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Not sure which topic to put this in but since this project started life as a smallish wooden outboard boat here goes. Moderator welcome to move it if it's more appropriate in another topic. Almost a decade ago I purchased a 15' Century Palomino and sold the ZIP I had built. Plan was to resurrect the...

Hi Andy, I understand that the older 4 banger Mercs like yours only weigh about 135 lb. or so, what my Mark35A was spec'd at. On my ZIP I, at one time, I had my fuel tank below the bow and had no issues with fuel supply, and that was running the fuel through a very fine fuel filter/water separator. ...

Hi Michael, Never got around to it on my ZIP, but always wanted to add a hatch over the rear seat. It was to be hinged and removable. Back when we still owned the lake access only camp figured a covered rear seat would keep stuff dry if the water was rough. Planned for it to match the existing decki...

Hi, displaced Cannuk originally from outside Sudbury, now in Raleigh, NC. I agree that the pitting shown is not of any significance. The driveshaft goes down immediately into the water pump, and the water pump cover plate holds a seal. You should, at the very least, remove the water pump cover and i...

For what it's worth:

For a good 90% of the hull ply on my ZIP I used NO screws, nails, or fasteners of any kind. Only epoxy. Worked for me.

In terms of full disclosure my 'bucket' seats on my ZIP were not soft because they were pretty cheap seats. Years later I replaced them with better seats and he ride was much better. You get what you pay for!

I opted to run my floor slats side to side. I used 3 floor battens per side and attached vertical strong backs on top of the battens. My floor slats rested on those strong backs. With roughly 6" between battens I could use 5/16" thick floor slats. This made the top of the floor about 3 1/2" below th...

KInd of unconventional but I installed my trailer upside down on my framed hull to determine the bow eye location

OMG: So Sad, will,take a while for disbelief to fade.
Hopefully hr fact that she is so unique will enable locating her more likely.
You might want to post to the AOMCI site as well, they will help keep extra eyes open.

For what it's worth I used VC Performance Epoxy on my ZIP, albeit professionally sprayed, too many chemicals even for me! My ZIP spent several summers in the water for over a month at a time. I believe the product is rated for up to 60 days of immersion. Other than cleaning up the pollen line the bo...

For what it"s worth. My ZIP had a 1959 Mercury Mark35A with 35 HP that was rated at 35 HP. It spec'd out at 135 lb. Others will likely chime in that used more HP and heavier engines. As my old engine was rated at C/S HP and NOT Prop HP like newer engines it was probably equivalent to a newer 30-32 H...

Hi and Welcome, Among vintage outboard folks thosethat work on Old Mercs are often referred to as 'Going to the Dark Side'. I have only worked on old 4 cylinder Mecs so cannot speak to the other brands. They are different, and there is quite a learning curve. My first was a 1959 Mark35A and I restor...

Hi Michael,

I added bottom batten stiffeners. As I recall they were 5/8" thick and varied in height between about 1" - 1 1/2".
I simply epoxied them in place.

Prop on is fine as long as you are in neutral.
Make sure oil mix is on the rich side for test run.

Sometimes there is confusion whether one is trimming up or down. If you are timing down (bringing prop closer to bottom of transom) that tends to bring the bow more. If you are trimming up (moving prop further away from bottom of transom) that tends to lift the bow. Usually you trim up for takeoff, ...