CharlieH
Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2022
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 6
- LOCATION
- Columbia SC
Hi all! I was recently given an '88 Marsh Hawk 3v (16ft) by my father, purchased by my late grandfather a few decades back, my buddies and I have been very interested in making it a project boat for us to work on (and hopefully fish on!) over the next few months. I've always enjoyed project threads and figured I could throw my hat in the ring, at the very least be a good opportunity to learn some new skills. I'm not the most experienced in the realm of boats/hulls and outboard motors, so input is both needed and appreciated!
I reckon the most important thing to know is that it sat in a yard (on its trailer) for ~8 years without being moved, so I'm unsure what sort of state the motor is in. The stern of the hull (battery compartment I believe) was full of water when I initially cleaned it out, so I can only assume that portion is watertight. The main portion of the hull I am less sure about, I want to say it also is watertight, but the plug (?) may be gone. I am unsure if the holes at the transom are for drainage or have something to do with the live well. That's about all of the major stuff I've checked that isn't discernable via the attached pictures. Also in regards to the photos, the rust on the trailer is largely superficial, in the time since these pictures were taken I've put new tires on it and moved it out to a place where I can better work on it. Also cleaned out anything that wasn't boat related. (Found a Pflueger President in the life jacket storage, which was a nice surprise.)
Visiting it this weekend for the first round of work, here's our current plan, input appreciated:
- Charlie
I reckon the most important thing to know is that it sat in a yard (on its trailer) for ~8 years without being moved, so I'm unsure what sort of state the motor is in. The stern of the hull (battery compartment I believe) was full of water when I initially cleaned it out, so I can only assume that portion is watertight. The main portion of the hull I am less sure about, I want to say it also is watertight, but the plug (?) may be gone. I am unsure if the holes at the transom are for drainage or have something to do with the live well. That's about all of the major stuff I've checked that isn't discernable via the attached pictures. Also in regards to the photos, the rust on the trailer is largely superficial, in the time since these pictures were taken I've put new tires on it and moved it out to a place where I can better work on it. Also cleaned out anything that wasn't boat related. (Found a Pflueger President in the life jacket storage, which was a nice surprise.)
Visiting it this weekend for the first round of work, here's our current plan, input appreciated:
- Empty it out, remove batteries, seats, anything that isn't bolted down.
- Tear/cut out carpet. Possibly remove the console if needed.
- Try to make sense of the wiring, so we can get a head start on ordering parts for that.
- Unsure how to do this, but I figure making note of wire colors will be helpful enough for now.
- Gauging what state the motor is in, as well as the trolling motor.
- Entirely unsure how to do this, initially I figure we remove the spark plugs and check the carburetor, maybe try to flush the engine? I'm not sure how complicated that is.
- No clue where to start with the trolling motor, unsure if it's just plug and play with a working battery. My father seemed confident that it'd work when I mentioned it to him a few months back.
- Try to start a deep clean, get some of that deep grime/mold out of the innards.
- I love the layout of the hull, not planning on modifying the platforms or anything like that.
- Not sure what to replace the carpet with? I recall the carpet being very annoying in regards to hooks, although that's probably more of a product of it being looped carpet rather than cut pile.
- I've read that EVA foam is good and cheap, anyone have experience with that type of modification? Thanks!
- I'm unsure how much the boat weighs, but something I'm curious about, what would the maximum occupancy/weight be for a boat like this be?
- (Ideally) At maximum it'd be me and three others, weight totaling somewhere in the area of 600-800lbs, which feels a bit high for a boat this size.
- Probably the easiest question I've asked that could be answered, is the HIN and hull/motor serial number in any way sensitive information?
- Blurred them out on the chance that it is, but I feel like it isn't.
- Also one last question, is this hull a flat bottom, or a modified V?
- It feels awfully flat to me, but there's a slight angle there so I'm not entirely sure.
- Charlie
Attachments
Last edited:
The one thing with the motor I am certain is broken is the steering cable, as that's why my grandfather quit taking it on the water in the first place. But I'm confident that's the only thing that was broken prior to it sitting for so long.
