Greatings everyone!! First Boat and post!

[Gra.ndmaster]

I've been lurking for about a month and decided to create my profile after I bought my first boat! A little about me: I'm 23(turning 24 this month) and from the great state of North Dakota. I've been teaching myself about engine mechanics as I've gotten a Camaro recently that I will be restoring also. I didn't grow up around boats (I'm in a pretty land locked state...) and I'm a complete novice when it comes to any type of watercraft.

I bought this boat locally for $500. It needs some work as you can probably tell. I'm going to have a lot of questions for everyone so be prepared.

The guy I bought it from bought it off someone else with the plans of restoring it. He ended up buying something else and let this one go. I know it's an older Forester, but I have no idea the year or model.

The flooring and wiring need to be completely redone. Not sure if I need to go about and replace everything hull up or what (Any thoughts on that?)

Still figuring out where all of these tubes are supposed to go. I have a ton of random screws, nuts, and bolts that were scattered along the floor and in the back where the motor is mounted. Scrapping those as well, but I'm not even sure what they went to in the first place.

Motor looks like it's in decent shape. Took the cover off and found that there are a couple wires that need replacing as well, but otherwise it needs a good cleaning. I'll post more pictures as I go along.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Including a few more pictures I've taken

[Ceeptryn]

Not sure what that boat is (maybe a Sidewinder or some clone), but it looks like a nice hull (bottom) design to go fast with.

From the pictures, it appears that the Transom (part the motor is mounted on) is rotted inside. I would start researching transom replacement in the forums., along with the floor. There is a lot of weight and little strength left in old, wet wood.

[Scream And Fly]

Welcome to Scream And Fly! That looks like a fantastic boat to work on and I especially think that engine is extremely cool. It's going to be a heck of a lot of fun, and we are all here to help you along the way with anything you need, so don't hesitate to ask if you need help!

Greg

[NY Switzer-Head]

Interesting boat... doesn't look like any Forester I've ever seen, but looks to have potential. Love those inline 6 merc's!!! Great motor! Take the boat all the way down to the bare hull and split the deck from hull and just start over. Not really that hard. Brace it good before hand by adding extra bunks to that trailer. 3 per side is usually enough. Invest in a good respirator, Tyvek bunny suit, and a good 4.5" grinder (or harbor freight disposable ones). Lots of good build threads on here to learn from, and lots of glass work on youtube too. There will be no wood that isn't rotten or about to be rotten.

As for that motor, join the inline group on here and facebook inline 6 group. Lots of old school inline racers and top notch mechanics hang out there. Best info I have come across. Watch those crusty wires, they have been known to start fires, and bad top crank seals let in air causing lean out and piston melting in cyl 1. Parts are readily available.

Have fun!! Don't give up!! The long hours pay off!!

[Bodhi]

Welcome aboard!!! Your project looks like it will make a unique toy to play with. Looks like a pretty basic floor/transom to learn on, the skies the limit with how you can design and build. Definitely check out the section here on fiberglass as it will give you some insight on resins to use, weights and types of fiberglass, etc...

[doc_texoma]

Agree - NEVER seen a forester that looks like that... Almost looks like a sidewinder mated with a glastron GT150 mated with - idk.. As others have said though it looks like a relatively basic setup and yea, what a cool motor.. That flat windshield is kind of neat too.. Make it happen!!

[59powercat1400]

That is a Forester Rebel.

[olboatman]

Welcome to S&F!! You will have a group of boat rebuilding mentors here for the asking....best guys on the net! Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge
here and have fun while rebuildin your new rig. Gary

[mr fun]

welcome to SNF, congratulations on your new toy. when I was your age I had my daughter, she just gave me my first grandchild. in my opnion (sp) the boat will be much cheaper. keep the prize in your eye, out enjoying the open water. all the best, fun out

[rock]

Welcome to the addiction. Looks like a cool project.

Rock

[Glasstream15]

Looks like fun and I LOVE InLines!!!

[wuhbbr]

It's going to be lots of enjoyable work. Do your home work or a class on fiberglass repair. I see PT 2x's, I've never had any luck getting glass to stick to them. Suggest you go with best marine or exterior plywood (not pt) you can find. Some lumber yards carry USA made fir marine. Slow cure 5-1 Epoxy resin is more "forgiving" than polyster. For me, the extra "work time" is worth the extra expense. = I'm sure you can find some "ole timer" that knows about the inline 6's. Lots of after market quality parts out there. = Please keep us posted on your progress, we'll love to see the photos and your progress. There's lots of guys on here with decades of knowledge, most are more than willing to help you out.

[W2F a V-King]

What a great project. That boat sure has a lot of potential. Great lines. Love the IL Merc!!

Good Luck, and keep the pics coming!!

James

[Gra.ndmaster]

Thanks a lot everyone for the tips and the warm welcome! I'll be sure to post my progress as I get started. I work in IT for a steel distro company and it's starting to get busier as the weather gets better. I'll be sure to update as often as I can!

Thanks again everyone!

[racervboat]

yup a forester rebel looks like that one has a pad,mine was just a vee bottom.

[Robby321]

Welcome! Take your time, one thing at a time, and it WILL come together! I have a source ANYTHING IL6 needed you, just ask. We all like a project, and many been there, done that, and the work was damn sure worth it! Good luck!

[Gra.ndmaster]

Thanks for the welcome and the fact I can ask questions regarding that IL6..I'll have plenty of them. I've taken a ton of pictures of that as well which I'll end up posting in that area.

[blacktruck]

Looks really cool, good luck. Keep it vintage, love the color and the motor.

[panther150]

Welcome , really cool looking project. Best way to learn is do it yourself, and you will have the satisfaction of a job well done.

[Li'l Toy]

Now down to more specifics. Someone else already noted that it appears that the transom is wet. Need to rebuild it. You need to learn if the bottom of the boat is solid fiberglass or is cored. If cored, most likely that you need to replace that also. Now that I am typing, I don't want to go back to your photos again, but one poster noted pressure treat 2x4s. They cannot be original, even if the bottom is solid fiberglass sounds like the stringers need to be replaced. One poster talked about high quality wood--the other alternative is any one of number of non-wood core materials.

There is a specific forum on here for fiberglass rebuilding. There are some very detailed threads on it with complete rebuilds, analyzing what is used, how and why, with lots of pictures. There is one started by my son, Matt Gent on these forums, that is the type I am suggesting. Spend the time to go through at least 3 or 4 to understand the job, then plan yours.

It will be a treasure when you are done.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Thank's for the advice Li'l Toy, along with everyone else!

I've checked out a couple of rebuild threads and they've helped me greatly so far in deciding what I want to do. I'll check out your son's thread as well.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Alright, so I think I'm just going to start the build in this thread since it's already here.

I finally got a start on the boat. Got some great advice from everyone here. It is a mid 70's Forester Rebel. I'm going to try and keep it as original as possible since I like the look of it so much.

There is one beam (stringer?) and a single floor board in the boat which I've now taken out. The fiberglass came up easily once I cut into it. I just ended up using a crowbar to peel it off. I'm going to sand down the rest of the glass and get it nice and clean. I'm going to need to remove the top of the boat to get to the very front where the gas tank is and see the damage up there. Everything was pretty much soaked.

I attached a few pictures. You can see that I'll have to do some repairs to the hull due to someone putting screws straight through. Luckily those will just be small patches. It's going to be rather wet this weekend with the rain, so I'm not sure what I'll be able to do since I don't have a garage to work out of. We'll see what I can get done.

I'm going to be building a mount for the motor so I don't have it sitting on the ground. The transom is in need of a rebuild as well. And I think I'm going to bring it in to a shop to get the merc looked over. Otherwise, I can definitely throw more pictures at you guys for some advice on that as well.

Any ideas on who I should get fiberglass through? I've seen a few names used here and there. I'll update you all as best and quickly as I can.

[wuhbbr]

From that I see, get you boat sitting level & plumb, on something until the job is finished. Then remove the deck, a bit pf a PITA at first but you'll be time ahead when you finish. Then start your clean up.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, we'll all try to help.

[NY Switzer-Head]

Get the hull braced up good and straight first. Either build a wood jig/table for it to sit in or put the trailer on leveled jack stands and add bunks to the trailer (at least 3 per side total) and make sure they are even and as straight as possible. I used a string, levels, and a tape measure to accomplish this starting from the center and working out. Then remove the top deck and go at all the rotting wood. Save as much as you can to use as templates for new wood. Take lots of pictures!! Looks like you have flat lying balsa core in there too. That will need to be checked for rot and replaced if so. You can drill plugs out to check and fill any holes in with epoxy "peanut butter" if the core is good. You need to go the whole 10 yards. You don't want to do this more than once. If done right, it will last a lifetime.

[Robby321]

I for sure would dump that steel gas tank as ya now its rusty inside.

[Gra.ndmaster]

I completely agree with you on taht one Robby321

[Robby321]

I completely agree with you on taht one Robby321

Just plain old Robby. Also I would think of a couple 6 gallon tanks assend instead a front tank. And aluminum tanks are NOT cheap if front again, but just a thought. Or maybe 2 side saddle gas tanks as IL6's like lots of gas!

[Karsten]

Great looking project and could turn out very well if you take the time to source the needed material and study all the info out there. You Tube is full of DIY vid's, The Fiberglass section here, Fiberglassic.com is nothing but old Restorations.

Fibreglast.com is a great place for material to rebuild the stringers and re glass the floor.

Seacast for transom repair and possibly stringer material. http://www.transomrepair.net/index.php?cPath=1

Moeller marine has a great selection of tanks should you want something lighter.

I was lucky and found this little Tahiti a few years ago that the 2nd owner had re done the transom, floor, wiring and what not.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/140/mytahiti2.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/3wmytahiti2j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/140/mytahiti2.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/3wmytahiti2j)

Over the years it has been through a number of up grades, new gas tank, seats carpet

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/263/dscn06651.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/7bdscn06651j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/705/dscn06717.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/jldscn06717j)

Painted the motor and new decals.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/546/dscn06706.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/f6dscn06706j)

To the latest up grades...2011 150 OptiMax, Oil injection, hydraulic steering , new stereo, Mercury Smart Craft Monitor, Mercury control shifter....in short you can make the whole boat new if you want to.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/921/mGgg0Q.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/plmGgg0Qj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/924/grihkQ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pogrihkQj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/923/BZxcVc.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnBZxcVcj)

Check out http://www.sidewinder-boats.com/portal/modules.php?name=Jig as well as http://www.classicglastron.com/ as you will need some ideas for the seating. 2 buckets and a bench across the back might be the cheapest way to go. 2 Buckets and a panel to cover the gas tank and battery and a bunch of bean bags across the back.

Good luck and ask your questions as I am sure someone here will have the answers.

Karsten

[Gra.ndmaster]

Hey everyone,

It's been a long time. I haven't gotten much done due to weather here in ND. It was nice for a couple days but I wasn't at home for that. I don't have a garage or anything I can work out of either.

One thing I have a problem with is the motor. The ignition is trashed, the throttle had been taken apart, gas lines are non existent. Took the cover off the Merc and it's decently clean. A few wires are noticeably damaged and/or missing completely. I'm thinking about getting this: http://www.iboats.com/Mercury-Outboard-1965-1989-6-cyl-Service-Repair-Manuals/dm/cart_id.725922400--session_id.276623172--view_id.688595

I desperately want to keep the engine it has. I've seen them run and they're amazing when it's all put together.

Does anybody live around Fargo, ND? lol I'm fine with getting the boat together. I'm pretty comfortable with building, not so much with motors though..

[FMP]

Like the AirGuide tach

[Gra.ndmaster]

Appreciate the great replies.

I was able to do some more grinding on the boat yesterday. Weather is getting nice up here finally.

Going to put some more work into the support frame I have built around the boat so I can take the cap off without anything flexing too much. I've heard some horror stories...
I just have it built onto the trailer and around the boat itself. I'm waiting on my order of fiberglass supplies. I just bought some stuff off of amazon since I get free 2 day shipping and the costs were decent.

I took some pictures of the motor for everyone.
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I was able to turn the prop on lower unit. Wasn't free, but it doesn't grind either so I'm assuming that's a good thing. I was also able to turn the top piece which would be where to pull start the engine (not sure if there's a technical term for it..) and I'm also assuming that's a good thing since it's not locked up on me.

I need to be able to detach the throttle cables. How would I go about doing this?

In the end I'm going to need a new throttle, new ignition, new cables ran pretty much throughout, and a new gas tank since this one is probably rusted out.. that's besides what I'm already working on.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Sorry, looks like the images rotated after I uploaded them.

[NICE PAIR]

Welcome, I sent you a private message and left you some to try. :thumbsup:

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[Krazymaan]

Thats definitely a 1974 Forester Rebel 160 (16 footer).

[Gra.ndmaster]

It is!! I wasn't positive of the year though. Figured it was 75 or somewhere around there.

[Krazymaan]

This is a 74. Looks Identical to yours.
See...
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[Krazymaan]

Your gas tank is more than likely Aluminum. Not Steel.

Change out your fuel line ends to threaded barbs that you can buy at Menards. Don't waste time trying to buy OEM fuel lines. Get 5/16"

[Krazymaan]

things you may or may not know.
Spark plug wires do NOT come out of cap unless they dangle free and then you unscrew them.
Cap is ungodly expensive, brass inserts unscrew where plug wires go in.
Fuel pump is probably shot as usual.
Do not clean the grease out of the distributor cracks.
Top carb is a bitch to remove.
you will only have 2 chokes out of three carbs
that spring from your dizzy to your throttle arm is NOT suppose to go there. That means the grease in your dizzy is so thick that the bottom half can't rotate freely from the top half. You should really fix that. It affects your timing unless you want melted pistons.
You can buy a complete wiring harness with all new wires for about $150. I did and love it.
Realigning your dizzy is actually pretty dang simple. You almost can't ever get it wrong. I took mine off to take off the top carb.
Plus there is a screw on top of the dizzy that needs to have a plastic nipple on it. Its very important. It slides and activates your timing or something like that.
Ignition timing on an inline is very simple too.
Everything seems difficult until you do it once and you realize that wasn't so bad.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Can't wait to work on it some more this weekend.

Questions:

What's a dizzy..? Is it the distributor?

If it does rotate freely from the top half, can I just remove the spring? I can turn it by hand, but I'm not sure how free it's supposed to rotate..

How does one realign a "dizzy"? (I feel like I know it's the distributor by now, but still)

Can I replace the grease in the dizzy or what can I do about that? You mentioned not cleaning grease out of the cracks.

Does anyone have pictures of their IL6 I can look at for reference? I'll do a search on here after I'm done typing this, so I'll update if I find something, but it'd be nice to have in the thread.

I'll probably buy the new wiring harness as mentioned. Most likely make my life 10xs easier..

I've never done timing on any type of engine, but I'll take your word for it.

Oh and I didn't know any of this so thank you very much Krazymaan.

Oh and another question for anyone out there, I believe I have a picture of something with a green hose attached to it. It has 2 wires connected to it as well for power. What is it? water pump for the boat or??

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.. but if I think of it I'll post. I'll also post a few progress pics this weekend if I get the chance!

[Krazymaan]

Yeah Dizzy is the easy way so you don't have to keep spelling distributor.

[Gra.ndmaster]

I figured.. but thank you again!

[Krazymaan]

I have most of the photos you'd want. I'll post tonight after work.
I'll post the videos of timing and dizzy alignment too

[Krazymaan]

If your talking about a hose and two wires that run with the long wiring harness, the hose is for a mechanical water pressure gauge and if you have hydraulic trim cylinders. The wires might be for a gauge

[Robby321]

And when timed (DO IT, but learn the right way and can be explained that here others) but don't do 23 degree's. Do 21. Gas aint what it was before. Had a IL6...XS 1500. Melted 2 pistons running too much timing and get a load **** gas.

[Gra.ndmaster]

Krazymaan, it's in my second post in this thread I think. Looks like a pump with a green hose. It's just sitting right next to the merc on top of the boat.

Pictures and/or video would be great as well. Whenever you have time!

Thanks Robby, like I said I've never done any timing.

[Robby321]

Krazymaan, it's in my second post in this thread I think. Looks like a pump with a green hose. It's just sitting right next to the merc on top of the boat.

Pictures and/or video would be great as well. Whenever you have time!

Thanks Robby, like I said I've never done any timing.

OK, simple bilge pump, goes in the very rear bottom inside of boat. Hose should go to a fitting to outside the hull. Hooked to a switch, and the battery. Zip to do with the motor.

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[Gra.ndmaster]

Ah I see. Thanks Robby!

[Krazymaan]

This loose wire in your hand. Its extremely important. It does a U-turn and bolts up top in front of the starter. If you don't have it connected, your motor will turn over slow like you don't have any battery power and your wires will get hot really fast. See the new wiring harness :)

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[Krazymaan]

Krazymaan, it's in my second post in this thread I think. Looks like a pump with a green hose. It's just sitting right next to the merc on top of the boat.

Pictures and/or video would be great as well. Whenever you have time!

Thanks Robby, like I said I've never done any timing.

Funny, I was on my cell phone looking at your green moldy wires. Oops, wrong green.

[Krazymaan]

For your link and sync. (timing) This guy will teach you a lot. Look at his other videos. Same motor just newer and almost the same.


https://youtu.be/eSk01fvCbec

[Krazymaan]

Heres the video of aligning your dizzy sprocket if yo have to take it off. Check out his other videos.


https://youtu.be/Db8QMtFezUE

[Robby321]

Liston ANYTHING said here! EASY to screw up fast motor. Many wizards here IL6 Top's, been there, done that. BUT? Highly suggest to join up "Fiberglassics" web site. Theres 2 MASTER wizards that live close me PNW (Pacific west coast, northwest, Wa state). Both are old school motor freaks. They always post there any Q. "Dr Frankenmerc" and "Ed MC" are the best! And on the "Doc" Lives 20 miles north me and if a Inline 6"? NOTHING NEEDED he don't have! Link Fiberglassics

http://www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums.htmlhttp://www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums.html

Some the"docs stuff"..

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[Krazymaan]

Usually the spring looks like this and is metal and wraps around the other side and hooks to a post. But yours may be different, there were many variations.

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[Gra.ndmaster]

Thanks everyone for the pointers! I wasn't even able to get to the boat this weekend due to car issues. Had to change a wheel bearing on my camaro so I ended up replacing the rotors and pads as well. Also having carb issues with my pickup. So the weekend was just full of car projects. Hopefully I'll have time this week!

Thank you for the fiberglassics tip as well. I'll be going back and forth between these 2. Sounds sappy, but the communities here are amazing and keep me coming back for more and more info! Hopefully I can get together with some of you guys at an event up in the north sometime!