For the “so ugly it’s cute” category

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
S

Sea Word

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2017
Messages
178
Location
USA
Vessel Name
SARAH TOO
Vessel Make
40’ beer can
I’ve been eyeing this boat for a while and it’s really growing on me. It appears to be an all aluminum hull that is home built. I think I have to go take a look. The details are thin as the owners have passed away. But it does appear to have a 40’ all alloy hull and cabin with twin diesels that might be 6 Cyl, but are not Cummins.
What is attracting me to it is that it has a trawler layout but there appears to be a large daybed in the pilot house which appeals to me over an all business driving area.
Anyone have any thoughts on it, or know of where the design originates?
 

Attachments

  • 075E6643-6017-4DBA-89FD-2894F70A6CFF.jpeg
    075E6643-6017-4DBA-89FD-2894F70A6CFF.jpeg
    148.6 KB · Views: 258
  • 74FCCB7E-0B95-441C-80EB-5F51D836AD24.jpeg
    74FCCB7E-0B95-441C-80EB-5F51D836AD24.jpeg
    87.1 KB · Views: 281
Greetings,
Mr. SW. Horses for courses. Depends on what you want the boat to do for you. By all means, take a look AND take pictures. Where is this vessel? Fresh or salt water?
 
Obviously looks like an inland river houseboat. See if you can get it for free. Sell off the engines, strip it out and then sell the aluminum to a scrap yard. You might make a couple thousand in profit.
 
makobuilders said:
Obviously looks like an inland river houseboat. See if you can get it for free. Sell off the engines, strip it out and then sell the aluminum to a scrap yard. You might make a couple thousand in profit.
Click to expand...

Lol you think you can get an aluminum boat for free? Not around here that’s for sure. I take it you don’t see any value in it being a boat and would rather see it be beer cans?
It is inland river but I don’t know the criteria for being a houseboat. This has a pointy pow and a v hull, and a proper piloting helm so I don’t see it being in that category myself. But I don’t know much about this size boat in all honesty.
 
Greetings,
Ah, Mr. SW. Ya done snuck another picture into your OP. Nothing I've seen so far would set off any alarm bells. See if you can find out anything else about her...Looks like she may be an I/O drive.
 
I’m thinking they are outdrives yes. Which I hate. But hopefully Volvo’s. She said the engines are 4cyl Isuzu’s.
 
Always nice to see someone breathe new life into an old boat. I like the look of the pilot house. It looks quite roomy. Can you post some pictures of the interior?
 
I’ll take a bunch today and post. It’s listed as a 2005 so it might not be that old, but then again being home built it might have been starter decades earlier.
 
The Isuzu is a good diesel engine and is fitted in many forklifts etc, but personally I wouldn't touch Volvo and especially outdrives. I stress that's my personal opinion.
IF the boat comes cheap and is suitable for the waters you wish to cruise in and passes after a thorough hull inspection then go for it.
The first thing I would do though is to ensure that you fit full cathodic protection, after that its up to you if you wish to keep 2 diesels or remove them and fit a single. if there's a night class nearby it would be useful if you went to learn how to weld aluminium to enable you to create your 'perfect' boat.
Not everyone wishes to cruise in the sea and are perfectly happy to cruise inland waters, whatever you choose I wish you good luck and safe happy cruising.
 
Last edited:
Looks like a lake boat with its low bow and shallow draft.
 
Sea Word said:
I’ll take a bunch today and post. It’s listed as a 2005 so it might not be that old, but then again being home built it might have been starter decades earlier.
Click to expand...

I suggest you try eliciting a response from the folks at aluminumalloyboats.com. They are all over stuff like this.
 
Thanks for replies! As a career welder of aluminum for 25 years the prospect of welding on this thing is about the least daunting aspect. I have no desire to see salt water so this would be used on our rivers.
I tried to join aluminum alloy boats but their securit question is preventing me from joining. It’s one of the dumbest things I’ve run across on the internet actually. It says “what’s a slang term for the bottom of the ocean”. I’ve tried everything I can think of and searched their own stupid faq sections and not found it. So I’m stuck there unless you guys can help.
 
Irish Rambler said:
The Isuzu is a good diesel engine and is fitted in many forklifts etc, but personally I wouldn't touch Volvo and especially outdrives. I stress that's my personal opinion.
IF the boat comes cheap and is suitable for the waters you wish to cruise in and passes after a thorough hull inspection then go for it.
The first thing I would do though is to ensure that you fit full cathodic protection, after that its up to you if you wish to keep 2 diesels or remove them and fit a single. if there's a night class nearby it would be useful if you went to learn how to weld aluminium to enable you to create your 'perfect' boat.
Not everyone wishes to cruise in the sea and are perfectly happy to cruise inland waters, whatever you choose I wish you good luck and safe happy cruising.
Click to expand...

I’m curious if your assertion to change the twins to a single comes from some desire to stick within a trawler framework or? Personally I see the benefits of twins being vastly superior for everything except, well I don’t know why I’d ever want a single over twins in a boat this size. It’s the outdrives that bug me more than anything. I’d consider moving them forward and doing direct drives but not until I hate the outdrives substantially.
 
A comment about older Volvo outdrives... they had a HUGE corrosion issues, even in fresh water, but deadly in salt. Big lawsuits, etc. Probably some 20+ years ago. I got involved when I bought a boat from a guy that spend 25K on new Volvos drives because of this and Volvo did not treat him well. I benefitted with the new drives, but they (and the Volvo engines) were still a POS. I would have that boat today if it wasn't for Volvo. Should have got the Mercs. Formula 31PC..... great boat.
 
So which outdrives dont suck balls? I’ve only had one, a merc alpha and sold it yesterday. Hated working on it, hated how it handled, hated it. Big complaint was how it wandered at slow speeds, but maybe twins would be less prone to that.
 
The boat is dirty.
But not ugly.
IMO
 
I'd find out a whole lot more about those engines if'n I was you.
 
The engines are in fact 4 Cyl Isuzu’s and don’t leak, both run smooth. Hours unknown. Zero blow by on both however, like less blow by than I’ve ever seen on an engine, and not gunky in the heads that I could see. The boat is furry, needs hauled and cleaned, probably painted too. As to be expected.

It’s funky, like real funky, and has significant hull damage from humping another barge for unknown length of time. But, nothing I can’t repair in a short enough time. Overall it needs remodeled but seems solid enough.

The drives are Volvo 270. My buddy says they are better than mercs and are the commmercial fishing boat choice, probably solid enough for this application.
Opinions?
 

Attachments

  • E08DAAA7-F684-490A-8AC0-7342F385B479.jpg
    E08DAAA7-F684-490A-8AC0-7342F385B479.jpg
    118.7 KB · Views: 113
  • B4797861-68AC-4263-852F-6BE916523C05.jpg
    B4797861-68AC-4263-852F-6BE916523C05.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 105
Greetings,
Mr. SW. What do you want an opinion on? Whether or not you should buy it? Hey man, if she talks to you, the price is one you can live with and she'll go where you want....


200w.webp
 
Just wether that outdrive is garbage or not. I guess the opinions stated on the Volvo’s were not glowing. But it’s hard to imagine spending 25k on any drives. If faced with drive issues like that I’d probably repower with outboards instead.
 
Last edited:
Also, anyone know what it would cost to have entire outside of hull soda blasted?
 
Seevee said:
A comment about older Volvo outdrives... they had a HUGE corrosion issues, even in fresh water, but deadly in salt. Big lawsuits, etc. Probably some 20+ years ago. I got involved when I bought a boat from a guy that spend 25K on new Volvos drives because of this and Volvo did not treat him well. I benefitted with the new drives, but they (and the Volvo engines) were still a POS. I would have that boat today if it wasn't for Volvo. Should have got the Mercs. Formula 31PC..... great boat.
Click to expand...

I had a Merc Bravo III. I can assure you they had every bit as bad metallurgy as Volvo. Mine was replaced after two seasons, had to fight tooth and nail to get Merc to accept the blame. Every year they'd hang more anodes on those things, and they couldn't survive without active cathodic protection. But I guess they don't worry about salt water corrosion in Stillwater, OK.

Not that I'm a huge Volvo fan, but I'll certainly never own another Mercury outdrive.

And slang for the ocean bottom? Did you try Davy Jones' Locker? Just a thought.
 
CaptTom said:
I had a Merc Bravo III. I can assure you they had every bit as bad metallurgy as Volvo. Mine was replaced after two seasons, had to fight tooth and nail to get Merc to accept the blame. Every year they'd hang more anodes on those things, and they couldn't survive without active cathodic protection. But I guess they don't worry about salt water corrosion in Stillwater, OK.

Not that I'm a huge Volvo fan, but I'll certainly never own another Mercury outdrive.

And slang for the ocean bottom? Did you try Davy Jones' Locker? Just a thought.
Click to expand...
I was hoping to never own another outdrive at all, but there must be a benefit of them right? Shallow water?
At least with little Isuzu’s they won’t be over powered.

I tried Davy Jones locker and various combos of that. Also tried sea bed, bed, floor, sea floor, seabed, ..... I can’t think really of ANY slang term for ocean bottom. There just isn’t one. So stupid. How did anyone join that forum?!
 
"If faced with drive issues like that I’d probably repower with outboards instead."


Plan B might be a rebuild , or plan C Craigs list, still cheaper than outboards.
 
Outboards aren't a bad idea. This is a river boat and let's assume the OP has intentions for slow speed. The OP is an experienced aluminum (pronounced al-oo-min-ee'-um) welder. Sell off the diesels. Fabricate two outboard brackets. A couple of Mercury Big Foot 60hp should push it along at a nice 8 knots.
 
makobuilders said:
Outboards aren't a bad idea. This is a river boat and let's assume the OP has intentions for slow speed. The OP is an experienced aluminum (pronounced al-oo-min-ee'-um) welder. Sell off the diesels. Fabricate two outboard brackets. A couple of Mercury Big Foot 60hp should push it along at a nice 8 knots.
Click to expand...


This sounds like a good idea. I was just looking at the Yamaha T60 high thrust outboards--these should work well too.
 
Vashon_Trawler said:
This sounds like a good idea. I was just looking at the Yamaha T60 high thrust outboards--these should work well too.
Click to expand...

Perhaps those T60's are like my Bigfoot. Bigger gear ratio. Larger prop. More torque. Better performance for heavier slower boats versus high speed planing types.
 
Sea Word said:
I was hoping to never own another outdrive at all, but there must be a benefit of them right? Shallow water?
At least with little Isuzu’s they won’t be over powered.

I tried Davy Jones locker and various combos of that. Also tried sea bed, bed, floor, sea floor, seabed, ..... I can’t think really of ANY slang term for ocean bottom. There just isn’t one. So stupid. How did anyone join that forum?!
Click to expand...

Surely there must be an alternate question if you get it wrong? I don't recall such a difficulty joining a few years ago.
Graveyard?
 
leeman said:
Surely there must be an alternate question if you get it wrong? I don't recall such a difficulty joining a few years ago.
Graveyard?
Click to expand...

I dunno? I’ll try that but that seems like a stretch to me. It clearly says the security bot question wrong, and even kicks me off after 5 tries. Just says “try again later”. They must have enough members. I also couldn’t find an admin to write email to either. Hey since you’re a member, and if it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could post about it or email an admin and ask? I’m out of options.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Y
Dumb Newb Questions
Replies
28
Views
1K
NStenger
NStenger
long-cours.62
Evolution on the building cost in the world ?
Replies
1
Views
420
long-cours.62
long-cours.62
J
Catalina 251 Express
Replies
6
Views
662
Comodave
Comodave
C
How would you repair these cracks?
Replies
13
Views
1K
DennisB1
D
F
NEEDED - Naiad 172 part including fin.
Replies
2
Views
413
Flatswing
Flatswing

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom