Logo
FULL SITE MENU

new guy maybe stupid question.

D

damnchev

New member
i was given a gulfstream boat with no paperwork or trailer. no sure what the motor is besides seized. i think it is a 327 or a 283 according to the casting no. on the cylinder head(3876776). the question i need help with is can i disconnect the engine at the bell housing or what connects it to the outdrive? the engine is seized and it would be easier to fix out of the motor.
 
"Free" is never free...or cheap. Best advice for you is to take this boat to the landfill and not put one more moment of time nor another penny of money into it.
Conservatively, you will spend several thousand on the engine and drive before you get any time on the water. You can find plenty of other boats that are in far better shape for that money and are ready to go.
only if this is some rare and desirable boat that you are restoring but if it's just a project, move on.
 
o2batsea said:
"Free" is never free...or cheap. Best advice for you is to take this boat to the landfill and not put one more moment of time nor another penny of money into it.
Conservatively, you will spend several thousand on the engine and drive before you get any time on the water. You can find plenty of other boats that are in far better shape for that money and are ready to go.
only if this is some rare and desirable boat that you are restoring but if it's just a project, move on.
Click to expand...

crankbait said:
treat it like a handgrenade........pull the pin, and toss it !!
Click to expand...

o2batsea said:
treat it like a hand grenade that SOMEONE ELSE already pulled the pin and tossed at you!!!!
Click to expand...

Now that is funny!


I must agree...... free is never free.
Unless you are craving a project....... you will spend more time and money than it will be worth.



.
 
Ayuh,.... 'n a hull without paper work is a plant pot in most places,.....

No paper, No boat,....

As far as the motor,... 283, 327, don't matter, a 350 will drop right in,....
 
My view on buying dubious boats... assume it will need new engine/drive. Actually engine/drive issues often the cheapest and easiest things to fix on a boat, i.e., you pays your money, you get "new". Now hull issues are a totally different thing. We're talking, transom, stringer, decks as these impact safety.... ugly gelcoat...not so much. IMHO, these types of fixes are more risky than an engine/drive fix. There is no such equivalent as "buy new" ( and bolt in/on) fix. You are always at the mercy of a practitioner's skill and temperament, more so than with the mechanicals, and DIY fiberglass work is harder to learn to do acceptably than much mechanical work. Mess up a fiberglass job and it's not an unbolt/buy another/redo fix.
That said... I'm a great fan of classic boats. There are some nice "collectable" ones out there. Bertram, Hatteras, some Chris Crafts, and a number of smaller ones that hold their value well and are worth becoming "project" boats. Some "big name" ones are nightmares.

With few exceptions, time and money you put into fixing up a boat is sunk money (although some folks are making a business out of restoring and selling restored vintage Bertrams and Hatteras... and the odd restored Chriscrafts sometimes sell for big money).
 
Ayuh,... Got another hint from the OP's post at iboats,...

It's an ole Stringer drive,....

It's a Free boat, 'n Free is it's real value,...
 
sort the paperwork out if possible. Perhaps u can get round that by saying u built it urself (considering the $/time ull put into it). Dont necessarily have to listen t naysayers imo - sometimes u get lucky. Ive been plenty lucky over the years - in fact cant recall when I wasnt. Ive thrown new 30 bucks rings into a $200 junkyard vortec 350 after 200k miles and the hone marks were still visible on the cyl walls (many motors, not one), cleaned the heads / lifters and driven many thousands of miles.

With the right attitude u can do alot more for almost nothing. It would be kinda useless if u did all the work and ended up with no slip/title tho -
 
If it looks like this, run away
omc%20stringer_zpswtqgmhdj.jpg
 
Back
Top