New to me 170 Osprey

[TooLoose]

Thanks THill.

I'd love to close in the transom entirely, but then I would need a jack plate and/or porta-bracket. I'd have to think between the materials for closing the transom and the jackplate you are looking at around 100# +/- which adds up quickly.

This seems like great practical use with little to no additional weight; I'm going to give it some thought.

Mark

[thill]

Use the white PVC board. With a jigsaw you can make them in less than an hour, and will cost you $20  You have very little to lose, and much to gain.  Use the thin aluminum angle, and if you don't like, a tiny bit of 5200 will make the tiny screw holes go away.

Oh, almost forgot... Ping pong scuppers work well if they go under when you stand in the back, but are at or just above waterline at other times.  I have them on my Offshore and like them a lot.

If your scuppers are constantly under water with no one standing back there, water is going to work its way in.  Your only choice is to plug and rely on the sump pump. But you said they are right at the waterline, right?

Does water come in when no one is on the boat?

[thill]

And just so you know, when I had 3 guys on board, (my max)  I would plug my scuppers from the inside while fishing, because it never failed that all three would be in the back at some point. 

After the splash guards, feet always stayed dry.    Water almost never came in, unless backing down, and sump pump took care of that.  I was VERY happy with that system!

When alone, ping pongs took care of everything.
Splash guards really are a MUST-have on this boat.  (in my opinion)

[thill]

Oh, and one more thing...  A friend of mine got obsessed with closing his transom and adding a bracket, despite being warned. (on a bigger hull, too)

Bad decision.  Had to plug his scuppers permanently, and his boat ran nose-light, even after trim tabs.  He sold the boat immediately after, and I feel bad for new owners.

I personally think it's an even worse idea on a 170, as they are only 6'10 wide, and are already weight sensitive.  Putting weight even further back seems like it will be a disaster.

[RickK]

I was at an engine rebuilder and there was a sweet looking 170 in his yard.  Nicely rebuilt and had a bracket with a 150 4 Stroker on it. I asked him what the story on the boat was and he said that he warned the guy that it was a bad idea to put that much weight on the back of the boat but he didn't listen.  On his maiden voyage of the boat it would jump out of the water from the hole shot. Was a real screamer until he decided to stop the boat - he came off plane, the aft of the boat settled quickly down into the water and swamped the boat. Now it was just sitting in this guys storage yard - hadn't been moved since.

[thill]

... he said that he warned the guy that it was a bad idea... it would jump out of the water... until he decided to stop the boat... Now it was just sitting in this guys storage yard - hadn't been moved since.

And THAT is almost the exact same story, except it was a 130 Yamaha 2S, and didn't swamp completely, but close. 


Hey, where are you guys from in FL?  I went to middle and high school in Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, fished in the port, the Banana and Indian rivers and all the surrounding areas

[RickK]

I grew up/live in Sarasota on the west coast.

[thill]

Just posting an update.

I have a broken arm, so work is proceeding slowly, but I've done a lot of work on the boat over the last few months.  Installed a 2000 Johnson 90, got all the switches and everything electrical working, added a deck pump in the trough, console lighting, amber deck lighting, stealth LED spreader lights, got the trailer up to snuff, cleaned and oiled the teak, added a decent stereo and extra AUX switches for future expansion, cleaned out the fuel tank, (which wasn't dirty) rebuilt the carburetors, replaced the gaskets on the intake manifolds, and a bunch of other small things.

Overall, she is looking good.   Plan to splash her for her first test run tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully, it goes well!