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I just bought a 1973 16 Katama with a 1989 or 90 Evinrude 90. I have questions. Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer

1) I took it out for the first time on Sunday and at 4500 RPM I spun the hub on the prop. I dropped it down to idle and brought it back up to 4000 and was ok to get home. I can't find any markings on the prop. Am I correct in thinking 13.75"x17" for the correct prop for this hull and engine combination? I found some Solas Aluminum 3 blade props around $100.00 on-line. Do you know if these include the hubs?
2) The boat is mostly original and I plan on tearing it down after I get some use with her over the summer. There are a million screw holes and other holes that need to be filled (and non original equipment that needs to go!).
a) When filling holes with foam behind, am I correct in thinking I should drill out the holes oversized, fill with new foam, a bit of glass and vinyl ester resin and gel coat? What foam should I use if foam is advisable? or should I just fill solid with thickened poly ester resin?
b) The POs drilled multiple holes through the transom above the waterline for various bilge pump discharge fittings. I want to fill all of them and run the bilge pump hose over the transom next to the engine (no reason to drill a hole 2 inches from the top of the transom for a bilge pump discharge! - Step away from the drill!). Should I fill these solid or plug with wood dowels? These holes are big enough that filling with solid thickened resin may be an issue as it will shrink and will likely have to be filled multiple times. Any thoughts? I could get 7 ply plywood plugs so the wood grain runs the same as the original transom wood if you think a dowel with the grain running 90 degrees from the original will cause an issue?
c) The transom drain tube and the forward locker drain tube need to be replaced. Where can I source these and do you have any tips on their correct installation? I've never had the pleasure of replacing one in a foam filled boat before.
d) I'm thinking of pulling the original bow rail and filling the holes. I like the way the rail looks, but we beach the boat all the time and climbing over the rail is a pain in the arse. Thoughts? I guess I could always keep the rail and re-install it later if I ever decide to sell the boat.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions, but for now this should keep me busy. Thank you again in advance for any advice you can offer me.

Sincerely,

Chris B.

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You will get many educated responses on this site. If it were me, I would get some 4200 caulk and fill all those holes immediately. When you're ready, drill them slightly oversize and fill with resin then put a dab of gelcoat on top.

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I have the same boat with a 115 V4. I am currently running a 19 pitch prop. I would think you could run a 19 pitch and see a little more speed without sacrificing a lot of torque.

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Agree with wing that you should fill all holes. Even silicone or quad type caulk will be fine for the season. I doubt that you need to foam anything and if you have the time it would be easy to just fill everything with the resin now and not have to remove/overdrill to remove caulk later. I have had good success with putting resin in old saline bottles and using as applicator instead of syringes. I would recommend epoxy resin as it is a better bond.

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For the transom holes, I agree with your inclination to use wood or plywood plugs rather than dowels. That will better match the characteristics (e.g.compressibility) of the original construction.

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Yes, I may just fill the holes now and completely refinish the boat later.

Any suggestions on the drain tubes? That is the one thing I have never done before. Also need to know what foam to buy.

Thanks,

Chris B.

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Chris -- Welcome to WhalerCentral.

Most of your questions have been answered before. Spend some time using the search function and be sure to peruse the articles and sections listed on the left.

It is usually better to ask a single question per thread. Throwing a whole lot of different questions into one post leads to lengthy and confusing threads as all sorts of responses or put forth.

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Thanks Tom! I already found the drain tube thread and will be tackling that project soon.

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Ok, just ordered an Aluminum 13.25x17 three blade. Should be here tomorrow. Hopefully I can try it out on Sunday and report back.