2019 Boat Restoration: Outboard 22 May 2019

[WSU]

FYI - The fuel efficiency of newer outboards are light years better than older motors.  I'd look into that before you decide.  That can make a big difference both in range of your boat and cost to operate it.

[C-Money]

I'd be looking for one of these...

[Crunchy]

I have a 19' walk through with a 200HP Verado L4 4stroke. WFO at 6K RPM gets me +/- 47MPH. DON'T UNDER POWER YOUR BOAT. Trust me Mike, There is a reason  anyone that can afford to upgrades their 2 year old outboards in favor of something closer to the max HP rating.

I must be getting old but 47mph on a boat seems like fun but if it is a fishing boat and not a ski boat how fast do you need to go?  My 18 footer has a Honda 90 on it, and goes 34ish, which is plenty fast.  If you are fishing the sound, it isnt often you can go full throttle, due to wind and waves.  Max on my boat is a 115, and I wouldnt go bigger than my 90.  Now if you are in a 22 footer or bigger than I would likely go max hp rating.  But a small boat is just that, small.  Go one size smaller than max, and put that extra money you save into something newer.

[JJB11B]

I have a 19' walk through with a 200HP Verado L4 4stroke. WFO at 6K RPM gets me +/- 47MPH. DON'T UNDER POWER YOUR BOAT. Trust me Mike, There is a reason  anyone that can afford to upgrades their 2 year old outboards in favor of something closer to the max HP rating.

I must be getting old but 47mph on a boat seems like fun but if it is a fishing boat and not a ski boat how fast do you need to go?  My 18 footer has a Honda 90 on it, and goes 34ish, which is plenty fast.  If you are fishing the sound, it isnt often you can go full throttle, due to wind and waves.  Max on my boat is a 115, and I wouldnt go bigger than my 90.  Now if you are in a 22 footer or bigger than I would likely go max hp rating.  But a small boat is just that, small.  Go one size smaller than max, and put that extra money you save into something newer.

My boat is a 2018 Tracker Targa V19 Walkthrough. It is the anniversary model

[BIGMIKE]

Well, took the transom top cover and there is minimal salt build up. Transom is dry and looks solid. BUT I noticed small pin- small corrosion holes at the botom, 2 left and 1 right. When i poked it with small nails the wood seems to he solid. Im air drying the entire transom by wedging tools between wood and aluminum. Ill leave it open for few days as the weather do the work. Im planning on placing epoxy on the holes and call it good. Im also contemplating on pouring wsome left over west marine epoxy between aluminum and wood then clamp it to seal the wood? Not sure it its a good idea or not. Any suggestions on how to repair this without pulling the entire wooden transom?

[BIGMIKE]

Pics

[BIGMIKE]

Corossion hole.

[Kola16]

I'll throw my in since I have done a lot of boat restoration in previous years.

Salt is not bad on wood at all. Moisture is. The moisture CAN be bad on aluminum too after a long time of exposure too moisture in an enclosed environment like that. Yes aluminum can and will corrode in enclosed environments with basic and acidic solutions (salt water). My advice is to make sure it is COMPLETELY dry by doing what you are doing or even adding a little heat with a small furnace or heat gun. Once it is dry, seal in up with either a good epoxy or even 3M 5200 marine sealant and call it good Do not get hasty though. Make sure it is dry and that boat can last your lifetime.

As far as the aluminum holes, there are aluminum patches at any marine store. I have never patched aluminum so not much help here, but I could not imagine it being that difficult. You could even just cover them up with a transducer plate and 5200 sealant if they are low enough on the transom.

As far as installing the outboard, it's not that difficult. You can buy a hoist, drop it on the transom, connect a couple of plugs and that is about it. You may have to tune the shift and throttle cables, but there are a million videos on Youtube on how to do that.

Picking the outboard is not hard either. Finding the cash may be. You want close to the max HP your boat can handle, which is probably between 150 and 175 HP. As small as a 90 HP would be ok, but sometimes it can be really handy on rough days to "get out of the hole" with a bigger motor. You are only upset if you buy the smaller motor and wish you would have bought the bigger one now that you have a chance. As far as brands, I would stick to a Mercury or Yamaha 4-stroke! You will save plenty in gas money alone by getting the 4-stroke. Hondas are good to I guess, but remember that you had the opportunity to put whatever you wanted on it at one point. Remember that when you are cussing out your motor when the fish are biting or the waves are treacherous. You want to keep fishing fun, not stuck in the garage while all your buddies catch all the fish. It also comes down to safety, which is a good pitch to your wife You do not want to be stranded in your boat with your kids on a terrible day.

Hope this helped! Attached is a super blurry catalog of the estimated max HP. It says 175 HP for a 19 ft and 125 HP for a 17 ft in the year 2000.

[BIGMIKE]

Just wanted to say thank you to all who responded so far. Restoration has been delayed by weather as I don't have covered space.  I'm still  searching for a good 4 stroke. Biggest decent motor I found is a 2011 yamaha 4 stroke for 5500 dollars. I am hoping to find a 150 HP. So if you know someone re-powering hook your brother up.

[BIGMIKE]

Finally found an outboard .  2017 Yamaha 115 hp w/ hydraulic steering. Its a little small than what I wanted but im hoping its enough to push the boat around for fishing the sound and occasional tubing with the kids.

[Crunchy]

It will be plenty fine.  I used to tow my kids around easily with my 90hp.  I fish the sound ALOT and a 115 is more than enough. 

[Stein]

It will be plenty fine.  I used to tow my kids around easily with my 90hp.  I fish the sound ALOT and a 115 is more than enough.

 

I was tied to the dock at a rediculous time on the shrimp opener waiting for the crew to show up and I was amazed at the number of huge hp boats going out.  The number of 200s on soft top 18-20' really blew my mind.  It looked like the PNW bass circuit on salt.

[Crunchy]

My last trip I was approaching the dock to pull out.  An older gentlemen was launching his boat.  Whoever was driving pulled off after launching the boat, and drove the truck and trailer homeward.  Probably to avoid the launch fee.  I walked to my truck backed down the launch and pulled my boat onto the trailer.  As I was driving up the ramp the old guy who didnt speak English well asked to borrow my cell phone.  Said he had an emergency.  I stopped at the end of the ramp. Got out and let him use my phone.  He just bought the older boat, and there was no plug in it.  Water coming in fast.  He didnt think he had a bilge pump, and no keys for the boat, and his friend was on his way home with the trailer lol.  I gave him my extra boat plug but he didnt know where it went.  I wasnt going to get wet to figure it out for him, so we dragged the boat onto the launch and waited for his friend to get back.  I pointed out his bilge pump which worked but water was coming in as fast as it was going out.  When he friend came back with the trailer, the tide had dropped another foot or so lol.  Three of us worked for 15 minutes to get the boat back into the water so it could get on the trailer.  I left quickly, as I didnt think it was going to get any better getting the boat on the trailer and up the ramp.  So no keys, no plug, no idea of bilge pump, no cell phone.  What could go wrong....

[MADMAX]

Finally found an outboard .  2017 Yamaha 115 hp w/ hydraulic steering. Its a little small than what I wanted but im hoping its enough to push the boat around for fishing the sound and occasional tubing with the kids.

Just make sure you do not use ethanol gas

[blackpowderhunter]

My last trip I was approaching the dock to pull out.  An older gentlemen was launching his boat.  Whoever was driving pulled off after launching the boat, and drove the truck and trailer homeward.  Probably to avoid the launch fee.  I walked to my truck backed down the launch and pulled my boat onto the trailer.  As I was driving up the ramp the old guy who didnt speak English well asked to borrow my cell phone.  Said he had an emergency.  I stopped at the end of the ramp. Got out and let him use my phone.  He just bought the older boat, and there was no plug in it.  Water coming in fast.  He didnt think he had a bilge pump, and no keys for the boat, and his friend was on his way home with the trailer lol.  I gave him my extra boat plug but he didnt know where it went.  I wasnt going to get wet to figure it out for him, so we dragged the boat onto the launch and waited for his friend to get back.  I pointed out his bilge pump which worked but water was coming in as fast as it was going out.  When he friend came back with the trailer, the tide had dropped another foot or so lol.  Three of us worked for 15 minutes to get the boat back into the water so it could get on the trailer.  I left quickly, as I didnt think it was going to get any better getting the boat on the trailer and up the ramp.  So no keys, no plug, no idea of bilge pump, no cell phone.  What could go wrong....

when my uncle launched at everett for shrimp on the saturday, there were two kids walking around the launch and up the line to launch asking if anyone had a spare plug.
i have a plug in my truck glove box, one in my boat glove box, and the primary one that hangs on a little rope on the back of the boat when it's not actually in the boat.