just bought a 1978 ski nautique

Our 78 had a factory or dealer installed platform from the get go.

mrjester12 wrote: Thanks guys! They guy I bought the boat from, said that the guy that had it before him, put a performance cam, and performance piston heads, and stuff like that. And the last time he ran it, it did fine at first but once it warmed up it would backfire through the carb almost like it was starving for fuel. And that if he didn't run 110 racing fuel the engine wouldn't run right.

Not a lot out there for reverse rotation performance cams. Even the ones that are available, while better than stock, are a far cry from what I would call "performance".
Then performance heads and pistons????? Needing 110 racing fuel to run right???? This isn't quarter miler. It's a tractor.
These boat engines are actually very mild compared to performance engine builds you would find in autos or trucks.

Everything about this just sounds fishy. If these "performance" parts were indeed added, the builder had no clue what he was doing or why and even if he did, then he had no idea how to tune it after he put them in.

You should verify that the engine is reverse rotation and hasn't been changed to a standard rotation engine before you start doing anything with it. Most hacks will put a standard rotation in place of the factory engine when rebuilding or repowering because it's cheaper or they have no idea that's it's a reverse rotation or both. If that's truly the case that can open up an entire new can of worms.

Let us know how that goes and we can help you out from that point.

Thanks guys! They guy I bought the boat from, said that the guy that had it before him, put a performance cam, and performance piston heads, and stuff like that. And the last time he ran it, it did fine at first but once it warmed up it would backfire through the carb almost like it was starving for fuel. And that if he didn't run 110 racing fuel the engine wouldn't run right. So I was going to go through and just rebuild the engine. Go back with stock cam, and pistons, replace gaskets, near carb all that good stuff. The boat has 611 hours on it. To be honest idk if the ladder looks stock or not, but yes the boat is a 1978 ski nautique. I will try to get some pictures up this afternoon. And I will check out the stringers once I start tearing everything out. The floors feel pretty solid, I didn't see any spongy places or anything like that

Congratulations on your purchase. How many hours are on the boat? What makes you think it needs rebuilding. Lots of boats have sat for years and run just fine. I would spray some oil in the cylinders and spin it over without the plugs in it. Then tune it up and try to fire it up. You can look on the forum about a new impeller for the raw water pump and how to run the boat out of the lake. If you can, check compression may just need a valve job. Keep us posted.

A 78 was my first Nautique. Great Boat you will have lots of fun with it.

Zane,
Do some exploring of the site. Tons of info plus the member knowledge base is fantastic. Ask any questions that you may have. Also,take a look at this thread. It has links to lots of great threads.

ive seen a lot of people say that. i know ill probably get some hell for this but what exactly is the stringers

hey guys first time getting on the forum and first post in my life so hope this is right. so i just bought a 1978 ski nautique. First boat i have ever owned, and its a fixer upper so i plan on restoring it. The boat has sat in a shed for about 10 years with out being moved. so my plan is to rebuild the engine, upholstery, carpet etc... but i guess my first question is the boat i have has a ladder on the rear, i want to put a swim platform on, like my uncles ski nautiue has. but my question is hat do i have to do about the holes where the ladder was installed. do i need to have a body shop fill with fiber glass or something. im never really messed with a boat other then driving, wakeboarding behind, etc etc.... any advice or tips will hep thanks. and i will put some pictures up once i get it home and start taking everything apart. and if ny has or knows where i can buy 1 of the platforms let me know