Old Fibreglass Savage Envoy

[bushonion]

G'day,

You all seem to know so much about boating - this is a fantastic forum.
I wonder if you can help with a couple of questions

I've got a Savage Envoy built around 1980 I think and about 4.6m, on a roadmaster single axel trailer (unbraked) and I need to get a new (well pre-loved) car for towing - usually has 2 x 25l tanks of petrol and all safety gear on board - what's the minimum engine I should look at? Will a Honda CRV with a 2.ol do it? How about a Volvo wagon with a 1.9l diesel?

Also... the deck has been repainted at some stage but is now peeling and I want to give it a fresh coat... I wonder what you'd recommend?

Hope you've got some ideas.
Thanks

[BM]

Onion (hehe)

Savage Envoy:

4.57m long
1.85m wide
15 degree deadrise (or "vee")
18-100hp engine capacity
350kg hull only (no motor)

Re the deck: sand it back with either 120 or 180 depending how bad it is. Bog as required with normal car bog. Hit it with 180 grit and prime. Sand with 240 and paint in 2 pack.

I prime with a 2 pack hifill primer but you could use anything that suits you. 2 pack top coat is the way to go as it gives a great finish off the gun that is durable.

Now..... if you are a purist (and like to waste money) you could pay someone to spray gelcoat it (rather than paint it) for an "original" finish and then lots of sanding and then polishing to bring up the surface..

cheers

[Noelm]

almost anything savage from way back then will still be alive and in use somewhere, they made quite a sturdy and reasonably good performing boat.

[mromanis]

Hi Bushonion,
The first thing of course is to check the tow rating of any vehicle you are looking at, make sure it can easily handle the weights of your boat/motor, trailer, fuel, and all the other stuff that winds up being put into a boat.
As you are looking at 2nd hand cars, don't just assume that the max tow rate in the vehicle manual is still gospel, get the entire hitch assembly and mount points checked out. A lot of 2nd hand cars with hitch's have at one stage or another towed more than they should have and it might show up underneath the car.
Next consider the torque output of the engine and the kind of transmission the car has. More torque is always your friend when towing, so you will get more torque from the diesel Volvo than you will from the CRV. Low pressure Turbo Diesel even better.
Some people prefer manual transmissions for towing, others automatic. Pro's and con's to both really, it's easy to burn out a clutch in a manual on the ramp or in traffic towing, but auto's can over heat and boil the tran's oil if over worked.
Don't just think of this boat when you are looking for cars to tow, think of what you might get into next if this boat isn't a long termer.

[bushonion]

Brilliant! Thanks heaps guys...that's fantastic information... the specs on the boat, the detailed info on how to do the deck and the info on what to check in a second hand car is FANTASTIC!
Wishing you smooth seas and great fishing!

By the way have you seen this incredible fishing video?

and the Bubba Boat Test?

[mromanis]

That 1st video is pretty amazing, seen the Bubba test a couple of times now, it's still hilarious.
How are you going with the car finding?

[bushonion]

Haven't found anything yet... the advice about thinking ahead to my next boat is really good! I must admit it hadn't occurred to me at all. All the advice was great value in fact.

Anyway, I'm now thinking about a preloved diesel toyota hilux...whatever car I get, I've gotta use it around town for my work (professional) as well as for towing the boat and of course launching it/retrieving it in and out of saltwater... so I want sturdy and gutsy but not a truck... would prefer automatic, but not sure whether to buy new or used. New gives me reliabilty (I know nix about motors) but a lot of $$ to see rust away... so looking not rushing!

Glad you like the video.