Help with my 1975 Renken 19'

Reciently, a friend and I bought a 1975 Renken 19' boat for $150...we know nothing about boats.

The hull looks to be in good shape- no cracks, but the floor is rotting, and the engine is is 472 pieces. What to do?!?

The engine is a 140 hp Mercrusier inboard stern driver- (I believe it's a straight 4 cyl 3.0 liter made by GM. The problem is rust, lots of rust! The block, valve assembly, and carb are in pieces all over the back of the boat with severe rust on them. Can we rebuild this engine, or should we start over with a new one?

If starting over (which is my guess), how do we know what engine will fit with the existing stern driver (the thing with the prop on the outside of the boat behind the engine that moves back and forth when you turn the wheel). What if we want to buy a bigger engine than what was there?

Lastly, it looks like the floor is just plywood with carpet over it. Can we put down wood planking similar to hardwood floors instead? What kind of wood to use?

Any comments appreciated,
thanks- Jim

 

Renken

Sounds like my kind of people. At one point did one of you blurt, "Someone could fix that!" ?
Rip that floor out completely and inspect the hull, stringers and gas tank from the inside.
Take the engine and outdrive to a shop for an estimate on rebuild.
Get a price on a new engine and drive, you may need new controls as well.
Max power is (overall length (ft) x stern width (ft) x 2 ) - 90
So for example a (19ft x 7.5ft x 2) - 90 = 195. Go for a 200 hp max engine in this case.
Now figure out how much everything is going to cost in materials and your labor. Then remove anything you can sell off the boat and sell it. Bring the hull to the dump. When the engine guy calls don't answer the phone. Use the money you made selling parts off the old boat to buy nice fishing gear. Now go out and buy a NEW boat from a local dealer. Enjoy your NEW boat which is safe, worry free and under warranty. This scenario also keeps boatbuilders like me working and the Coast Guard from having to rescue you.
Have fun!
djs

 

Ah hahahahahahahahahah
Ah hahahahahahahahahah

 

Safety

The intention of my post was not humor, rather to raise a point about safety. I almost lost a good friend of mine who made quick repairs and set out in an unsafe vessel. To me it is admirable for someone to aspire to repair a boat and bring it back into service. But please do so with the proper respect for safety. When in doubt seek the advice of a professional. Trailer the boat down to a yard and have them look at it. You 'll be amazed at the amount of help and possibly free or cheap stuff you can end up with. Go ahead with your project but don't slap a quick layer of glass over a problem then head for the bay.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on that stuff....

Can you help me determine what kind of engine will fit on the boat? I understand the calc. used to determine max. h.p., but need to know if any inboard engine will fit. What other info would be helpful beyond what I have given so far?

Also, what about the floor? Can a hardwood planking be used, and if so- what kind and what do i need to know before i start?

 

What fits

Measure the available room and see what engine fits. The drawings are available from Merc. In general todays engines are smaller than the 1975 version of the same power. Now look at how to mount it to the boat. Again look at the drawing and see if it fits what you have.
Ditto the drive. Remove the old one and carefully inspect the transom core. You need a drive that uses a same size or bigger hole. Get the Alpha drawing and the info you need is on there.

The flooring: think about what will hold up to water. Teak is the best, but is it suitable for a 29 year old 19 footer? Not unless you can get it for free. Some kinds of wood will rot, others shrink and expand too much to use for decking. I'm not an expert about wood. Maybe somebody who knows will post. There are plenty of wooden boat books too. A piece of 3/4" plywood glassed on both sides with 3/4 oz mat would work. Seal the edges good with resin. They sell non-skid in a can to apply to the walking surfaces.