Now what?

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bandit9

Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Lafayette, La.
My Uncle recently passed away and I was given his little 1436 Alweld Jon boat with a 1992 Merc 25hp 2 stroke tiller steer. I spent a lot time on the water as a kid, growing up in South Louisiana, but haven't done much on the water in 25 years. What I would like to to do is use the boat to cruise around the bayous here in South La., lakes up in Arkansas, and do some bass fishing with my 3 yr old boy as he grows up. More cruising than fishing. I like to explore.

My dad and I took the boat for a spin last weekend. It runs great. It's pretty fast actually. Motor is plenty. However the torque pull to the right was so strong that we had to use two hands to keep it going straight. Not very fun. I checked the little fin above the prop and it's already as far as it can go. So first order of business is too figure out how to correct this or if converting it to a steering wheel with a side console is worth it? It was pretty dangerous trying to drive it like this. Especially with my wife and young son in the boat. I would feel much better with a steering wheel. I've been told by someone to just sell this boat and get another one that has everything on it that I want already. That the conversion is pretty expensive in the end and you still have a 36" wide boat. I could live with the tiller steering if it was a little safer to use.

All I know is that this boat was free. So if I sink a $1000 into it, I'm not out a bunch of money and I have a neat little boat. So I'm willing to try and make this boat work, but also don't want to bang my head against the wall if it is not necessary.

I pretty much gutted the boat. Removed all the flooring and pressure washed it. It is ready to be built up.

Also, what is a boat like this worth anyway? It has two benches, the forward one with a live well. It has some dings and scratches, but overall it is a solid boat.

On the same note, how much ballpark would a used 1448 be with a 25hp motor steering wheel/side console? I have no idea.
 
:WELCOME:

The 1448 would be at least a couple of grand used in good condition if not more the way you described it. I agree with littleJohn. Keep this one and fix it up just a little. Your son will never forget it.

Keep it simple, throw a couple of nice inexpensive padded seats, a level floor and just cruise.

If you end up enjoying it and your son does to then maybe upgrade in the future.
 
I had the same problem with my 16ft. Grumman. There is no way that the torque fin should be all the way to one side. Loosen it and put it strait with the centerline of the boat and test it. Make very small adjustments. REMEMBER THIS! YOU ARE STEARING THE MOTOR NOT THE BOAT.
 
littlejohn said:
For me, the sentimental value would outweigh all else.

Yeah, that is a huge issue.

But the more I talk to people, the more I'm realizing that I need a bigger more stable boat. Like a 1648 at the minimum. I want my wife to want to go and she won't like the instability of the 1436.

I would really like to build this one up, but I could probably sell this one and combine that money with the money I would spend on building it up, and just get the correct size boat already rigged up w/o the time and PIA.

Time to do the work is also a factor. I'm taking it to a boat shop so they can look at it and give me an estimate on the steering conversion and possible deck fabricatinig. Just to see how much it would cost to have someone do it. I own a company and have a 3 year old, so free time to work on a boat project is not something I have a lot of.
 
aro said:
I had the same problem with my 16ft. Grumman. There is no way that the torque fin should be all the way to one side. Loosen it and put it strait with the centerline of the boat and test it. Make very small adjustments. REMEMBER THIS! YOU ARE STEARING THE MOTOR NOT THE BOAT.

Try this first^^^^^^^..... although I have a feeling your motor is not perfectly centered on the transom. Also your trim settings will have an effect on the steering. If its pulling to the right, then adjust the trim tab to the right, and vise versa.
 
I snuck out of work this afternoon :wink: and took the boat for a little spin down the Vermillion Bayou, which runs right through the middle of Lafayette. I wanted to go test it out after a few adjustments. That little fin above the prop was turned the wrong way. It is a lot better. I believe a little more adjustment on that "Co-pilot" nut will help even more. However, it still is very tiresome, especially at speed, that is where it is the worst, and also where I will spend the majority of my time in the boat, at speed, cruising.

I still want a remote steering wheel/side console set up. The dealer said ballpark it would be about $800 for the parts and $600 for the labor. I'm mulling it over.

As far as stability goes, it really isn't that bad with just me in the boat. I can move around with no issues.

That motor is fast. I don't know how fast, but that little light boat can move. I think it is too much motor for that little boat. A 15-20hp would be right for a 1436.

The dealer said my prop could be part of the problem too. The prop isn't in good shape. Lots of chunks missing on the edges.
 
Like you say...the motor is probably alittle to much for a 1436.
Plus it's not a speed boat or cruiser but a jon boat.
You can make it work but it is what it is...a nice little jon boat.
If your thinking high speed cruising,I'd probably look for something with alittle V to the hull.
Be happy with what you decide and don't rush your decisions.
 
No, not high speed cruising. More like 15-20mph. Just getting on top the water.

I have a question about which side of the steering handle to sit on. What I've been doing is sitting on the right side of the boat and steering with my left hand. I'm right handed and was thinking it would be easier for me to "hold" the motor from going to the right with my right arm instead of trying to "pull" the handle towards me to counter steer.

How do ya'll sit? Is that steering handle reversible?
 
Any tips on adjusting the "co-pilot" setting?

I don't have the manual yet for the motor, but do these smaller hp motors have alternators?
 
Keep adjusting the Trim Tab or 'co-pilot'. If it pulls to the right (starboard) move the tab to the left (port). Start with it centered, it may have centering score marks for this, and then adjust in small increments. That is also the sacrificial anode for the motor, so do not remove it entirely or install one that is not made of the right material (ie, build your own from steel).

Sitting on the right (starboard) and handling the tiller left handed is how the motor was designed to be operated. Your weight on the starboard side will help to counter the rotational torque of the motor and help keep the starboard side down while getting on plane.

After you have properly positioned the trim tab/anode you will see an even greater benefit by installing a Dole-Fin on the anti-ventilation plate. Once on plane it is like you have power steering.
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
Can you tighten up the pivot point?

I'm assuming this is what Mercury calls the "Co-pilot". Huge nut on a threaded bar at the base of the motor. It says "Increase this way and 'Decrease that way". It appears to act like a steering dampner where you can make it real hard to steer (tight) or real easy to steer (loose).

I'll throw a crescent wrench in the boat with me next time and play with it some.
 
I have a 25hp Yamaha on my Alumacraft 1470MV and it too will scoot. I would keep the motor, sell the boat, get a much wider boat and a stronger prop not a faster prop. The bigger the bite of a prop the stronger the push out of the hole. The smaller the bite the faster at top speed. As far as tiller control goes, when you get it set just right with the fin and the tentioner, it is just like cruse control. In fact when I'm alone in my boat I can make slight course adjustments just by tilting my weight from one side to the other. Take the money that you would use to switch to steering control and get a wider boat or a boat that has a steering console in place. Look in Craig's. There are a bunch out there. Good luck.
 
Well, I tired adjusting the "co-pilot" deal. Apparently it is already as "tight" as it will go. That sucks.

It really blows not having the manual. I should have it next week.

I'm taking my wife and 3 year old out in the boat tomorrow. This will be his first boat ride. B/t my wife and the boy, I'm expecting chaos. LOL.

I bought another nice high backed seat with the clamp thingy. Mounted it on the forward bench. Put one of those seat cushion/life preserver deals next to it. I screwed the cushion straps into the sides of the bench with some short self-tapping screws. Nice and secure. This is for my son to sit on next to my wife.

The weather isn't looking good for tomorrow, but we will make it rain pretty hard before we call it quits.
 
Too much lightning for my wife on Sunday so we decided to not go for a ride. Maybe next weekend. However at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell the boat.
 

Latest posts

Top