need help with old boat project!

[fordmudtruck]

picked up an old boat, trailer, and 65hp merc for FREE. however it's in very rough shape, and it's possible it hasn't run since 1990 when the registration expired.

i need some help to identify what the boat is and a year. the boat says "MEG" on the sides and "erie custom" on the dashboard.

the rear of the boat where the motor mounts was made of wood, and has long rotted away to nothing. the fiberglass is not strong enough alone to hold the engine. i'm planning on fabricating a motor mount out of steel square tubing.

the second thing i am worried about is the floor of the boat. the interior is completely missing and floor was covered in junk from trees. i cleaned it all out but i'm worried at how the floor feels a little soft. i wonder if there is a wooden structure that is underneath the fiberglass? if this rots out i am screwed?

the motor has no spark. when i connect the starter directly to a battery it cranks over and seems to have good compression. i am thinking the remote control wiring is corroded and may be killing the spark? i do not have a key for it. how can i bypass the kill switch to try to get it to fire?











its a 4cyl you can only see 3 here. (i do have the engine cover)

 

[Brenn]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Im pretty sure that where youre seeing MEG its actually M F G.Iboats sells a boat cover called the MFG erie custom ironically.The softs spots on the floors are the wood under fiberglass being rotted out.Only way to fix it is to remove the floor,remove the wood and rebuild the wood structure and refiberglass.Its a big cluster to do though alot of people on this site have and are currently doing it.I will stick with the tinnies to avoid all of that.

 

[Brenn]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Ok heres what you're looking for....MFG - Classic Boat Library

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Welcome to iboats dry dock

Best of luck w/ your project, but for inspiration, here's a recently completed MFG project:

Sam did a great job, his resto thread:
MFG Restoration Project

 

[bakerjw]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Looking at the bright side, at least the transom is removed already.

I would bet money that you will have to replace all of the stringers and bulkheads as well as the decking. It is no small undertaking, but it is possible if you're willing to spend the money and put in some long hours of hard work.

The boat can be brought back to it's former glory and something to be proud of once completed. It would also be better than when it came from the factory. I must add that you will never be able to recoup your money or work if you ever sell it. That's just the way that boat rebuilding goes.

So, it's decision time. Make the investment of time and money or scrap it. Steel tubing for the transom is a bad idea. Transoms are made with wood affixed to the hull and internal support structures with either polyester or epoxy resins. The strength comes from everything being bound together. You will likely not get that with tubing.

 

[sphelps]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Welcome aboard Fmt ! Yep you got yourself a fine hull for doing whatever ya want with it . A complete original MFG emblem is a bit rare . Fuzzy picture shows an original steering wheel which is also very rare .. I'm still looking for one of those if I can fit it to my new steering system .. And hold up on tearing out the floor . There were a few years that they made them with all fiberglass deck and stringers . Ya might get lucky ! Any way we are all here to help how ever we can !
Again welcome aboard ! SP...

 

[sphelps]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Might be this 65 outboard model ..
File:Mfgb66012.jpg - Classic Boat Library

 

[fordmudtruck]

Re: need help with old boat project!

you guys are awesome! the '65 ad is really cool, and it looks exactly like my boat. how would i know if underneath the floor is fiberglass or wood? maybe i need to make a little inspection hole? when i said the floor is soft i mean it barely squishes when i walk over it. it's not like a sponge, but its definitely not rock solid. also, if it is wood, can i build an all fiberglass hull? i'm all about things that will last... i wouldn't like to spend a whole lot of time replacing the wood only for it to rot out once again. is there anything i can stuff the hull with, sort of like foam? sorry for being such a newbie to this.

the steering wheel is pretty weathered, you can't tell from the picture. i will take some more pictures in the daylight. it is a cable setup.

for the interior i want to use something that wont get soggy or rot out. for the floor i want something sort of like truck bed liner that i can hose off, and has grit to it so i wont slip. i'm not worried about the cosmetic interior parts now. i would be very happy with a plain old boat without all the fancy carpet and cushions. the boat will be used for occasional fishing and just cruising around. at 17 i have a small budget.

its great knowing a little about what i've got now! i appreciate everyone's input!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: need help with old boat project!

I'm almost 100% certain your stringers are Fiberglass so all that you need to replace is your deck and transom. If you build your deck from 5/8" plywood and encapsulate it in Poly resin and glass, it will last 40+ years. I doubt you'll still own the boat then. You can put bedliner on the deck but most of the guys here on the forum advise against it. Paint or gelcoat with antiskid additive works well. You should decide on how you want your seating layout to be so you can design and reinforce your decking accordingly. You can add Pour in flotation foam but it is a bit pricey. It is highly recommended for safety reasons. Just as and fyi. To restore the deck and transom and then fixing the seats and getting her spruced up and painted, you'll be looking at spending approx. $750 - $1,000. Maybe less if you're frugal. These links will give you some help...

(Click the pic to download and view the pdf)
View attachment MaterialsList.pdf

"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

 

[jigngrub]

Re: need help with old boat project!

Start reading the fiberglass boat restoration projects here, you'll see just exactly what you will need to do and how to do it. If you're really interested in restoring your boat you'll find the threads interesting and informative.

Anything less than a rock solid deck is rotten, you'll find out just how rotten when you start removing it.

Go ahead and start reading the resto threads and start your demolition, it doesn't cost much money to take a boat apart. You should wear a dust mask when taking an old rotten boat apart and you may want to invest in a $15 Tyvec suit to keep the old fiberglass from itching you. After you take the boat apart and study up on the other folks restorations here you can decide if you want to tackle this project or not.

 

[sphelps]

Re: need help with old boat project!

I would start deck demo back at the transom becouse it needs to be cut back for the transom installation anyway. I,m holding out hopes for all glass deck and stringers. At some point MFG started using wood for the deck just not sure of the year.

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: need help with old boat project!

If you have a glass deck and stringers, you might can pull this off on a limited budget (assuming the hull is sound and SAFE), there is nothing wrong with a budget build... In fact, all of us are very budget-minded, or else we would be hanging out on another forum.

We like projects and like saving money, and so we hang out here and try to help each other other.

That being said, here is my .02.

1. Consider the costs. Even a transom repair (can't skimp there) and band-aid on the cosmetics can cost several hundred dollars (especially if you have to start throwing parts at that motor to get it to run). Consider you will need wood for your transom, something to seal it with; perhaps some fiberglass cloth and resin; you are going to need to get new electrical wiring; do some work on your gas tank and probably replace it; a new battery (if not more than one), some nav and anchor lights (if you plan to go out at night), some miscellaneous hardware. Also, you are not going to venture very far at all without a good reliable trailer: this means you probably need new tires and bearings at a minimum and also a light kit. Then, we have tag, title and registration. Boat ownership is expensive; The little stuff adds up.

(2) Address your power situation first. A powerboat without a motor is, well, a very large and unwieldy canoe. Also, I know from experience that its not fun to be out on the water with a motor that's not reliable. You are constantly worried about getting stranded, etc... And getting towed in is the ultimate exercise in humility (trust me, I know). So, truthfully, I would get that motor purring (or maybe find a substitute) before you spend too much time, energy on the boat (except for maybe initial tear down and clean-up). You can test for spark [without by-passing your control box and essentially hotwiring your motor by jumping the starter solenoid]. Just get a spark tester from Autozone (read your manual for the gap your spark needs to jump). If you are not getting spark, it may not be the kill switch; that's a completely different circuit on my motor (may be different on yours). Don't just assume the compression is good because it turns over (use a gauge, and the compression readings are more reliable if you can get the engine running at operating temp). Also, because your motor has been sitting since I was in Junior High School, you might have some cylinders that are sticking a bit and that could throw off your compression readings (spray some fogging oil in the cylinders and see if the compression improves after a low reading). Its not worth spending 2 cents on that motor if one or more the cylinders is way off. You way want to jump over to the Merc forum to get the motor bugs worked out, and then hang out with all of us wingnuts on the dry dock once after you get your motor issues worked out.

Hope this helps you in your decision-making process.