New-to-Me Boat - Restoration: Where to begin?

[nman1517]

Hello; glad to find this community. I was directed here by some knowledgeable folks and am hoping to find some suggestions and resources.

I inherited a 1998 Alumacraft MV Angler from my grandfather after he died. I fished with him in this boat many times. I have a young son and would love to take him out and teach him what I've been taught.

I have never owned a boat before, though my father did when I was young (as did my grandfather, obviously). I know my way around the sport of fishing and have spent a fair amount of time doing it from their vessels.

This boat needs some work and I'm wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some resources. I'd like to do as much of the work myself as I can, as I have some extra time on my hands. I've not done a lot of investigative work yet, but will be soon.

The boat sat for awhile after he died. It was covered, on a trailer. It is in decent shape overall, but the electrical needs some attention. I’m sure it will need new batteries, and the wiring itself is disconnected in places and looks rough in others (dirty connections, messy wire management, etc.). The pumps and lighting don't work properly. I'd like to go through it all and restore/replace what needs attention. It’s decently equipped with a few depth-finders, trolling motor, and some other equipment.

The engine (99 Mercury 40 ELPTO) ran fine and was fairly well-maintained while he lived, but it's been sitting for some time, with gasoline in the tank. It will need to be gone through. I plan to take this to a professional who services outboards, but I'd like to get my hands on some literature to help me better understand proper maintenance and simple service tasks I could complete. I have a bit of amateur experience with small engines and a decent assortment of mechanical tools, but I have no experience with outboards.

The carpets could use a good cleaning, but aren't overly worn. The hull seems to be in good shape, no major dents or dings. I will get it evaluated, though.

I've been advised that it would be in my best interest, for both the boat's sake and for my own learning, to replace all the electrical, documenting everything thoroughly.

If there's anywhere you could point me, especially for restoration/service help and literature on this kind of vessel, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

Could anyone suggest an order in which to complete these restoration tasks? I'll be spacing the work out as time and finances allow. I thought I'd begin with the electrical, get all the components clean and working, clean everything that needs cleaning, then move on to the engine. Is there another place I can share photos of the project, and ask for help along the way, or would this thread be the best place to do that?

My grandfather was a wonderful man, one of the most profound positive influences I had growing up. So much wisdom was imparted while out on his boats. I’m honored to have been given this one, and want very much to share these experiences with my son.

[PJ-Rohlf]

Electrical might be the lowest cost option to start with if you are doing it yourself. Pumps are pretty straight forward to replace. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here that can answer pretty much anything if you get stuck on the way.

Make sure you use only heat shrink connectors and NO WIRE NUTS lol.

Wish you the best of luck, sounds like a rewarding project!

[fr8dog]

A few forums down there is a restoration forum and also a tin boat group. It’s not hard to do but takes some patience to bring an old boat back to life. Good folks here. Post pics, ask questions. Good luck and welcome. (Do a before picture and one at the end)

[jdwo2212]

If it were me id get it into a reputable shop and have motor checked and fuel lines inspected first. Then ya know what you got. Id tackle any of the electrical and cosmetic stuff yourself. If you are good with 12v wiring its pretty straight forward. Power, gnd, fuses, switches. Especially if you plan to run all new. And it can be a fun project as you think about upgrades and stuff when it comes to electronics. Then also you know how and where its run for the future. The motor is the most important and expensive thing. So i would start there. But then id probably go electrical, then cosmetic. Either way, take your time and enjoy it when possible.

[fr8dog]

Yeah. Just caught the sitting thing. Carbs, seals, lower unit lube, water pump will need to be looked after for sure.

You’re not going to be using it for a bit. Try to schedule the motor stuff and then work around that. You can do most of the work in the garage but you’ll be at the mercy of the mechanic’s schedule.

[nman1517]

Yeah. Just caught the sitting thing. Carbs, seals, lower unit lube, water pump will need to be looked after for sure.

You’re not going to be using it for a bit. Try to schedule the motor stuff and then work around that. You can do most of the work in the garage but you’ll be at the mercy of the mechanic’s schedule.

Local mechanic is pretty busy at the moment with pontoons and pwcs, his schedule opens up more in the fall. I’m thinking I’ll ge the electrical done, new batteries and wiring, so he has that ready to go and can isolate any problems to just the engine. While it’s hard to say, are there any issues this motor is known for having, or outboards of this size and vintage in general?

[fr8dog]

Sounds like you have a good handle on it. Get as much done as you can before taking it in. Some shops say a week and it turns out to be 3, especially now. Any cosmetic work, carpet cleaning, etc is a good start. What kind of fuel line? Maybe a new one would be in order. Check the gas tank, drain old fuel. Clean bilges, check hoses and connections for dry rot. Again, nothing expensive to replace, but better to do it now than find out when you want to use it. Once that motor is running you’re gonna be itching to take it out.

I sold my old 84 tin boat to a guy that trashed it. I saw it rotting in his yard and bought it back. Did a whole new floor, carpet, re-wire job. It’s in my garage right now looking almost as good as it did at the dealer 36 years ago. She has some scratches, but very nice condition. Same 35 HP Evinrude on it.

[billnorman1]

Get some red zip ties. Put one on every wire that goes to the positive battery cable.
Clean the bilge if it's greasy. Dawn dish soap and a power washer can clean most parts of a boat.
Dump old gas, not down the sewer.
Check all rubber parts if it's an old boat. Water pump, fuel lines, squeeze bulb etc.
Never use any hardware that is not stainless steel anywhere.

[bqtoot]

Clean, clean, clean would be my first step. A whole lot easier to figure out what needs attention once you've gone through the cleaning process. You'll notice more about where and what is in your boat as you go through cleaning. You may also find that you may actually be able to do many of those repairs/reconditioning yourself. Good luck, and post pics!

[nman1517]

Clean, clean, clean would be my first step. A whole lot easier to figure out what needs attention once you've gone through the cleaning process. You'll notice more about where and what is in your boat as you go through cleaning. You may also find that you may actually be able to do many of those repairs/reconditioning yourself. Good luck, and post pics!

There's a good amount of mold/mildew, some oil and grease in the carpets in some places. When I wash these out, I'd like to catch the water and not dump it all over my driveway (I don't have any other place to do this). Can I just put a container under the drain hole at the stern or are there other places I should check? I'm not sure where the floor drain normally sends water, or if it's even functioning properly.

[larryhyco]

Where are you in NC?

[nman1517]

Where are you in NC?

Foothills area

[fr8dog]

I’ll just guess that the floor drains into the hull and back to the bilge. Both of mine do. Get the boat nose high and wash the carpet. A 5 gal bucket or wash tub will catch the drainage. Water won’t hurt anything. Rain always does most of my carpet cleaning.

[Skunked again]

Good information in the above posts. Get ready to open up your pocketbook! Whatever information you don't find here, look on tinboats.net . Get on YouTube, make it your friend, tinyboatnation would be a good starting point,he has good tutorials on all aspects, I really like one he has on wiring.
Marineengine.com is good for engine issues.
If it's possible, it might be best to rip out all the wiring, and start over. Dellcity.com has a good selection of switches, resettable breakers, etc. As does newwiremarine.com. I've recently bought from both, would buy from them again. Newwiremarine sends out wiring diagrams with all switches, if I'm not mistaken.
A label maker, or wire label maker, is advised. Labeling wires,while time consuming, will be very helpful down the road.
If you need metal, angle, tube, sheet , etc. I'd advise calling a local weld/fab shop. They can usually get it ALOT cheaper than the box stores.

[twitch]

You will probably need to drain the gas tank and replace all the lines ,have a professional do a once over maybe a comp check and so on ,running all new wires is your best bet but can be time consuming but at least you'll know what you have when done. Enjoy and good luck and welcome to the best site on earth...