TOPIC: '66 MFG Niagara restoration project

I got this baby for $20!! I'm gonna redo the transom, and the ski rack floors, but she's in awsome shape!! Nearly all fiberglass, only structural wood is the transom. I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can find the original convertable top for this bad boy!!?? Or one that would at least look nice & work well. Also, she's rated for a 50HP, but with trim tabs & a permanent bow tank to counter balance her, how much more HP could I put on her while staying within the realm sanity?? s101.photobucket.com/albums/m76/lonewolf8814/boats%20n%20stuff/MFG/

Congrats...
Very much like my '67 MFG Westfield.
Pour a new transom.. very easy. Here is how I did mine:

www.raylinrestoration.com/BoatStuff/MFG-Transom/index.htm

Can't help you on the top- other than to say it wasn't anything "special". You can buy a generic bimini top from many sources (eBay, Bass-Pro, West Marine catalog).
Since you don't have the snaps along the top of the windshield- you won't need a "custom" built one.

HP: "legally" you can't go higher than the rating. Coast Guard usually doesn't bother you.. but the registrar might when you register it (some states require an inspection).

With a new transom, I'd say you're fairly safe to 90HP.. simply from a weight standpoint. But an updated 60-70HP (mid 70's-80's) will push the boat to 35/40mph just fine. A good cupped prop and you can ski two-up with no problems.

Yeah, I was thinking somewhere in the 60something HP range .. I gotta '66 super sea horse (33HP)I'm gonna have on it most the time, I'm just on the lookout for a good '66 outboard with a bit more juice (for special occasions)and wasn't sure what HP limit I should keep in mind. I'm only 5'4" 140lbs, and the perm bow tank is gonna be about 15 gallons so with the hull design being like it is I figured it'd give me quite a bit of leeway weight wise. This baby has a factory permant tank set up in the bow, which wasn't even available for this model, but was custom ordered (it was a corps of engineers patrol boat!!), that's gonna have an effect on the HP rating since it's based alot on weight distribution, right?

If you decide you do not need or want those trim tabs - PLEASE contact me! My little boat has a set but they are in very bad shape. I would be very grateful!!

How much did that nidabond stuff end up costing you?

I actually was going to get rid of them when I first got it, cause I thought they were missing hardware (actuators & such)and they're rare & thus impossible to find parts for. In fact, your long ago post was the only online mention of them I'd found (I take it wally didn't come through with the $40 in the box set?). But I've since learned that they're manually adjusted & mine are complete. So right now I'm gonna see how well they work. If not so good, I'll contact you, promise!

No, unfortunately that set was too big. The set you have matches the numbers of the set I have.

lonewolf8814 wrote:

How much did that nidabond stuff end up costing you?

I think they are $131 for a 5-gallon pail. My transom needed (8) gallons, so I bought (2) 5'ers. Had some left over that I've used for various things like filling corners of my bench seat, etc...

www.nida-core.com/english/nordprod_nidabond_transom.htm

The thing that you save the most is TIME... I really think I could do my transom in 4-working hours now that I know what to do.

THX, their website didn't say any prices. I've looked at all thier products ... some very cool stuff I'll likely try out if I get that much $ to work with. At the moment though, I've already got some marine ply & the wife wasn't too happy about the price there ... she'd bust a forehead vein over that nidabond stuff!! LOL! Oh, & that westfield ya got ... gorgeous man!! Well done!!

Well, I've been looking into that pourable transom stuff .... turns out there's several different brands, but they're all basically the same thing= polyester resin and glass microspheres or microballoons . Ya can buy the glass MS/b by the bucket & mix it yourself for 1/4 the cost of the name brand stuff. I gotta find data on the mix ratio though.
Someone along the way put carpet in her ... I don't like it. I wanna get it back to the original, which was a white textured & rubberized kinda deal, similar to rhino. It's still in good shape, but I gotta figure out how to get the glue from the carpet off w/o harming the floor. Any suggestions?

Does nobody have any ideas on how to remove glue without hurting the floor?

It depends on what tthey used to glue the carpet down. My MFG also had glued-in carpet, even though the floor was fine. They used construction adhesive. I was not able to get anything to remove it (easily).. But I liked the carpet anyway- so didn't try too hard.

For a start, I would try (in order): Mineral spirits, Kerosene, Enamel Reducer, and finally lacquer thinner. Just put some on a rag and start rubbing. If it softens the glue and/or removes it, move up to laying a thinner-soaked rag over a small (unseen)area (under the bow, under the seats, etc) and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 3-5 minutes. It should "lift" the glue so it can be scraped off with a plastic body-filler spreader. Then you can finish the area with a rag.