1960 Biesemeyer (Rusty) Outboard Ski boat? Help a lady out please!

[mcentireleslie]

I bought this 1960 Biesemeyer (Phoenix, AZ) ski boat. It had the 1960's trailer that came with it along with a 1965 Evinrude 85 HP motor.
I cannot find any info on this boat, the model name or number?

We tried to get her in the water last year and she stated but then would not start again without starter fluid. I took it to a local boat shop , and they are telling me I need to spend 2000 to get the steering fixed, the carburetor fixed and adjusted and that the boat may need to be sealed? Should I invest more money into this project or sell it.

The interior and fiberglass are in very very good condition.
Not sure what to do here, I am a new boat owner and have no idea if this is even worth putting more cash into?

[Capt. Bob]

Interesting.

If you intend to keep it I'd start here.
http://www.amazon.com/The-History-Biesemeyer-Boats-Bill/dp/0615985750

Ad:
http://www.vintagejetboats.com/content.php?238-Biesemeyer-Custom-Boats

65 outboard?
Well, unless you are restoring to original (or at least circa) then I wouldn't put a lot into the motor but some like working on those ol' gals.

Fiberglass questions can be better addressed with more detailed pics. I don't believe you'll find your model in one of our rebuild forums but glass is glass so to speak.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Good luck.

[mcentireleslie]

Thanks Capt. Bob!
i am waiting to hear the details of how much each part is costing and what all they found wrong with the boat.
i only have 500 -600 to spend to get this thing on the water.  It started up last year with help from some starter fuild, but then that was it.
They are saying about 285 for carb parts plus they charge around 100 per hour.

since this motor is a 1965, I am not even sure its worth keeping it, unless it just need carb repair

i am looking for fishing and to cruise the lakes here in Colorado nothing fancy, how hard can it be to get a boat out on the water in this town. I just want an honest person to tell me EXACTLY what it needs to get running and then charge me fair price.  Is that so much to ask!

Leslie

[Capt. Bob]

Our pleasure Leslie.

The hull does appear nice and if it suits your purpose, then spending a little coin isn't a bad idea. As I stated before, unless you want that 65 outboard for retro reasons, I would suggest you shop around for a newer outboard. I would think a little three cylinder 70hp would be nice.

As for the steering, is it the old cable/pulley type? Pic?

Sealing the hull?? Again, a couple of pics would help us get you started in the right direction.

You strike a very familiar chord when wanting an honest tradesman. They are hard to find in any area of expertise.

A little more info.

http://hotboatdatabase.com/manufacturer/biesemeyer

Good luck.

[RickK]

Welcome aboard Leslie 
Hull looks to be in decent shape from a few thousand miles away   Can you get a look at the stringers in her?  Can you look under the floor boards? Take some pics and instead of attaching the pics, use the instructions here to upload them into your member gallery here on the site and then it's easy to post them in your topic http://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=12725.0

As for sealing the boat, you could coat the bottom with some VC performance epoxy bottom paint.  I'm trying to do my 170 this weekend with it - weather and grandkids permitting.  The VC is white and looks like gelcoat but is epoxy and supposedly gets rock hard so it should seal the bottom of that boat easily with a quart kit.  Figure out where the waterline is and then paint it up a little higher.  You can roll and tip the paint on.
We have a few piston heads around the site that will be better advising you on the engine than I, so I'll let them step in.

[fitz73222]

Well Leslie,
I just looked up the engine; its either a 75 or a 90 HP, no 85 that year. What I wanted to check was the type of carburators she had for the rebuild cost and happy to report they are not the dreaded sidedraft carbs that were crazy expensive to rebuild and set up, but she has the standard down draft carbs which are much easier to repair so I dont know why your tech is quoting so high. Probably because the engine was manufactured 20 years before he was born and he has never seen one before! Please dont start her with starting fluid; its about the worst thing you can possibly spray into the lungs of an outboard. If the engine runs fine after you get it running, it may need just to have the low speed jets adjusted a little richer to help it start. I can walk you through those details when the time comes. Where are you located?

[mcentireleslie]

I just found out its more like 933.00 total, 283 for parts and 650 for labor
I scanned and attached the quote to this thread, any help would be greatly

 i still think i am getting overcharged, but who knows!
PARTS
control cables 70.00
carb kit 85.00
points 22.00
seal kit 36.00
wat pump 32.00
lube 18.00
plugs 20.00

labor to install all of this
controls labor at $100.00 / 1 hour
Carb1 1.5hours  $150.00
ignition (pointsplugwires, etc)  1.50 hours of labor $150.00
i/u  (lower unit) says its a 3 hour ordeal
seal kit
water pump
flush
add lube and spark plugs  3 hours total at 100 per hour $300.00
total labor $650.00

could this all be true ;)  thanks for the advice! I attached the actual quote from the shop ;)

[RickK]

The going rate for rebuilding a carb is $100 each, here.

Welcome to owning a BOAT (Break Out Another Thousand) 

[mcentireleslie]

more pics

[Georgie]

Hi Leslie,

Just chiming in to add more minutiae, but if nobody already mentioned, the proper alternative to starter fluid is pre-mixed fuel.  Find a decent quality spray bottle, rinse/flush it clean, and fill it with properly mixed 50:1 fuel/oil. 

That is an interesting vessel and we A-Sport Holes definitely relish some different tasting meat from time to time.  Kinda makes me chuckle that a boat that old can be in such nice condition 55 years later in AZ, when in FL it would have already been turned to dust.  If that ol' E-rude still makes decent compression, then she might be salvageable.  Those ol' engines were so ridiculously simple that they could be fixed blindfolded, but usually the rubber parts would crack or get brittle and fail somewhere along the line. 

Best of luck! 

Oh, and the pricing, while not exactly a "gift" also is not a "screw job."  A fair number of hours are needed to do the work listed.

[fitz73222]

I just found out its more like 933.00 total, 283 for parts and 650 for labor
I scanned and attached the quote to this thread, any help would be greatly

 i still think i am getting overcharged, but who knows!
PARTS
control cables 70.00
carb kit 85.00
points 22.00
seal kit 36.00
wat pump 32.00
lube 18.00
plugs 20.00

labor to install all of this
controls labor at $100.00 / 1 hour
Carb1 1.5hours  $150.00
ignition (pointsplugwires, etc)  1.50 hours of labor $150.00
i/u  (lower unit) says its a 3 hour ordeal
seal kit
water pump
flush
add lube and spark plugs  3 hours total at 100 per hour $300.00
total labor $650.00

could this all be true ;)  thanks for the advice! I attached the actual quote from the shop ;)

Hi Leslie,
It looks like the tech is going through the entire engine which it probably needs to put back in reliable service. First, finding someone who will actually work on the engine is a miracle in itself. His prices are reasonable considering this. The hull appears to be a nice original. Has anyone tested the integrity of the transom? All of those boats of the day used wood coring under the fiberglass so the floor, stringers and transom all should be checked for decay before investing in the engine repairs. What is the end game with this boat? Do you want to keep it and enjoy it, or fix it and flip it? Typically, these boats are purchased by collectors and often tinkered with over several years. Taken to antique boat events, run around the lake a couple of times, tinkered with some more and taken to the next event. In its current condition the market would allow maybe $1500 and restored $3000-$4000

[fitz73222]

I just found out its more like 933.00 total, 283 for parts and 650 for labor
I scanned and attached the quote to this thread, any help would be greatly

 i still think i am getting overcharged, but who knows!
PARTS
control cables 70.00
carb kit 85.00
points 22.00
seal kit 36.00
wat pump 32.00
lube 18.00
plugs 20.00

labor to install all of this
controls labor at $100.00 / 1 hour
Carb1 1.5hours  $150.00
ignition (pointsplugwires, etc)  1.50 hours of labor $150.00
i/u  (lower unit) says its a 3 hour ordeal
seal kit
water pump
flush
add lube and spark plugs  3 hours total at 100 per hour $300.00
total labor $650.00

could this all be true ;)  thanks for the advice! I attached the actual quote from the shop ;)

Hi Leslie,
It looks like the tech is going through the entire engine which it probably needs to put back in reliable service. First, finding someone who will actually work on the engine is a miracle in itself. His prices are reasonable considering this. The hull appears to be a nice original. Has anyone tested the integrity of the transom? All of those boats of the day used wood coring under the fiberglass so the floor, stringers and transom all should be checked for decay before investing in the engine repairs. What is the end game with this boat? Do you want to keep it and enjoy it, or fix it and flip it? Typically, these boats are purchased by collectors and often tinkered with over several years. Taken to antique boat events, run around the lake a couple of times, tinkered with some more and taken to the next event. In its current condition the market would allow maybe $1500 and restored $3000-$4000. There is another forum that you should investigate that could be a good source of information about this hull. Check out www.fiberglassics.com this is an excellent site to research the value of this hull and get some real market prices for what you have. I'm sure there is a forum dedicated to this hull and it's a good place to start. You may have something fairly valuable and it may help you decide if further investment is worth it. Keep us posted as you make progress.

[mcentireleslie]

Boat is back and running like a champ.  We easily spent 400 more than we thought, but I think it is worth it.  I am going to sell her now that I realize we just need a fishing boat for our lifestyle.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with advice and ideas!

[Capt. Bob]

You just can't leave us without a pic or two.