Picked up a small boat and trailer recently. It looks like the shackles and possibly the axle are not original. The shackle bracket uses plywood as a spacer on it, I should fix that right? I'm not used to light duty type things, so maybe it's ok? Maybe the crappy welds are good enough? Someone that knows more than me check out these pics and let me know what you think, thanks.

pics

I'd Thompson's water seal the shim and run it :D

I hope you didn't trade more than a 6 pack of cheap beer for it...


:usa:

Ghetto fabulous, but probabally OK if you are not going on the highway.

I'd check and repack the bearings right away. The one in the top pic looks like it's full of water

The biggest problem I see is you need deeper water for the boat.

Considering the weights here, there's nothing really structurally wrong with the trailer. I'd feel better having the spring hangers welded directly to the frame, but it's not really neccessary. The plywood spacer is a little goofy, but it's not endangering anybody.

Got it for free, I've got about $80 total so far for the registration. Something wrong with the motor, haven't torn it apart yet. The boat seems pretty solid, no cracks I can find yet. Came with a battery, gas tank, fish finder, and like 10 life jackets. I'll definitely repack or replace the bearings. It will get some highway time, but most will be local. This is the biggest size load I feel comfortable towing with my 88 4runner, would love a big boat but then would need a big truck.

Something wrong with the motor, ...
This "free" boat could end up being a hole in the water that you fill with money. Don't be afraid to cut your losses early if it starts looking like my story:
I bought one a little bigger than yours for 2K with a slight knock in the engine, ended up spending over a grand trying to get that old Merc 1000 running right. Finally ended up getting it running to where it would rev to about 1500 and then flatline. I sold the motor on e-bay for 400 bucks and bought a Chrysler 75 for 300, then sold the whole boat for 1200. Over the course of 3 years I spent at least 100 hours (probably closer to 200) working on it and I only got it on the water a half dozen times due to continuous motor problems. I also spent a lot of time/money refurbishing the interior, but that was my choice not a fault of the crappy motor.

I consider myself a capable mechanic with Chevy v-8 motors, but that old outboard kicked my butt. Hopefully you've got better skills and more luck...

bought a Chrysler 75 for 300, ..


OUCH!!!!!:eek: Say no to Chrysler outboards!!! :flipoff2:Love the old hulls though..

This "free" boat could end up being a hole in the water that you fill with money. Don't be afraid to cut your losses early if it starts looking like my story:
I bought one a little bigger than yours for 2K with a slight knock in the engine, ended up spending over a grand trying to get that old Merc 1000 running right. Finally ended up getting it running to where it would rev to about 1500 and then flatline. I sold the motor on e-bay for 400 bucks and bought a Chrysler 75 for 300, then sold the whole boat for 1200. Over the course of 3 years I spent at least 100 hours (probably closer to 200) working on it and I only got it on the water a half dozen times due to continuous motor problems. I also spent a lot of time/money refurbishing the interior, but that was my choice not a fault of the crappy motor.

I consider myself a capable mechanic with Chevy v-8 motors, but that old outboard kicked my butt. Hopefully you've got better skills and more luck...

I know almost nothing about outboards, so I will either learn or buy one that works. The boat needs some small fiberglass repairs on some rough spots but so far no big damage or cracks. I'm going to get a motor working and make sure it floats before I do anything to the interior, paint, etc.

I got an old corolla for $100 one time. Spent like $400 on headgasket, all other gaskets, plugs, tires etc. It ran freaking awesome, then the transmission exploded from it's new found power. Sold the POS for $100. Luckily i learned that lesson without it costing too much, just alot of time.

pics