TOPIC: Newbie Question; Where to start?...

I just purchased my first classic boat and want some opinions/advice about where to start so I don't have a "bad outcome" on my first launch. My wife and I made the decision to take advantage of year round boating and a big garage.

We picked up a 1957 MFG Erie this week. Power is a 1960 Evinrude 40, Lark II. It was last registered in 2003. Seller started it very briefly (without water), perhaps 2 seconds. sounded solid

A key question I have is regarding the wood keel. Do I need to do anything like coat or protect the keel with any urethane or varnish?

*ANY input is greatly appreciated. I plan to pull it back out of the garage and get the engine into a tank so I can start the engine after draining carb and checking the plugs.

Welcome aboard, you sure came to the right place.
Beautiful looking boat from what I can see.
That motor is a iron workhorse, simple to take care of and parts are readily available and inexpensive. I would change the water impeller right away though. Sitting that long, dry and then turned over is not good even for a few seconds. The impeller is an easy job, just a few socket wrenches and you're good to go.
The keel should not be a problem unless there is obvious extensive damage. Some scrapes and wearing from running on sandy beaches or an occasional ruck hit is normal. If you want a layer of fiberglass over it would not hurt.
Being a wood boat that has sat that long it probably needs to soak up, ie sit in the water until it stops leaking...or take your garden hose and put a few inches of water inside the boat and see if there is anything leaking out. Give it a few days to soak and then it will be water tight.

Saber- Thanks for the impeller suggestion. The registration is 13 years old but I think, or at least suspect, is has been in the water from time to time as there was a fairly current picture of the seller in the boat, in the water. Seller said his wife thought it would be a good idea to prove it actually floats. Probably still a good idea to change the impeller. I'm a bit of a chicken lifting a finger on the hull and engine since this is my first go at the vintage boat thing. Ironically I was a fighter mechanic in the USAF, and have flipped bikes so the mechanical piece shouldn't feel intimidating, but it does. I have a SELOC manual so I should be good to go. I just hate cracking open something that runs.

This weekend I'll be putting it in a trashcan/tank to crank it. I did read that this unit has a thermostat that needs to heat up first, and then water should come out the top exhaust. After I see the t-stat opening proof, I'll feel comfortable taking it to the boat ramp.

This boat fortunately is a fiberglass hull so I won't have the issue of getting through a soak period. Thanks for pointing that out though. I'll keep that in mind in case any true wood boats come home with me. From the research area of this site I learned that MFG company originally cast the hull from a prospective client's wood boat. The business deal never went through... It does give that interesting plank effect, with the practicality of glass.

Sinario time .... The impeller in every motor is rubber. Do you leave your rubber tires on you car for 13 years whether driving on them or not ? Don't take a chance on a 15 dollar part ? on a hundreds of dollar motor. My opinion....

Replace the impeller. Not doing so is just plain asking for engine trouble. Remove the thermostat and put it in a pot of water on the stove on high. If it opens, THEN you put it back in the engine and do your test run with a new impeller and a thermostat known to work. If you don't do these things and then tell us that you seized your engine, we're going to laugh at you. Final warning.

If you're going to run in a garbage can that's better than a garden hose. After you start it up keep feeling the cylinder head(s) for temperature. You should be able to keep your fingers on the cylinder walls without any discomfort. If they get really warm shut it down. If they are just warm that's normal but I would still change the impeller after your sea trials.
Would like to see some more pictures.

Great logic, Do you think the "local" marina carries them based the age, or just jump straight to eBay?

Nautilus wrote:

Replace the impeller. Not doing so is just plain asking for engine trouble. Remove the thermostat and put it in a pot of water on the stove on high. If it opens, THEN you put it back in the engine and do your test run with a new impeller and a thermostat known to work. If you don't do these things and then tell us that you seized your engine, we're going to laugh at you. Final warning.

I appreciate all the passionate responses in this forum. I will wait another week for parts to arrive and get installed before I launch her. We've done the paddle back to shore thing before; not a great time...

Any other common sense items I should address?

We have the good fortune to live on the riverfront here in FL and I saw "sea tow" with a customer in tow yesterday. Gives me pause to do it right the first time. My wife and I are both actively looking for the next acquisition, and we haven't even gotten this one wet yet. . The bug and the ability have finally lined up in life.

Ah...SeaTow =$$$$$

Ebay would work if you have the time.
Any reputable marine dealer would probably have that part in stock because they are quite popular. If you have a local Napa car parts store within reach they should also have it in their Sierra brand. Never had a problem with them.

Here's a link to your part(s) so you can come prepared with a part number.

www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1960&hp=40&model=RDSL-40&manufacturer=Johnson§ion=Gearcase+Group

Hey Lounger, I'm impressed with your find. I did not know there were any lapstrake fiberglass hulls in that early a time. Reading the company blurb, I see that boat is a copy of a Lyman! MFG made that hull as a spec sale to Lyman for them to finish and sell, but Lyman said no. Ended up with MFG getting into the retail boat business with a FG version of the Lyman. Even though the hull is FG, there seems to be a lot of mahogany in the finished product, so "little or no maintenance" is true only if you compare it to the original wood lapstrake boat. Great vintage boat. Post more pics please.

JRF (Jerry)

Chuck in Cincinnati wrote:

Sinario time .... The impeller in every motor is rubber. Do you leave your rubber tires on you car for 13 years whether driving on them or not ? Don't take a chance on a 15 dollar part ? on a hundreds of dollar motor. My opinion....

Thx to everyone with the strong opinion on the impeller change. I got one today at a local boat guy, and changed it tonight. Of course always a little pucker factor doing anything new like this, and double so when the new is on a 50+ yr old engine. eg; how hard should it be to pull off from the water lines... I'm also changing the lower end oil for good measure. Impeller wasn't horrible, but definitely had wear. I think I'll be needing to change the electric start solenoid in the start box. it gave me a click, rather than the starter action. I cleaned terminals, and it appears to work now, but like the impeller situation, its a cheap and easy change out $13 shipped for a fresh solenoid.

Things to do on an old boat, go through the wiring and check all the connections. Loosen each screw, shoot a bit of plastic-safe contact cleaner in the gap and retighten. Keep rags or paper towels in the immediate vicinity so the contact cleaner does not get on anything but the electricals.

Look for frayed wires and obviously corroded terminals. Repair as needed.

You have a single hose OMC gas tank. If the gas in your area has ethanol (like ours) it will soak into the cork float and you'll loose your gas gage ...

The answer is to drain the tanks (one screw is marked drain), and pull the fuel pick-up. You'll see the cork float. Dry it thoroughly and coat with good two-part epoxy. It will now float in any sort of gas

Look in tanks with flash light. If gooey on the bottom, splash in a bit of carb cleaner and slosh around to get the old varnish flowing and drain out. CAREFULLY clean the pick-up screen. It's fine wire mesh and it can be fragile. Re-assemble.

You prolly need a new primer bulb in the gas hose. If not now, eventually.

Make up a non-maring tool bag with basic wrenches, SAE is fine (no metrics back then). Some pliers, screw drivers and such. Get two spare shear pins and cotter pins for the prop.

I'm a big proponent of running the first tank full of pre-mix on a new-to-me boat a bit rich. Usually something like 40:1. Actually I run 40:1 most of the time. Old motors may get 32:1 for a few gallons until I'm sure all is well ... Use premium TC-W3 oil and clean fresh gas.

I'm a big proponent of Mercruiser SAE 90 Premium + Gear Lube. It's about the stickiest and most tenacious gear lube out there. It will protect old gears and bearings as well as can be done. Bit pricey, but it does not take much

Grease all the nipples lightly. Make sure all turn easily. Inspect control cables. Look for spots where the jacket is cracked. If you can see corroded outer wire, they are due for change.