1970's Sportsman Restoration
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:21 am
Hello all,
I've recently decided to begin restoring a Marinnette that my father purchased in the late 80's. It has sat out if the water for 25+ years. At times it was filled with rainwater as the drain was stopped up with leaves. All the decks rotted and were pulled out years ago.
A little history on the hull. From what I've found on this forum and other internet sources it appears to be a Sportsman. I believe it is a 1973 and I'm not sure on the beam and the length, either a 26' or 28'. It has a forward helm on the starboard side, with a V-berth and head.
It was repowered with a diesel engine with a heat exchanger and operated in saltwater. It was used as a shrimp boat before my dad got it and had been when it was repowered. My dad acquired it to use as a workboat for pushing docks around while he was building marinas. When finished with constructing said marinas he pulled it out of the water to replace the shaft, cutlass bearings, and packing box as there was a lot of power train vibration. The boat has sat in the same cradle ever since (late 80's early 90's).
The current powertrain is a 6 cyl. Ford-Dagenham diesel mated to what looks like a V-drive. Both are frozen, and the v-drive was submerged in fresh water for some time and is quite rusty on its outer case and I'm sure is corroded/seized internally. The "Dag" is likely also seized in the bottom-end as it was partially submerged.
What I know of the boat is: it was slow as it couldn't run full speed from the powertrain vibration; loud as the engine sits outside the decking due to its greater height and length than the V-8 it probably came with. Aside from those two downfalls it was a great boat from all parties who ever used her for work or pleasure. Unfortunately, my father passed away two years ago and all the knowledge he had of her went with him. What I've mentioned here were tidbits of conversations we had throughout the years about her.
Any advice about the suitability of this hull for restoration would be greatly appreciated. My primary concerns are: 1) are there potential corrosion issues from it sitting with freshwater in it for multiple years touching the hull and engine/trans?, 2) I'm on the fence as to trying to save the diesel engine or just finding a gasser to repower (weight is the primary concern), 3) any experience/advice on replacement parts and prices are welcome, I'm assuming everything will need replacing until proven otherwise, 4) any information available for 70's Sportsman would be appreciated as I haven't found much on them.
TL; DR I'm interested in restoring a 1970's Sportsman. Looking for advice on things to watch out for when assessing the suitability/timeline/expense of this restoration.
Thanks,
Joe
I've recently decided to begin restoring a Marinnette that my father purchased in the late 80's. It has sat out if the water for 25+ years. At times it was filled with rainwater as the drain was stopped up with leaves. All the decks rotted and were pulled out years ago.
A little history on the hull. From what I've found on this forum and other internet sources it appears to be a Sportsman. I believe it is a 1973 and I'm not sure on the beam and the length, either a 26' or 28'. It has a forward helm on the starboard side, with a V-berth and head.
It was repowered with a diesel engine with a heat exchanger and operated in saltwater. It was used as a shrimp boat before my dad got it and had been when it was repowered. My dad acquired it to use as a workboat for pushing docks around while he was building marinas. When finished with constructing said marinas he pulled it out of the water to replace the shaft, cutlass bearings, and packing box as there was a lot of power train vibration. The boat has sat in the same cradle ever since (late 80's early 90's).
The current powertrain is a 6 cyl. Ford-Dagenham diesel mated to what looks like a V-drive. Both are frozen, and the v-drive was submerged in fresh water for some time and is quite rusty on its outer case and I'm sure is corroded/seized internally. The "Dag" is likely also seized in the bottom-end as it was partially submerged.
What I know of the boat is: it was slow as it couldn't run full speed from the powertrain vibration; loud as the engine sits outside the decking due to its greater height and length than the V-8 it probably came with. Aside from those two downfalls it was a great boat from all parties who ever used her for work or pleasure. Unfortunately, my father passed away two years ago and all the knowledge he had of her went with him. What I've mentioned here were tidbits of conversations we had throughout the years about her.
Any advice about the suitability of this hull for restoration would be greatly appreciated. My primary concerns are: 1) are there potential corrosion issues from it sitting with freshwater in it for multiple years touching the hull and engine/trans?, 2) I'm on the fence as to trying to save the diesel engine or just finding a gasser to repower (weight is the primary concern), 3) any experience/advice on replacement parts and prices are welcome, I'm assuming everything will need replacing until proven otherwise, 4) any information available for 70's Sportsman would be appreciated as I haven't found much on them.
TL; DR I'm interested in restoring a 1970's Sportsman. Looking for advice on things to watch out for when assessing the suitability/timeline/expense of this restoration.
Thanks,
Joe