And DIY boat owners on here?

[mddubya]

Any DIY boat owners on here?

Anyone on here own a boat and do the work on it yourself?

I own a 1982 Galaxy Executive ski boat. Last summer the stern drive, its a I/O, screwed up and I took it to be repaired. Almost a grand later its "supposedly" fixed and I pick it up on a Friday and head to the lake. I back it into the water, fire it up and it still won't pull, won't even back itself off the trailer. Sunday evening after we leave the lake I drop it off back at the marina that had done the work on it. Later that evening the shop was "supposedly" broken into and all the owners tools were stolen, bonded but not insured, so he goes out of business, taking my warranty with him.

Frustrated, I parked it under a tree at my Dad's house, (bad idea in hind sight). Short version, tree limb falls, rips the cover, boat fills up with leaves and pecans, unbeknown to me. Fast forward, I get the itch to go boating again and go to take it to another marina, find the MESS. Now the stern drive is still messed up and the wooden floor under the carpeting is rotten.

Have any of ya'll ever replaced a stern drive? How difficult is it to do? And how about the flooring? How hard is it to rip up and replace?

A cousin of mine has offered me a used stern drive off his boat he doesn't want anymore, I just have to remove it and dispose of the boat afterwards.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I have an 84 Sea Sprite with a 140 hp I/O. Haven't had to do anything to it so far, but from what I have read & heard the stern drive comes off fairly easy. They even sell lock nuts to keep them from getting stolen.

As far as the flooring, I have read that's a real bitch & usually isn't worth the hassle.

 

[bryguy]

Boat= hole in the water you pour money into.

Sorry that my post does nothing to help you, but that is what I keep telling myself whenever I get the itch to buy a boat.

 

[mddubya]

Thats pretty much the truth Bry.

 

[eclark53520]

I have a boat....the floor is rotten....i was real ambitious this spring to get it done....

Haven't touched it...

So no...lol

 

[zaphod]

Boat= hole in the water you pour money into.

Sorry that my post does nothing to help you, but that is what I keep telling myself whenever I get the itch to buy a boat.

+1---- to allow time 4 more golf opportunities. Compulsive obsessive--well yes.

 

[fisher]

The first boat we owned was a 1982 Galaxy bowrider. Ours had a 65HP Mercury outboard on it.

I completely restored my 1982 Mako 224. I found the boat deralict in a boatyard and purchased it for the owed storage fees. Repowered, rewired, replaced all of the trim with starboard, built my own custom leaning post, installed electronics and trim tabs. I did every bit of the work myself. I ran charters with the boat for a couple of seasons. Since taking up golf I hardly use the boat anymore but I'd hate to sell it.

 

[mddubya]

Great looking boat there Fisher!!!!! Did you replace the flooring? If so, how difficult was it to do?

 

[fisher]

Floors and transom were solid. Replacing a floor is not that difficult. I'm trying to picture how the floor was designed in our Galaxy. I remember it had carpet. You should be able to cut out the floor leaving a 2" lip all the way around. The lip you leave will give the new floor something to sit on. Make a pattern for your new floor using strips of cardboard or wood and a hot glue gun. I would use the same thickness plywood as the original floor and glass the bottom side with 6 oz fiberglass and epoxy resin. Glass the top with two layers of glass and lap the cloth a few inches up the side of the hull. Again I would use epoxy resin for this project even though its much more expensive as it will assure you that your new floor will last another 20 years or more.

Classicmako.com or classicaquasport.com would be good sources for more info.

 

[mddubya]

Thanks for the info Fisher, I just got a call from a friend offering to help me. He apparently has done this kind of stuff before. As you can see from the tower, we wakeboard behind the boat more than anything else. So I'm thinking about making a wrap around seat like the newer boats have, free up more floor space in the middle.

Ours has a I/O, inline 4 cylinder, but its pumping out 185hp. Darn thing has one head off a 428 Ford Cobra Jet race engine. I have to put octane booster in premium gas, but it will pull anybody up on skis or a wakeboard, and will top out a 52mph.

 

[DaveE]

This won't really be any help but so what. When the day comes that you lose your mind and decide to get something newer, be sure get a fuel injected engine. Best thing I ever did in terms of reliability and gas consumption. See, no help at all.

I have a 2000 Cobalt 206 with 5L, 250hp Volvo Penta. Other than routine maintenance it's been bullet proof. I don't ski any more so I have a cruising duo prop that lets it top out around 60.

I don't have any good pictures but this is it in a brochure.

 

[mddubya]

This won't really be any help but so what. When the day comes that you lose your mind and decide to get something newer, be sure get a fuel injected engine. Best thing I ever did in terms of reliability and gas consumption. See, no help at all.

I have a 2000 Cobalt 206 with 5L, 250hp Volvo Penta. Other than routine maintenance it's been bullet proof. I don't ski any more so I have a cruising duo prop that lets it top out around 60.

I don't have any good pictures but this is it in a brochure.

Nice boat Dave :thumbs up:, and you're right, my next boat will definitely be fuel injected. For that matter, if anyone made a conversion kit to switch this one over to FI I'd do it in a heartbeat. I've had this blasted 2bl rebuilt twice, and it still bogs down coming out of the hole once in a blue moon. And of course, it only does it when I'm trying to pull a friend up for the 1st time, :laugh:

My next boat will be a V-Dive inboard, or a Direct drive inboard. They are a pain to back up, next to impossible, but they plane out instantly. Plus the swim platform all the way across the back right next to the water is the way to go. No trying to pull yourself up a ladder or over the side.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

My wife would shit her pants if our boat got anywhere near 60mph. Right now it tops out right at 40mph which is pretty good for the little 4 banger. She acts as if we are going 70 when I have it opened up.

 

[mddubya]

My wife would shit her pants if our boat got anywhere near 60mph. Right now it tops out right at 40mph which is pretty good for the little 4 banger. She acts as if we are going 70 when I have it opened up.

I hear ya Wi, mine is the same way. She loves it when I'm pulling somebody on a wakeboard because you never get over about 22mph. Once our boat gets up around 30 she starts squirming, over 35 and she starts screaming to slow down,

And 40 on the water feels more like 70 in a car anyway. I've been in one boat that would break 75mph, and I swear it felt like we were doing over a 100.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I hear ya Wi, mine is the same way. She loves it when I'm pulling somebody on a wakeboard because you never get over about 22mph. Once our boat gets up around 30 she starts squirming, over 35 and she starts screaming to slow down,

And 40 on the water feels more like 70 in a car anyway. I've been in one boat that would break 75mph, and I swear it felt like we were doing over a 100.

Yep, I used to have a Sea Doo XP watercraft back about 91-92 & that thing would do 50-52 mph. It felt like a rocket & at the time was the fastest "Jetski"..yes I know that's Kawaskis term...on the water.

Now days they some that are approaching 70 mph, that's frickin nuts.