Fitting out a boat

[jmac]

Hi everyone,

I have a fibreglass runabout, 4.5 m I think, that i need to fit out. It has no electrics, power or even motor. I have some batteries and a fish finder and some gauges. I haven't been on any other fishing boats so am not sure how they are usually set up and am looking for any advice regarding how I should set up the power or any other advice.

I plan to put the batteries at the rear of the boat on one side with maybe the fuel on the other side or maybe get a tank that goes in the middle cavity if possible. I will have to run some power lines to the front of the boat. Should these be isolated in some way from the battery to maybe prevent any spikes, surges from the motor? A wiring diagram would be good if anyone has something.

I will also have to get a motor, 50hp I am thinking with trim and tilt. Any advice on where to get one from or maybe who I should avoid buying from due to bad experiences?

Will need various parts such as lights, possibly some sort of live bait holder, aerator, gauges, basically everything so any advice will be appreciated.

Or maybe you think I should just go out and buy a second hand boat complete and ready to take out instead of fitting this one out?

Thanks

Joe

[kriso]

mate the budget you have will be a big thing, i would look at the whitworths catalog as there pretty good on price and have a range of everything. what is the boat rated at horsepower wise. this should come into consideration. i recommend fitting the max its rated too as normaly you will find you u have to flog the guts outa anything smaller to get the thing going.

[jmac]

Where or how would I get a whitworths catalog? Where are they located? I think the boat previously had a 40HP on it. How would I find out the max HP rating?

[Hellcat Dan]

i agree max is allways best bla for all the other stuff or bias boating wearhouse are good at woodridge

i did up my last boat if you are going to keep it for long time do it your self if not buy one that has allready been done and then make it how you wamt then you wont lose as much money

[kriso]

look at the boat builders plate it will have max hp rating. google whitworths there at the gabba. bias boating and bla are good too. you can download the catalog from the whitworths site.

[jmac]

tomcat dan wrote:

i agree max is allways best bla for all the other stuff or bias boating wearhouse are good at woodridge

i did up my last boat if you are going to keep it for long time do it your self if not buy one that has allready been done and then make it how you wamt then you wont lose as much money

What is BLA?

[kriso]

another boat store. just google it or yellow pages.com .au and all will be revealed!

[jmac]

Google whats that...

Thanks for your help so far. Now what if I can't find or don't know where to look for a builders plate? I need to measure the boat but I think it is a 4.5 Pongrass fibreglass. Any suggestions on how to find out its max HP rating?

[kriso]

contact the manufacturer it will be the only plat on the boat with info on it it will also have the hull indentifacation number on it which you will need to register the boat.

[polyphonic]

Try and get yourself a copy of this mag it helped me a lot when I bought my boat. I got it at my local new agent a couple of years ago, you may be able to get them to special order it. Or if not I can let you borrow this one. Has a heap of boat reviews (about 25) plus all about fitting console, electrics, trailers how to set the boat up for what you want.

[Feral]

With a glass boat, dont go to maximum rated motor, they can take some pretty big donks! If it does not have a rated HP. have a look at similar sized boats, and / or ask a dealer.

[jmac]

Thanks for the advice. I am going to order the magazine online now.

[Brian D]

What is the floor like? Any soft spots?

Is the transom solid or wet?

Have you checked for leaks before you mount the motor? If not I would take it down the ramp and she if she floats.

At that size and no motor there is no reason why you can't take it into hinze and test her under paddle power. Have a feel how she sits in the water without a motor.

This is where I wold start before sinking $$ into her.

Then I would do a list of what you want to do with her, where you want to fish and who's will be coming on board. This will determine the fit out and motor.

[Brian D]

jmac wrote:

Google whats that...

Thanks for your help so far. Now what if I can't find or don't know where to look for a builders plate? I need to measure the boat but I think it is a 4.5 Pongrass fibreglass. Any suggestions on how to find out its max HP rating?

Got a photo?

[faulked]

i have a 4.5 runnabout i pulled the seats out and put in a large esky and a padded thing on top for seating in calm water when im being lazy i take a plastic chair or two for extra seating and when skiing i screw the seat poles and bucket seats back in but for open water work i like to stand and walk around the boat with nothing in the way

dont put to much battery weight on one side itll upset the ballance of the boat and most power tilts require a heavy ish tilt pump so factor this in

the power should go through one of those heavy duty isolater switches for safety and convienience i allways turn mine of when the boats not in use to keep the battery from draining out

multiple smaller tanks help you gauge how much fuel you are going through and will be needed to get where you are going

A lot of time sat in the boat thinking about your set up before drilling holes etc will save the boat looking like swiss cheese later my old tinnies had more incarnations than the dalia lama\

and if in doubt ask as many pointless questions as you like the worst well do is laugh at you and most of us have allready been there any way lots of luck

jason

[jmac]

Brian D wrote:

What is the floor like? Any soft spots?

Is the transom solid or wet?

Have you checked for leaks before you mount the motor? If not I would take it down the ramp and she if she floats.

At that size and no motor there is no reason why you can't take it into hinze and test her under paddle power. Have a feel how she sits in the water without a motor.

This is where I wold start before sinking $$ into her.

Then I would do a list of what you want to do with her, where you want to fish and who's will be coming on board. This will determine the fit out and motor.

Lots of good advice there Brian. I have been thinking of putting her in some water to check for leaks. It already has an old Mercury 50HP on it which should go but the problem with it is that it does not turn very easily at all. I have tried greasing it through the nipples or even putting oil just to loosen it up but it does not help enough. Any suggestions.

I will take some photos and post them later.

Did a google on wet and solid transom but did not find anything good. Can you explain what is the difference?

[faulked]

get some one to pump grease in to the turn spiggot thing and heave on it like a bastard till it frees up my old 65 was a bitch for the first tem minutes every time i went out and my present 85 doesnt like turning to the left at slow speed but thats prop torque

[jmac]

faulked wrote:

i have a 4.5 runnabout i pulled the seats out and put in a large esky and a padded thing on top for seating in calm water when im being lazy i take a plastic chair or two for extra seating and when skiing i screw the seat poles and bucket seats back in but for open water work i like to stand and walk around the boat with nothing in the way

dont put to much battery weight on one side itll upset the ballance of the boat and most power tilts require a heavy ish tilt pump so factor this in

the power should go through one of those heavy duty isolater switches for safety and convienience i allways turn mine of when the boats not in use to keep the battery from draining out

multiple smaller tanks help you gauge how much fuel you are going through and will be needed to get where you are going

A lot of time sat in the boat thinking about your set up before drilling holes etc will save the boat looking like swiss cheese later my old tinnies had more incarnations than the dalia lama\

and if in doubt ask as many pointless questions as you like the worst well do is laugh at you and most of us have allready been there any way lots of luck

jason

I have two 6 volt batteries so I could put one on each side but maybe with the batteries on one side and fuel tank/s and tilt pump on the other it might balance out suitably. Looking at the current setup the tilt pump is a seperate piece from the motor and could be placed on either side. Is this the case most of the time?

[faulked]

i believe the older mercs ran seprate tilt pumps but combined them much later on i have a 12v batery and tilt pump on one side the tank on the other and it doesnt balance very well next time round id separate the pump and battery and put the tank in the middle

[ellicat]

Yeah, Don't forget the tank gets lighter as you go;)

[rayke1938]

What type of steering do you have? Is it a pully system of teleflex?

Dismantle the steering and see of the stiffness in in the steering or the motor spindle.

. It is possible to free up the steering cable by dismantleing it and regreasing it . It is a bugger of a job but a new one is around $140.

If the motor is tight in the spindle a little judisious heat will free it up. Then fill it up with grease. When you pump grease into it does grease come out of the top and bottom of the shaft? If it only comes out of one end the other one is blocked and that is where you need to hit it with the oxy

Cheers

Ray

[faulked]

ellicat wrote:

Yeah, Don't forget the tank gets lighter as you go;)

bingo

i like little tanks now as the boat sits a little bum heavey in the water more like a ski boat so i move a tank to the front if im sitting in and odd sea with waves coming up from behind this way it lifts the back or the boat slightly aleviating my engine from getting drowned

[jmac]

rayke1938 wrote:

What type of steering do you have? Is it a pully system of teleflex?

Dismantle the steering and see of the stiffness in in the steering or the motor spindle.

. It is possible to free up the steering cable by dismantleing it and regreasing it . It is a bugger of a job but a new one is around $140.

If the motor is tight in the spindle a little judisious heat will free it up. Then fill it up with grease. When you pump grease into it does grease come out of the top and bottom of the shaft? If it only comes out of one end the other one is blocked and that is where you need to hit it with the oxy

Cheers

Ray

It has a steering wheel with a single long sheathed cable that goes to the motor and it slides in and out as you turn the steering wheel which turns the motor. No pulleys involved. The steering wheel pulled the end of the cable in and out fine initially when not connected to the motor but I may have done some damage to the steering gear trying to turn the motor with it.

I think that when I first got the boat/motor it was a bit stiff and I saw the nipples and put some grease in. Then later on it was very hard and so I thought I put the wrong grease in. I used a propane torch to melt out the grease and lots of it came out and while it was warm it was easier to turn however when it cooled down it got very hard. I have recently tried to put just oil to see if it will loosen up but I think I can only put the oil into one of the nipples. What do you think?

I might heat it up again and then try to put oil into it to see if it stays loose or maybe I should try some grease again. What grease should I use?

[jmac]

Here is a photo. Not much point taking a photo of the inside as the boat is a storage location at the moment. The inside bottom looks and feels good. Just measured the boat and it is 4.4 metres from bow to stern. [img size=480]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Boat.jpg

[Master Sardines]

jmac wrote:

Did a google on wet and solid transom but did not find anything good. Can you explain what is the difference?

Mate go and buy a boat from a dealer and make sure it has a warranty.

[jmac]

Master Sardines wrote:

jmac wrote:

Did a google on wet and solid transom but did not find anything good. Can you explain what is the difference?

Mate go and buy a boat from a dealer and make sure it has a warranty.

Why do you say that?

[Master Sardines]

Matey, not trying to be harsh, but if you don't know if a boat has a "wet" or rotten transom or the difference between "wet or solid" you shouldn't be trying to build a boat. With any boat there is a safety obligation to your passengers/ crew.

[jmac]

Master Sardines wrote:

Matey, not trying to be harsh, but if you don't know if a boat has a "wet" or rotten transom or the difference between "wet or solid" you shouldn't be trying to build a boat. With any boat there is a safety obligation to your passengers/ crew.

Thats fine. How am I going to learn if I don't ask? Still don't know if there are two types of transom one called solid and the other wet or "wet" is a term for a transom that is rotting?

[Master Sardines]

there is one transom on your boat. It's either solid or it wet = Rotting it could also be dry rot too

[jmac]

Ok that's better. Wet means rotting. Now I have something to look for.

Even if I went out and bought a boat with a warranty I still need to learn what to look for, how to maintain etc as the warranty is not going to last forever and is no gaurantee anyway.

[Brian D]

Jmac - Master Sards is right - but so are you. :S

I learn by jumping in and sinking or swimming. Problem here is that you might just do that - sink!

It looks like about 40hp (4stroke) or maybe 50 (2stroke) would be the max size. But this is where the transom crap comes in. There is a wooden frame inside the fiberglass transom which, over time, sucks up water like a sponge. Looks OK from the outside but won't take weight or preasure becuase it's very soft on the inside.

How many bung holes are there?

Is it a drop in floor?

Is the floor hard?

Is there much movement in the transom?

This will help to identify wood rot.

If you are going to change the motor for sure I suggest take it to a boat shop and get a quote. They will tell you what's what. You don't have to follow through but you'll get an idea.

[Brian D]

Above I was talking about learning and exploring. Here are the econimics in my view.

It's all about the motor. If the motor is not realiable then you'll spend most the day worring about if your gonna make it home. If I had a boat like that I would be doing just as you are so don't be too discouraged, just don't waste too much money as you will not get the value back even if you do her up and sell her.

At tops with a good motor I would pay aroung $4k but the motor would have to be near new. But to do this you will be paying about $6k new and fitted.

This boat will only every be good for rivers, fresh dams and bay work on a calm day. You will not get to go outside or into the bay on a choppy day (which is quite often). Having said that, going for a family cruise at a place like Glenlyon would be just fine.

A $4k tinny would get you around the same and be a better fishing platform with far less that will go wrong.

[faulked]

come fort and economics come into it to a glass15ft boat is way more comfortable than an ally 15ft boat but will burn twice the fuel this can add up mackmauler with a 50hp 4stroke mounted to a 15ft tinny{modified} goes some insane distances like the continetal shelf but his boat has been desigend for it yours isnt it would be loverly at jumpinpin and be lots of fun

you could pick up a second hand motor from a dealer say one that has been traded on a new motor and get them to fit it this is asumng there is nothing you can do with your motor somtimes they can be stiff and need to be persuded to turn sometimes if you are mechanicly minded you can pull the powerhead {enginebit} of the leg and pull the gearbox the bit with the propellor of and replace the middle bit with a second hand one if your keen

with the floor jump around in the boat to feel for soft spots which will indicate rot

on the transom look for bubling in the surface this will be bad rot or again push very hard against the transom to feel for rot and a visual inspection inside

if you get a dealer to check out your engine once you have it running at least you will have peace of mind or be told its shagged mate

and finnaly no warranty will make you a better boaty advice and going out with others and doing it is the only way so bring on the silly questions and theres someone here who will tell you whaT to do ooh yeh there are bar crossing courses available that will teach you heaps about boating etc

have fun and stay safe jason:)

[rayke1938]

It has a steering wheel with a single long sheathed cable that goes to the motor and it slides in and out as you turn the steering wheel which turns the motor. No pulleys involved. The steering wheel pulled the end of the cable in and out fine initially when not connected to the motor but I may have done some damage to the steering gear trying to turn the motor with it.

I think that when I first got the boat/motor it was a bit stiff and I saw the nipples and put some grease in. Then later on it was very hard and so I thought I put the wrong grease in. I used a propane torch to melt out the grease and lots of it came out and while it was warm it was easier to turn however when it cooled down it got very hard. I have recently tried to put just oil to see if it will loosen up but I think I can only put the oil into one of the nipples. What do you think?

I might heat it up again and then try to put oil into it to see if it stays loose or maybe I should try some grease again. What grease should I use?

[jmac]

Thanks for all the good advice. As mentioned initially I really would prefer to get another motor as I don't know how reliable this one is, it is old, etc, and above all I want to know that I can get back home from fishing. I could also have a backup mounted as I do have a 6HP although this might not even push the boat!

Currently I have a fibreglass dingy with a 6HP so I have been limited to not going very far from ramps, due to the speed. Also I would not go out into the bay with this unless it was fairly calm. I did take it out to the rock wall at Pinkenba once and that was a bit too rough for it not from the general swell but the larger ships going by.

What I want to do is to go into the bay to do some fishing not when it is very rough. I also need to have more speed so that I can get to places quicker even if it is just in the river at least i can get to the mouth of the logan? I would also like to do some night fishing but I could even do that in my current boat by adding lights but it is not that comfortable to sit for hours and you cant really walk around.

I realize that fixing the boat up is more expensive then just buying another one but I intend keeping it for some time and so even if I buy a reasonably new motor I should get good reliable use from it.

I would certainly take the boat to the outboard dealer prior to purchasing and installing any outboard and get their opinion as to size of outboard and condition of boat, transom, etc.

Lots to think about....have enough of that to do at the moment anyway. Will read through the magazines when they come.

All advice is welcome.

Thanks

[Brian D]

That's a good spot to be Jamc, once you get the motor ans sterring sorted most other stuff will fall into place easy.

The purpose of use you mention will suit this boat just fine.

You'll end up with a rig you know inside out and that you can rely on.

[rayke1938]

Have a yarn with Mike at Coorparoo Marine 33974141 he is very honest and reasonable with his priceing. He will give you an idea if what size motor you should fit and approximate price range. He also will keep an eye out for a good tradein motor.He is a mercury dealer and has been an outboard mechanic all his life.

He has helped a few members of this site out and they have all been happy with his service and honesty.

I have known him over 20 years and can vouch for him.He would be able to change the steering cable easily whilst the motor is being changed.

Cheers

Ray