A few days after my last post I heard back from the repair shop and the outboard is shot. With a fair amount of effort and money I could probably get it running again, but there are several things that, if they went south on me, I would be hard pressed to find parts and could easily have it become a money pit.
As a result I am selling a 1957 Johnson outboard if anyone is interested. And I am in the market for a new outboard engine.
During the process of researching motors and what to get I learned some important things about purchasing outboards. One that I thought was rather useful is how to determine your shaft length.
Why You Need the Right Outboard Shaft Length
Choosing the right shaft length allows your boat to perform efficiently and reduce the chances for damage to your outboard motor and/or propeller.
The best way to think about choosing your motor is to think about what happens when you are cruising through the water. As your boat gets on plane the majority of your boat is actually out of the water with only the very bottom skimming across the top.
While on plane it would be unwise to have your propeller coming out of the water, or too close to the surface. It would be like spinning your wheels on ice, you just aren't going to go anywhere fast. The other extreme is that you don't want the propeller to be too far under water. A prop that is too far under water is will try to both push the front of the boat up into the air, and will create more drag on the motor.
As a result, the aim is to have the bottom of the cavitation plate even or just below the bottom of your transom.
Fortunately shaft lengths are measured with that in mind:
How to Measure for Outboard Shaft Length
The easy way to measure shaft length is to simply measure from the top of the boat transom to the bottom of the boat. On an outboard this translates to the distance from where the mounting clamp bracket rests on the transom to the bottom of the cavitation plate.
Shaft lengths come in 5" increments, with the short shaft being 15". As long as you are within an inch or two of the shaft length measured on your boat you are in business.
I was recently given a boat . . . a death sentence for many. A death sentence because one of two things typically happen. 1. The boat takes up space in the owners yard and rots (similar to what happened with the previous owner of mine), or 2. The new owner spends countless hours and dollars restoring a boat that never really functions properly. I intend to do neither. I plan to do this boat restoration project with a reasonable amount of time and money.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Outboard Engine Update
I took the outboard to a repair shop today. I had considered trying to get a manual and then trying to restore the outboard that way. However, I am not a mechanic and with an engine that hasn't even been run in several years I wouldn't even know where to start.
Keep in mind the last time this aluminum boat was registered was back in the mid 1960's and for all I know it hasn't been run since then.
Given the circumstances I thought it would be best to get the outboard up to a base level and then work from there. I also have a lot to get done on the boat itself without spending significant time and money trying to teach myself how to get a boat engine running.
Regardless I was able to learn the year of the engine: 1957. This means that this motor is more likely to be the original one for the boat, and that the age of the boat itself is probably older than I thought.
Should hear in the next few days what they find. If it is just a matter of cleaning out the carburetor it shouldn't be a big deal, but there are a lot of parts that you just can't find anymore for this particular outboard motor.
Keep in mind the last time this aluminum boat was registered was back in the mid 1960's and for all I know it hasn't been run since then.
Given the circumstances I thought it would be best to get the outboard up to a base level and then work from there. I also have a lot to get done on the boat itself without spending significant time and money trying to teach myself how to get a boat engine running.
Regardless I was able to learn the year of the engine: 1957. This means that this motor is more likely to be the original one for the boat, and that the age of the boat itself is probably older than I thought.
Should hear in the next few days what they find. If it is just a matter of cleaning out the carburetor it shouldn't be a big deal, but there are a lot of parts that you just can't find anymore for this particular outboard motor.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Beginning of a Boat Restoration Project
In the beginning there was an idea. I had the idea one day that I wanted a fishing boat. The idea has been building for some time, I just wasn't sure how to make this idea a reality. For a long time I wrestled with the idea of purchasing a small pontoon fishing raft without ever feeling completely settled with the idea.
Then it came to my attention that my grandpa had a small jon boat sitting in his garage that was not being used. The only problem was that there was no trailer and I do not have a vehicle that I want to try to throw a 14' boat onto to take to the lake, let alone the 350 mile journey to get it to my house in the first place.
Lastly, it occurred to me that I could probably purchase a trailer for less than $200, make any necessary adjustments, and pick up a boat. So I put the plan in motion, while watching the local classifieds I decided to get an idea of what adjustments I would need to make to a trailer that would more than likely be intended for a v-hull fishing boat. I called my other grandpa who has owned a few boats to ask for some advice on the subject.
This is where my plan for boat ownership took a turn I wasn't expecting. After a few minutes of discussion my grandpa informed me that a friend of his had a boat that he would like to give away. We arranged a time to go look at it and this is what I found:
It isn't much right now but it is mine.
The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
Good:
Then it came to my attention that my grandpa had a small jon boat sitting in his garage that was not being used. The only problem was that there was no trailer and I do not have a vehicle that I want to try to throw a 14' boat onto to take to the lake, let alone the 350 mile journey to get it to my house in the first place.
Lastly, it occurred to me that I could probably purchase a trailer for less than $200, make any necessary adjustments, and pick up a boat. So I put the plan in motion, while watching the local classifieds I decided to get an idea of what adjustments I would need to make to a trailer that would more than likely be intended for a v-hull fishing boat. I called my other grandpa who has owned a few boats to ask for some advice on the subject.
This is where my plan for boat ownership took a turn I wasn't expecting. After a few minutes of discussion my grandpa informed me that a friend of his had a boat that he would like to give away. We arranged a time to go look at it and this is what I found:
It isn't much right now but it is mine.
The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
Good:
- The gentleman still had both the main outboard motor and the trolling motor in the garage, out of the weather
- Structure is sound, there aren't any visible holes or leaks
- Paint on the exterior is in relatively good condition
- Trailer is in decent condition, if nothing else I had a trailer
- Price is right
- Engines haven't been run in years, don't know what it will take to get running, or what condition they were in when last used
- Boat hadn't been covered, all seats are entirely rotted out
- Wiring, etc. is shot due to weathering
- I am now a boat owner?! What have I done. This could go down as one of my best or worst decisions
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Arkansas Traveler Aluminum Boat
Since the weather is frigid outside and I don't have an enclosed area where I can work on the boat in any sort of comfort and the boat currently looks like this:
I thought I would jot down some more about this particular boat and what I know about it so far. This boat was manufactured under the name Arkansas Traveler. According to this article on Wikipedia article Arkansas Traveler aluminum boats and fiberglass boats were manufactured from 1959 to 1967. I haven't been able to find a date stamp on the boat yet, but I figure this was built during the early part of that time period since the oldest visible registration sticker is from 1962.
I have looked at a few Arkansas Traveler sales brochures from that time but haven't been able to pinpoint exactly which one that is.
The Outboard Engine
The outboard engine is a Johnson 35 HP motor. Haven't taken the time to find out a year on it, but it is a classic, that is for sure. I have my doubts about whether this is the original motor for the boat since the colors don't really match, unless you are going for a Christmas theme, with a red and white motor and a two-tone green boat. In addition, the capacity card on the aluminum boat's transom shows a rating for a 30 HP motor instead of the 35 HP.
Next up I believe I will start itemizing the projects that need to be done to get this beautiful aluminum boat ready for the water come summer time. For now I leave you with a photo of the outboard motor. You may also notice the gas trolling motor that came with the boat sitting next to it.
I thought I would jot down some more about this particular boat and what I know about it so far. This boat was manufactured under the name Arkansas Traveler. According to this article on Wikipedia article Arkansas Traveler aluminum boats and fiberglass boats were manufactured from 1959 to 1967. I haven't been able to find a date stamp on the boat yet, but I figure this was built during the early part of that time period since the oldest visible registration sticker is from 1962.
I have looked at a few Arkansas Traveler sales brochures from that time but haven't been able to pinpoint exactly which one that is.
The Outboard Engine
The outboard engine is a Johnson 35 HP motor. Haven't taken the time to find out a year on it, but it is a classic, that is for sure. I have my doubts about whether this is the original motor for the boat since the colors don't really match, unless you are going for a Christmas theme, with a red and white motor and a two-tone green boat. In addition, the capacity card on the aluminum boat's transom shows a rating for a 30 HP motor instead of the 35 HP.
Next up I believe I will start itemizing the projects that need to be done to get this beautiful aluminum boat ready for the water come summer time. For now I leave you with a photo of the outboard motor. You may also notice the gas trolling motor that came with the boat sitting next to it.
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