1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive.

Attachment 65331Attachment 65332I just purchased a 1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive ski boat. Has not seen water since 1984 and was covered with a tarp for years. The gel coat was in pretty bad shape on the walnut deck but a little elbow grease and lacquer thinner brought most of it back to life. Will need a little repair and new top coat but the boat floor and stringers are in amazing shape. It's got a 327 Chevy but its been bored to .060 so it may end up being an anchor. Bottom is perfect. Some delamination between top and hull but not too serious.
I am new to V Drives. This one has a Thorobred and that may have to go also. Not sure.
I ran D class Outboards in my youth and had a Sidcraft Utility hull with Merc. 50 HP. Wish I had it again but I doubt my knees would take that abuse again.
Here is a shot of the boat.
I am sure I will have a ton of questions as this is my first time and this site appears to have all the experts as members.

very nice projectkeepsake topolino, welcome to HB, where it all started ;)

post up some photos of the Vdrive if you don't mind, there is plenty of expertise here to answer most questions... IF the folks here don't know, we know how to get the technical details your after... :thumbsUp:

Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.

Wow that's history right there. Look forward to seeing more of it [emoji41]


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Nice find !!

Love it 👍🏼

I'm in the middle of a 66 Sanger Wooddeck restoration

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Originally Posted by topolino2

Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.

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Prop shaft seal should be a easy deal, we have several good resources here for dripless couplings & tech... Let me see if I can summons one for you to ask questions, in the mean time it would be good to see some pics of the existing coupling and the strut from the bottom side of the hull too (in addition to the drive). :thumbsUp:

Here are some shots of the Howard after getting the upholstery out of the boat. My assumption is the .060 over 327 is probably going to need a new block. 327's are not easy to find but 350's are a dime a dozen.
This engine has Corvette heads so they may need to rebuilt and saved. Thoughts?
I'm told the V drive is set up at 9 degrees. When I uncouple the drive and rotate the shaft the strut screams lube! Plan on taking the shaft out and check for bent shaft and inspect the bushings in the strut.
Here is my problem. I did not put it together and need to know what first steps to break everything free.
Do I break the shaft coupling and mounting for the V drive and pull it forward to expose the drive shaft flanges or is the drive shaft splined to the engine an pull the engine rearward?
Wiring
The wiring appears to be either eaten by mice and got hot. Seems a bit unlikely that mice could eat the copper so I am assuming that something went wrong at some time. Additionally, the wires used were automotive grade and not marine and do not follow the color coding spec for marine use. My plan is to rewire the complete system. I have not been under the dash to see if there are proper fuses to protect the system. Any thoughts?
Fiberglass
Here are some shots of the delamination. I inspected the underside and found wood supports for the top to hull and they appear to be in good shape. I think we have vibration and pounding that has caused the fiberglass at the surface to break free in areas. I have 4 oz. fiberglass woven sheet on the way. I like the very lightweight as multiple layers can be applied with minimal thickness increases. Plan on Epoxy as the resin system over Polyester. Once again. your thoughts?
So here we are. Plan a new engine, seal off the prop shaft and rudder, rewire the boat and repair all the delamination in the hull. Any comments, suggestions and technical advise is appreciated.
Chuck PoeAttachment 65350Attachment 65351Attachment 65352Attachment 65353Attachment 65354Attachment 65355Attachment 65356Attachment 65357Attachment 65358Attachment 65359Attachment 65360Attachment 65361Attachment 65362Attachment 65363Attachment 65364Attachment 65365

WOW, she looks VERY intact/original... I would get her on the water first thing and see how you like her before you rip her all apart for resto/repairs... Maybe back it into the water somewhere close after you get it running to ensure the shaft seal is decent enough for a few outings...

ALSO, a new impeller on the water pump is a must...

WANNABE / FC Pilot & the Millers (on here) could probably spec out a really sweet SBC for you that wouldn't break the bank IF the 327 can't be salvaged... They have a cool new small block project that just hit the water... >>>> http://www.wannaberacing.com/sk51.html

Greetings all,
Well, I removed the 327 engine from the boat after talking to the original owner and he informed me that the engine was experiencing blow back so the engine was due for work. After sitting 33 years I was amazed that it was not stuck. Being .060 over I thought I might just need to replace the short block with a 350 small block.
This is where I could use some help. I've been researching marine engines verses car engines, Dart short blocks and have some mechanics that want to open up the 327 and install oversize rings, check the bearings and rebuild the Corvette heads.
US Marine offers a 1995 Chevy 350 long block with a 7 year guarantee for $2,600. A Dart 350 is around the same in short block. Rebuilding the 327 with oversize rings, new bearings and head work is around $1,500.
Since these boats are delivering speed at higher rpms than cars going similar speeds, I thought that the marine application may be a better choice with the specific cams, valve springs and balancing that work better at sustained high rpms.
What do you think? Want to build the boat with the most reliable potential. Once I get it back in, I really don't want to take it out for a long time.

A boat engine is loaded all the time, like a tow rig pulling a trailer (fully loaded) up hill always... Which is unlike a car application...

The Miller guys should be able to coach you on this SBC and the potential for issues with a .060 over vintage block...

You may want to give some idea of your budget for the mill...