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Boat Forum / Cruising / June 2004aristocraft
got hold of an aristocraft w/a merc i/o setup for free( i haul i can have..) does any one know anything about this boat good or bad. i dont know what year it is, but the glass seems to be in good shape minus cosmetics. engine is a different story, ants living in it.. any help would be greatly appreciated That's a well-regarded old southern marque. Does it have the sliding hardtop? When I first moved to Lake Lanier (near Atlanta) over 25 years ago, there used to be quite a few of them on the lake. If you don't mind putting the work into restoration/rebuild, it should last you a great long while. Check the stringers on which the engine is mounted. Nearly all of them would have rotted by this time. It's not rocket science to replace them, but it does require pulling the engine (maybe you'd do that anyway?) to do it easily. Likewise, probably nearly anything else wooden on the boat will either now or soon require replacement. I went through that exact scenario with my 84 Baja not too long ago. Fortunately, for whatever reason, my floor didn't rot, but every other wood part which carried weight did. L8R Skip  SignatureMorgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin > got hold of an aristocraft w/a merc i/o setup for free( i haul i can have..) > does any one know anything about this boat good or bad. i dont know what > year it is, but the glass seems to be in good shape minus cosmetics. > engine is a different story, ants living in it.. > any help would be greatly appreciated It does have the hard top..I remember saying it looked like a chevy bellair on the inside. yeah its going to be very labor intensive but i dont mind . Ill be replacing all the wood. and im sure the stringers are rotted . would adding an outboard transom bracket be feasible to go from i/o to outboard. the transome i think is wood too so while i have it apart or is a rebuild on the merc and outdrive system a better cheaper route? > That's a well-regarded old southern marque. Does it have the sliding > hardtop? When I first moved to Lake Lanier (near Atlanta) over 25 years [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > engine is a different story, ants living in it.. > > any help would be greatly appreciated Howdy... > It does have the hard top..I remember saying it looked like a chevy bellair > on the inside. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > so while i have it apart or is a rebuild on the merc and outdrive system a > better cheaper route? Depends on who you have do it and what is needed in the rebuild. There's umpteen salvage joints who can sell you a serviceable outdrive - if all yours needs is cleaning up and lubing, I'd keep it, but otherwise... Ditto the engine. I'm guessing this is the 4-cylinder 140ci? Fortunately, those, too, are ubiquitous. It might take some time to track down a good engine, but if you're going to be rebuilding it all, you'll have plenty of time for that. As to the transom, if it's not rotted (and it may well be, of course), you could plug the hole and reglass and regelcoat the repair. However, I/O transoms aren't designed either for the stress of the outboard, nor is there a well built in and all the other niceties of the proper outboard-designed deck (top piece). Unless you're wanting to get into a fairly complicated fiberglass fabrication project, or be willing to have it be the essence of a rowboat-style outboard (just the transom, nothing to keep the water from coming in over the stern), you'll find the restoration of the I/O to be a lot simpler, I believe. On top of that, you'll have a considerably quieter, cleaner, faster boat... Hope that helped... L8R Skip SignatureMorgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin thanks i think ill rebuild the i/o and the motor. i know how to glass but hat the sanding that comes with > Howdy... > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Skip got one for free thinking about buying an intact one just wanted to know if it sounds right, 1973 19ft 120 Merc. I/O, single wheel trailer, tilt rocket for 1200.00 owner says it's turn key, haven't looked at it yet trying to see if it's on the up and up. thanks |
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