Canadian Dave
Member
- Joined
- May 27, 2016
- Messages
- 15
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Hi folks,
I'm a first time poster but long time reader of TinBoats. Let me start by saying how much I appreciate the sharing of information and ideas that goes into making a site like this great!
I recently purchased a 1996 OMC Roughneck Jon with a jet tunnel equipped with a 1996 Evinrude 35/50 outboard jet. The boat was purchased from the Canadian Government (surplus). Though the boat has seen little use, the use it did get was in remote areas, which require many miles of towing down gravel roads. The boat and trailer are rock rashed big time. The boat was last used in 2004 and has sat out in the sun since then. I always wanted to access the local river systems, one less than 5 minutes away, so closed my eyes and jumped right in.
The first course of action was to go through the motor and understand what I had. Though this is my first hard sided boat, I've owned many Zodiac inflatables and outboards over the years and spent lots of time with 2 stroke dirt bikes so I thought I'd start with something I'm already familiar with, the motor. I was thankful to discover that the carb's float bowls, the crankcase and cylinders were full of 2 cycle oil . . . . . not fogged but filled. It took some time and a lot of messing around to clean all the oil out, but I was thankful someone had the foresight to spend the time doing such a thorough job given that the boat sat unused for 12 years. Exposure to UVs deteriorated the oil tank and caused it to crack. Given the cost of a replacement tank, and my preference to pre-mix my fuel, the VRO pump and oil tank were removed and replaced with a new fuel pump purchased via ebay. The motor was started and a compression test was done. I was really happy to see an even 140psi on each cylinder. One minor issue to deal with . . . . the auto primer o-ring is passing fuel.
I'm still working through my game plan for modifying the boat. Right now the plan is to fabricate a front and rear casing deck, add some pedestal seats, and move the steering console from the side to the center of the boat. Basically build a comfortable river fishing boat capable of accessing the many local river systems. I've purchased some thin wall 1.25 inch aluminum square tube to build the frame and plan on using marine plywood. My preference would have been 1/8" aluminum plate, but the cost in our area is prohibitive and I'm unable to find a source for scrap . . . . . none of the local recyclers sell to the public. I have access to my brother's MIG with an aluminum spool gun so I guess I'll be teaching myself to MIG weld aluminum :shock: .
Here are some pictures of the boat as received. . . . your basic welded hull jon.
I'm a first time poster but long time reader of TinBoats. Let me start by saying how much I appreciate the sharing of information and ideas that goes into making a site like this great!
I recently purchased a 1996 OMC Roughneck Jon with a jet tunnel equipped with a 1996 Evinrude 35/50 outboard jet. The boat was purchased from the Canadian Government (surplus). Though the boat has seen little use, the use it did get was in remote areas, which require many miles of towing down gravel roads. The boat and trailer are rock rashed big time. The boat was last used in 2004 and has sat out in the sun since then. I always wanted to access the local river systems, one less than 5 minutes away, so closed my eyes and jumped right in.
The first course of action was to go through the motor and understand what I had. Though this is my first hard sided boat, I've owned many Zodiac inflatables and outboards over the years and spent lots of time with 2 stroke dirt bikes so I thought I'd start with something I'm already familiar with, the motor. I was thankful to discover that the carb's float bowls, the crankcase and cylinders were full of 2 cycle oil . . . . . not fogged but filled. It took some time and a lot of messing around to clean all the oil out, but I was thankful someone had the foresight to spend the time doing such a thorough job given that the boat sat unused for 12 years. Exposure to UVs deteriorated the oil tank and caused it to crack. Given the cost of a replacement tank, and my preference to pre-mix my fuel, the VRO pump and oil tank were removed and replaced with a new fuel pump purchased via ebay. The motor was started and a compression test was done. I was really happy to see an even 140psi on each cylinder. One minor issue to deal with . . . . the auto primer o-ring is passing fuel.
I'm still working through my game plan for modifying the boat. Right now the plan is to fabricate a front and rear casing deck, add some pedestal seats, and move the steering console from the side to the center of the boat. Basically build a comfortable river fishing boat capable of accessing the many local river systems. I've purchased some thin wall 1.25 inch aluminum square tube to build the frame and plan on using marine plywood. My preference would have been 1/8" aluminum plate, but the cost in our area is prohibitive and I'm unable to find a source for scrap . . . . . none of the local recyclers sell to the public. I have access to my brother's MIG with an aluminum spool gun so I guess I'll be teaching myself to MIG weld aluminum :shock: .
Here are some pictures of the boat as received. . . . your basic welded hull jon.