Boat refurbishing (Alum Sylvan bowrider)

[I'mHooked]

Hi guys (and gals),

 

I may have the opportunity to take possession of a late 70's Sylvan 16½" Aluminum bowrider. The interior is destroyed. Needs complete gut including new floors. The dual consoles are still standing and the windshield is intact. It'll have an '86 Evinrude 90 VRO with it, although not on it as transome is being replaced. I'd likely be retrofitting to a fishing boat from a family fun boat. One of my questions is are there any good sites or forums you guys are aware of relating to this type of DIY refurbishing? Any sites to check out regarding the engine?

I'm trying to convince myself (and the wife ) that it'll be worth the effort. The boat, engine & trailer likely wouldn't cost me anything.

 

Any direction the esteemed and experienced OFC gang point me in is much appreciated. Who knows, maybe I'll need some volunteers to see if the damned thing floats when it's done.

[DRIFTER_016]

The best boating site on the net IMHO is Iboats.

You should be able to find out what you need to know there.

Check the Boat Refurb forum for the repairs to the boat and the Johnson & Evinrude motor forum for your engine.

[bigbuck]

I will second Iboats.com. It's a great resource and you should be able to figure out exactly what you'll need to do from some of the gurus there. There are guys that are very knowledgeable about transom repair, floor replacement, engine work, etc... People have pretty much rebuilt their old cabin cruisers from the keel up with the help they received. If you have the time and some extra money lying around to get the materials for the work, GO FOR IT!!! It'll take you some time but hey, you'll have a boat that only cost you a couple of grand by the time it's all said and done.

[Pikeslayer]

Iboats.com x 3

 

You would more than likely want a large garage or covered area to work on your boat. Most municipalities have bylaws that would make refurbishing in your driveway a potential problem.

 

Slayer

[aplumma]

Before you start make sure that you have a viable motor that can be repaired within your budget before you start on the boat.Price out the controls and material needed to get the boat you want before spending it. Their is nothing worse than spending your budget on something and at the end finding out it is going to cost a big chunk more. Iboats has alot of good info for you to use as you take on the project.

 

 

Art

[I'mHooked]

Thanks everyone. iboats definitely looks like the right place. Have checked out few threads and all quite interesting and pointing in the right direction. Both the boat and engine are familiar to me as I grew up beating the heck out of both of them as it was our family boat. It's been in the family since new. Unfortunately it's seen better days and has been sitting for the last 8 years. A few years ago someone tried to swipe the engine while it was in stroage at a local marina. They cut the cables/controls etc. , and got it off the boat to the ground. Something must have scared them away, as that's how it was found the next morning. While I'd have a garage for working on the engine, the boat itself would likey have to remain outdoors during a transformation. Fortunately my driveway is long enough that you'd have a hard time seeing the boat from the street just driving by.

 

Thanks again guys.

 

(looking forward to the 9th Symon!)

[Uncle Buck]

i'd say buy something that's water ready...

 

to do things right is expensive, when you factor that plus the time, you are better off buying something that is water ready...

[HTHM]

Having done a boat restoration last year, I agree with Uncle Buck, but will say the sense of pride that I have in my vessel, is MUCH higher than one that is not a product of my own work but rather simply something I wrote a cheque for.

If the project is something that you will enjoy doing, I would say, "Go for it!"

Another good resourse for advice and direction is the restoration forum at Bass Boat Central.

Good luck with your choice!

[dave524]

I ran an 1981 18 1/2 Sylvan for almost 20 years, good hull never had any issues with rivets or leaks. The 90 should move it right along as I thought performance was good with that size engine on the bigger hull. Saw this video on youtube a while back, might give some insight into what you are getting into, there are 5 parts to it. Also this other link may give you a place to start with the engine.

 

 

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

 

 

Edit: you might want to talk to Slowpoke, he had a thread on a Starcraft Mariner refit, did a great job on it.

Edited June 22, 2011 by dave524

[SylvanOwner]

Here's some more links that you may find helpful.

 

http://www.themarinedoctor.com/

http://www.noahsmarine.com/Canada/canada.html

http://www.outboardrepairs.com/

http://www.themarinedoctor.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl

http://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3156

http://www.faucher.ca/

 

Good luck with the project, definitely about the pride factor and not about saving money....

[I'mHooked]

Thanks for all the links guys. That'll keep me busy for a while. I'm not in a position to go out and buy a 'water ready' boat now, but taking possession of one that wouldn't cost anything to acquire would make it easier to spend some money on it over time. That'll be easier to swing with wife as well! I'm still debating it, but the other sites provided will help me decide.