(image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

[jonesg]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Get it, gut it, fix it, repower it.

Most of the money will be in the engines, but Penns are great boats.
They are in a class beyond the typical bowriders and trihulls.

Being so well built from the factory they are better for restoring.
I consider them to be built a lot better than typical production boats.
They have a very deep history and know how boats are "supposed" to be put together.

 

[allpoints360]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Also I am looking to repair the axle on the boat and was wondering if anyone had good recommendations how to remove the trailer for the repairs.

The way I am planning on doing it is jacking up the trailer at different points and putting in boat stands to hold it up. Do that all the way around and then pull the trailer out and pray that the boat gods see it as a good idea and it all works out the way I imagine.

Consider just replacing an axle at a time. You'll need to build a frame to raise the boat othewise, then make sure the your cradle is safe.

Good luck.

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Get it, gut it, fix it, repower it.

Most of the money will be in the engines, but Penns are great boats.
They are in a class beyond the typical bowriders and trihulls.

Being so well built from the factory they are better for restoring.
I consider them to be built a lot better than typical production boats.
They have a very deep history and know how boats are "supposed" to be put together.

I appreciate the encouragement and the comments of the make of the boat. I am excited though I know it is going to be a big project. But I am hoping to get it done by next summer though some others are suggesting it won't be good till next fall. Either way I am pretty sure I will know the insides and outsides of the boat better than I know my wife.


Now time for my progress. After getting a bilge pump and a battery I spent a while saturday and sunday hooking up and then pumping out the boat. While I was doing that I was looking over the engines. The port side engine I am guessing isn't going to be salvageable but I am hoping the starboard side will be as it hasn't sat in the water. I also got this information from the engine..

I also took some further pictures of the interior of the boat including the drive system

And the previous owners masterful grasp of wiring

From there I covered the boat with the tarp I have purchased since I really don't want to be pumping it out anymore.

For this upcoming week into the weekend I am going to be jacking up the trailer and blocking it, getting the size needed for a new axle, ordering the new axle if I find the trailer to be sound enough for that, and then either removing the engines or start tearing out the decking and interior.

 

[pkrainert]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Sweet, I hope you get this thing restored. I barley have time to install new seats in my boat lol.

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Well at the moment the wife is working nights on a panama schedule. So one week she works 3 on two off then two on three off. But being on 6pm - 6am she is sleeping during the day so I get to go play.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Hi Nicky
well you have your hands quite full with that one...that would be a cool ocean vessel! I found a similar one here in vegas....but this one has fiberglass deck that has the washout vents....sea drains etc...big old second deck with second pilots wheel...huge rack etc.....better shape than that free boat of yours tho...

from my little experience..I would first check the stringers ...if they are shot consider triple the time to resotre it to running condition than you think....its a slow process unless your a magician!

also...we bought our first prject boat for $300 had new tires, decent v8, ok outdrive etc....good trim....nice hull...still prob not worth the resto though....$3500 easy invested by the time were done! plus couple hundred man hours.....

if that is the type of boat you really want....then get it and go crazy!....if you think its alot to do and arent going to finish the project through....look for another boat with solid transom and stringers.....deck etc...maybye a real ugly interior that scares others off so you can get a good deal....may be well worth it to invest $1500 in a more solid boat and save yourself a ton of time!!!!
....do the cosmetics and mechanicals ...alot quicker than what you have ahead! especially if the wife isnt totally up to it...as they are the real bosses here!!!!!!!!!

either way Good luck and kick some butt either way!!!!!!!!!!!

other options HERE maybye a hurricane damaged boat from an auction?

heres a 23' ft donzi cuddy for $1600 (name brand boat always worth more when your done! check thier work if you look at it, has new deck! maybye coverd old rotten deck!!!!!
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1375257887.html

needs outboard motor...center console fishin boat 20'
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1396156722.html

could be good?
look close! one never knows!..32' criss craft ocean goer
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1393763963.html

20' cobia w 1989 johnson 115hp outboard cuddy etc
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1391206887.html

decent looking center console wellcraft boat $1800 needs outaboard you can always buy a cheap old boat maybye no title with decent motor and scrap the boat keep the motor and use it
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1367207698.html

19' alum boat no stringers to worry about! also needs a motor one is avail from owner etc $800 for boat center console
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1361310746.html

1973 Grady White cuddy with 110hp motor runs good....$1900
http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/1348720682.html

 

[jonesg]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

It doesn't matter when it gets done unless you're emmigrating in it, the longer it takes the more you'll enjoy and appreciate what you've done.

The damaged glass work is not a big problem once the engines are out.

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I actually was looking at the 32' Criss Craft and I have been tempted by it but the wife kinda shot that one down as to much right now. As it is I will be nickeling and diming the boat saving my pennies and then investing quite a chunk on new things to fix it up.

I had talked with the gentleman owning the Criss Craft and he has has one engine out and torn down the other was in the boat when it sank and he hadn't tested it since. It is also to large to trailer and it is expensive to rent a slip in the area. If I had my choice I would go with the Criss Craft but unfortunately the wife saw the FREE for this boat and decided the others were to much investment. Yes, I know this can get expensive but it should be fun.

I am looking at this pretty optimistically as well my neighbor is a carpenter that has done some of this work before and is interested in the chance to redo the interior for fishing trips, my brother is an electrician and he has been staying with me a for couple months, a co-worker is a mechanic and willing to work with me on the engines for beer, and then I know a few other people that can lend a hand where it is needed. It really comes down to how much beer I have on hand and how long till the burgers are done.

I do appreciate the information and I will be checking the stringers out. I am also trying to check out how this boat is before I actually invest in fixing it up. If I find to much wrong with it I can junk the boat and at the very least I have spent time digging in and getting to know boats a whole lot better than I did and what to look for.

Course then again I have heard some people call my boat Gilligan's Island and others make Jaws wisecracks and that makes me want to fix it up and the more.

 

[jonesg]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Your wife is right, a 32feet boat that was submerged is nothing more than hazardous waste, everything is shot, wouldn't touch it unless it was newish.
They also cost a fortune if you can't drag em out and self store.

Check stringers by drilling core holes, 1/4 inch drill bit and examine the drill chips, black and wet is shot.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Hi guys
well if the wife is ok with it....thats good enough for me!

soon as you get it home can you strip it out fast....in a hurry to see whats going on under the deck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

go go go git her home! tear into that bad boy! at the least you have alot of SS parts.....old gauges and an engine!


Iboats link to axle parts here
http://www.iboats.com/Boat_Trailer_...2775744--**********.664420350--view_id.238462

if I boats doesnt have all you need try here---- this place has tons of axle parts
http://www.trailerpart.com/35ktraileraxle.htm

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Yeah she doesn't mind but I am being nickeled and dimed... go figure. I will be getting a new axle though I have heard a gentleman at a shop near here will do the full axle and hubs for pretty cheap. Will see what it costs around here for it and check the links.

go go go git her home! tear into that bad boy! at the least you have alot of SS parts.....old gauges and an engine!

That is two motors btw. And the SS threw me off for a minute. Then I got loled.

I have decided on a name. From what I have read Penn Yan's are great boats to use and high quality.

On top of that she is going to demand a lot of money from me and give me love back or so I hope. So I feel naming her Courteous Courtesan is the best name for her.

That and I love names that seem to be oxymoron's like Military Intelligence, or Girly Man.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I wouldn't raise the boat off the trailer at the storage place....
if it were me I would get the new axle or stubs/or hubs as needed, jack up the trailer near that axle, replace the axle and 2 tires.....tow her home after checking the trailer lights.....

2 v8s with parts weigh in at a total of about 1500 lbs, plus all the junk in the boat, wet wood, thick fiberglass hull weighs quite a bit too....strip it down a bit for a lift....and jack stands etc.... especially if you're new to taking boats off trailers for dry dock.....that is my opinion...then again I like to play it safer these days......there isnt much holding the hull shape together from the looks anyways....stringers are prob rotten...so hull strength is at a low right now too........definetly remove the motors....heck for us we used the trailer to help us get the motors out...

once the engine was lifted,( the engine hoist was maxed out height-wise)...very dangerous on those small wheels and tip happy, so we pulled the trailer out from under the hoist/engine..... you might have to get creative to get those engines out! good luck!!

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Yeah I had plans to try and strip the boat down while it is still at the storage unit. I have paid for a month so I might as well get a month out of it.

On the trailer, one of the axles is broke the other looks like he replaced it with one while it was sitting there not sure but it will need new tires all around. In addition I will need to run straps all around the boat and install a winch as it doesn't have one. And for the icing the trailer doesn't have any lights on it so I am going to need to install those.

On the good news side of things I think I finally discovered the actually model of the boat. It is a Penn Yan Vindicator SF VSFM or VSM I am not sure. Once I get the Hull ID # I am sending it to TJ @ Penn Yan Boats. It seems to be the only boat from Penn Yan with two engines and if it is then my boat just grew 2' into a 26' boat. It also let me ID the engines as Mercruiser 302 v8's.

Nick

 

[jonesg]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

how about 2 volvo engines for $1600.

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/boa/1398509940.html

 

[Shizzy]

Re: 1972 Penn Yan Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Re: 1972 Penn Yan Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I got a chance this evening to get some photos but I will be taking more again tomorrow since I get most of the afternoon to go and work with it. But here are some initial images

Me, my first mate and dedicated pirate, and the boat...

starboard side of the boat sorry about the sun in the background...

This is getting pumped out tomorrow and then getting a lot stripped out it has about 6 inches of water in it

yet another

one of the engines (there is about an inch of water down there

the other engine

though I didn't get pictures of the props but each could rotate easily also seemed like the engines might be salvageable as well. Not putting to much hope into the engines though except maybe as some parts.

You can also view the rest of the photos at 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel

Yes my son has declared the boat his pirate ship.

those are NOT 302 V8's. those are Small block chevys. the 302(windsor family) of engines has the dist in the front. I noticed the valve covers are slightly different on the two engines. they might be different years. one more thing, the boat is a 72, but the engines have HEI distributors in them. that came around in 74. thats not a bad thing, just an FYI. do a google image search for "350 chevy" and "302 ford" and you will see what I mean.

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: 1972 Penn Yan Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Re: 1972 Penn Yan Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

those are NOT 302 V8's. those are Small block chevys. the 302(windsor family) of engines has the dist in the front. I noticed the valve covers are slightly different on the two engines. they might be different years. one more thing, the boat is a 72, but the engines have HEI distributors in them. that came around in 74. thats not a bad thing, just an FYI. do a google image search for "350 chevy" and "302 ford" and you will see what I mean.

Fuddlemuckers?.. yeah I can see you are right... I was excited when I found a boat like mine that I didn't give the picture of the engines a good look but they are different. Well hopefully when I can pull them out tonight I can identify year and make for them. Though I have little hope of using one of them, you never know.

jonesg -
I tend not to buy anything off Craigslist out side of my area of driving and Boston, though I love going, is outside that range. I also don't know how they would do in the boat and I might be able to use the two engines I have for 1500-2000 depending on the condition. Won't know till I get a good look at them as well as the machine shop guy I know looks them over.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Ya might get lucky...those old buggers COULD be low hour engines...atleast one of em? ya never know...add a battery and see if they crank...

Looks like chevy 350s GOOD EYE! i missed that ....good catch!

once ya get em home.....pull some plugs and check the engine compression......I'd be willing to bet atleast one engine is in runable condition!
Chevys....you scored.......= CHEAP PARTS! Autozone and carquest.....

if you plan on alot of Ocean going...you might want to upgrade the waterpumps to the all brass models.....it might already have those....

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Ya might get lucky...those old buggers COULD be low hour engines...atleast one of em? ya never know...add a battery and see if they crank...

Looks like chevy 350s GOOD EYE! i missed that ....good catch!

once ya get em home.....pull some plugs and check the engine compression......I'd be willing to bet atleast one engine is in runable condition!
Chevys....you scored.......= CHEAP PARTS! Autozone and carquest.....

if you plan on alot of Ocean going...you might want to upgrade the waterpumps to the all brass models.....it might already have those....

I have been in a dilemma all day and appreciate the post actually. Last night I went with my brother, my co-worker, and his friend and we pulled one of the motors out of the boat. This is the motor that as been the worse of the two in looks. From what we could see it looked like the motor was seized and that there was water in the cylinder. So I might be able to salvage the block and maybe the heads not sure yet. Going to pull it apart today and if anything see how much getting parts of it fixed up will run me.

Also we ran the numbers and it looks like it is a Chevy 307 5.0L v8 and not a 350. Looking at the costs makes it a bit more expensive since 307 is somewhat more rare.

In addition my co-worker and his friend kept saying all the same things I have heard here. Strange it seems more poignant hearing it in the flesh so to speak. In addition my co-worker has a 1989 Bayliner Capri Cuddy that he has stripped down and started redoing just to run out of money (he works only part time and he dad moved out of the place they were sharing) and he is trying to sell me his boat to finish.

I have been tempted seeing the condition of the engine even though I had already expected it. That and he really should be in sales and not IT. He has that touch of charisma and such that makes you hear convincingly honeyed words.

So I have spent the day fending off his pushes to buy his boat and finally broke down into a couple of thoughts. His boat would only be a couple grand at most to finish. But the style of the boat isn't what I want. For a boat of that size I would want it to be a center console and a fishing deck not cuddy.

For my boat it is plenty large enough for fishing and it has the the feel of a much more relaxed and comfortable vessel not just suited to one duty. It has a cabin and cuddy that I can design how I want it to be and it is also able to go out farther than the Bayliner.

But now I am more resolved than ever. I guess I have put a number to it for redoing it and that will be somewhere around $20k and probably more and around 2 years worth of work.

So I am buckling down and getting ready to dive in and start tearing into this project.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I wouldnt put a penny in to that 307, check the opther engine to see what it is.

I also agree, Chevy = cheap parts. also check in to buying 2 crate engines. it may be (wouldnt be suprised) if two replacement engines would be cheaper then rebuilding two questionable engines. Swap over accessories and drop in.

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: (image heavy) 1972 Penn Yan Tunnel Restoration - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I wouldnt put a penny in to that 307, check the opther engine to see what it is.

I also agree, Chevy = cheap parts. also check in to buying 2 crate engines. it may be (wouldnt be suprised) if two replacement engines would be cheaper then rebuilding two questionable engines. Swap over accessories and drop in.

I agree with Shizzy, you can probably get create motors cheap enough with chevy's. I don't recall if GM makes a marine block, ( Its benn a long time) but I know you can pick up a 350 short block these days for under $1500.00