1978 Sylvan Restoration.

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Dowellz

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I'm glad I came across this website in the beginning of my journey of my makeover of a 1978 sylvan with a 85hp Force motor. There is sooo much info on here and I've been doing my best to read it all before I dig into this boat.

Brief history on the boat. Found this thing on Craigslist a few weeks ago, and after going for a test drive I decided that it will make a great boat to restore. Once I got it home I cleaned out all the dirt and leaves, all the beer cans, all kinds of old bait and fishing line, and about 10 rusty cans of off. Filled my shop vac nearly with all the dirt and leaves and filled a entire garbage bag. Not sure how anyone lets a boat get that bad, but oh well. Only paid $1000 for everything.

The good:

-Motor runs good. Had about $500 in services done last year supposedly.
-Came with a 10hp evinrude that also has a piece of linkage that goes to the big motor so you can steer it with the steering wheel.
-new tires on trailer and a new spare. New bearing installed this year.
-brand new fish finder. About a $150 value
-came with to down riggers. Never used them before but maybe now I will. About a $150 value.

The bad:
-boat takes a little bit of water in from below the transom. Looks like it can be fixed by rebucking the rivots and I plan on putting down a nice thick coat of gluvit.
-floors are shot, they used pieces of plywood over the existing to strengthen the floor.
-tramsom is shot, need to be replaced. Outside skin needs to be patched up from all the holes over the years.
-wiring is shot, they used speaker wire in parallel to run all kinds of things like the bilge pump etc. luckily I'm a electrician so I look forward to fixing it and improving it. This boat is gonna have lots of leds. :D

I'm gonna wait another week or 3 to start tearing into the boat. I'd like to fish out of it a couple times before I gut it. In the mean time, I'd love to hear any advice on what to do first and how to attack some of my problems. I will post pictures very soon.

Thanks guys
 
Speaker wire in and of itself isn't necessarily bad - it can be a cheaper way to get a hold of tinned wire if done by someone competent with wiring.

Sounds like you've got your list of issues in order of their priority already.
 
i know everyone loves pictures!!

This is how she sat when i bought her. Very dirty!
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After I cleaned it up.

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Need it to fit in the garage. :)

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It's a snug fit

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Got the trailer lights working.

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Thanks for looking.
 
I would agree that using speaker wire isn't so bad, but nothing is labeled, not even positive or negative. The boat will be getting some sort of fuse panel when I get that far.

You actually reminded me by saying that about the impeller. I will run to the store and buy the stuff to add a telltale so I at least know it's pumping water. He said it was just replaced, shouldn't a impeller last a few years?
 
All motors have tell tales - if you don't see water flowing testing it on muffs in the backyard then something is definitely wrong.

Even if it's flowing I'd still never take the word of a seller and at least inspect it & make sure it's a new impeller (rubber is flexible, not chipped, not stuck in it's installed form for too long after removal etc.)

Just the other day this guy put up a post RE: the same https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=41468


You don't want that happening away from shore - you certainly don't want that happening while you're running your motor and find out about it after the motor has overheated which is usually the way it goes. Impellers are cheap - but letting a bad one burn out your motor turns your $1,000 great find into a colossal waste of money in the blink of an eye.
 
The force motors don't have a telltale like most. It comes out 2 ports on the front of the motor but not like most where it actually had a hole with a constant stream. It's about a 10 min add on and probably less than $10 worth of supplies.
 
Interesting - I did not know that. Leave it to Chrysler to come up with an idiotic way to make an outboard.

Still check the impeller.
 
Got the tell tail installed. Will be placing a order for a impeller very soon. That will be a good time to change out the oil in the bottom end.

Looked into why my tach doesn't work. That's because some genious thought it was a good idea to just chop away at the boats wiring! Ughhh. Found the horn, a fuse block which I think I will be able to reuse in this project and the wires that should go to the tach. My tachometer is a OMC tho, not sure how many polls it is??? Need to do some more digging.

Filled the boat with some water and found 3 screw holes that were letting water in. Gonna temporarily fix them for now till I decide to dig into the transom.

Stay tuned for more. In the next few weeks I plan on gutting the entire boat and hopefully have a quick turn around so I can be fishing by October. Just need the transom, floors, carpet and console installed and will save the rest for the winter if I'm able!!!

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How much room is under the floor on these boats? I see some people put rod lockers in the floor, curious how much room there is?
 
Well, after fishing all weekend about 2 weeks ago, the last day the boat starts to run like crap. So I decided to do some maintenance. Changed the fuel diaphragm, water pump, put new spark plug boots on, new fuel lines, and new fuel primer bulb. Fixed a leaky bolt, and some other misc things. Started it up in a 50 gallon tote and it seems to be running great again. 1-2 more weeks and I plan on gutting the entire boat. Stay tuned, things are about to get interesting!
 
Finally pulled the transom. Wow was it in horrible condition. Absolutely water logged and I could put a screw driver through it without much effert. No clue how it held my 85hp motor. I have some questions about epoxy. I found a link saying to use 635 thin epoxy with medium hardener. Is that the right stuff? Will 1 quart be enough? Here are some pictures!

Used a ratchet strap to help pull the wood out.

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This is all that was left. The entire left side was completely rotten.

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Dang near the boat as mine. 16 ft star craft ss. Wish i did the ski locker when i had mine gutted for additional storage. Once you have yours gutted you can see you stringer layout and go from there. Find a lid on c list and frame in a box. Most use aluminum. And there you go.
 
Gonna start on the floor Thursday. Real curious to see how much room is under there. Would love to have some tackle storage.

Anyone have some input on the sealing the transom? Search results come up with a lot of old threads 4+ years old.
 
I used spar urethane. I meesed up though and sealed them then glued them together. You want to glue them together and then seal them.
 
Dowellz said:
I found a link saying to use 635 thin epoxy with medium hardener. Is that the right stuff? Will 1 quart be enough?
Use Raka epoxy - very cost effective and no expen$ive pumps needed! Simple 2-parts resin to 1-part hardener for most of their mixes. Just be sure to use a WIDE container, like a big tin foil pan with lots of surface area, if/when mixing up a bigger batch. This applies to ANY epoxy mix by the way. Mix too much up in a plastic tub and it can set itself on fire!

Call and ask for Larry or Mike, https://www.raka.com/ , at 772-489-4070.

A bunch of us, including a friend who works on wood boats, switched to Raka epoxy from West Systems and we're getting equal results at 1/2 to 2/3rds the price! For any hobbyiest (sp?)... their ~$20 sample kit is a MUST HAVE purchase! They're in FL and I'm up north in MA and I get my orders delivered in 2-3 days.

Nice build =D> by the way!
 
Dowellz - what are you going to epoxy??

there was about 4 threads in the last couple of weeks about
sealing and painting decks, floors and transoms.
Several views and opinions on sealing any wood project.
different types of wood require different sealing methods and products.

when you get to one specific project, that is when to ask your specific questions.
for the transom - the general consensus is to glue your 3/4" plywood panels
together first. The next day, make a cardboard template and cut your transom to size.
sand all edges and flat sides. sand off the sharp corner edges - (they don't hold coatings very well).
then, your choice of sealing and finishing methods..........
apply the same number of coats of anything to the wood for best results.
not 3 coats on the front and one coat on the back.
plywood edges are the most vulnerable to moisture penetration . . . . preserve them well.
good luck in your journey !!

Dale has wooed me over to "the dark side" with Raka Epoxy.
I have been a die hard West System user for 40 years and I must say that
I like the Raka better - Thanks Dale !!
 
Thanks gonefishin for the tip. A quick search of spar and there are plenty of people that use it with success. And the fact I can get it locally is a plus!

I'm thinking I will put a piece of wood on the outside of the transom. I like the idea of strength, so I think I am gonna put a piece of the marine grade plywood on there and seal it up with the same spar urethane. Depending on how it looks with just sealer I might paint the outside piece black.
 
One thing with spar is it needs to be covered i believe. As in not uv resistant. So where ever you use it it should be painted, vynled or carpeted.
 
GoneFishin - quite the opposite......

Spar varnishes are typically designed to not only protect the wood,
but also give it the flexibility and UV protection it needs to last for years.
And the name “spar" varnish comes from the boating world, where, on a sailboat,
the long wooden poles that support the sails are known as spars.
So a spar varnish needs to be one that can withstand the rigorous conditions
of the lake and ocean seafaring life.

Household Spar Varnishes typically have very little "true" UV inhibitors.
The frugal manufacturers will typically just have a few drops of the UV inhibitors
in the formula to comply with the truth in advertising regulations.
So their resistance to the harsh UV elements is not much better
than regular furniture varnish or polyurethane.

Marine Varnishes, which are far more expensive, do contain considerable amounts
of UV inhibitors. So if you need full UV protection, it would be in your best interest to seek out
the name brands that have the specified ingredients that your project requires.

The amount of varnishes and paints used in today’s world are often overwhelming to the average person.
If you are restoring a 1940 Chris-Craft mahogany runabout, you would want to use the highest quality of
materials available, regardless of cost.
If you are just replacing or refinishing a plywood transom or wood seats on a Jon Boat,
you really don’t need to spend $65.00 for a quart of paint or varnish when the more inexpensive coatings
will do the job just as well. Proper preparation before applying any coating will result in a more durable and favorable finish.
Bottom line is - you get what you pay for.

This is an excerpt from an article that I have written - - -
If anyone would like to read the full article, PM me and
I will send it to you in "doc" format.





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