Pongrass Surfmaster and 80 HP Mariner

[ba229]

Hello all,

I have come across a 14.5 Pongrass Surfmaster for sale and the hull seems to be in good condition. There has been some work done such as a new transom and total internal respray.

My question is in regards to the motor on the back of it.
It's a 1987 80Hp Mariner (2 stroke 4 cylinder) reco'ed 30 hrs ago. It also looks ok but the owner has said something about a fuel pick up problem.
Looking at previous posts here i think it could be either an air leak, clogged lines or filters or as the owner seems to think the fuel pump.

Does anyone have any info on this motor and what to look out for?
How much would a fuel pump set me back?
Do these motors have a known weakness?

I intend to do a compression check myself and would like to know what the results should be.

I would appreciate any ideas.

Regards Alex

[ba229]

And heres the motor

What do you reckon about the corrosion?

[ba229]

Heres a close up

[aido]

looks a bit dodgey to me, and probably could do with some lanolube.
i've always admired surfmasters since seeing them used by the surf lifesaver
clubs around sydney 25-30 years ago.
standard motors were 40 hp johnno's then if i recall correctly.
the ones i am thinking of were about 15 ft and had a cuddy nose arrangement
to keep water out of the boat.
those boats were used through large surf breaks, and really performed imho.
yours might be the runabout version with hopfully the same keel sections.
otherwise it looks a reasonable tinnie replacement boat.
shes obviously got a few years behind her, and it would not be surprising if the underfloor tank is stuffed.
i've had to replace the underfloor alloy tank in my 20 something year old boat due to crud and corrosion pitting almost right through. definately check it out
closely, and expect a 400-500 dollar bill for a new one to be made.

hope that helps, aido.

[davo]

The 80HP is definitely TOO BIG!! My father had a new Surfmaster MK2 back in the late 1970's and it was powered by one of the first 40HP Mariner's. They were rated to 60HP but really a 40Hp was fine and we used it offshore. It was a great little boat and beleive it or not we actually caught an Estuary cod over 7 feet long in it.

[peterbo3]

Evening BA,
I'm thinking that 80 horses is way too many also. That motor is showing a lot of corrosion on the outside where it is easily seen & easily dealt with. Nothing has been done so this might indicate zero maintainance all over. I would not touch that motor with a barge pole. The term
"money pit" springs to mind. That motor will turn your bank account into a black hole. The "fuel problem" could be anything & it may cost heaps to discover what it is. As for the rebuild, what was done? One man's rebuild is another man's cylinder hone & impeller replacement.
I would be very wary about a hull that old, especially one with a recent paint job. The steering is out of the ark
& you will need arms of steel to control the feedback.
Hate to a wet blanket but I would continue to search for a boat without so much potential for a major cash injection.

[ba229]

thanks for the feed back guys.

I agree that the 80 HP is much too big.

I'm am in no hurry to buy a boat and will keep looking.

The guy has my number and if he is really desperate he will ring me then we might find a mutually agreeable price that is significantly cheaper than what he wants

But the looking for a boat goes on