I don't know why you guys don't have 100k+ subs. Please keep up the high quality videos, they're really invaluable for enthusiasts and people in the business alike.
Can't wait for all the videos restoring this boat! For about the last 8 months I've been upgrading and repairs on my boat. I asked you a while back about doing a carb motor so this willbe great. I would love to have a new boat but theres nothing wrong with upgrading and repairing an older boat, kind of like a classic car! I have the 98 pro line boat I told you about a while back. Thanks for the great videos!
Awesome! It's a big project :) that's right! I just did a carb today on a 9.9 merc but I'm not sure if itll become a video or not. Still haven't done a larger carb motor since we talked lol dont worry, new boats are overrated ;) lol
Having just left worship, I am praying for you, your family and your home church. I'm ready to retire as a teacher and learn these skills for a second career someday. :)
I'm doing a restoration on a 1989 Gambler 205 bass boat. Just got the floor back in it. Having to spend a lot of time fixing "repairs" that some previous owner attempted. It a process for sure!!!
Thank you for another great video. You have an exceptional ability to provide a tremendous amount of helpful information, in a short, clear concise format!
Hey bro me and my brothers live in Panama city fl. We love to go spearfishing so we use our boats a lot like 300 hrs a year i love to due the maintenance myself on my motors/ ect. Your channel is the best channel i have ever seen you do a great job on your videos. Thankyou for your time and effort on making them. If you're ever in Panama city we will take you fishing.
That's awesome! Spearfishing is really fun! Thank you! I lived in Mossy head North of Fort Walton and worked in Destin for about 9 months in 2007! That is a beautiful area up there, yalls beaches are amazing!
Current project is an 1984 Grady White Tournament 190. Through YT videos and forums I've been introduced to glass work and have even replaced sections of the rotting floor! Looking forward to see the project boat transom job, as my other project (1984 Robalo 2660) will likely need a new transom. Wish me luck!
That's awesome! Congratulations on the floor repair! We will be getting into the transom in the up coming weeks so real soon you'll see it cut out and put back in! :)
That's awesome! I had an 85 21 mako, they are great boats! Ride like a dream :) those 250 ox66 are great motors too! That's what's on our wellcraft ;) they run forever!
Picked up a project 1987 Chaparral 198 f should be good fun. I missed checking the lower unit oil, and gear function. So I might need a lower unit for a 98 johnson 25" 150.
I just bought foreverfixin 2 she is a 1983 Carver 26 Monterey got a few videos on my channel gave 1500 nice boat going to get her fix up and go to the Bahamas
Look forward to seeing the progress as you go. Currently re building a Shetland 575, my 1st boat and ended up completely gutting it and starting again 😂 been a long process so far but getting there lol.
I've met Mark Haupner, really cool guy, gave me a tour of the facility, he has since sold OM but still comes in. These hulls get repowered multiple times, very solid, well made boat! Out of my league but great place to visit! Nice choice!
That's awesome! I didn't even know they made center consoles for a long time! How was the facility, I'm sure it was huge! Idk about out of your league lol look at how this one looks :/ they just need a lot of love :)
@@BornAgainBoating tell me how to post pictures, I have several dozen of their facility, I drove by it one day and Mark spent an hour with me telling me about his hulls, awesome man, also a pioneer in speedboat racing.
Learn something from everyone of your videos! Celebrating tonight!! I finally got that mercury 150 gearbox to pop off from about a week and a half ago. Thanks for your advice and Kroil.
I’m Frank Btw I work at invincible boat here in Miami . So if you ever run into one . I follow you on Instagram. This is so you can follow back trust_me_iam_frank.
Hey! Terrific! I am looking forward to you guys getting this thing in order. I love all your vids, but the full-on robot restores are truly compelling. Thanks for hitting it out of the park with your videos. Love the channel!
Nice following you. Learning more is nothing bad. Did my Aguasport 19.6 and each year I do aRe touch and keep putting it nicer and more secure. This Winter I might do Fuel Tank. Thanks for your knowledge. Was month ago on Marathon. Key colony. Next time will stop to meet you. Thanks again. Live In Orlando
Awesome! That's cool, sounds like a really nice boat :) Have fun with the fuel tank though lol they are quite the task! That's awesome, we live in KCB ;)
@@BornAgainBoating next year, glad to meet you. The gas tank has a small leak somewhere after I fill it over 3/4 Full. I think welding on top border got Bad. Hopefully can fix without Taking out and Replace. Have a stainless steel welder if I find the Rip. Thanks
Great Video that info could have saved many people some serious heartache and $........It's so easy to dream of wind in your hair and big fish not knowing how much money and work a project boat really is and what to check for. Many people wait until they get it home to really check it out then realize they played the fool.
I have a 59 holiday and it runs pretty good. Original motor as well 35 Johnson. Curious if you have any tips for bihimi like tops for these types of boats. Thanks
GREAT Channel. Subbed. I've missed a few amazing deals on hulls over the years, but this channel has really opened my eyes as to what's possible. I now focus on 30-35' 1980's Scarab iii's and Formula Force hulls, for conversions into centre consoles & cuddy consoles, repowered with Armstrong brackets & outboards. Definitely recommend the entire series as a must watch, prior to diving in to a big restoration. I generally aim for old hulls on good trailers, a decent 32 can usually be had for 2500-3500usd if you shop during the winter. With 3-400 man hours, $30-40k in power and refit, you can truly make a stellar offshore rig. Keep these vids coming.
Perfect timing for a video! I’m in the process of finding a good used boat I can fix up. How do you determine the hours on a motor and at what point would you consider replacing vs rebuilding a motor?
That's awesome! Hopefully you can get the hours from the gauge, but if not, then if the engine is built in the past 20 years, most of them store the hours on the engine computer and require being hooked up with a laptop. Start with the spark and compression and the visual inspection to see whether it's worth fixing up! If the price to rebuild is more than a decent used engine, then replace it :)
Good question about hours. I bought my boat new in 1998 - I take care of everything I own so she’s in great shape. I recall the hours-gauge being an option that I declined buying since I was spending money like I had it. I’ve regretted that ever since. I have a shop manual for the Merc 150 and will take a look at pulling the hours.
I have a 1976 v20 steplift rebuilt the transom and stringers I/o rebuilt the motor and outdrive but need to finsh the floor,But I ran out of steam, need it gone, spent over 3000 on motor and outdrive.
It really depends on your budget and what you've got on the boat now. Do you like what you have had in the past? Can you reuse the rigging? What about local technician's and dealers near you, in case you have an issue. Is there someone qualified to fix it? All of those manufactures make a good product for certain models and horsepower ranges, so there's just a lot of variables there to say one is better than the other :/
I can’t wait to see you do the deck. I have a 1990 23ft Donzi with a 250efi that has been real good to me, and I use it regularly. It needs a deck and I’d like to change the tank when I do it.
We won't be doing the complete deck in this boat. The stringers and main deck is in really good strength. I will be adding some structural glass to the fuel tank access panel of the deck though, it is a little soft, but not going to cut the deck out from gunwale to gunwale. What's the deck look like in the Donzi? Do you have to cut it from gunwale to gunwale or is there just a middle access like in this boat that you can strengthen up?
Born Again Boating... it’s a two piece boat, so a new deck would have to be grafted into the gunwales. It’s also one big piece and the console and t-top sits in the center. Someone had a cooler holder in front of the console so some water got in through those holes. And it looks like some water got in when someone changed out the leaning post so it’s soft there too. The tank is hanging in there though!!
Ahhhhh ouch, that hurts! That's a big nasty job there for sure! It's awesome that the tank is holding in though! Yeah, you'll have to pull the leaning post and the center console and then cut from the gunwales all the way around and redo the whole thing :( that's a really big job. How's your work environment/shop situation look? Do you have a good area and the tools to do something like that?
Born Again Boating ... I don’t have a shop. I keep putting it off. Now that it’s rainy season again and 1000 degrees outside, I’ll probably wait till winter if I decide to do it. I’ve had it for 3 years now, on the fence between restoring it or trading it. It’s a nice looking boat, maybe I could find a Donzi enthusiast that would want to do her right.
Thank you! On the fuel tank, sometimes they arent leaking and you can just fix a leak on the sender. Saves a ton of money. This tank is leaking for sure though, so we are going to replace it :) it's a 160 gallon tank so itll end up being like a 2k tank with the hoses and sender and everything :/
hey dude I was just wondering how feasible it is to inject floating foam into the sides and under the floor of an old boat to make it unsinkable.I'm new to boating and don't know how boats are made, whether or not there's wires or steering stuff going on under the floor etc.can you please help me out by telling me if I can do this easily and what the process would be.
@@BornAgainBoating Thank you, I am almost ready to water test it, (first shakedown). I just need to find the shaft for the outdrive lift cylinders, or order another one.
I absolutely love your videos, I'm an outboard tech up in Stuart, a few hours north of you. I've been doing it for a while now but I always learn a trick or something new watching your videos! What app was that you used to all the logged data?
Thinking of buying a project boat with a inboard motor but I would change it to an outboard motor. Filling in the whole from the old motor and a new bracket, would that be a lot of of work?
That's a big project! It does take a ton of work, to remove the old engine, reinforce the transom, refiberglass the floor to cover up the hole, paint everything, install the bracket, and then rig it up. It's a big job for sure! If you have the time and motivation, it can be well worth it if you really like the boat though!
How hard is it to make a fiberglass outboard bracket as one piece fiberglassed with the transom and knees, if the stringers don’t run all the way to the transom? My boat was designed for 2 x 5.7 Mercs as an I/O boat. Appreciate you expert opinion!
That is a [pretty big job to do. Doing an IO conversion like that takes a lot of work and some engineering to get done. As far as the bracket goes though, idk about where you live, but for us down in in south Florida, we have stainless marine and armstrong so there are tons of outboard brackets running around that can be picked up for a decent price. So just running the stringers back to the transom and reinforcing the transom to support the bracket would be the better route to take :)
Born Again Boating - thanks for the info. I am just wondering if I am going to go the extra mile and run stringers to the transom, I might as well extend them. The tear-down of the rotten transom you are doing seems like you are redoing the transom and knees. Engineering wise, the bolts of the outboard bracket are just another bond to another structure - I just don’t see the difference in a fiberglass construction-like bracket that is made up of stringers and constructed similar to a stainless bracket - what is the real difference then?
How about not buying a reject, errr I mean, project boat which is gonna completely drain your pocket, But just wait a little longer and save up some more and buy a newer decent boat?
How would you cut out an aluminum tank that is welded into an aluminum boat? I am afraid of sparks causing a fire, I am able to almost completely drain the tank though
You might want to drain the tank out completely and then have a welder come look at what you have going on. Maybe a good welder could fix your issue? Either way, you are going to need a welder to get into a project like that. How big of a tank is it? You will need to drain it out completely and then let it air out for a little while, keeping it dry though.
@@BornAgainBoating It's a 30 gallon tank. Also my fuel sending unit is corroded on any tips on replacing that? I think the tank is still good as I still use it but id like to get it cleaned and it would be nice to have a fuel gauge
That's not that bad of a tank. Sounds like your fuel sender is the main issue. Maybe try soaking it with some kind of penetrating oil and then trying to get the sender screws out. Worst case scenario you'd have to drill out the old bolts. Then rotate the sender a little bit, drill new holes and tap them to put in a new sender. It's a pretty tedious task to do. Make sure you have a water separator installed though, in case any of the metal shavings make their way up the pick up. The filter will catch them and stop them from getting to the engine. Sounds like quite the project! Good luck Sir
No, the engine was fine, needed some work, but is running fine now. The 200 HPDI is a great engine, but I wouldn't get into putting a powerhead on a 250 or 300, unless you are doing it for speed purposes. You can find a four-stroke for the amount that it will cost to do the powerhead deal
Born Again Boating the 300 HPDI I was looking at has a hole in a piston. I was thinking that if the rebuild goes bad I’ll be out the cost of a power head. I read that blowing pistons is a common problem on these so I decided to pass. They start to run lean then boom! If I’m in the used outboard market, 300 to 400 hp range, single or twin, what are good used engines that can be rebuilt if needed? Im looking for something that likely has a few years of use left but should I need to rebuild it will be worth it. Considering things like availability of parts, technical information, and difficulty.
Yes, I’m somewhat after speed. I’m planning an I/O to outboard conversion on my Formula 233 at some point. It will be my fishing rig when I’m done. Currently the deck is out, tank is shot, the foam is removed and a couple stringers are on the way out. I’m thinking now is as good of a time as any to hang a bracket. I pulled my 5.7L Merc which has foamy oil although it was rebuilt by the last owner. It needs new exhaust and a valve job. Compression 190 psi all around but has 40% leak on cyl #6. I’m thinking I should just go to outboards now opposed to the top end rebuild. Or I can throw on new exhaust and valves then run her until she blows should that not fix the issue.
@@vincenttrapani6331 Ide say find your closest and biggest mercury dealer and see what they have laying around. I know we have a few cowlings laying around down here. Cost to much to ship it though. New cowlings will be in the thousands, so find a place that does a lot of volume in verados and they should be able to find something for you!
Let's wait until we finish the project and maybe you could buy this one :) We have three boats and I usually finish one and use it while working on another one and then sell it once I get the next one finished. Kind of just rotate through boats lol but if you like this one then maybe we could work something out! :) Where abouts in Florida?
Just the usual cleaning. I think the best corrosion blocker is Yamashield by Yamaha. I think they have a de-greaser that can be used in a two-part application, I can't remember for sure though. I do recommend the Yamashield though. Gunk is also a good corrosion, or engine protector. We are actually going to be working on video about this exact thing for next Tuesday! :)
Awesome! I’ll be looking for it. It’s to the point that I think it might have to be sanded or wired off. Not super bad but not just the surface if that makes sense
It’s a 2005 merc 125 saltwater. It was a saltwater boat in New Jersey and now it’s a freshwater boat for Lake Michigan. I’m thinking I should probably get some kind of chemical flush for the water passages as well. No gunk on the thermostat tho.
Hmmm shouldn't be to terrible. I know those bolt heads do like to rust away. A good freshwater washing with some Gunk de-greaser and a cheap 2" paint brush usually knocks a lot of the stuff off. Then spray it down and wipe it down with that Yamashield or Gunk Shine, that should get you protected :) Clean thermostats are a pretty good sign! Good engine too!
It's our boat :) We're hoping to get back onto it here in the next couple months. It's season right now down here, so we're really busy at the marina and it gets dark at like 6, so we don't have the time to do any work on it right now. But hopefully in a month or two we'll be back on it and get it in the water!
Last tank I got was for a Donzi 18 from Sunshine Tank down there. Shipping to Maryland didn't help the price any either but you being there stops that. Being your boat is a 90's boat and not a 60's boat there is a good chance Moeller will have it www.moellermarine.com/product-category/fuel-containment/permanent-fuel-tanks/
Yeah, that will change things with the shipping and the age. Moellers are good, plus, a lot of the moeller tanks we can get the next day through land n sea! So that's always a plus! Hopefully next week I'll the tank out of the boat and see what's going on there!