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This is my first post. What a great place for whaler fans!
I own a 1964 Nauset. The previous owner didn't understand the concept of winterizing or long term storage. The boat was left in a barn for over a decade, mildy exposed to the elements. His idea of winterizing was to push the choke button until the engine died.
I bought this from him 1.5 years ago. I painted the bottom, buffed the blue interior, and stripped all the wood bare, stained, and varnished. She looks like a million bucks compared to when I got her. I only have one good picture. Click to see my Nauset Pic
Once I finished all the work, I put her in the water. From the first day I had engine trouble. It would start, but something wasn't right. She's powered with a 78 mercury 800 80hp. After many trips to the local shop, and more $$ in repairs the motor died. It needs a complete rebuild.
The long and short is, I am now considering options. I don't want to go another season without a working boat. I am trying to get an idea of the value of this boat to make a more educated choice....
I'm in Rochester also and, after about 8 months of looking, I've just purchased a 68 Eastport in well maintained (both boat and engine) condition for $7K. Take out the back seat, the bow rail, and the fishing platform and I'd guess that would lower the value to $5.5K to $6K. Now, back out the cost of the rebuild and I think you'll have your estimate. Just remember that, if you do try to sell, it would be better to wait until at least April; it's 19 degrees right now as I look out my window.
Hopefully someone can offer some ideas on good rebuild shops.
Thanks for the local value info. That's about what I expected. Let me give you some history on the motor.
Bought (by me) in august 2006. Put $1500 into it. New fuel pump line and filter, tuned 1 carb, rebuilt the other. Lube up and rewired igntion switch. basically got it running after a decade of sleep.
She worked great for about 10-15 outings.
Summer 2007 summerized it and almost right away had troubles. I could run it for a while then she would bog down under throttle. I noticed a some plugs looking fouled up, so I would take them out and clean them off an reinstall (Not fun in Lake Champlain). That seemed to work, but something else was the problem.
It turned out the Stator was shot. Once it warmed up I wan't getting proper spark. In the time it took to take out the plugs and clean them off, it cooled enough to work again for a while.
Things got worse.
With more investiagation the 4th cyliner pressure had gotten much lower than the other 3. It had always been a little low, but now its 10-15 lbs low. She runs at idle fine, but as soon as you pop her in gear she bogs out. If you try to shift and give her gas it chokes out after a second.
At this point I called time of death. I am a young business owner, and I couldn't spend any more cash on it. I missed almost the entire boating season with a nice lawn ornament.
So some more questions
Is rebuilding a 30 year motor worth the expense?
What sort of decrease in power/performance should I expect?
How long before I start to have more problems?
There are a lot of good, newer, used engines out there. You just have to find a reputable dealer or source.
Many people are trading in their newer 2 strokes on 4 stroke models.
Keep your eye out.
Joshua,
how long do you want to keep the boat? When the engine was running was the boat big enough to do what you want to do and go where you want to go? If the answer is yes, then skip the rebuild and look for either a good lightly used outboard or purchase new, depending on your financing.
I faced the same decision on my 18 Outrage when the 12 year old motor blewup. I could have spend 3k-6k to rebuild it all or 14k to purchase new. I decided that the boat was everything I wanted, and even if I got bigger or smaller I didn't plan to sell the 18, so I purchased a new outboard and couldn't have been happier with my decision. The new outboard lets me go as far, as fast and with more confidence in my boat then the old one, or a rebuilt one would ever let me do.
The other bit of advice is the "buy the dealer" by that I mean, ignore the brands, Honda, Evinrure, Merc and interview the dealers in your area, like you would a new employee. If you feel they are honestly telling you the truth and not trying to BS you , then that is the brand you go with, or at least the dealer. If something goes wrong, you don't want to be in a situation where you don't believe the guy behind the counter.
I agree, I'd steer away from the rebuild. When my '87 225 quit shortly after getting the boat, I could have rebuilt it myself for about $2k or so, but it was old technology. Even if I could bring it back to new compression, it'd still be bad on gas and I'd still have 20 year old coils, wiring harness, carbs, starter, timer base... you get the idea. Lots to go wrong. The boating season is just too short in the north east to be out of service due to an old engine with problems.
Joshua,
I've still got my '79 Merc 70 on a stand in the corner, because it's a great motor.
It's great because it's got full compression on all 3....it's real problem wasn't the stator...but the "trigger harness"....a wiring rig Merc put on there for optimal performance...these were racing motors in their day. It was replaced for $400 and never skipped a beat....
But...it's underpowered for my Nauset...sucked alot of fuel....dirty....no trim/tilt....small prop....
The current Suzuki 60HP 4stroke, zips her out of the water...sips regular gas...and has proven dead reliable....
My particular boat has been in the Family since new...and will be handed down when the time comes...
I've never been a proponent of throwing good money after bad...
You should be able to enjoy that boat for generations to come...but it sounds like you need a good solid motor...you won't regret the initial sticker shock...after a while.
