at about 150 lbs but I don't think that will have enough to push an Edinboro which measures 16.5' and nearly 80" beam width.
