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BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES

Posted by mgbanthony

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BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #1
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 06, 2011 12:39PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

Besides MGs one of my other obsessions is older boats. I have been offered a 1965 Evinrude boat with an OMC I/O stringer drive. Back then, we ran outboards or inboards, so my experience with old OMC sterndrives is limited. This thing is actually a V4 outboard on its back coupled to the sterndrive?? Odd looking unit.

Anyone know much about these? Problems/parts availability? Forget it entirely??

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #2
wyatt Wyatt W penguin point, drift ice, Antarctica 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1960 MG MGA 1966 MG MGB	Posted: December 06, 2011 03:13PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 23,301

I cain't hep ya....sorry....I have an aversion to IOs, altho I know that there are some really good ones. If you like it go for it, anything is fixable. Post your question on iboats those guys kno everything.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #3
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 06, 2011 03:20PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

I've been the same way Wyatt, but this thing is so odd as to be interesting. Picture a 60s V4 Johnson powerhead tilted on its back in front of that outdrive and that's what it is. (picture added) The boat is a cathedral hull reputedly designed by Brooks Stevens who was a power in the Detroit auto designs of the 60s. I've got enough quasi-classic boats now but...this thing seems rock solid needing some trim work. It's supposed to run, move and not leak.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #4
danfoote dan foote Penobsquis, New Brunswick, Canada 1974 MG MGB "Magie"	Posted: December 06, 2011 03:34PM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 435

I had some experience - parts are hard to come by.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #5
Tinman Dennis Glass Calif., USA	Posted: December 06, 2011 04:26PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 455

I used to work in an outboard shop and I hated OMC! Mercruiser was a better unit and I didn't really care for them either. If it had a Volvo/Penta setup I'd say go for it, otherwise make a reef out of it.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #6
wyatt Wyatt W penguin point, drift ice, Antarctica 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1960 MG MGA 1966 MG MGB	Posted: December 06, 2011 04:31PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 23,301

In reply to a post by Tinman I used to work in an outboard shop and I hated OMC! Mercruiser was a better unit and I didn't really care for them either. If it had a Volvo/Penta setup I'd say go for it, otherwise make a reef out of it.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa............

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #7
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 06, 2011 05:36PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

I hear you about the earlier OMC outdrives, but a few say that if you don't bully them that they can be OK. I'd normally be after a Mercruiser in something this old, or an outboard version with an Evinrude or Johnson but this particular boat is what it is, and the rest of it is decent with a matching trailer and a complete parts boat and another spare engine and...No such thing as a free boat though, this I know. Given that it would have very light usage I wonder how long I could get away with it. My old boats get about as much use as my old MGs. Can you tell I'm on the edge here...

A couple more photos, one of a restored one. and another of its engine compartment.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #8
John D. Weimer Cape Girardeau, MO, USA	Posted: December 06, 2011 05:53PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 21,577

Would an old Saab V-4 engine fit in that hole? They were made off a license from Ford in Germany but were vastly improved over their Ford Taunis parent engine.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #9
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 06, 2011 06:01PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

John:

A Saab V4 would likely fit with some work. It's already 88 hp in a 14 foot boat with what it has, which is basically the powerhead off a 66 Johnson 90 horse O/B. I think this is the only 2 stroke I/O I've ever seen. Later and bigger models of these boats used the Buick 231 and Chev 283/307/350 marine derivatives.

If nothing else at 24:1 fuel/oil ratio it would be good for keeping the mosquitoes and blackflies down.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #10
Tinman Dennis Glass Calif., USA	Posted: December 06, 2011 06:47PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 455

Anthony,
That's a clean hull, the knock on the OMC is the outdrive. The powerplant was of a good design but the outdrive was the weak link. Maybe you can fix it up, take a Vegas vacation and take it to the "Pawn Stars" shop and get something for it.
At the very least I would pull the upper gear housing cap off and take a look inside as well as draining the oil and see what it looks like. You could also pull the lower unit housing off and take a look at the impeller and if it shows the least bit that its been melted or distorted I'd walk away from it. On the other hand you may have lucked out, but you will never know till you at least take a few things apart and look at them. As Danfoote mentioned, parts could be an issue and OMC has always been pricey to repair.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #11
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 06, 2011 07:02PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

Dennis:

Thanks for your insights, and Dan too. I'm doing some investigative surgery on it tomorrow and will follow your advice. It's a toy, but I would like a usable one, even though it probably won't see more than a few hours a summer.

These boats were heavily overbuilt and very expensive in the 60s. A friend's parents have had the 16' outboard version since 1965 and that thing is a tank. I think it's probably on about its 10th Evinrude V4 outboard, but they just keep repowering the old girl. The boat itself hasn't deteriorated noticeably and its in the water from April until November.

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #12
mgbanthony Anthony Henderson Gananoque, Ontario, Canada 1962 MG MGB 1962 MG MGB 1970 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB 1991 GMC Sierra 1500 → more	Posted: December 07, 2011 04:46PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 2,858

I think I'll pass this one by. I have an old Mercruiser equipped SeaRay Sport which will fulfill my need for old sterndrives. Otherwise I'm like Wyatt, old outboards make more sense. If they break I can fix them or worst case it becomes a boat anchor, not a reef. thumbs up smiley

Thanks for the wisdom gents...

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #13
wyatt Wyatt W penguin point, drift ice, Antarctica 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1960 MG MGA 1966 MG MGB	Posted: December 07, 2011 08:59PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 23,301

....OK now I can comment...if I had a dog that looked like that, I'd shave it's a$$ and make it walk backwards.....

http://mbbw.com/ click the first link to rekindle your eyesight

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #14
Tinman Dennis Glass Calif., USA	Posted: December 07, 2011 09:11PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 455

Anthony,

You made the right choice! thumbs up

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #15
feathercraft1952 ric boles kentucky, USA 1974 MG MGB "Junkyard Dog" 1976 MG MGB "Penellope"	Posted: December 08, 2011 07:02AM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 735

classic boats are just flat out COOL - if i was in the market i would buy it a heartbeat - with limited use probably run for a long time - i'm partial to OMC
Ric

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Re: BOATS AGAIN: OMC STRINGER DRIVES #16
Paul J Paul Jennings Locust Grove, Oklahoma, USA 1955 MG TF 1500	Posted: December 09, 2011 06:06AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 2,848

The IOs using converted outboard power heads were lighter than the automotive engine versions and the power ratio per pound was much higher due to less overall weight. They were usually very quick at the start and very fast on the run, depending what prop your using. As I remember they were gas hogs though. I worked at two different out board shops part time in Lubbock Texas when I was going to school down there. One Johnson/Evinrude and a Mercury dealer. They were a PITA to make a running check after a pre-season tuning, because we couldn't put them in the test stand tank. The tank was designed to pre-load outboard engines as if pushing a boat. We had to take the IOs to a lake to test them. Really a PITA for a shop.

PS, Make sure you check the water pump impellers for flexibility if their the soft versions! Actually, I'd replace it. They get hard and break. If it's set for some time, I'd replace the thermostat also. Out board type engines, to most peoples disbelief, are very temperature sensitive. PJ

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