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Going to look at a boat running an O-360 need advise.

FP1201

Well-known member
A boat I'm seriously considering is running a 180hp Lycoming. The owner doesn't know how many hours or its history. I pretty much know what to look for but could use some advise and specs for the engine:
What is the min/max oil pressure on a fully warmed up engine?
Head temp, EGT, oil temp....?
RPM drop when shutting down one mag?
Owner says it doesn't leak or blow oil, uses Aeroshell low-ash 50wt, and runs 100LL fuel.
It's hard to tell from a picture, but 10 minutes with some instruments should help tremendiously.
 
What I can tell you about the engine is this.....it had to be rebuilt after the initail build..why I don't know, but It may be perfectly fine now. The previous owner had a lot of ching to play with, but he went to a non certified engine builder to put his power plant together??.
BTW, I wanted that boat and still would but if the price was right.Take this into consideration, the polymer may need to be replaced, and I have done polymer before on a deckover and it is expensive to re-do. The engine can always be restored to specs because it is a true 180. I asked the owner to send me pictures up close of the rigging to see the welds etc...he declined to do so. It is a jam up grass boat no doubt, but you may need to put a little more into it to get it right???

Good luck, let us know
 
Man FP201!
You came here looking for advise, and I don't know how much better it can get than that.

Sounds like Rich knows excactly what that boat is, and where it came from.
 
cowboy":2gtrndhk said:
Man FP201!
You came here looking for advise, and I don't know how much better it can get than that.

Sounds like Rich knows excactly what that boat is, and where it came from.
Rich's been right with everything he's said!
It paints a whole diffrent picture when someone else has pondered your situation, MANY THANKS!
It's starting to look like I might have to build, buy that's OK too.
Sad story: Guy lived across the street from me had a nice airplane, had a professionally built & FAA certifies O-320 in it with <10 hours, ran out of fuel in-flight and made a hard landing in a corn field pretty much destroying the AC, so the engine is sitting in his garage....the man dies. I approach the son who I've known for as long with "when you're ready to settle out the estate, tell me what you want for the engine and/or the whole plane and I WILL buy it." Bastard trucks the whole thing 200 miles to auction in PA and gets less than $3,000 for the whole works. I could have strangled him....I would have paid $3K for the engine alone. His father is proabably still spinning in his grave.
 
I could be wrong, but Rich says it's a good boat, but.....
You may want to tell the dude the price is too high, cause you gonna have to do this, and then that....

You get a used boat, and have to sink big bucks into getting it right, well it adds up fast.

$7500 buck, and start throwing a thousand here, and another one there...
It could wind up being an expensive little 4 banger.
If you can get it for a lower purchase price, you'll have more cusion $$ wise to fix what it needs, and not get way upside down in it.

How hot is the upstate ny used grassboat market anyhow?
 
cowboy":hddqn4tc said:
I could be wrong, but Rich says it's a good boat, but.....
You may want to tell the dude the price is too high, cause you gonna have to do this, and then that....

You get a used boat, and have to sink big bucks into getting it right, well it adds up fast.

$7500 buck, and start throwing a thousand here, and another one there...
It could wind up being an expensive little 4 banger.
If you can get it for a lower purchase price, you'll have more cusion $$ wise to fix what it needs, and not get way upside down in it.

How hot is the upstate ny used grassboat market anyhow?
I'll have been here for twenty years in Feb. '07
In that time I've not seen a single grass boat.
One of James Combee's ~13' glass hulled direct-drive SBC (it was WELL worn, saw it once and never saw it there again)
Couple of "Ice boats, which amount to heavy aluminum/poly hulls, low seats and beat up pretty good, and one huge plywood boat running a BBC and Franklin reduction unit.
So your question could be answered two ways: Wide open or non-exsistant.
I didn't mention the boats built by Canada Airboats becuase to me they really aren't airboats in the classic sense, altho they are a well made and very heavy duty boat. http://www.airboat.org/index.cfm I'...hour South, but 10 minutes E. of Lk. Ontario http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl&q=13605
 
Yea,
I hear ya FP.
I was just implying that if you really want that boat, time may be a strong motivator for that seller. There may not be people up there lined up to kick the rivets on that boat.

But you never know.

Good luck man.
Be safe.
Merry Christmas.
 
cowboy":3sde3t1o said:
Yea,
I hear ya FP.
I was just implying that if you really want that boat, time may be a strong motivator for that seller. There may not be people up there lined up to kick the rivets on that boat.

But you never know.

Good luck man.
Be safe.
Merry Christmas.
The owner spoke of a large goupe of Airboaters in the Sesquhanna River area something like 300 boats gather there at some time during the year.
As it stands now, the owner is planning on takeing the boat to Erie PA and then to Savannah by the end of January to see if it'll sell down South.
I'm not necessairly in love with this boat, it's jus the only one I've found for sale near me.
Maby I'll wait until I go "home" for a visit and do ssome serious scouting then. I was born & raised in Winter Haven and still have family there as well as several parts of Central Florida (the Airboat Capital of the World).
It's a PITA to pull a boat 1,500 miles in the dead of winter not to mention the road salt contamination that'll cover everything, but a pressure washer will cure that.

Thanks! and MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!
 
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