1972 Evinrude Sportster Refurb (Edit: And BOAT!)

[local]

Awesome, I am about to jump back into the rebuild of my boat after 8 years of life getting in the way.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Awesome, I am about to jump back into the rebuild of my boat after 8 years of life getting in the way.

What kind of boat, ping me if you want any free opinions. Actually, a really good resource for motors/parts are the forums at MarineEngine.com

 

[local]

What kind of boat, ping me if you want any free opinions. Actually, a really good resource for motors/parts are the forums at MarineEngine.com

1990 Dynasty Cuddy 220




I went to winterize it about 12 years ago and noticed the motor had fallen through the floor. Completely gutted the hull 8 years ago and then put a new transom back in before stopping. So I have done the hard really itchy part of sanding all the fiberglass down and just need to reinstall now. I am lucky with the motor though as it is basically just an old school Chevy 350 so I can rebuild it for virtually nothing if needed. Downside is it has an OMC Cobra stern drive so if it breaks... ouch.

 

[NutBucket]

Eh, is breaking the stern drive likely with "just" a 350? Assuming of course you don't hit something.

 

[Scarpozzi]

It doesn't take many years of being in the weather for those boats with wood core fiberglass to rot out. What I've seen a lot of are people who store them in the weather and water fills and soaks the engine compartment during heavy rains. That's fine from time to time, but over the years with normal stress fractures in the fiberglass, water gets where it shouldn't. Hopefully, you replaced everything you could find that was damaged. The good news is, the stuff under the hood doesn't have to look pretty.

 

[NutBucket]

I was thinking of the stern drive specfically, not the hull itself.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I was thinking of the stern drive specfically, not the hull itself.

I was really replying to his comment, "went to winterize it about 12 years ago and noticed the motor had fallen through the floor" Just saying that it's not uncommon for those kinds of problems if boats are neglected.

350 is a pretty common engine in those OMC's. They were engineered just fine, but the risk is really hitting the bottom. Outboard engines are on a hinge and if you hit bottom (stumps are worse), they pop up pretty easily. Inboard outboards do too, but they can cause additional stress to where the engine comes through the back of the transom. It always made me nervous on my old OMC...but I only had my outdrive hit the bottom a few times at high speed. You can literally navigate islands and shoals to have the water level drop overnight and not realize it. Muddy water and clay bottom doesn't help matters in some areas.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I took some 3/4" marine grade plywood and laminated 2 pieces together because the old transom was 1" thick. I took measurements and cut the rough shape....then routed the areas where the supports needed the width to be 1" to be riveted.

I may be ready to start drilling/riveting by Saturday.

 

[NutBucket]

Nice. So are you going to use FlexPaste to seal the joint?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Nice. So are you going to use FlexPaste to seal the joint?

I don't trust that stuff for anything...too much question about UV sensitivity.

I got my rebuilt battery cable wrapped in 1" shrink tube yesterday, which allowed me to wire up the ignition switch (finally). I replaced the fuel pump, but it may not be working. I was able to get the engine to fire with carb cleaner, but no fuel supply past the fuel pump. I have an issue with the solenoid safety switch too, but I'm really close to getting this thing running.

 

[NutBucket]

I was totally joking of course 🙂

 

[Scarpozzi]

The trailer had rust all over it. I removed the lights and fenders. I took a wire brush to it and knocked off the big pieces...then took a wire wheel on a drill to the frame in spots to get more off. I ended up with 2 drop cloths full of rust chips. Then I flipped trailer over and sprayed the frame with rust converter and black paint. I made some new bunks and fitted them for new carpet. Wired up a new light kit and a new winch and chains....so about $100 invested. I didn't really take a picture of what it looked like before....you can see the rust color in the top off the first picture though. The trailer was all rusty brown/gold. Looks much better now. Only issue is the pole that makes up the trailer is a little bent/warped...but I drilled through it to run the trailer lights inside....it's plenty thick and strong.

$20 light kit at Northern Tool.
$24 Hand winch
$12 rust converter
$7 black paint
$15 safety chains
$15 bunk carpet
Spare 2x4...free

Before:


After:

 

[Scarpozzi]

I took it down to a boat ramp to test it in the water. The muffs I have don't fit it well enough to run in my driveway.

Sorry for the talking in the background. I had a friend drop by the ramp to check it out with his family.

It's got a weird miss in it that hits every minute+, but I think the carb needs more tuning. It may be running a little rich.....but then also seems to be having issues not getting enough fuel when under load. The biggest issue though is that it STILL acts like it has a spun hub. This is the same issue it had when it was parked. It has a new prop and new seals...I did a lot of work on the lower end, so I'm curious what's going on. The gears looked good to me...I didn't see a lot of shavings or broken teeth, etc...everything looked normal. I may have to consult an expert on this.

 

[NutBucket]

Hey it floats! That's step one LOL!

Lookin' good!

 

[Scarpozzi]

Hey it floats! That's step one LOL!

Lookin' good!

Yeah....also leaks a little. I may end up getting some gluvit to coat the bottom before painting the hull. It may need a new drain tube, but I'm not sure how to replace it since the tube appears to be welded. I may need to get a 1" drill bit and make some metal shavings. 😜

 

[Scarpozzi]

The leaks are all superficial and I found a pinhole where some silicone caused pitting in the aluminum. I can fix that a few different ways...not a big deal for how small it is. I'm outfitting the boat with a permanent bilge pump.

Now that the transom is in, the boat has enough structure I could flip it. New winch on the trailer allowed me to get the boat back on the trailer from the lawn without having to float it. (That's why this wasn't step one). I sanded the rest of the paint off the port side and cleaned up the hull with a brush, some steel wool, and sand paper.

I cleaned it with an alcohol, soap, water mix and then used an etching primer on it before painting it with an enamel. I sprayed a metallic finish on the gunwales to give them a little sparkle prior to the blue coat (while I had the hull inverted)


Almost ready to get it back out on the lake and work out the final fuel supply issue....either carb or fuel filter.

It was jumping out of gear under load on my first trip out. I decided to pull the transmission out and flipped the clutch dog around backwards. That fixed the slipping issue. I ordered a whole new gearset for when it fails...I also ordered a bigger fuel pump in case my second carb cleaning didn't fix the fuel supply issue I'm having at 80%+ throttle. I may be taking this thing out next week. I'm almost ready to run a full tank of gas through it.