My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

[mitchp]

My new to me MFG Carefree 14, will be in my driveway tomorrow. The boat has a Evinrude Jubilee 35 Horse OB. Does anyone know if this OB came from the factory with the boat, or did you buy the boat and install the motor of your likeing? From what ive read this boat can handle up to a 40hp OB. Sounds like a lot of power for a boat of this size. Any ideas as to the possible year of a Evinrude Jubilee 35? Will parts availbility be an issue? Cant wait to get back on the water this summer. Ps im going to hold on to the Glastron CV16ss for now. Women thinks a man is insane to own 2 boats. This is coming from a motorcycle nut who owns 5 motorcycles. Is there another Carefree boat owner out there? Thanks Mitch

 

[mr 88]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

The selling dealer set up the boat with motor. The serial/model number located on a small plate will give you the info needed to get the year of motor. Most of the time the year of the boat which should be on the reg is the same as engine. These were known to be great running engines with few issues. When was it last run? If not known then when was the boat last registered, that will give you a better indication as to how long ago it was in the water.Change the impeller and or go to the sticky post under Engine FAQ on Awakening a sleeping engine.Parts are not a issue.Yep it will haul the mail for its size.Good luck and show us some pics.What year is the boat? Yanks21 put up a post in September about his Carefree, so someone else does have one on this forum.Use the search Icon.... Anyone have a MFG Corvette? That would be interesting to see.

 

[Fisherball]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Post any motor questions on the "Johnson/Evinrude" forum & you'll get all the answers you need. Here's a link to Evinrude model # chart: http://www.lasvegaspix.com/projects/pdf_files/evinrude-johnson-gale-ID-chart.pdf Here's a link to Fiberclassics, probably the best site for info on old fiberglass boats: http://www.fiberglassics.com/mfg/transom.htm

 

[Docktor]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Hello mitchp, I managed to get ahold of a 1967 mfg carefree as well. I have had it for a couple of months now and I have to say it's been fun for me to refurbish it. On mine is a 1960 Gale sea king 25 horse. If you use the search engine you can find all the questions that I posted and the great answers I received. I'll tell you, the information I received from this forum was of great worth to me and helped me tremendously with my carefree and motor. Hope your carefree has all its parts and whatnot. Best regards, doc

 

[hobiekat]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Going to look at a 1977 MFG Carefree tomarrow, it has a 40 hp Evinrude, glad I found this forum, pretty sure I will be a boat owner AGAIN. Thanks for the info already received.

 

[*EdC*]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Going to look at a 1977 MFG Carefree tomarrow, it has a 40 hp Evinrude, glad I found this forum, pretty sure I will be a boat owner AGAIN. Thanks for the info already received.

Good Luck... Let us know how you make out!

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

I have a 70 and she is no bigger than 13' Great boat, Big motor. lotsa skiing!

 

[hobiekat]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Love the picture, have you had to much to the boat. Any info or tips would be great, just brought home a 77 Carefree.

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

It's a simple boat really. One thing to watch for is the steering. If it's original, it is a pot metal sleeve that holds the steering shaft to the dash. The flange on the wheel side tends to break off. I replaced mine with a cable and rod from west marine. It was just easier than trying to find an old drum and cable. I know, Blasphemy!
I have done some patching on the hull bottom, the fiberclass cracked. Marinetex has been holding fine for 8 years now. Make sure you tighten the seats. they are only on wooden boxes in my boat.
Great boat to ski with, shallow draft makes her a great fishing boat in a pinch, and she can fly!
If anything specific comes up, give a yell, I'll help as much as I can.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Hey everyone-I actually registered on iboats a while ago when I started thinking about buying a boat but things got busy and I never really posted much. Then about two weeks ago I was letting the dog out and I happened to look over in the neighbor's yard one house over from us and I saw what looked like a boat sitting under a tarp behind their shed. Long story short they bought it used, haven't taken it out in six years, and said if I wanted it I could have it. As it turns out it's an MFG Carefree 14'-I know nothing about these boats, I just literally Googled "MFG Carefree" and this thread came up. I'm going to try to get it over to my house next weekend-pics to come!

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Uh, oh! We have another one.
IH, let's see what we have here:
Year, motor, etc. Pics if you have 'em.
There are a ton of great links here, and I have some digital copies of literature on the Carefree...
Funny, I got my carefree in a very similar way...
WELCOME!

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Thanks! No pics because that pesky thing called "work" keeps getting in the way, but I should be able to grab some soon. Since I have the attention of the iboat MFG gurus, does anyone happen to know if the Carefree was an all glass boat? I've read that some MFG boats only used wood cores for the transom and that the stringers were all glass. The deck on this boat is all glass, but I'm not sure what's under it. The floor seems solid but when I found it it was full of water

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

She is a combo. Glass over wood. Especially the transom. The Carefree deck is all glass with that foamy bouyancy stuff under it. Careful, it wont hold much weight. the center bench, and bow floor is all wood-sandwiched with glass. I actually drilled a hole under the center bench where the seats mount, so that the water forward of it would run out of the boat. Under the bow floor can get water in it too, so I made a weephole at the base of that. The seat mounts are all wood. All of the dash is plywood backing. The well is all glass, with some plywood for mounting the steeing cables.
She also uses wood to frame the gunwales. Remember, she is a VERY light boat, nothing like feeling the ripples on the water through the floor on your feet while running along. The glass/plywood/glass floor actually flexes as you go. Heavy chop can actually crack the outer glass layer. I did it. a little Marinetex fixed her up quick.

I hope that helps.

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Attached Thumbnails

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Aboved is a brochure pic I got5 from this site. They have the complete set from the 60's here too. It's in the MFG forum.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Yanks-thanks for the reply! I sent you a PM asking more detailed questions about the construction of the boat, but it might be helpful to post this here-I got a reply from someone with a similar looking boat in the restoration/repair forum that showed what was under the floor-no stringers, just what looks like plywood sandwiched between the outer hull and the deck. The pics are in this thread (post number 7):

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=476296

Does that look like what I should find when I pull the deck out of my boat?

 

[yanks21]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Yep. That is it. It's just sandwiched marine plywood.

 

[SaltyRob]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

I bought and picked up my '71 MFG Carefree today. Monday I get to take care of the paperwork with the state. It needs a battery, some 'cleanup' of the wiring and fresh fuel. Big change for me as we are coming off a '32 sailboat, but this isn't my first runabout of this size. Looking forward to the portability of a 14 footer and the wind in my face on those august doldrum days.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Nice! Is that a PA reg I see? I'm in northwest NJ and will be using my Carefree on Spruce Run and Round Valley mostly, but Lake Nockamixon isn't far away either.

 

[SaltyRob]

Re: My MFG Carefree 14 comes home tomorrow

Nice! Is that a PA reg I see? I'm in northwest NJ and will be using my Carefree on Spruce Run and Round Valley mostly, but Lake Nockamixon isn't far away either.

Yup,it is. I bought it in Pa. but it will have NJ numbers on it. Will be keeping it at Penn Warner Club if you know where that is.