Picked up this Larson boat around may 2010. The boat is in overall good condition for the age. We gave had her out all summer with no problems. Engine is sound and great out of the hole. Hull is sound no leaks or holes. A few dings and dock nicks here or there, but overall great shape for 23 years old. Fell cote is still shinny and buffs up nicely. May consider a re-gel next year… But if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.;). As for the inside… she’s seen sine fun times. All seats need reupholstering and the floor has two 2 foot soft spots next to the two jump sets. At first look the stringers sound solid but we will see soon. Anyway… I’ll be posting more as we go and will start a thread on iboats to track progress and get some help.
NOTE: This jobs was done out of the water in dry dock. If you were in the water and in a bind, you would want to tie the propeller to the boat(just in case is slides out to far) and have a plug and rags ready to fill a hole and stop the boat from sinking. The risk is real! A common approach to removing shaft couplings is to place an appropriately sized socket in between the reduction gear flange and the shaft(inside the coupling). Ensuring the socket is centered, you then place a few extra long bolts in the aligned flange holes and tighten them evenly. (this is important so you don’t jam the coupling on the shaft) Tighten each bolt about a quarter turn, then tighten the next, repeat untill the coupling slides off. In addition you can use a break loose penetrating oil, a hammer, more bolts, a blowtorch(heat the coupling not the shaft) The heat will cause the coupling to expand (make sure you are careful, protect the hull if necessary). As you can see from the pictures I broke a bolt I turned so hard. I eventually cut the coupling off with 5 inch angle grinder with a metal cutting disc. Cut all the way through to the key. Make sure you cut to the key, it will save you cutting time, and protect the shaft from damage from the disc. Also, make sure you protect the boat from slag and sparks. (depending on your situation, you may want to cut the shaft instead, you could then press out the shaft at a machine shop and save the coupling. You may need a new shaft, or perhaps you’d …