First Ride On $500 Abandoned Fishing Boat. Will It Float? 

Just a word of advise don't start the motor out of the water if you have a dry impeller you could damage it and then you will overheat.

Some things to check regarding the overheating. The tell tale stream just lets you know your water pump is pumping some water, but it does not tell you if your cooling system is operating properly. If you pull the thermostat you can test it by dropping it in water that is over 143F. There is also a poppet valve that can get stuck. What this does is at a certain PSI of water pressure it opens allowing full flow through the engine's cooling system. Basically, at idle the thermostat will open allowing the engine to cool, under power the poppet valve opens allowing the engine to cool. It's also a good idea to go ahead and replace the water pump impeller. It's a rubber impeller that, over time, becomes hard/brittle and does not pump efficiently. General rule of thumb is to replace the pump impeller every 2 years or 100 hours, whichever comes first. Who knows when the last time that impeller was replaced.

Joe one of the biggest mistakes some folks make when fixing light issues on boat trailers is not keeping in mind those fixes have to be made waterproof, considering the trailer lights usually go under water when launching a boat. Other mistakes are not using lighting kits designed for marine use. Very few things piss off a boater/fisherman more than to have water ruin their expensive repairs. If I were you, I would get rid of the pigtail wire connectors, and solder the wires; also make sure the wiring is waterproofed. Great video! Allan in Cut Bank, Montana

Hey Joe, the connections on the trailer lights leave a little to be desired. Should have soldered them with heat shrinks, or an alternative of sealing each wire nut with silicone. Speaking from experience, current way you made connections won't last 10 trips to the water. One other suggestion, see if anchor fits in front compartment. Hit a wake once at 35 MPH, anchor flew up in the air, landed right on the control console...

Joe when painting you should go from side to side and overlap,not up and down.Theres a old trick to getting paint thinned out right for spraying where you hold stir stick at a angle and you get 4 even streams dripping off your good.

Solder those connections. The wire nuts will fail after a few times because the wire will start to corrode from exposure to water. Keep up the good work!

Absolute night and day transformation! For anyone just seeing this video, you really need to go back and watch the from the beginning. What a mess! Your wife probably had some doubts about it but you had a vision of what it could be. Great job on this project! As I mentioned before, I've done a couple of boats with my father. Fully disassembled and completely refurbished. It was a heck of a lot of work for 2 people so I can only imagine how hard it was for just you by yourself. Amazing! Thanks again for your time today and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Great video but those short, choppy paint strokes were killing me

Looks 100% better then when you started no doubt. Good job overall, nice looking boat.

Joe you definitely work miracles on the stuff you buy and fix up.Thanks for taking us along on this adventure.

It looks great good job. Most guys put a brand new water pump on them when they been sitting that long. The viens really get bent and dont work their best. Its working yes but I think it might work a lot better with a new water pump.Seems OK though. No one come running out of their house to chew you out for running your boat motor so I guess it was OK with the people living around the lake. It looks and works pretty good. Even caught a fish.

I would recommend using water tight connection for your wiring or you will have issues down the road. Soldering and heat shine should do the trick!

That's an awesome paint job. Very nice restoration. New impeller and a thermostat will fix your overheating issues.

A couple of tips for your spray gun. Bottom knob adjusts pattern- from point to wide. Top knob adjust paint volume. Spayer tip turns with direction you're painting and a air pressure valve on the gun is helpful that way you can keep the regular set higher. Water traps are important for automotives paints. Have fun with your new gun.

I would suggest at a later date that you replace all of the trailer wire in the frame with tinned marine grade wire. It will last longer. Bare copper wire will corrode

The boat looks great. I really hope that coating stays on there. Usually you have to acid etch aluminum for permanent adhesion. Nice job man!

Hey bud, id recommend checking the thermostat and poppet valve (if equipped) You can have water flow but it maybe not flowing through the hole cooling system

Congratulations, I think it was one of your most bold project and it was worth it because the transformation is unreal. Not only you get the satisfaction to own a boat, but also to have made it your own and put it back to life with your own hands, the overall cost being cheaper than a new one is the cherry on top. Well done man

Great videos on this boat. I'm from Steuben County, Indiana, the land of a 101 lakes, but I'm not a laker or boat guy. The multiple videos on this boat is awesome, it looks fun and lots of hard work to rebuild. It looks great too.

Fishing. The most expensive free meal ever.

You should put that fuse within 1’ of the battery. That fuse is to protect the wire. With it so far from the battery, that wire can still get very hot and possibly start a fire.

When you first got that boat I was like “what is he buying” now you pulled off another miracle. Well done. Curious what the final total of the build cost ya though

You should solder and use heat shrink on them connections... water will get in the wire nuts and corrode the wires and then you'll be replacing all the light wires! Solder the wires together and use heat shrink and thatll keep the water from getting to the bare wires 😉👍

You did a fantastic job turning that boat around Joe!! I'm always impressed with your abilities!! Great series indeed!! Keep up the great content. I always look forward to seeing your next video!!

Do more fishing videos joe, I love watching that kind of content and I'm sure many others agree! All you're content is so fun to watch can't wait to see what's next! Greatest RU-vid channel for great content! Keep it comin' brother!!!👍👍👍💪💪

Definitely nicer than my first boat. Nice job Joe 👍😎. Please get a life jacket for the Vinster. 😅

That paint sprayer was giving you fits. Looks great, good work!

Great work, looking good! If you didn't put the foam back into the hull I would suggest you get more and replace it. If you haven't replaced it, and you get a leak that you can't pump fast enough, the foam will keep the hull afloat. Maybe not a huge issue in shallow lakes but just thought I would mention it. As usual, you do great work.

you should use solderless wire but connectors and they make a marine heat shrink tubing that would work great instead of the wire nuts wate will get into those wire nuts and corrode the wiring.

Thought add full speed, heard piston ring chatter. Not 100% sure on that. But may have be pushing that motor to hard if seals are weak, can put to much oil into cylinder foul the plugs. May be a good video for rebuild of the motor. Impeller and thermostat need replaced.

Found a bayliner 17' for 300$ couple weeks ago. 2.3l ford inboard with cobra outdrive. The lady was moving and couldn't bring it with. Cleaned and reset points. Runs good in the tank but has a misfire under load on the lake. Be cleaning the Rochester carb this week.

That's called a "good enough" boat! Nothin too fancy but its good enough. Like the paint job.

Your paint sprayer should have a wider fan setting for a more uniform coat and easier to overlap,... Looks good buddy.

Did you replace the impeller? If you didn’t, you should, whether it looks good or not. Great job though, boat looks amazing!

With the paint gun long stokes 3 foot wide left to right or right to left, not small stokes up and down. Hurts me to watch you use a paint spayer. 🙃 Same feeling I got when you first started working on motors it hurt to watch and now you can fix everything and a joy to watch the repairs. Your painting s*cks, you will master that also in time im sure. Don't start the motor when the engine is raised out of water, bad for impellar

I'm not being a hater I love watching your video's and you are really good at getting your vehicles running. I'm just making a suggestion about your painting it would be very informative for you to watch a few videos on painting and I know you will become a much better painter. Keep going you are doing fine everybody has to learn a new skill and practice before you master it.😊😊

When your trailer lights fail due to poor connections, I recommend solder seal butt connectors with shrink wrap.

Change the water pump impeller. With the engine sitting that long.

When you use a paint sprayer you do not use your wrist. You use your arm and do long sprays and maintain an equal distance on the stroke from the nozzle of the gun. You were wrist-swinging your stroke and doing an uneven laydown. The start of the stroke was farther and angled away from the work and the center was straight and closer. The other end of the stroke was the same as the first. I have used that same sprayer many times and I mixed my paint a little heavier but held the sprayer farther from the work. Much faster. Better to spray twice than make runs. You did a great job Bill Hale

You should get one of those, can’t remember what they’re called, but basically it’s a second propeller you place in the front to scoot around without scaring the fish.

JOE!!!! Adjust your sprayer's tip fan. It should be a wide up and down triangle.

Not bad Joe! You got yourself a great little boat! Congratulations, buddy! Wondering what you gonna name her.

Bitchen work. I love how you’re not afraid to go for it, whatever IT is. Good job motivating everyone to get their stuff together & running again. 🎉

Just install a 12v trolling motor on the bow and battery and you are set. Seems to work better than an oar.

Your transducer is set to high to get a clearvbottom reading while moving. The sealant for the holes from the old transducer will eventually fall out. You should plug them mechanically as well by using a rivet or screw.

I’d personally go back use waterproof heat shrink connectors on those trailer lights. THOS wires are going to rust immediately. 1st time in and out of water they’ll rust. Awesome rebuild of this boat. Glad you saved it.

On the boat trailer lights. If you use a ground wire instead of grounding to the frame of the trailer it'll work much better long term. Oh and those heat shrink butt splice connectors that solder, heat shrink, and water proof the connection are amazing and cheap.

The motor was up at launch to give the docking commissioner a good spray on the way out lol 47:00 Man you did a lot of hard work and came a long way with this boat, and it’s always a pleasure to watch your videos.

That turned out amazing. Great job.

Hey bub... Foam roller with 50/50 mix paint and thinner with hardener.... Several coats because it goes on thin....Amazing results...Painted entire vehicles like this ..People swore they was sprayed

Just shot my old aluminum boat recently and the trailer. Came out great, Gulfstream aqua metallic acrylic on trailer. Bottom of boat O.D. green, polished top half with aluminum polish, she's pretty.

they are really good boats, i've had mines for years

Something you can keep and use for years to come! As someone who lives in Michigan on a small inland Lake, nothing better than wetting a line or just floating around after a long week..! Excellent work Joe!

ROFL, dude is so out of his element! Kudos for taking the job on to the bitter end!

What a difference. I was reading through the comments, lots of very good advice. Especially the advice that is repeatedly posted.

That adjustable knob in live well is so you can have it on and not overflow. So it's draining out the side as fast as it comes in.

great job on the rebuild, looks pretty dang good, no unwanted water entering, i hope the engine issue is nothing serious.

I'm literally doing the same thing and almost done I think I can register this week I'm so excited to get out there

This has been a very fun series to watch! What was the top speed? 😃🐟

Just found your channel and really enjoyed the restoration...not sure I'd have the patience! I agree with the soldering and heat shrinking of the connections; really cheap to get at Harbor Freight - you already have the heat gun. Getting max speed means trimming it correctly, but in the video the motor is trimmed all the way down; should be trimmed up to where the wake starts to come off the hull about where you're sitting or a bit farther back. Great job!

Very nice restoration of the SS Vinnie. Change the impeller for good measure. Keep some plugs on board with an electrical crimp kit and a can of wd40 or crc marine. Oh don't forget the cooler full of cold snacks and the sunglasses.

really enjoyed this series

You can buy a different size tip for that grayco sprayer. Sherwin Williams can tell you what the numbers indicate on the different spray tips.

Nice work Joe on this boat as well as the other projects you have saved from the junk heap. In agreeance with other commenters, yes you should try to "water proof" all of those trailer light connections. Even run some light caulk around the lens fittings and screw holes. Marine trailer light kits claim they are water proof, they are not. Maybe for a dunking or two but water will get in and destroy the connections, bulbs etc. I've owned boats and jet skis of all shapes and sizes and one thing I always do is unplug the trailer lights from the vehicle before you drop her in the water. It will save your lights. They will last a lot longer and you avoid shorting things out if there is weird currents in the wiring. Simple advice from a 30 year boater here in communist MD. Just remember to re-connect your lights once your boat is back on the trailer.

Very nice job. I used those seats on my build, you’ll hate them soon. I upgraded. Love your boat👍🏼

Definitely want to put a few layer's of fiberglass on the keel won't have any issues after bogs good for holes not really strong enough to fill the keel. Great video

Great looking boat..captain Joe and 1st mate vinney hit the water..thumbs up ppl..Great job.ur gona have a blast on it..said it b4 illsay it again..fun in the sun.b safe.peace

One more thing to check, now that you've had it in the water, is the gear oil in the lower unit. Make sure it's not milky. If it is then there's a bad seal somewhere. Which could be the prop shaft, drive shaft or water pump seal. If you have a discord I'd be more than happy to provide any advice you might need. I've been around and worked on boats for over 30 years.

Congratulations buddy always a good day when you don’t sink and catch a fish

Hey Joe, Was completely surprised by how well your boat came out. Glad your video came up as a suggestion. I can see that you are an avid "rattle can" painter. By no means a Van Gogh or Picasso. You do manage to get r done. When painting with an electric spryer (I have 3) you need to thin the paint or use a larger orifice. Smooth even strokes is the key. There were lots of spots with little or no paint and some with too much paint (cause runs). All due to rattle can technique ( short strokes, up and down and sideways). I thought to myself he should just grab a roller (I have several sizes). Next scene you got a roller in your hand. I was speechless (could my thoughts have traveled through the internet )? Well, you did not do any better with the roller. Oh, that rattle can style strikes again. Be sure to "LOAD" the roller evenly. You could use the up and down strokes evenly. Start from left to right or right to left over lapping the ends. I was about to email you when you busted out the LPHV. Yep, the $27 low pressure high volume gravity fed paint sprayer from "WALLY MART" ( free delivery, used mine to paint my 23 yo truck). At this point I was sure I was going die! I could see by the spry pattern that you needed to open up on the paint valve. Hardly any paint can be seen coming out of the gun. Then you resort to your up, down and all around strokes. Did I mention the ole "RATTLE CAN TECHNIQUE' ? Good job on your $500 boat. Keep on doing what you are doing. Will continue to watch more of your videos. Have fun on the water-stay safe. Ray

Really enjoyed this rebuild series Joe. Thanks for sharing your time with us. Best wishes, Deb

Great job on the resto, Joe!

Looks great ! Amazing transformation brother. Selling or keeping?

Looks a zillion times better then when you bought it! 👍👍

Good job! Glad to see you get her out after her face lift, she looks great. Hope she serves you well. Give Chuck a call for a relaxing day of fishing!

U did one hell of a job on her she look awesome

A fun watch Dude!! I would have put black and charcoal striping on the outer hull and got some "Tracker" decals from bass pro to match the motor! Well Done! A lot of work but you increased the value immensely!

What a transformation. Great job. You really worked hard and the effort shows.

46:40 there goes your water pump impeller...

Clean that wiring up ans get it as far away from the fuel as possible. May be ever relocate the tank. Looks really nice Good work . Good series. Thanks , fun to watch.

Total Boat has some really good paint made for aluminum goes on great!

Nice job! I’d put a new prop on because the prop balance is causing the engine to shake badly.

OK Joe, you need more painting experience lol. Should be a 5 minute job per coat. That air spray gun can get a nice wide pattern at 10 - 12 inches away. Bit it looks like a new boat now. Nice job !

Brilliant refurbishment. Congratulations.😁. Must admit my apprehension of the battery next to the gas tank. Best regards, phil🇬🇧

Been waiting for the finale video, great to watch, well done it looks awesome 👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Great job. You might want to pack those wheel bearings. I carry a spare bearing assembly in my truck.

Just needs a trolling motor and you’ll be set! As noted make sure to start boat in water so you don’t burn out the impeller Tight lines!

Great video, Joe! Do put a new water pump impeller in the outdrive, it sat for awhile and vanes may be worn. Go enjoy it now!

Right below the boat you pointed to on the sealant pkg, it has an ABOVE WATERLINE symbol. That speedo is BELOW the waterline

Bro your a magician working and fixing machines…but my god what are you doing with that paint 😂😂😂 Got it done 😅 I suppose I’m weak

9:45 I was gonna say, should get new lights! Those are awesome, Joe!

Very cool!!!! I’d check the carbs and make sure they are sync’d

You did a great job on the boat. Initial $500. How much do you think you have in it and how many sweat equity hours do you think worked? I agree with most of the comments. Secure that anchor before you get hurt. Check the thermostat. The prop looks really chewed up so a replacement might be in ordered. The vibrations from the broken prop will quickly wear out your output shaft and bearings. Enjoy your fishing!

Never use wirenuts on trailers and boat wiring. Solder and heat shrink. You will never stop fixing it. Great job on boat. Looks great

Very tidy, very versatile, and very durable boat. 👍

Vinnie approved !! You did a heck of a nice job Joe!

Nice transformation. It doesn't look like the same boat.

Dam you did a hell of a job on the boat. I was thinking the same with Vinny on the boat.

I would definitely install a new impeller just to be sure.

Great job, very detailed, nice work and enjoy your new boat