At first glance; Not bad looking on the outside, inside was dated but OK, the upholstery was fair. Engine looks clean, I/O drive looked OK, hull had the typical blemishes and scratches. A little TLC is all she needs (or so I thought) and would make a good project and perhaps make a few bucks.
We previously owned a 32' Trojan Cabin Cruiser on the left coast and now a 26'cuddy for the inland lakes Neither one was a project boat and never needed any major structual repairs. The new boat towed home 150 miles just fine and without any problems (unknown trailer) even though I did not have the stern tied down. .OOPS!!
Why was the bow up in the air constantly? Why did it have crappy fuel consumption? She was totally water logged! The old foam acted like a big sponge. No water, per se, in the engine bilge but, the hidden side compartments and cuddy floor were full of water. I'd guestimate (hillbilly science) about 2000 lbs. in water and rotten wood/foam with 70 gals of fuel, this vessel would act like a displacement hull. 1 cu. ft. of water weighs 60 +lbs. In an effort to overcome this weight, the P.O. installed the trim tabs and the whaletail.
The way this boat was built, it did not have any limber holes to drain water from the sides or under the tank. Hence any water that did collect in these areas would stay and eventually get soaked up by the foam. It only had a drain line from the cuddy to the engine bay bilge. After opening her up I could really see why Browning in no longer in business. Poor design, cheap construction and mexican day labor craftmanship.
So, if you are buying a used boat and it has all the "run better mods" be careful that they are not there to overcome greater issues. A good practice would be to run over a set of scales and compare the weigh ticket to the vessels and trailer weight, before buying a used boat. I never thought of it.
I should have resold the boat once I pulled the carpet up and found the soggy floor.
But, I didn't and the saga of the restoration starts there. I also thought I would document everything for anyone out in the internet world that would want to rebuild their boat.
You are reading this because you believe there maybe a problem with your boat and are planning or doing a re-build. So read on, save some yourself some grief and perhaps a few dollars.
Floor felt soft mostly around the engine compartment. You can see the wavy pattern
Add Marine alternator to parts list..
