Bought a Scarab 22
 

Yesterday, I put down a deposit on a '98 Scarab 22. 7.4 carb, Bravo 1. Cosmetically in very nice shape, new upholstery throughout (pearl white with red and blue trim), new heads and Stainless Marine manifolds with Quick & Quiet y-pipe, new corsa tips, lots of other recent maintenance and new parts, 2 covers, 2 props.

I had a marine surveyor check the boat out, and he was impressed with it's condition, given it's age. Performed well on sea trial, hit 58mph (GPS) on a fairly choppy bay, with a full tank of gas and roughly 700# of passengers onboard. Indicated rpm was about 4200 at that point.

Some things that need repair: The shift boot on the drive is deteriorating, and the surveyor feels that should be replaced before anything else. I assume this is something I should take to a marine mechanic to repair... I'm pretty good with most automotive repairs, but cars don't sink when you don't fix them right :) How much should I expect to pay for that repair?

Other stuff is minimal -- battery boxes/holddowns, cracked gauge cluster panel, crappy stereo. Also need lines, bumpers, safety equipment too... Best place to buy this stuff?? Westmarine?

I'll get some pics up as soon as I pick up the boat next week.

Thanks!
Andrew

I had a shift cable and bellows replaced and I think he charged about 125 for labor and parts.

OK, so I'll double that for standard South Florida markup :)

Thanks,
Andrew

Let me know if ya wanna meet up sometime, I'll be out this Sunday weather permitting.

Yeah, that would be great, I'm probably not gonna pick up the boat until next week though, so this weekend is out. Where's your usual hangouts with the boat?

I have been restoring my boat for 3 years, but before that we hung out at Peanut Island, Bananna Boat, John LLoyd in Lauderdale, Shooters etc. Plenty of places to go:D

Weather may not let me get out this weekend,also gotta get my motor back together tomorrow. So we may put it off a week or 2, keep me posted when you get it.

Heres a few pics of mine at John LLoyd on Labor Day, still needs some graphics installed.

Congrats Andrew! You've got to put some pics up.
I haven't done one myself, so you guys chime in here, but if you're reasonably mechanically inclined, I don't think the boot is that involved. I'd bet getting the old one off is tougher than getting the new one on. Biggest issue is probably to make sure you use "bellows adhesive", which I've seen at Boat Owners Warehouse.
It's a good way to start getting familiar with the boat, and see what things you can do yourself, and what you're better off paying that South Florida markup for :D
As for boating goods, I love checking out Ebay & Craigslist before going local. Just depends on what you need. Flares & extinguishers you want to get from the store: West Marine, Boat Owners Warehouse, Boaters World, Bass Pro/Outdoor World, even Wal Mart can have stuff. Whichever is close to the house and stocks the parts you'll need. For example, my nearest West Marine doesn't stock a good selection of Bravo stuff, be it Merc/Quicksilver or aftermarket. But my "2nd choice store" stocks a bunch. You'll learn as you go.
Finally, not to take away from OSO, but check out www.raft-up.com for other people/places to go.
See ya' on the water...

Yeah, I may wind up trying it myself -- since I just blew the transmission in my Tahoe (tow vehicle), cash is gonna be tight! I got a quote for $300 or so, for new cable, new boot, and labor.

I haven't picked up the boat yet, I'll get pics when I do.

I think I'll go online and order the factory service manual later today -- I was going to get them from sterndrives.com, unless someone has a better source.

Thanks!
Andrew

ebay

Thanks, just found one (hope it's the right one, #11 seems to be the one that's widely available).