Need some serious advice

[Ramrick14]

I have always steered clear of boating due to the costs. I have heard how expensive they are, and how much maintenance they can be.

Fast forward, I have always wanted a boat as we are surrounded by some awesome lakes, and was given one for free. The previous person has a boat, and they tore the engine apart on this boat and forgot about it. It has sat in the elements for 2 years and I believe the engine is completely shot. It also needs some floor work and upholstery work. I am not afraid of the floor or upholstery, but the engine is the issue.

It currently has a 2.3L OMC Cobra in it, and I will need to replace that. What motor equivalent may fit the boat without major reconstruction? I am looking to possibly get it out in a few months if possible, but also don’t want to find myself investing more money into this than it’s worth. Any help or suggestions much appreciated!

Sincerely,

The Noob

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

cut your losses, give the boat back and buy a different boat. seriously buy an aluminum boat with an outboard for your first boat

your bayliner with a 2.3 will not only kill any love of boating, its a turd motor on a turd drive, wrapped in a rotting turd hull.

the only thing that will bolt in where that 2.3 is...... is another 2.3

and the exhaust manifolds for 2.3's are NLA.

Free boats are some of the most expensive. however free Bayliners with 2.3's are probably the most expensive turds you could be given. does your fiend who gave you the boat hate you?

it will cost you about $1500 to find a used motor from a ranger, convert it to marine use and get it installed
It will cost you about $500 in parts to to thru the drive maintenance
it will cost you about $3000 to restore the hull
it will cost you about $2000 to restore the interior upholstry

for that $7000 investment, you can find one hell of a good running aluminum boat and have $2000 for gas, oil, food, beer, skiis, etc. and be on the water an hour after purchase.

 

[alldodge]

engine is completely shot. It also needs some floor work and upholstery work.

Engine and floor work can also include transom. Boat may need a full gut and rebuild. Suggest unless you really like the boat, I would look for one which doesn't need so much work, and preferably without a OMC.

In most cases it will be cheaper

 

[Ramrick14]

Damn,

I was excited about getting my first boat and thought “If I do the work myself it will be such a steal”! Well seems like there is a money pit sitting in my driveway waiting to rob my wallet or disappear!

Thanks for all the info for this new boater (hopefully soon to be boater). I am not sure if this is taboo to do and please let me know if it’s not, but I came across someone selling a 1986 Sea Ray with a 305 V8 for $1000. Only claims to need couple of seats upholstered. Is this something to look into? Thanks again!

 

[Lou C]

Unless you want to become proficient in rotted wood removal and fiberglass repair and also tracking down NLA engine parts, either of these projects will make you hate boating. You're right boating is expensive and trying to do it on the cheap is just as bad. Save up and buy something you can use. I've had the OMC Cobra drive for 18 years with a GM 4.3 and its not been a problem except for having to search for certain parts. Very good actually, but would I advise someone to buy a boat with one on it, of course not. They have not been made since '93, there are parts out there but there is always a chance of some little piddling part you can't find. I have spares for just this reason, trim rams, power steering actuator, etc.
Listen to those who have BEEN THERE n DONE THAT. I won't be doing it again, EVER. If I can't afford new or nearly new then boating is not for me...remember its BOATING, not FIXING...

 

[Scott Danforth]

Damn,

I was excited about getting my first boat and thought “If I do the work myself it will be such a steal”! Well seems like there is a money pit sitting in my driveway waiting to rob my wallet or disappear!

Thanks for all the info for this new boater (hopefully soon to be boater). I am not sure if this is taboo to do and please let me know if it’s not, but I came across someone selling a 1986 Sea Ray with a 305 V8 for $1000. Only claims to need couple of seats upholstered. Is this something to look into? Thanks again!

let me answer you this way.

read the thread in link 14 in its entirety..... https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...r/295740-how-to-s-and-other-great-information

if the seats need upholstery , then other things are shot too. boats generally live for about 15 years, then nearly everything (hull, upholstery, driveline) will need attention. if the boat is garage kept and washed after every use, and dried thoroughly , that 15 years can stretch to about 30. however boats in the 80's were not that well built.

as i stated, find a good aluminum hull, outboard powered boat and be on the water today (as low as $1000 or so). or look at any fiberglass boat under $5000 and assume its a project.

stay away from anything OMC related since OMC went out of business over 2 decades ago. stay away from anything Ford powered since Ford dropped out of the marine market about 25 years ago. and to quote Lou C unless you want to get proficient at rebuilding fiberglass boat hulls, stay away from low $ fiberglass boats.

 

[alldodge]

Cheapest way to go boating is supply beer and gas money, there are plenty of us which would love someone will to help out

 

[Bondo]

Damn,

I was excited about getting my first boat and thought “If I do the work myself it will be such a steal”! Well seems like there is a money pit sitting in my driveway waiting to rob my wallet or disappear!

Thanks for all the info for this new boater (hopefully soon to be boater). I am not sure if this is taboo to do and please let me know if it’s not, but I came across someone selling a 1986 Sea Ray with a 305 V8 for $1000. Only claims to need couple of seats upholstered. Is this something to look into? Thanks again!

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,..... Yer bein' given alotta Great advice,.... Please heed it,.....

If you want an I/O, look for a Merc, or Volvo, built in this century for the best odds at findin' a Winner,.....

 

[Lou C]

yep because otherwise you'll have more time and money in it than you'll ever get back.
my project(s) came out well boat is still solid after the glass repairs I did (and had to pay for some of it to really get it to look good) back in 2006/2007 but even so...I still have a 32 year old boat! The only benefits are...... you have knowledge...of how to get things done...that others don't...and simple mechanics....simple GM marine pushrod engines, you can fix in your driveway with parts from the local hot rod shop and online...simple carbs you can rebuild...not modern EFI which is great when it works and ain't when it ain't.
Otherwise....for most people....who want boating to be fun....find lightly used approx. 5 year old boat...
think about it...you don't look for a 30 year old car or truck to get you to work do you? I mean you can but that is another way to drive yourself crazy.

 

[Scott Danforth]

For what its worth, Im on my 10th boat, however 4th fiberglass hull restoration because at times, I'm as dumb as a stump..... every fiberglass boat I have owned has needed to have some sort of significant repair.

my latest project (in my signature) is a resto-mod that started as a repower and it went awry.....because I could.

my 32 year old boat has had 4 upholstery jobs (3 before me), one transom replacment, 2 re-powers if you count my motor re-fresh in 2012, 3 drive re-seals and one drive rebuild, and now a complete cosmetic make-over. I am currently 4 years and 3 months as well as about 5000 hours into it. I do it because I love working on things and as soon as the new interior seat skins show up, it will be splashed. after that, i am building a hot-rod, because its cheaper and will cost less.

 

[Ramrick14]

All great info! Thanks everyone! Sounds like I will be looking to dump this thing and find something else to get started. I was hopeful, but being new to all of this I was quite optimistic that with help and friends that are handy I could get this thing on the water. Sounds like I will be drinking beer on the couch browsing the web for something newer that I can afford! Thanks again! I will post my journey as I go!

 

[tpenfield]

If you are serious about boating, then get something that is in working condition. Many folks 'dive' in the same way you are thinking . . . that all it takes is some time & effort to bring a boat back from the dead. They don't realize the cost, which a DIY approach cannot circumvent.

Usually when a floor in a boat is shot, so is the structure underneath . . . it is rarely if even a simple re-do of the floor. Based on what you described, you may be $6-7K into this FREE boat before it is all said & done. As stated, maybe it is best to spend $7K on a boat that is in good physical & mechanical condition, so you can learn about boating. Then if you want, buy a fixer-upper if you are that into re-building boats.

 

[PITBoat]

I paid $4500 for mine. Have put at least another $1500 in it, the bulk of that being a new exhaust system. It's got just a few "soft" spots in the floor, which doesn't bode well, but is not something I plan to address since they haven't worsened. I'm hopeful it'll all hold together at least long enough for me to get my $ worth out of it. It's a bit of a risk though.

I'm happy with it so far, but I've had to mess with it a bunch, even w/o trying to do any major resto work.

Actually, if it folded up tomorrow, I don't think I'd regret having it, since we've learned so much with it. Had it been a deal where we never even got it on the lake, or it never worked even close to right from the get go... completely different. I've looked at some of those floor/structure redo YT's, and I want no part of that.

 

[PITBoat]

I wouldn't have been able to get into this had the entry fee been twice what I got set back. When I was shopping around, it seemed like even dinky stuff and styles that I wasn't interested in were expensive. I think I got what I paid for - something that ran but was gonna need some attention.

It's fun when most everything goes right in an outing, and you are starting to feel like you haven't made a $5k mistake. Then you start planning to address the bearing noise coming from one of the accessories before it strands you. And it takes an extra hard pull to get it outta gear the last time when it's on the trailer, and you're not sure just how serious that is... And...

 

[Travis71]

Ramrick14,

I likewise bought a "cheap" boat last year thinking I could re-do it and quickly found that I was in way over my head. So I looked around on eBay and discovered a thriving used part market for OMC stuff since they went out of business several years ago. If you have an engine that is in any sort of working order it is worth some money to someone who has the desire and ability to revive it. If the outdrive is still operable, even if in rough condition there is value there. The trailer is worth money as well. All total I parted out my pile o junk for over $1500 in eBay sales and $500 for the trailer.

That inspired me to buy another boat this spring, $350 for a 30 year old OMC powered Galaxie, with the plan to part it out to make some money. However, this time I got lucky and the motor was good and I have it up and running with less than $700 additional investment and have already had it on the water!!

So all is not lost! If you have the time and motivation you can learn a lot about how boats work and are constructed by de-constructing your pile o junk and parting it out on the used market.

Just my 2-cents...