Fletch's 1976 170 Rebuild

[GoneFission]

Go with 1/2" decking vs. 3/4" and glass both sides.  You don't need the weight and will not notice a difference in stiffness.  Once you get all the old, wet foam out, you will reduce the weight of the boat by 100-200 lbs.  That's good!  

I would not go with a smaller tank - it does not save much weight and you lose range that you may want at some time.  You can always put 35 gallons in a 50 gallon tank, but you can't put 50 gallons in a 35.  

[Fletch170]

I think I will be going with the 1/2 inch, I believe you are correct. Right now I am looking at a 18 or 25 gallon Moeller tank, which I'm thinking is fine for a little 17 bay boat.


Any Idea what the factory tank held? (My boat had no tank in her when I bought it, it was running off a 12 gallon above deck tank.

[Capt. Bob]

Any Idea what the factory tank held? (My boat had no tank in her when I bought it, it was running off a 12 gallon above deck tank.

Guessing this is close.
http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery ... 552/page/1

[c master]

The under-floor, aluminum tank holds 27 gallons.  It is reasonably easy to find a fabricator and have a duplicate made in most coastal towns.

[c master]

Yes, I agree that if you raise the floor and eliminate the trough, you must raise the drain holes.  And if your new, higher floor follows the same slope as the original floor, water will still flow to the transom.  Just be aware that - at least in my case - the original drains are already above the waterline until someone heavy stands near the transom.  (meaning that, when floating in the slip, rain or wash water drains right out).  Even with 2 or 3 people onboard, the ball-valve scuppers do a good job and I only get a little water back there...it runs out as soon as (a) the person moves forward, or (b) I get the boat moving.  

What I'm suggesting is that on these little boats, a 220 lb guy, standing near the transom, could very likely cause the stern to go several inches deeper, especially if he's not on the centerline.  Waves splashing against the transom can also be above the holes.  So if your new drains are only 2" higher than now, you're still likely to need the ball valves or you'll continue to get a little water back there.  The only way to (mostly) keep that from happening is to enclose the transom (gunwale-to-gunwale) like the Flatback guys do, and put plugs in all of the drain holes.  My '75 is original, and has three transom drains...port, center and starboard.  I keep a "permanent" plug in the center hole, and I have plugs hanging at the transom (actually connected together by a piece of shock cord, and conveniently hanging on the steering cable bracket).  On calm, sunny days when I'm alone on the boat, I occasionally put the plugs in.  If for some reason I catch a wave over the transom, I pull them to let the water out.

PJ accuses me of being "brutally honest"....so I guess I'm not keen on raising the entire floor.  If you raise the floor, do you eliminate the console-to-transom starboard trough for the steering/throttle cables?  Otherwise it will collect water with nowhere to go, right?  So do you run that stuff under the floor?  How does it run to the motor?  I don't know...seems complicated.

One more thought...if you tear out the floor, be sure to put in pvc "chases" for bilge pump wires and the associated discharge hose.  It's nearly impossible to do a nice job of running a discharge line to the aft quarter (up the side, exit near the logo) unless the floor is out.  This is also true of wire-runs from the console to the bow.

[Fletch170]

C Master,

In regards to the floor, I believe I will be taking everything up. The cables and fuel line will run through a 3" pvc tube to the stern, then up through the starbord gunnel (I'm going to run the baystar teleflex system). Running parallell to that will be a another tube for wiring. Who knows, I might keep the trough for the sake of simplicity. We'll see when I actually tear into this thing.

All said and done, I appreciate the "brutally honest" feedback, it keeps people from doing dumb s*it.

-Fletch

[MarshMarlowe196]

I would not go with a smaller tank - it does not save much weight and you lose range that you may want at some time.  You can always put 35 gallons in a 50 gallon tank, but you can't put 50 gallons in a 35.  

Good Point  :pl:

[Fletch170]

15 gallons of fuel weighs 92 pounds.....a good amount of weight for a small boat. Also, with a long flat tank (assuming i go for a larger one), there are more chances to lose prime when the tank runs lower, right? I'm somewhat of a novice, so categorically, I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. In most aquasports, it looks like the fill/pickup is in the front of the tank? Whick would lead me to believe that if you are running (not completely up on plane, and light on fuel), the gas would be in the rear of the tank, while the pickup is in the front?

Is that how it works or am I completely dumb?

[gran398]

No, absolutely, you're not dumb...keep up the good work.

All internal tanks have the pickup(s) to the stern, for the reasons you've just mentioned.

[Capt. Bob]

All internal tanks have the pickup(s) to the stern.

Fletch,
Just to be perfectly clear, if you are going to have a tank made, you will be best served if you tell the builder that you want the pickup at the rear section of the tank. Don't assume they will automatically place it there because you are mounting it below deck.

I'm just saying.

[Fletch170]

Hey guys,

I'm actually looking at a moeller 25 gallon Belly tank at the moment. Has anyone had any experience with these?

Also, Here are some updated pictures of my progress:

http://fletch170.blogspot.com/               PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[c master]

Fletch -

Since you don't have an old original tank for a fabricator to copy, maybe someone on the site knows of a fabricator who has the dimensions/specs in his shop.  I looked at plastic off-the-shelf tanks but in the end I had an aluminum tank made.  Fits well, and exactly like the original.  Except heavier aluminum sheet.

Don't worry too much about the 27 gallons...it's like having a medium size guy laying in the bilge, and the boat was designed for it.  I carry the 27 plus a 6 gal reserve if I go offshore.  And remember that you don't need to fill it up if you don't want to.  But if you're going anywhere far, you can.  

Raising your floor won't affect the fuel flow.  My fuel line comes out of the tank, up into a valve mounted on the starboard inside of the console (under the front seat) and then back down to the trough.

[Fletch170]

I know most people run a 70-115 motor on the 17, but I've found some great deals on a few 60 HP fourstroke Yamaha. I'm not going to do anything but fish on this, and have no intentions to set and land speed records. Will a 60 HP fourstroke (the motor only weighs 211 Lbs. My concern is that (if I recall correctly) the HP for fourstroke is measured at the flywheel, and not the prop. Is this the case? Cause a fourstroke that actually puts out 60 HP, seems to be a good option.

Opinnions? Obviously, price is an option, ANYONE WANT TO UNLOAD A MOTOR TO A GUY WHO JUST BOUGHT A NEW HOME, IS PAYING FOR HIS OWN WEDDING, AND IS ON A SEVERE BEER BUDGET????

[Fletch170]

ps, here is one of the motors

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... ory=111124

[RickK]

Definitely light at 214lbs. My 115 is 320lbs.  
Not sure how well it'll push the boat.  My 170 starts coming off plane at around 20mph (beam is only 6'10") so if that speed is in the upper range of that 60hp, it'll be working it pretty hard which equates to poor gas mileage.