71 rich line big 16 restoration project.

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71richlinetj

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I need some advice from guys who know more than me. I have never been around boats.I picked up a 71 rich line big 16 to restore as a fishing boat for me and my 10 year old son. Here are my questions:
1. It came with a 9.5 evanrude is this motor big enough to push us around the lakes?
2. Can anyone tell me if they made "marine grade" plywood in 71? And do I need to use it now to replace the plywood on the 3 bench seats?
3. The brochure I found online shows this boat with a "transom plate"(a board on the outside of the transom) the boat I have does not have one and shows no evidence of one being removed. Can I add one? And how do I attach it?
The transom has a split in the aluminum right in the middle see pictures should I junk the boat? I do not want to, my boy is excited about restoring it and it is way cheaper than a new one.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 

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Get that crack welded and you should be good to go. Benches can be just about any wood as long as you seal it well, I prefer spar urethane, but there are many good solutions. 9.5hp will be completely fine, probably won’t get you on plane, but it’ll get you around. To plane you’d probably want a 20hp+ depending on weight/balance, might be able to go with a 15hp. I wouldn’t take it with a 9.5hp anywhere with current. Looks like a great platform, congrats on the new project!


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Looks like a nice deep boat. Definitely try to get the crack welded. The 9 1/2 will be fine. Try it and if down the road, you can always re-motor. Is the 9 1/2 an older Johnyrude?
Looks like a great boat to put a floor in.
 
Thanks for the replies! The 9.5 is an evanrude. As far a flooring, I was going to take a page from the modern day Lund ssv and make drop in floor. Do I need to add the transom plate?
 
71richlinetj said:
Thanks for the replies! The 9.5 is an evanrude. As far a flooring, I was going to take a page from the modern day Lund ssv and make drop in floor. Do I need to add the transom plate?

I'll defer to someone else on the outside transom wood, but I think it is desirable if your motor clamp will fit over it.
 
71richlinetj said:
Thanks for the replies! The 9.5 is an evanrude. As far a flooring, I was going to take a page from the modern day Lund ssv and make drop in floor. Do I need to add the transom plate?
You don't need an exterior piece of wood if the transom is thick enough.. it probably has plywood built into the transom already ( which you should replace).. to get the crack welded, it should be stripped anyhow.

The 9.5 might not be enough motor once you add the weight of the new floors etc. A 25hp would do nicely on a 16ft..

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Very cool boat! Look for evidence of holes drilled to indicate if it originally came with a wood transom plate. Home Depot type places have really nice cabinet grade plywood for your seats or just hit the old ones with a sander and paint them depending on rot. They are probably bolted down. Go to your local nut and bolt speciality store and buy new stainless hardware in boxes of a hundred to save money. Antiseize compound is your freind on stainless or they gall up and won't go on. Your transom may be fine with a 9.5 so unless it's really weak then use it as is. Whatever you do do not used any pressure treated wood. It all has copper in it and it will corrode holes thru your aluminum. The 9.5 is one of my favorite engines. Post up of it does not run perfect on your boat. Your gonna love that thing as a first boat!
 
I filled the boat with enough water to cover the bottom to cover the rivets about 2 inches above the bottom floor. I have multiple leaks along both sides from the transom to the middle seat. I am going to tighten the rivets and see how this does. A friend of mine, is a mechanic at a truck shop, he does aluminum welding on the tank trucks, he says he can fix the crack in the transom on his lunch break. I am buying lunch. The transom board is in pretty good shape, but I think I will have to remove it to have the transom welded, so if I have it out, and it shows any sign of weakness, I am going to make a new one.
 

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