My First Post and Project: 12' Gamefisher & Cruise n Carry

[Xceses]

So first off I wanted to say Hello to all you fine folks on the board. I took up this project thinking I was half crazy and figuring I prolly shouldnt bother wasting time on such a small boat. I know sailors, yachtsmen, and even rednecks with shiny jet boats all take immense pride in their money pits. But being of a tight wallet and small house I don't have the money or space for anything my dad would approve of... Anyway, having taken up such a project brought me to this forum, then beyond providing knowledge and insight as I read... You all inspired me to take it up a notch and really make my lil boat shine too. It's good to know there are other people like me who appreciate simplicity and giving new life to those things deemed worthless.

Soo poetics aside, this is my situation. I bought this 12' fiberglass gamefisher on craigslist for 100 bucks, which I considered quite the deal. I wish I had pictures of when I bought it because it was beyond dirty and tore up. A lot of sandpaper, scrubbying, and about 30 bucks worth of spray paint later it was once again white on the inside and now an awesome plum purple on the outside. Shortly thereafter I glued some outdoor carpet to the floor, bought some paddles, and took it out on Monterrey Bay. I live in Santa Cruz so for those of you unfamiliar there arnt really any lakes around here but most days the ocean is very calm and 5 minutes away. That first trip yielded 3 huge rockfish and way too much fun, it also showed me that the boat has a slow leak. And that I needed to get a motor and register the **** thing.

Voiceing this, my g/fs dad gave me a 2.7 hp Cruise n Carry outboard. In the past two weeks I've been wrenching on it. First a complete carb rebuild and tuneup. Changed out the shifter cable with a universal choke cable. Replaced the throttle cable and housing with spare bicycle cable. Replaced the fuel line. Found out the fuel tank leaked and jury rigged new seals. Then couldnt get a spark so sanded the magneto surface and condenser. Then it ran. Then when engaging the prop found out the gears are too stripped to function, something I had noticed but had no alternative to while cleaning and oiling them. So yea thats where I'm at.

I intend to continue posting info and pics documenting the process of making this boat all shiny. I also intend to start another motor thread on the in and outs of these glorified lawnmower engines as I continue to overhaul it. Apparently there isn't much about Cruise n Carrys online. Lastly I plan to use the thread to ask questions pertaining to the project and hopefully pickup some good advice....

Speaking of a few immediate Q's

I have picked up on people saying foam under the seats of these kinda boats often gets saturated and compacted adding a lot of weight. My boat seems awfully heavy for how little boat is there, so is this probable? If so how do I go about fixing it?

Also does anyone have a manual for a Cruise n Carry 6700? or better yet a technical guide?

Thanks for reading! Ill try to be a lot less longwinded next time

 

[fish2keel]

First of all welcome!

Second wow what a great deal for your g/f's dad to give you an outboard! Nice job!

Ok down to your questions. Im sure someone else with more fiberglass knowledge can answer this better than me but ill take a shot at it. Your boat although small is probably sort of heavy. I could be wrong but fiberglass isn't the lightest building material. That being said there is a possibility if you've already found a leak that there is a leak or was a leak or just some water seeped into a space and it got the foam wet. This would cause a lot of weight in the boat. Its like a big sponge basically. I have not taken any foam out before especially on a fiberglass boat so someone else will have to answer this.

As for your engine. I've never seen one before. Try ebay and amazon or google images and then find an image or your motor and try to track something down.

Anyway good luck with the build! Be safe out on the ocean my friend!

 

[Baher20018]

How did you replace the shifter cable on the cruise and carry 6700 with a universal clutch cable? I need to replace mine. Any help would be great.