So I may have made a rash decision this weekend... I bought a 1987 Bayliner 19' cuddy cabin! It has a 3.0L OMC I/O engine in it that runs beautifully. I have been told that this engine is basically a bored out marine version of the venerable "Iron Duke." While I know that marine engines are quite different from automotive engines, it just makes me happy to think that my boat may share at least a little heritage with Oldsmobiles. That information may be completely wrong, and I'd appreciate it if someone would straighten me out if it is, but until then I can at least pretend! Now the new project is finding a tow vehicle... because while my 98 pulls the jet ski with no problems, a 19 foot boat is a different story. If any of you are boaters, have any pictures of your boat, or have any fun boat stories to share, I'd love to hear or see them! I'm going to try to post a picture of it, but I'm afraid I'm going to end up posting the thumbnail again... any info on how to do this correctly would be greatly appreciated! Talk to you guys soon,
Carl

Ive got a 1984 (?) 16' Sea Ray with a 351 I/O mercrusier. It did have a 300 I-6, but I changed that. Its actually way too much motor for the boat, but its freakin fast. I dont have any pics at school with me, but I'll try to post some soon!

I also have a 1996 Polaris SL780 (well it was once) that I have put a 900 engine in with aftermarket exaust and intake. No idea what the top end on it is, I dont have enough room on the lake I run to find out. All I know is that early in the morning when the lake is still calm, I have to hold on with everything I've got to stay on it.

Maybe I have a problem with overpowering marine stuff, but gosh, is it fun!

The "Iron Duke" is actually a Chevrolet invention, IIRC.

I'd look for a 3/4 truck or SUV to tow that boat. A long box pickup would probably be best, since that will give you the most room to back it off the ramp without getting too wet. 4 wheel drive helps if youve got a steep ramp.

Andrew

Andrew, your boats are much faster than mine... my Bayliner tops out just under 40 when lightly loaded... and my bone-stock 94 Polaris SL750 tops out at around 50.... although it's not going ANYWHERE right now.... something broke last weekend and the engine revs up, but the impellor doesn't spin.... which is incredibly frustrating! At least it was the end of the season and I have all winter to figure it out and fix it. After I get it running again, I need to decide whether to keep it or sell it.... and if I keep it, whether to put any performance parts on it. I like how little money I have into it at this point, but making it faster would be fun! My sister and her husband just got a 1986 Bayliner 19' bowrider with a 350... and I KNOW she's going to rub it in my face that their boat is a lot faster than mine... I'll just have to get over it!

As far as the tow vehicle goes, it looks like I will be inheriting a 1992 Chevy G20 conversion van with a 350 and the towing package from my parents. We've already replaced a ton of parts on it recently (shocks, tires, fuel pump, others)... but they gave up when they were told it needed an engine. I've found a guy here in Muncie that will put one in for $800 (labor is cheap and nobody has any money here). I figure that once it's up and running correctly I shouldn't have any problems towing my lil boat, but I definitely appreciate the suggestions. I'm hoping that there will be enough weight in the back of the van to make it up the ridiculously steep ramp that we put the boats in and out on at the reservoir. It's sometimes entertaining to watch the crazies smoke their tires trying to pull their boats out with their pickups.

It's nice to hear that there are other boaters on the forum!

-Carl

Well, there's my land boat, and there's my lake boat.



It's an 80s-something Renken 19-20 odd foot cabin cruiser, not really sure. My uncle bought it about five or six years ago, and I kinda inherited it from him when he passed away. (My aunt keeps it in storage, so I can use it whenever, and if she wants to go out in it, I can operate it for her, because she doesn't really know how to repair it)

It's a nice boat. Has its quirks and oddities, isn't fast in the slightest, but it's fast enough to tow a tube, and that's all I need. Fun boat to take out on the lake for an afternoon. He spent something like $2,000 on it, and it only costs about $300 a year to store, so my aunt and I saw no reason not to keep it.

It's got the OMC four-banger, which is really a smaller engine than a boat of that size should be using. To add onto that, it has the outdrive that was designed for a torquier motor, so it was difficult to get a prop.

Apparantly, there are two sizes of prop shafts. The original outdrive had a smaller shaft. Props for that shaft were smaller and pitched so that it took less torque to drive them. There was a beefier outdrive with a larger shaft, and that's the one currently on there. The props were bigger and pitched so it took more torque to drive them. It wouldn't be a problem with a big engine, but it was with the small 4-cylinder. We had to have a custom machined prop that had the larger shaft diameter, but smaller blades, and pitched so that it was low gearing, so that the boat could move.

nalc, that's a nice-looking boat you have there! I'm hoping my boat will look that good when I'm done cleaning and polishing it up. I'll be spending a lot of time with it this winter, hopefully in a heated garage. I have some big plans for my little boat! Quick question for you, do you tow your lake boat with your land boat? I know my uncle used to tow his boat with his 87 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser... it had the 307 too!

Talk to you soon,

-Carl

The land boat has a really wimpy trailer hitch, it's just a bent metal bar attached to the frame. I've been looking into an oil cooler for the 200-4R and a proper hitch, but I've got a solid 8-9 months before it's even an issue.

My aunt has an '02 Trailblazer, which can haul it around no problem. There's also a Home Depot 5 minutes away from the marina, and there's a big sign there where you can rent a heavy duty pickup for like $20 for 75 minutes, which would be worth it, if their pickups can tow.