# 19' Bluefin



## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

Well made a trip up to cleveland today and found what I believe to be a pretty good deal on a 19fter. When I got to the guys house I found out that there were two car donuts on the trailer being held on with 2 lugs a piece. So after a trip to autozone I made it roadworthy to make the hour trip home. Since the I/o that was in the boat was stolen I plan on installing some sort of outboard bracket and covering the hole in the transom from the out drive. Yes it will be a project, but for 300 bucks I don't know if I could go wrong. Yep 300 bucks. .


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## UFM82 (Apr 6, 2004)

LOL- yes, you can go wrong on a boat project. 
Converting an I/O over to an outboard is no simple feat. And trust me, nothing is real cheap when it comes to a boat. It's very easy to get carried away while "fixing it up". Just figure out what the boat could be worth finished and gauge your spending on that. Don't spend more than 1/2 the value or you'll never get the money back. 
On the other hand, projects can be a blast as you can customize your boat as you like it and out will be one-of-a-kind. Good luck with it. Take pictures and share!


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## pelagic (Jul 12, 2012)

Can't tell by the pictures if it is welded or riveted. If it's riveted, I would recommend filling the boat with water and letting it sit for a few hours to see if it has any leaks. That way you can replace any rivets before doing a lot of interior work. Good luck with it


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

Going to be a fun project. 

Make sure you do some research on putting on the OB bracket. It will seriously change the center of gravity of the rig. I'd highly suggest you go to www.thehulltruth.com and checking some of the other's similar projects to gain some info. 

Another thing to consider before going to a bracket is to just put a new transom in this boat. Would be much easier and you won't have issues later when you start trying to rig the outboard on it and even more headaches with propping. You should also move that console back because you aren't going to have the weight of the I/O back there anymore.

Contact Ken at www.propgods.com for advice on propping once you get it setup. I'd go the max HP for the hull rating. There are many good used outboards on the market now for reasonable prices. Shipping them also isn't out of the question. 

Most importantly make sure you post here pictures of your whole project starting with stipping it down to building it up. We need some boat porn projects during this long winter.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

Thanks for the reply guys. I had already considered replacing the transom, but I looked at it a little bit yesterday and it actually looks really good. No water spots or discolored wood from what I could see. Once the snow melts I'll do more investigating. Here's a pic to get an idea.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I would definitely check the transom over really good. My neighbor has a Bluefin and his transom is shot. From my understanding it is a fairly common problem but since you're already in a tread down, now's the time to fix it if it's needed.
It should be a fun project.


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

Transom does look good from that picture


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

find out what motor was in that boat, and replace it, easiest thing to do, theres one on craigs list , says NEW MOTOR.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

bountyhunter said:


> find out what motor was in that boat, and replace it, easiest thing to do, theres one on craigs list , says NEW MOTOR.


Completely agree...


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

bountyhunter said:


> find out what motor was in that boat, and replace it, easiest thing to do, theres one on craigs list , says NEW MOTOR.


What about an outdrive? Bellows etc...

In my opinion his best and most economical choice is seal the transom and mount an outboard. Again it's what I'd do.


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

LOL But I also don't like I/O's


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

yep you could board it up, but bring the boat back to org, it,ll bring more at trade in time.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

At the moment I'm not worried about trade in value. With what I paid whether I board up the transom or go back to original I'll easily get my money back. But my plans still are to board it up and add an outboard. I know I'll take some slack for it but I'm not much for i/o's plus I haven't really seen many boats around this area with that setup. I like being different. Lol. Again thanks for the replies guys.


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

I would weld a piece of aluminum in there fill the inside with wood and gorilla glue and be done with it. Reinforce the transom and hang a outboard on it. I don't like I/O's either. I fish way to late in the year for them.


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

fishingful said:


> I would weld a piece of aluminum in there fill the inside with wood and gorilla glue and be done with it. Reinforce the transom and hang a outboard on it. I don't like I/O's either. I fish way to late in the year for them.


This is what I said and totally agree with you. 

Also trying to fish around that dammed engine cover box is a joke. No I/O's for me, EVER!


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Iowa Dave said:


> This is what I said and totally agree with you.
> 
> Also trying to fish around that dammed engine cover box is a joke. No I/O's for me, EVER!


May be easier and quicker to cut the hole in transom square. Then fill it. Than to try to cut and shape the piece to fit that out drive hole.

I have been tripping over the inboard cover on the Sportcraft for years. Wish it was sunk into the deck.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

I wouldn't try to fill it in. If you do, when you hang an outboard on, you'll be bolting near or into the patch.

The motor is already pulled, so what I would do is remove the cap and any through bolts, pull out the existing wood with the I/O hole in it, and replace the whole thing with new wood, or a composite like Coosa Bluewater 26. I personally would go with the composite. While the wood is out, either weld the hole in the aluminum shut, or, rivet a skin over it.

I also wouldn't worry too much about the center of gravity. It's likely the outboard will weigh less than the original engine and outdrive. The only thing I might do is add some knee braces from the transom to the stringers, although the ones in the pic look pretty substantial.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

Day one. Well half a day. Cleared some of what was thawed out. Long way to go. Got a lot to do. Discovered we will need to redo the whole floor. I'll keep updating


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## EB1221 (May 24, 2012)

Will you have to cut the transom down in the middle to accomodate the outboard. I think most outboards are made that way...If so that will rule out the existing transom...too weak at the patch.
EB


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## Iowa Dave (Sep 27, 2009)

EB1221 said:


> Will you have to cut the transom down in the middle to accomodate the outboard. I think most outboards are made that way...If so that will rule out the existing transom...too weak at the patch.
> EB


Boats are normally made that way to accommodate short shafts on outboards You can get outboards with 20" 25" and 30"

He probably won't have to cut it down, just has to find an outboard with the right shaft length.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

Actually I'm getting an outboard bracket to go on the transom. Should set the motor back about 10" from transom.


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## UFM82 (Apr 6, 2004)

The whole floor huh- it's already gone up $1,000 or more. Nah, it can't cost too much.LOL
That's just the start. Wait until it thaws...
Good luck!


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

Well before the snow thawed I was hoping most of the floor would be good. Except for where the inboard had sat. Only reason I thought that was because it had been kept in a garage since 2007. But once the thaw started things changed. Lol


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

A floor on an aluminum boat will be nowhere NEAR $1000.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

I think ufm82 was just joking. He was being funny cause I was acting like redoing the floor was gonna break the bank. Lol


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