1976 Outrage 21 restoration in Europe

[Veloven9154]

Hello dear Boston Whaler friends,
I'm from France, and this is my first post on this forum, after having read a lot of very interesting posts from US boaters for several months.
My interest would be to share with European fellows who have restored a BW here in Europe, because in first place, finding parts for BW boats is not very easy around here and second if by any chance I could get to know some of you who have restored a boat around here, that would be very valuable and interesting.
Thanks,
JMH

[jimh]

As long as you have the hull of the 1976 OUTRAGE 21, and the hull has not been catastrophically damaged so its structure and strength are broken, you have most of what you need. Getting the fiberglass Unibond hull into decent to really good condition is just a matter of work. You can fill cracks, patch soft areas, apply color-matched gel coat, or if needed take more extensive refurbishing methods. But as long as the hull is intact, strong, and is not wet with large amounts of internal water held in the foam, you will be able to bring the hull back to a very good to excellent condition.

If the hull holds a lot of water, you need patience—maybe a year or more, to attempt to get water inside the foam interior to be drawn out or evaporate.

You will also need the major components attached to the hull, like the center console, the seats, railings, cleats, wooden parts, and so on. Most of the metal parts can be restored. The wooden parts perhaps can be restored, but even if they are rotten, you can use them as patterns to make new parts from proper types of wood you source locally or regionally.

Original canvas accessories will probably need to be replaced. The old canvas can be helpful as patterns.

Only a few original parts are difficult to source. The original navigation lamps are very hard to find as used, good-condition parts for sale, even in the USA. Railing are very hard to ship, particularly across oceans. You’ll have to look for local artisans to make duplicates.

To see what a c.1976 OUTRAGE 21 looked like, read the contemporary article I have reproduced about this model:

Yachting Eyes a Boat
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... ABoat.html

Also, read my answers to Frequently Asked Questions at
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/

:

[Veloven9154]

Thank you very much for your very useful information.

My main concern is about fuel tank that needs to be replaced as I've been told by present owner. So far all my searches here in Europe have ended nowhere. And this is an concern that's difficult to get around.

For the rest it will be essentially cosmetic, but not too much. Also the electrical wiring that needs to be completely rebuilt, but that's something I can manage my way through.

Thanks for your help. Appreciated.

[jimh]

For a boat made in 1976, its internal metal fuel tank--if original--would be 49-years-old.

The typical method of retaining the aluminum fuel tank in a Boston Whaler boat of that era of manufacture would have been set down the tank in place in the fuel tank cavity on some rubber support materials in a few locations, add two or three aluminum bars to hold down the tank, and then add a foam-filling material to completely surround the tank.

The problem that occurs with this method is that over time, if water is continually allowed to enter the fuel tank cavity, the water can become held in the foam. Now the aluminum metal is sitting in a bath of water, and this leads to corrosion.

The best way to assess the integrity of the fuel tank is by smell. If you can detect the odor of gasoline in the fuel tank area, then there is probably a leak. Another method is to seal off the tank vent, tank inlet, and tank outlet connections, and then create a positive pressure in the tank, but only to a pressure of about 2-PSI. If the tank can hold this pressure, there probably is no leak.

As for getting a replacement tank, the original manufacturer was probably Florida Marine Tanks (who are now located in the state of Georgia). They would probably be able to make an exact replacement, and the cost would be about $1,500. However, shipping such a large item to Europe would probably cost as much (or more) than the cost of the tank.

To replace the tank (which is assumed to be leaking), there are two choices:

--find a local aluminum fabricator and have a replacement tank welded to match the original tank shape; or

--remove the original tank, and use a large on-deck fuel tank or tanks instead.

The capacity of the internal aluminum fuel tank on a c.1976 21 OUTRAGE would have been only 40-gallons. You could replace that original fuel tank with a 22-gallon on-deck fuel tank. Considering that an outboard engine used in 1976 would have been a two-stroke-power-cycle engine with rather bad fuel economy, and in 2025 the new engine will be a modern engine with fuel economy almost twice a good, reverting to a 22-gallon fuel tank might be workable.

Having an on-deck fuel tank (or tanks) would be simpler and less expensive than having a new fuel tank custom-made. You could also install a semi-permanent on-deck fuel tank, which you could probably source locally from some manufacturer in Europe. You could also perhaps find a non-metal fuel tank that could be fitted into the fuel tank cavity with some changes to the supporting method, so the shape of the new tank, probably rectangular, would be properly supported in the V-shaped fuel tank cavity.

As for the boat's electrical system, the original was a very simple 12-Volt DC distribution, and that can very easily be replaced and improved. I recommend you look at BLUE SEA SYSTEMS for new battery switches, primary power distribution bus, and secondary power distribution centers with fuses or circuit breakers. If BLUE SEA SYSTEMS components are not easily found in Europe, I am sure there must be some equivalent options using local manufacturers.

[Veloven9154]

Thanks jimh you're the man!
Your impressive knowledge about these boats is greatly appreciated.
When I'll have the boat in hands I will let you know what is the actual situation with the boat.
Hopefully I can make a decent deal with present owner.