New to the site..... New (old) Aquasport 19-6

[Spectre5922]

Hi guys!

I am new to this site/boating/Aquasports in general.  I am looking at getting an old Aquasport 19-6.  I have a chance to get this boat for $300 with the motor and trailer.  I know a few things about the boat already.  The entire floor is pretty much bad, although I'm hoping that the stringers underneath are okay.  Actually, it is only soft on the sides.  The center of the floor is pretty solid from the bow all the way to the stern.  The motor is an old Sea Horse 140 (which I have heard is not necessarily a desirable motor).  The motor is also missing the starter.  The trailer needs a new receiver, jack and is missing one fender, but the rest seems to be solid with the exception of most of the nuts being rusted.  Pretty much all of the electronics are gone.  It needs a new throttle control and lines and also a new steering assembly.  I have a background inauto paint/body (even though I don't do it anymore) and fiberglass is nothing new to me, so I'm up for the challenge.

With all of that being said, my good friend is a boatwright, and can/will get me all the supplies I need to rebuild her at his cost, so that saves a LOT of $$$ on the rebuild.  He is actually the one that turned me onto this deal.  He also has said that he will donate a lot of material when he has extra (glass/gel coat/plywood/resin, etc).  He already has 4 sheets of 3/4" marine grade that he said I can have.  He also has 8 huge rolls of fiberglass cloth (6' wide) and 15 gallons of resin that he will donate.
 
I have a few questions for you guys, and a few pics that I took yesterday.
1.  Can anyone tell me what year model the hull is?  The hull number is ASPE1614M76C.  I am guessing it's a '76?
2.  Does anyone have a clue what year the motor is?  Evinrude Sea King 140  Model number E140TRNCLB  Also, is this motor worth trying to save?  We have not done a compression test since there is no starter on the motor.

And now for the pics.....











Let me know what you guys think.........

[wingtime]

Welcome aboard!

Looks like that boat has potential!  Your stringers are foam filled fiberglass.  So no rot there but the foam inside does get water logged with time and sometimes the stringers can become separated from the hull.  Usually the problem areas for rotted wood is the deck and the transom.  If you do a search you will find tons of rebuild projects on here of that hull.  If your buddy can help you you would have a very desirable boat after replacing the transom (if needed) and deck.

[Spectre5922]

I forgot to mention......  The transom appears to be very solid.  There are no soft spots anywhere as checked from the inside and outside.  I will drill some core samples while working on it to be safe.  I also forgot to mention that the entire console has been stripped clean with the exception of a junky old throttle control.  There are no gauges or electronics of any type.  Does anyone know where I can get any specs on the boat or MAYBE even be able to download a manual on it?  All I know is that it's an AS that is 19'6".  Beyond that, I can tell that it would be great for a little deeper water and has a ton of floor room.  I will definitely be taking it to the Galveston Jettys for some Red fishing!  Any and all input and help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Capt. Bob]

Your HIN indicates that you are correct in that the hull was built/titled in 1976 during the month of October.

As far as a manual, well..... Here's about as close as you may get.

http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery ... hp/cat/554

Good luck.

[Woodinator]

Ahoy Spectre,

I'll probably get shot for saying this on this site   , but if the center of the floor seems solid, what about injecting the floor with rotstop epoxy in the soft areas BEFORE you go through the extreme expense of replacing the whole floor?  I've had good luck spot treating areas in my other boats and $100 in epoxy and syringes is a heckuva lot cheaper than a floor replacement, especially if the transom is solid.  At the very least it might buy you a few years while you decide if you like the boat or not since the surface of the deck does not look completely destroyed.  As far as the seahorse, I run the same engine, albeit about 12 years newer.  If it compression checks once you add a starter, then my vote would be to fix it and run it for a while or until it pisses you off since the 140 will push the 196 just fine and they are VERY simple engines to run and maintain once they're dialed in.  Yes, you've got a lot of rigging and setup in front of you, but if you're looking for a seaworthy and functional boat to do some fishin, tubin, divin, whatever, then it looks to be worth every penny of $300.  Just be prepared to dump a grand or two getting her set up (possibly more if the engine is toast) before she'll behave for ya.

My 2 cents.

[wingtime]

for a quick transom test tilt the motor up.  Grab the foot a lift up and down on the motor really hard...  see if the transom flexes or not.   Get a hard plastic hammer and rap on the transom all over listening for spots that have a dead sound to them.  If it's solid...  go ahead and try the epoxy injection trick in the deck.  Can't hurt.

[Spectre5922]

for a quick transom test tilt the motor up.  Grab the foot a lift up and down on the motor really hard...  see if the transom flexes or not.   Get a hard plastic hammer and rap on the transom all over listening for spots that have a dead sound to them.  If it's solid...  go ahead and try the epoxy injection trick in the deck.  Can't hurt.

I already did the hammer thing with a rubber mallet.  Solid as a rock.  As far as the floor.  It is really soft down both sides about 1-1 1/2 feet from the sides all the way from the bow to the transom.  The center 2' or so is pretty solid though.  I would rather do a permanent fix now so I can gelcoat it and make it purdy.  Once I work on it, I don't want to have to tear it apart again the next season.

[Woodinator]

Totally your call if you want to redo the floor now.   Just got the impression you weren't even sure about the boat so in that case the cheaper solution is usually the better one while you "test the waters".  May sound hard to believe, but the epoxy injection actually is a semi-permanent fix as long as you take the time to seal all the holes where water could be entering the deck.  Just depends on your level of commitment to the boat (and your disposable income).   I injected a delaminated "springboard" of a bow on my last center console and it became the strongest, most rigid part of my boat untill the floor and fuel tank completely fell apart 4 years later.  I guess I'm just not a fan of tearing up original construction until it is completely beyond salvation.

[gran398]

Buy the boat because you're in love. A pretty blonde with blue eyes.

Fix her up because she has nice curves. In addition she's a performer.  Runs good, looks good...and nice on your arm at the yacht club. The other boys will be jealous of your girl.

Guess what...In Tampa Bay, these boats/hulls are worth 2X or more what they bring in Podunk, NC

But no band-aids. Show the love.

 Set aside good money and treat her right

[Spectre5922]

Buy the boat because you're in love. A pretty blonde with blue eyes.

Fix her up because she has nice curves. In addition she's a performer.  Runs good, looks good...and nice on your arm at the yacht club. The other boys will be jealous of your girl.

Guess what...In Tampa Bay, these boats/hulls are worth 2X or more what they bring in Podunk, NC

But no band-aids. Show the love.

 Set aside good money and treat her right

I love the way that you look at vehicles Gran.  The lines on this boat are what got me interested.  I absolutely LOVE the curves on her!
However, after looking at what a sufficient motor would cost(even used), the cost of refurbishing her the way that she deserves and rebuilding the trailer to good condition, I could buy a MUCH newer boat that is in pretty good shape already....  I have a line on a 1988 Larson DC 184 (18' center console) with a Johnson 140 for $1000.  The boat is in really good shape with only a slight amount of gelcoat repair necessary, the trailer looks fantastic and the motor (a '99 model) is so clean you could eat off the power pack.  The woman put it in my friend's lot for storage 3 years ago when her husband died.  She only wanted $1500 for it back then.  Because of time passed and a few things that need repair, she is talking about $700-$1000 for it.  It will only cost me around $300 to have her in the water.  She is ALMOST as sexy as the Aquasport, but much newer and much nicer.
I REALLY appreciate all of the advice and information that you guys have given me, but for a deal like this, I think that I'm going to pass on the Aquasport.  With this being my first boat, I would rather have the boat in the water sooner so I can enjoy the hobby.  I will eventually get an older boat like this for nostalgia's sake to make sexy again at a later time.
I would post pics of teh Larson, but I doubt if anyone on the Aquasport forums cares to look at another brand of boat on their forums.  I will still continue to visit the forums here though.  I think that you all have a lot of good info for boaters in general, and are definitely some of the nicest people that I have talked to about boats.

Thanks again for all of your help!

[MarshMarlowe196]

However, after looking at what a sufficient motor would cost(even used), the cost of refurbishing her the way that she deserves and rebuilding the trailer to good condition, I could buy a MUCH newer boat that is in pretty good shape already....  I have a line on a 1988 Larson DC 184 (18' center console) with a Johnson 140 for $1000.

Hey Buddy - I don't blame you.  When I picked up my 19-6, it looked about like the one you have pictured, but mine had no engine and a single axle trailer that barely made the trip home.  I would never have bought it if she wasn't so solid.  I thought it would be a cheap ride I could put together quick and enjoy, but it slowly became a lot of time and money invested, and its still an ongoing project.  I often tally the amount of money I put into her while I'm scanning boat-trader...    But hey, she's got the looks and the character while a lot of new glass looks generic.

Dad and I had that same Larson, but it was a DC.  It was a pretty boat as well, but had definitely seen better days.  Flipped her over and molded the Vee to be continuous all the way to the stern from the bow, and added some planing chines just for fun.  Took her out once just to see what difference it made, then dropped it off at the dump.  I'd like to see yours if you end up buying it.

[Spectre5922]

Marsh
Between you and Gran, I am rethinking getting the Aquasport.  I MIGHT be able to get it for $200 with motor and trailer. Also, ak may have a starter that would work on it so I could see if the motor could be made to run for pretty cheap.  I have heard that those old Evinrudes are pretty much bullet proof and easy to work on.  If I could get it running for a few bucks, I could spend time saving for a better/newer engine.  With the material that is being donated and the little bit of cash that I have on hand, I could get a good start in getting it (the boat) started.  I probably wouldn't have a boat in the water this season anyway, so i have almost a year to get it going.  Like I told ak in the engine forum, I really like the lines of the Aquasport.  There is just a "personality" in old vehicles (especially older boats).  They aren't so generic as the new ones.  I can't make a decision for the next week anyway.  My go-between in this deal is out of town due to a family death.  I am thinking long and hard about the deal.  You would have to see the before and after pics of my old motorcycle to understand.  It was older than the ones my buddies were riding, but I did all the work myself and was very proud when people would ooh and ahh over it and not even look at the new bikes I was hanging out with.  There is a sense of pride and accomplishment from doing the work yourself and it coming out nice looking that you just can't get in a newer boat.  I will keep everyone informaed as to what happens.  Obviously, if I buy the Aquasport, i will start a thread showing the progress.

thanks guys

[gran398]

Jess,

That dump comment broke me up

Spec,

You're spot-on. The reasons you mention made sense to me too. That's why I went ahead and took the dive.

Yep, it'll be some work and money. But you WILL have a head-turner in the end, just like your old bike. And a great boat too.

All of the rebuild threads here are a tremendous resource/reference. I can say with certainty that you will enjoy it when it's finished, and will be well worth it

[fitz73222]

why don't you buy the Larson to get the motor and sell the Larson and the old 115 and recover most of your initial expenses.

[Spectre5922]

I actually considered that in a way. There is a SLIGHT chance that I MIGHT be able to buy the motor alone. I am going to check into it when my buddy gets back in town next week. Maybe I'll buy both and run the Larson until I finish the AS, then transfer the motor and sell the Larson and run the AS.........  Just a thought I was having....... I guess great minds think alike!