Abandoned Mustang Project - Need Advice

I took it out to the lake this afternoon, after I got it running (had the spark plug wires in reverse order). It was an awesome ride. And the wake was great. Crisp and tall, no washout. Best toy I ever had!

I've got lots of pictures, etc at my web site. Don't worry, I'll still be updating this site with questions, etc.

Yeah a 2001 is a nice boat, but I bet when you get the mustang in, all shined up, you will be hesitant on selling it. Its a head turner! What A deal, I still cant believe you pulled that off that good. Maybe I need to get some pointers from you!!

I have a Ski Nautique 2001 and I can tell you that, with a tower, a rider can easily roll the boat over a lot. Even when it's rolled over, however, as long as the rudder is straight, the boat goes straight. This was absolutely not true of the considerably larger I/O that I used to have. If the boat rolled, I had to make steering corrections. I have assumed that the three tracking fins account for this directional stability.

Note: the tower is not even very tall. It's a CC Flight Control Tower that was narrowed to fit the boat. It's still super easy to roll the boat over and while I don't know this for a fact, I believe that significant steering corrections would be required if the fins weren't there.

Anyway, that said, I still wouldn't add tracking fins to the Mustang. In fact, I probably wouldn't even add a tower. That old 17-footer is just too cool as is. If it were me and I wanted a better wakeboarding boat, I'd probably either flip it now or fix it up a bit and sell it for even more. Then, I'd take the profits and buy a slightly larger boat with fins (like a 2001) and throw a tower on there.

Of course, this line of thought could go on and on. Maybe you skip the 2001 and go straight for a Sport. Or maybe skip ahead more and go for a Super Sport... I guess you have to decide where you want to stop but I know that sometimes people get carried away with modifications when they should have just started with a different boat (or car) in the first place (not implying that this is true of your situation).

Think twice before adding tracking fins (skegs) for the following reasons:

1) The keel does not have a recess to accept the base plate of the fins and thus the fins will create drag and disrupt the smooth flow of water under the boat.
2) The keel is not reinforced to handle the added stress that the fins will put on the keel.

What you will notice by not having the fins is that the boat slides in turns. My Martinique does not have the fins and it has never really been a problem with skiing.

Great buy on the boat! Have fun fixing it up and I agree...replace the pylon. You might want to reinforce the floor area prior to replacing since you will be adding an extension.

Fins? Yes it can be done...After you take it out on the lake and ski behind it ,you can make that call.
I agree with jeff...my mustang tracks well enough too...and besides, without the fins you can spin a wirlybird like a crazy MoFo!
When it's up and runnin...try this....Go about 40 mph , quickly drop it in nuetral and turn hard! You should spin and dip the bow to the windshield!!!
Scares the snot out of ya the first time.After that...ask yourself "Do I really want to add fins?"

The boat does a pretty good job on tracking. I know slalom skiing or kneeboarding with a 225 lb. person has no problem. The fiberglass keel that runs from the front to the rear does a good job except at real slow speeds. The nose doesnt want to stay put.

Just like Star Wars:

You can use 'the force' and keep the boat all original; or you can go to the 'dark side' and install a tower.

I went to the dark side

I know there are board racks you can mount on pylons... maybe I'll think about that.

stang72 wrote: The pylon is as good as a tower in terms of performance(getting air)...easy to put on and take off...and no modification to the boat!It's cool to keep the orininal look! Again...way to go on that deal!!!

Absolutely. The best part about the tower however, is getting all your stuff up into rack and out of your way. Tough call.

BKH

Wow, Scott, thanks for all that info. This will be very helpful over the next few months.

I'm not sure where I'm going to go with the restore. I might stick with the original look, but I'm torn. I really prefer a tower over a pylon, but it feels kind of like a sacrilege to do that. I will promise not to cut the pylon off.

Dchris17

I am from Muncie Indiana and was the owner of a 1979 Mustang from 1991 until 2002. You will love this boat! I sold mine a few years ago due to family size....I needed something bigger and I now miss the old boat every time I am out.   Long story short....the reason I am writing is regarding your gel coat repair. There is a place here in Indiana that is one of the #1 gel coat repair locations in the mid west and they are also an authorized CC repair locaiton.

Last year we took my grandfather's boat there...it was pretty rough on the outside and 2000-3000.00 made it look like new again!.....new graphics and everything! This price also included some stringer repair. From the looks of your boat it would probably not even cost this much.

The name of this place is Harmon Boats. They just recently opened a new repair facility in Cicero near the lake you have found this boat on. I believe that they are in the back half of a new Malibu or Moomba dealer that just opened in the last few years ( on 19 I think).

The contact information for harmon boats is as follows:

Harmon Boats Fiberglass (CC recommended fiberglass repair location)
596 W Meridian St.
Sharpsville, IN 46068 (former address / now located in Cicero)
1-877-426-2879
www.harmonboats.com

Steve Scott (Harmon Boat Owner) Cell: 765-432-1779

These guys give free est. and will transport the boat for you.

If you need Interior repair I would recommend the following: This guy done a complete interior for a friends CC and was really nice and really reasonable:

Ron Parker
Alexandria, IN
765-724-9444

If you need any other parts here are some locations I found in central IN that helped keep my Mustang running:

Delaware Propeller (This is the shop that every marina in the mid-west sends repairs to)
1717 N. Walnut Street
Muncie, IN
765-284-1539

Mid-west Correct Craft (Regional CC headquarters)
4340 West Orlando Road
Angola, IN 46703
260-833-2226
http://www.nautique.com/

Gary Oliver Boat Parts (Personal Friend / Former CC dealer) (A great source).
8500 Lincolnshire Drive
Yorktown, IN
765-759-2294 (Home)

MD Boats (Indianapolis CC dealer)
5153 E 65th Street
Indianapolis, IN
317-257-7358

Aqua Marine of Anderson
1115 Alex Pike
Anderson, IN
765-643-9944

B&B Sandblasting (sandblasted / epoxy primed / painted the boat trailer)
305 E Fuson Road
Muncie, IN
765-287-0198

my personal email is sshepher@tts.bwauto.com

email me some time and I will send you a copy of other items you might find useful.

You will find a picture of my former mustang in the diary section. It is a red and white 1979 with a long story attached.

You have received a remarkable gift! I sold my Mustang for 6,900.00 two years ago....this was 900.00 more than I paid for it in 1991!

Good Luck!

Scott

dchris; Congrats! We've been watching this thread for a while, hoping you would get the boat. What a great story it'll make when you're done. It was great luck finding the original owner. Keep us posted with pics of your progress..............jbear

Jeff,
How did the design change from 73 to 74? Is it just longer? I think the key is on the far right, but I haven't got the boat home yet.

I'm totally pumped. This is going to be fun.

I just read your other post and see its actually a 74. That is a awesome year cause its the first year of that design. Does yours have the ign key to the far right??