TOPIC: outboard motor hp

I just bought a 1962 westfield deluxe boat and plan to restore it. Does anyone know the max hp i can have on my 16ft mgf boat???it came with a beast of a motor(v4 johnson electromatic meteor)but i plan on buying a new one. Also i need to replace the floor which had a pump underneath, would it be too much added weight if i replaced the wood stringers, laid plywood on top, fibreglass and gelcoat? It seems like they used layers of fibreglass of some sort and not plywood. Lastly if the floor should be properly sealed why is their a need for a pump underneath? Over time water accumulates between the floor and hull from installed seating or cracking? This is my first boat restoration so any info will be helpful, thanks a lot.

Welcome aboard Russ. You've come to the right place for all you answers. I can't qualify for most of them
The motor is up to you and your choice. Max horsepower that is usually on the tag is a recommendation. As far as I know there are not "laws" for horsepower just manufactures recommendations. There are experts here who can guide you on the new floor but I would suggest as long as you are going that far you should put in a new transom.
Does that "beast" motor run?? Those were workhorses but will suck gas faster than you can keep the tank full. What horsepower is it?

That model only has wood in the transom, seat frames and behind the dash. The floor is all fiberglass, with fiberglass stringers and foam for flotation under the floor.

Not sure why a pump was installed ubder the floor - they sure did not come that way from the factory. The only holes are for mounting the seats via well nuts, and a drain hole with plug to the right of the cockpit drain hole and plug, as facing the transom from outside the boat. MFG hulls, decks and floor rarely crack - they were overbuilt. However, if the boat has been left outside without a cover, water leaks in through the seat holes over time, the rubber in the well nuts deteriorates, and thus allows water in. Nothing will rot, per say, below the floor, but the foam will become saturated and has to be removed after removing the floor. That's a big messy job. I would raise the bow and remove the under floor drain plug and see if water runs out. If it does, you can be pretty sure the foam is saturated.

Depending on the year, the Westfield was rated for 65 or 70 hp. That Johnson is either 90 or 100 hp - too much for that boat.

I grew up with two Westfields, both with 40 hp Evinrudes on them. I currently have a Niagara with a 35hp Mercury.

Thank you for the response!. The boat itself all around looks solid. When I lifted the boat water did come out so like you say the foam is definitely saturated. Is that something that is necessary to rip the floor up and replace? Or can I just patch up some small cracks and paint? The floor itself right now is in great shape aside from screw holes all over from the seats.

"63sabre" the Johnson I believe is a 95hp. I haven't had it running and the previous owner hadn't in a while. I can tell it definitely is missing a few hoses and some new wiring is needed. I think I may Invest in a newer one due to the gas guzzling issue and potential to break down! But, I don't think it wouldn't hurt to purchase a manual on it at least give it a go.

The problem is weight. Having all that water trapped under the floor can almost double the weight of the boat and make it perform poorly.

Two choices - rip the floor out, which is a big job since it is bonded to the hull, or find a boat that is dry below the floor.

If it were me, I'd dump it and find another, but that's just me. My preference is to find boats in the best possible shape. Saves time and money every time. That said, I'm also not much of a craftsman to take on a project like that. The transom is a lot easier, and I would tackle that. My brother did that about 10 years ago on our dad's last MFG, a 1965 Edinboro. Since that time, Nidacore has come out as an alternative for fixing it.

For details on how to redo the transom, see in the how to section (upper left of page):

forums.fiberglassics.com/mfg/

So, if you want to try, go for it. It has been done.

regarding the h.p., you may find this helpful from KevFins site

archive.org/stream/1959OutboardBoatingClubSpeedboatDesignSpecifications/1959-obc_manual#page/n19/mode/2up

Cheers

Bill

There are two issues which you don't hear too much about when it comes to glass boats and floors. If it is completely sealed two things will happen eventually. 1. Condensation will form and produce water and soak up the foam especially if it is tightly sealed. Warm sun beating on the boat and cold water on the outside of the hull. Over years this does build up especially after 40 or 50 years. If you live in cold climate and off season freezing temps this water will expand and multiply the problem producing cracks usually around seams.
2. Fiberglass hulls flex while underway in choppy water, some more and some less. If the floor is completely sealed there is a bellows effect on the floor over years producing cracks and leaks. The '69 Shell Lake I currently have has a manufacturer installed small hose in the very tip of the floor forward, this lets the deck "breath" when in rough water. The hose sticks out about 4" above the deck to keep water from entering. Some manufactures install two transom drains, usually one above the other. One is your regular rubber snap plug for draining inside water from rain or normal boating conditions, the other might be a threaded screw brass pipe plug type which is for draining the "sealed" bilge. Can't remember how many of these lower plugs I pulled over the years only to drain as much as five gallons of stinky, foul smelling water. All that being said if it were my boat and wanted to keep or rebuild it I would cut out sections of the deck, remove all the soaked foam, dry it out with fans or some type of blower, replace the cut out sections and then find a local home insulation company that does foaming. They will drill holes in the deck and foam the entire void, then it's just a minor matter of glassing those little holes.

Totally makes sense. Boat is exactly as you described with the 2 plugs. The deck definitely looks to be original, when lifting the bow water did come out so I'm thinking as a quick or temporary fix the previous owner installed a bilge and siliconed it in to continuously get the water out. I paid 300 for the boat, looks in great condition. Just for the hell of it I'll rip the floor out and see what I can do. Appreciate all the feedback

Hi Russ07, I may have an alternative solution to ripping out the floor. I also have an MFG (1963 Edinboro) with saturated foam in the floor. I agree with Davnau6345, the water doesn't create structural problems, but its a lot a weight. A quick back-of-the-napkin calculation for my boat suggests there are about 300 pounds of extra weight on board. For a 750 pound hull, that's a lot of extra weight!

As you already noticed, the floor is not cored, its a fiberglass floor which has been bonded (with some sort of industrial glue) to the stringers, which are in turn bonded to the floor. So if you took a cross section of the floor, it would look a lot like corrugated cardboard, hull, then a wavy piece of fiberglass (stringers), then floor. The foam seems to only be in the alternate channels.

I've been playing all winter with ways to get the foam out of there, without ripping out the deck. One option would be to use a hole saw (like the type used to cut a hole in a door for a doorknob), and cut holes along the floor between the stringers. Round holes should structurally be stronger than cutting squares, and you could leave "bridges" between the holes. This would retain a lot of the structure, and give you enough access to get the foam out. But of course, this means fiberglassing a lot of holes.

This weekend I am going to try something different. I was able to get a piece of foam out of the hull (I cut holes along the transom, which I am replacing). Turns out the saturated foam is really soft and brittle. I attacked it with a pressure washer (1600 lbs) using a rotating spray, and it cut right through it, and ground it up. So I am going to feed a hose under the deck this weekend, with a sprayer on the end, and try to simply "wash" out the foam. I'll post pictures and let you know how it goes. If it works, it will be a LOT easier than cutting up the floor! The MFGs seem to be really well build, just that darn floor foam!

Cheers,

Talbot

Now that's innovative! Good idea, let us know how it works out for you.

Ditto, never thought of that.

If you can, post some pix on how it goes.

I'll take some pictures and let you all know how it goes.

Well, I used the pressure washer on the foam and it worked, for about five minutes, then the hose blew. I had modified the hose connections to make it flexible enough to get under the floor. I'm going to repair the hose and give it another shot, but it seems to work. Its going to make a mess though. I'll take pictures of the next go around.