Need Advise on What To Do with This Boat
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Category: General Correct Craft Discussion
Forum Name: Common Questions
Forum Discription: Visit here first for common questions regarding your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16089
Printed Date: November-22-2024 at 8:03am
Topic: Need Advise on What To Do with This Boat
Posted By: Sam2010
Subject: Need Advise on What To Do with This Boat
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 8:28pm
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Hi Correct Craft Blazers:
I have a few questions about a Correct Craft Martinique I purchased in an auction. I purchased it without sufficient information. No I think it was a mistake. I found a place to store the boast and the boat storage yard guy inspected the boat and told me that the boat may not have been winterized for a season or so and the engine barely cranks when he attempted to crank it. He indicated that it will cost me about 4K to put a new engine. He indicated that it has a Chevy engine and not ford. Can someone comment on whether it is worth while either rebuilding or resorting the engine? I do not yet know the year of the boat. It is 20 foot or less long. ------------- Sam |
Replies:
Posted By: kapla
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 8:46pm
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If you have the boat handy look the hull Id number..it will be located somewere in the transom..port side I guess...with it someone here will be able to decode it...
or go to the reference section in the site and look in the brochures which year resembles more to the one you have..also look the diares..ots of boat to compare..with that you can narrow the year..posting some pics will help a lot to id your boat. sory to hear about the engine condition... ------------- <a href="">1992 ski nautique |
Posted By: Sam2010
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 9:07pm
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Thanks a bunch for the reply. I will be able go to the storage place on 24th if he is open or on next Saturday. If someone else from my family can visit and view it earlier, I can post the pictures and info sooner.
Sincerely appreciate for the input. ------------- Sam |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 9:20pm
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Hull id would be on the starboard side of the transom.
As to your question, there are a lot of variables. What shape is the boat in? How much do you have in it already? What really is wrong with the engine? How mechanical are you? Do you enjoy doing projects? Etc. etc. As Kapla said, a picture of the boat will be helpful. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: Sam2010
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 10:00pm
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Well, you may have guessed by now that I am a rank novice to boating. I bought the boat because the price was low enough for me to get into boating without risking a major domestic situation.
Will try to answer some of the questions as best as I can: 1) The boat looks to be in good shape. I have not pulled the carpet out but overall do not see any damage to fiberglass, carpet or plastic. I will provide additional information later next week once I physically access the boat. Do I need to pull the carpet out to see if there is any rot to interior wood? I am not a whole lot concerned about replacing plywood. I think I can buy and cut marine plywood to shape if needed. 2) I paid $1300 for the boat and paying $30-00 a month for storage. Has a decent original trailer. Do not see any damage to the hull from outside. It is not sparkling but looks good. The seats etc are not torn though are pretty basic. No physical damage. I am hoping that the storage yard guy is honest and has provided an honest feedback without private agenda. 3) Do not know is wrong but the storage guy says that it was not winterized for one or more of the previous years, oil has water in it and the engine hardly cranks. If you or others could share some of the tests, I will be glad to run them next week when I visit the storage yard and boat. 4) I am reasonably mechanical but can only work on the weekends. Been a while since I worked on my cars (the newer ones got very complex). Spent last several years doing more of carpentry, plumbing and household DIY work. Have a compressed air supply in the garage and a decent woodworking shop in the basement and collection of manual and pneumatic mechanics tools. 5) I think that I can work on this if I pull the boat to my garage from storage. However, I am trying to be practical though since I read a number of suggestions on this forum to stay off from restoring to another guy who was planning to restore the boat. If I end up spending another 3 grand or more on this boat, I might as well sell the boat as is (with full honest information about it) and call it an experience. Then buy another boat down the line when I can afford to spend some decent cash or as my wife strongly suggests – rent it when I need it. 6) How hard it is to replace the engine if I get one from auto junk yard or from used boat engine marketplace on internet or craigslists? I read that auto engines may work for inboard motors. Also which engines will work as replacement? One of my buddies indicated that he has a car engine that is in working condition. He pulled it off his Lincoln Town Car. 7) I work in both Chicago and Kansas City so have access to used boat motor market place in Chicago though the boat is in Kansas City. ------------- Sam |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 10:16pm
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Sam - It's easy to R & R the engine. If you can find a used one, that is the way to go. A car engine will turn the wrong way (your boat engine most likely has reverse rotation). You could use a car engine but have to adjust the tranny's pump plus buy an opposite prop. The car engine has less piston clearance but a used one might be Ok since it's worn in. Make sure all the marine grade components are transferred from the old engine!!
Edit - The starter & distributor can't be reused when you change to a standard car engine. Those are fairly high dollar items so that may nix this option by itself. Post some pictures. We can help you thru the project. You made a great choice in boats! ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 10:23pm
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Without seeing the boat, it's hard to estimate a value. In good working shape could be worth 4 to 7K. If you have 1300 in it, you should be able to get the engine back runnning and still be ok financially. If the stringers are bad, then you're proabably not going to be even financially. A couple thousand in materials to do a stringer job, plus all your labor, plus whatever engine work you need. At the price you paid, you can probably part the boat out and make more than you would selling it as a whole. Trailer, Windshield, seat frames, motor box, engine manifolds, etc. All kinds of parts that interest those of us working through project boats.
If it were mine, I'd see if I couldn't figure out what is wrong with the engine (without spending much money doing so) and then make a decision. Just one guy's opinion. I know a little something, but I'm not the guru of all things boating. Again, some photos would be helpful to everyone here. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 10:54pm
The PO of my boat was scared off too by a marina,when you have to pay someone else it does run up the cost fast. If your the least bit handy it can be done,it's a great learning experence and therapeutic. You found the right place,we are here to help. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Sam2010 wrote:Posted By: Sam2010
Date Posted: December-18-2009 at 11:25pm
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Folks I feel I am in a real support group. Quite different experience here! Several years ago I used to be active in rec.woodworking and this group is very similar. ------------- Sam |
Posted By: Morfoot
Date Posted: December-19-2009 at 1:14pm
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Sam that's what this site is all about. We ALL love our boats and are thrilled to see another CC saved from the graveyard. If you do decide to tackle the job of restoring her to her glory days I'd recommend you do extensive research through the forums here at CCFan. Owners here have done almost everything imaginable, including taking a direct drive boat and turning it into a V-drive. Pictures posted will tell us allot about what you have that words can not. No question that you ask is a dumb one and if you don't get a response right away then be patient as someone who does will chime in sooner or later and answer it. Glad you found us and welcome to CorrectCraftFan & Correct Craft ownership! ------------- "Morfoot; He can ski. He can wakeboard.He can cook chicken.He can create his own self-named beverage, & can also apparently fly. A man of many talents."72 Mustang "Kermit",88 SN Miss Scarlett, 99 SN "Sherman" |
Posted By: Donald80SN
Date Posted: December-19-2009 at 1:15pm
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Sam,
Look for that ID number right under the rub rail on the right hand side of the transom. It will be stamped in the Fiberglass and the last two digits may be the year it was made. Be careful trying to start the boat. You need to have it on a water hose. There are things called Fake Lakes that attach to the water inlet on the bottom of the boat. They look like a tolet plunger with a hose attached. I have a Perko Flush Kit ( $60.00)to hook my garden water hose to. You can pull the water intake hose off and hook it directly to the garden water hose. You need to start out with the water about 1/3 flowing and when the boat starts you need to get the water flowing 100%. These boats are water cooled and you have an rubber impeller inside of the Raw Water Pump that you can burn up very easly if you run it with no water. Also, you can crack the heads by running it with no water. On the other hand, if you have water in your oil there is already a serious problem with the engine. Do not worry with pulling up the carpet for now. The boat probably does have some stringer and floor rot if it is older than a 1993 Model. In 93 composite material started being used. The engine sits on two main wooded ( Covered in Fiberglass) supports called main stringers. These are prone to rotting. There are also two secondary stringers running beside them that also rot. These four stringers take about 100 hours and $1,500.00 to replace if you do it your self. Your carb, distributor and starter are marine grade to prevent explosions when starting. Engine gas fumes and a spark can cause an explosion. Good luck and I hope this helps. Donald |
Posted By: SUNAPEE CROW
Date Posted: December-19-2009 at 10:48pm
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If it were mine...I'd change the crankcase oil & change the filter using the cheapest stuff I could buy. Remove the plugs and squirt Kroil or Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinders. Do not use PB Blaster or WD 40!
With the plugs still out roll it over by hand using a breaker bar on the crankshaft pulley. After several complete rotations put in a few more squirts of lubricant and reinstall the plugs. Roll it over several more rotations by hand. This time there should be more resistance in turning it over. Remove the plugs again and crank it with the starter. Should turn very easily and almost sound like a noisy sewing machine. While you are doing this check the crankshaft rotation. It should be rotating counter clockwise as you face the front of the motor. If not, someone replaced the starter with an automotive one and that could be the root of your problem. If all this checks OK , reinstall the plugs, check the spark plug wiring 18456273 counter clockwise when viewed from the top of the distributor, make sure it has spark at the plugs and fuel. When it fires, make sure that you feed cooling water to the raw water pump... otherwise you will create some new problems. |
Posted By: SUNAPEE CROW
Date Posted: December-20-2009 at 2:17am
| Sorry! I think I pumped out some bad Info. I mistakenly thought that the power was a right hand Ford. Oiling procedure is correct, firing order/ rotation is wrong. I thought this vintage boat had a PCM Ford. Don't know the rotation or firing order of a GM motor. |
Posted By: Rick
Date Posted: December-28-2009 at 8:40pm
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Sam The first thing you need to determine is whether the block is cracked on the motor. The last post by Sunapee Crow using Marvel Mystery oil oil right on. Replace the oil do the steps to lubricate the cylinders and put fresh oil in As he says the cheaper the better. 30 weight is fine. You do need to have water going to the engine when you start it. you can use a Fake a Lake or just pull the hose off the thru-hull fitting,put it in a bucket in the bilge and put the hose in the bucket. You will want to have some one controlling the hose so the bucket doesn't empty or overflow. If the boat cranks and runs at all and there is no water in the oil after running it for 10 minutes it may run badly due to the firing order being wrong or a fouled carb. Keep the faith I spent $1000 for my first CC and it had seawater in the engine. I pulled the engine with the help of my 15 year old son, had it rebuilt for 2500 and taught him to ski behind it. He Joined the college ski team went to Nationals twice in trick and I have a million priceless memories. Oh yea I neglected to tell my wife about it until she got the call from the Speed shop. Were still married but he and I were in hot water for a year or two ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=250&yrstart=1996&yrend=2000%20" rel="nofollow - 2000 Ski |
Posted By: Rick
Date Posted: December-28-2009 at 8:44pm
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Sorry, I forgot to add by the time I was all done I had about 5K total in the boat. We skied it for three years and then he needed a better boat I upgraded to a 2000 and sold the old one for 4K in 2 days. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=250&yrstart=1996&yrend=2000%20" rel="nofollow - 2000 Ski |
Posted By: 62 wood
Date Posted: December-30-2009 at 1:46am
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FWIW, .... When Im checking for a suspect cracked block, I drain the original contaminated oil from the boat motor, I then put used oil back in, taken from a recent truck oil change, to do my "water test".
------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1117&sort=&pagenum=6" rel="nofollow - 64 American Skier 62 Classic.. 73 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: BuffaloBFN
Date Posted: December-30-2009 at 10:01am
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Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. See where you stand and pick a destination.
FWIW- if it is indeed a Chevy and it's in a Martinique, it's likely a 454. On one hand that's a good thing...super engine when they are right; on the other, a replacement block will cost you a little as I think many of these gave their all on a drag strip somewhere. http://correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9034&KW=bowtie&title=a-buffalos-first-span-classhighlightbowtie-span - My Adventure ------------- http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=2331&sort=&pagenum=12&yrstart=1986&yrend=1990" rel="nofollow - 1988 BFN-sold "It's a Livin' Thing...What a Terrible Thing to Lose" ELO |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: December-30-2009 at 11:34am
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i know someone that has 3 of them and one is a righty ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: December-30-2009 at 11:37am
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im doing a 30 formula with twin big boys and im rebuilding one of the engines and when he dropped the boat off (first boat btw) pull in his boat which he said was winterized and all the plugs were pushed out with a gush of ice, I may have caught it in time, we'll see, if not i know he'll need one ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: Sam2010
Date Posted: January-03-2010 at 4:44pm
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When I visited and talked to the Boat Storage guy, He said that it is Chevy 350. He also suggested that I need a pre-1990 engine to replace this one. He also indicated that I can probably pick up an auto engine (chevy 350) and replace the manifolds from the existing engine. He thinks that the block is cracked though as the folks here indicated, I am going to verify.
Also I have some additional details about the boat now: The boat is 1976 18 footer Martinique. With (most likely) Chevy 350 engine. In case the block is indeed cracked due to water freezing inside, can I use engines other than Chevy 350? Also if the block is cracked, Can the engine still be rebuilt or I am better off with another engine? ------------- Sam |
Posted By: 62 wood
Date Posted: January-03-2010 at 5:00pm
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Sam,
Like stated before, the original engine rotates the opposite direction(RH) of a car motor(LH). You can use an automotive block and use the "backwards" stuff from your existing motor to keep it the original rotation. If the block is cracked from freezing, you should also pressure check the exhaust manifolds, oil cooler, etc. You might give Eric a shout...he knew of a Chevy, "backwards",454 that could be bought pretty reasonable. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1117&sort=&pagenum=6" rel="nofollow - 64 American Skier 62 Classic.. 73 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: January-04-2010 at 12:19pm
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I have a righty BBC, and 2 lefty BBC"s with closed cooling....so that means antifreeze has been running through the water jackets and no corrosion build up....they are complete engines except for carbs ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: hotboat
Date Posted: January-04-2010 at 12:41pm
Take a look at the capacity plate before thinking bbc in a 76 martinique, it would sink my 78  ------------- Brian |
Posted By: connorssons
Date Posted: January-13-2010 at 1:28am
| Just rememder! the cam makes a differance on rotation. |
Posted By: connorssons
Date Posted: January-13-2010 at 1:31am
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B T W Ihave a 77 martinique 351 ford windsor
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