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New 13 owner with some questions.
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 1:07 AM
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Howdy from Texas,
I just purchased my first boat, a 1968 13' whaler with an older 40hp mercury hanging off the back. It is pretty rough with a lot of spider cracking on the gel coat but the hull seems to be pretty solid with a few small areas that will need some fiberglass repair.
First question, the boat has two batteries in it, one just to run the trolling motor, (which I am thinking about ditching) the other to start the engine, electric horn, radio and a cooler that's been turned into a livewell. Where do most 13's have their battery located? I have one underneath the side console and one in front of it. Wouldn't it make more sense to have them in the back of the boat? Or is this too much weight in one area of the boat? It has the engine back there and it also has a cylindrical 6 gallon fuel tank right in front of the engine.
I am planning on taking the week of spring break off of work, ( I'm a college studen that also has a full time jo and repainting the gel coat on the bottom. I'm undecided what to do with the interior. I want to keep the original blue interior but I'm kind of undecided because of the cost of the original color, when I can get white gelcoat from LBI for a fraction of the cost. Opinions? Or is there a cheaper way to go about keeping the robins egg blue? I like the rubberized coating that was used on the keltoncrew site, but I am trying to keep it as original as possible and that isn't very original.
My other question is how do I know if my boat had railings on it originally? There are a few remnants of what look to be the hardware to keep railings in place on the sides of it but I don't know for sure, are there close up pictures of railings on a 13' somewhere? I haven't been able to find any.
Thanks for any help, I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions in the future.
Wayne
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 1:12 AM
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One thing I forgot, underneath the bench seat that goes across in the rear there is a bubble on the floor that comes out a bit and has some screw holes in it. It looks like a pedestal for a seat of some sort. Is this something that is original on the hull for a different setup that some whalers had? Or is it something someone added later on? It has been painted over with the original whaler blue which leads me to believe it was there originally, but not necessarily.
Thanks
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| CES |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 6:07 AM
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Good morning Wayne.
I live right up the road from you in Mckinney and use my Whaler mostly in Lake Lavon.
If you can find your serial number which is located on your transom in the back and in your anchor locker up front, you can email Chuck Bennet at Boston Whaler to find out when your boat was made, what model is was originally configured and where is was sent to from the factory. His email address is: cbennett@whaler.com
As for your battery. Typically the batteries are located behind the drivers side (Starboard) side of the boat and the fuel take is on the Port side, aft next to the transom wall.
Let me know when you find a good gel coat place here in Dallas as I need to get a little work done on my boat too.
Cliff
1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker |
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 8:15 AM
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Hey, mine is going to mostly see lavon as well! I actually live in Princeton, our property touches the Marine Corp property.
Thanks for the info on the hull, I'll go out and see if I can find the serial number.
I'm assuming the fuel tank is not stock then? I assumed it was since it's a pretty fancy one, it's either aluminum or stainless steel and it's cylindrical and goes across the entire rear section of the boat where the bilge area is.
As for the gel coating I'm going to attempt it myself, so wish me luck.
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| moose |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 9:04 AM
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Wayne,
Is that 40 Merc a 2 cylinder or 4cylinder? Do you know what year it is? I have ther 68 13 as well and it came with the infamous 1970 2 cylinder 40 hp. I replaced it but still have the engine. It runs but it's just sitting in the garage.
Mike
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 9:39 AM
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It's a 2 cylinder 2 stroke, It has blue colored accents on black paint. It says "402" on the back. It's not the original engine as it's newer than the boat I think it's an early to mid 70's engine. I need to check the serial numbers to find out exactly what year.
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| Joe Kriz |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 10:10 AM
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Texas13,
See this article about serial numbers and age of your Whaler.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=61
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| CES |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 11:09 AM
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Texas 13. Did you buy that 13 that was for sale over near Ticky Creek park last summer?
You're in Princeton, man I drive right through there to go to Ticky creek boat ramp.
There's another fella, Whaler Central screen name DNP, who has a 13 and he lives in Richardson. Mine and his family met up last fall and had a great time with our 13's.
Hope to see you at the ramp.
Edited by CES on 02/15/09 - 11:10 AM
Cliff
1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker |
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/15/09 - 10:02 PM
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CES wrote:
Texas 13. Did you buy that 13 that was for sale over near Ticky Creek park last summer?
You're in Princeton, man I drive right through there to go to Ticky creek boat ramp.
There's another fella, Whaler Central screen name DNP, who has a 13 and he lives in Richardson. Mine and his family met up last fall and had a great time with our 13's.
Hope to see you at the ramp.
Yup, that's the one. When you turn left at Gilberts (coming from 380) and go maybe a mile down the road it was sitting on the side of the road on the right.
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| CES |
Posted on 02/16/09 - 5:37 AM
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Texas13. Nice boat. I mentioend that boat was for sale to a guy looking for one on WC back during the summer. Your 13 looked like it was in pretty good shape from the road. Congrats!
Cliff
1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker |
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| moose |
Posted on 02/16/09 - 6:32 AM
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Wayne,
I'm glad it's a 402. The 1970ish 400 two cylinder was very problematic. The 402 replaced it. I think it's a good runner as long as you don't over rev it or lug it. Keep it at a good cruise and it should last a long time. You can get all the ifo you need on it from "Johns old Mercury" website. Those guys worship the old Mercs.
Mike
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/16/09 - 9:01 AM
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moose wrote:
Wayne,
I'm glad it's a 402. The 1970ish 400 two cylinder was very problematic. The 402 replaced it. I think it's a good runner as long as you don't over rev it or lug it. Keep it at a good cruise and it should last a long time. You can get all the ifo you need on it from "Johns old Mercury" website. Those guys worship the old Mercs.
Mike
Thanks Moose,
According to the guys over there it's a 1977 402, and the 402 is the one that was problematic.
I want a new E-tec anyways....it'll be a few months before I can buy one though so I guess I'm using this for now! It starts up and runs just great, they told me to be careful not to over rev it.
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| moose |
Posted on 02/16/09 - 1:40 PM
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Well, if the 402 is problematic, the 400 2 cylinder was garbage!
If you go with an etec you'll have to use a jack plate since they only come in a long shaft, at least a 40 hp. I think they are pretty heavy, also. I chose the 40 hp Nissan tldi that weighs 206 lbs with ptt standard. It's a great engine for that boat. Others have chosen smaller hp 4 strokes and are happy with them. Kamie wrote an excellent article on current engine choices for whalers. You can find it under "articles" at the upper left of the page. Whichever you choose, you'll love the boat.
Mike
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| Texas13 |
Posted on 02/17/09 - 3:01 PM
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moose wrote:
Well, if the 402 is problematic, the 400 2 cylinder was garbage!
If you go with an etec you'll have to use a jack plate since they only come in a long shaft, at least a 40 hp. I think they are pretty heavy, also. I chose the 40 hp Nissan tldi that weighs 206 lbs with ptt standard. It's a great engine for that boat. Others have chosen smaller hp 4 strokes and are happy with them. Kamie wrote an excellent article on current engine choices for whalers. You can find it under "articles" at the upper left of the page. Whichever you choose, you'll love the boat.
Mike
I don't know I've just always had a thing for the e-tecs.
Thanks for everyones help! With any luck I'll have the hull nice and shiny by the end of March!
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