New Member with new to me, a "73 28' Marinette Single 318 eng

[MarinetteBud]

Hi all,
I'm going to do my part in preserving / restoring a 28" Marinette single 318 that I just bought last week from Tn. River.
I'm not sure the difference between a Sedan or an Express? A hardtop is full length over the aft deck...Right? A Fisherman has no top, but a fly-bridge...right?
Is a Sedan the one with an enclosed salon with sliding doors? If so...I guess mine is the open hard-top Express with canvas.

When I had it pulled at the marina with a travel lift, the guy said the weight was 2300 on the back sling and 2000 on the front sling.4300 LBS Does that sound right?

The boat came with a really nice 1999 alum triple axle trailer. Good thing! I had one tire blow out on the way home (250mi) and made it home (100 miles) on 5 tires. So maybe the hull weight is 4300. It seamed pretty heavy crossing the Tn. mountain range to Elijay Ga. My 2007 6.7 3/4 Dodge is a beast and I love the exhaust brake. The two one way permits for Tn. & Ga. were $150. The owner before paid large hauling fee from Ga. to Tn. 4 years ago. Police didn't give me a second look and I'm lucky they didn't see the missing wheel (nighttime)

It now lives in Blairsville Ga. where I hope to restore and enjoy it, until my second happiest day arrives.
Bud

[MetalHead]

Welcome !!!

Read through the threads and you will find a lot of great info!!

Express
http://fastjeff.tripod.com/mb7.jpg

Sedan
http://fastjeff.tripod.com/32Sedan-1.JPG

Fisherman
http://fastjeff.tripod.com/32Fisherman.JPG

Sportsman
http://fastjeff.tripod.com/mb6.jpg

[Leviathon]

Welcome

Many of us out there with the same, let us know how we can help. Personally, I have removed and refinished every single piece of wood on my boat, including side panels (stripping vinyl and recovering). People will think you are crazy, but if you love to work on things and fix things up, then thats just how your built. I find great satisfaction in taking something old and worn and making it awesome again. Best of luck!

[Leviathon]

00H0H_9Qqh5pE4jMY_600x450_opt.jpg (15.71 KiB) Viewed 19246 times

Looks like you have something nice to start with. Interior looks pretty good, just some top-side paint. Nice Boat!

[ddependo]

Welcome, lots of help here.
Wayne

[bill]

Welcome aboard Bud.
bill

[balthaus]

Welcome to the insanity...uh I mean community.
Great folks here with lots of experience....not me...and willing to share and help(what little I know I will gladly share).
By they way CONGRATULATIONS on including a signature with boat info. Bill didn't have to give the famous suggestion.
Just ribbin' ya Bill.

[Maestro]

Welcome to the forum! There is a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom here...from people way more experienced than me.

There are millions of things to learn about your Marinette, but one of the most important topics for new owners to learn about is how aluminum hulls work with galvanic corrosion and anodes. Make sure you have the right kind of anodes on the keel before you plunk her back in the water. You can buy them here: http://www.boatzincs.com/marinette-bar.html

A common misconception is that aluminum boats are immune to corrosion if you are in freshwater. This is a myth!

Best of luck as you begin your Marinette adventure!

[Rockxx]

Bud,
I have a 1972, 28' Express with the single 318, docked on Center Hill Lake, Cookeville, Tn. I have most of the original paperwork
For my boat and believe the dry weight on our boats is about 5,800 lbs. if you need any specifics I'll be glad to copy what you need and send it your way. Welcome aboard. One of the great pleasures I've had owning my big M is being a part of the forum.
These guys are a great asset and you're going to love your boat.
With regards,
Rockxx (Gary)

[MarinetteBud]

Thanks for the nice WELCOME from you all. This is by far the biggest boat I have ever owned. I have owned a small marine shop for the last 25 here in the mountains.
https://www.facebook.com/High-Country-C ... 830871847/
I don't mean to advertise, because we are always busy with plenty of great customers. Just wanted to show some of the stuff we do. So you all will know the boat is in good hands (with your help and advice) Never owned a big 100% aluminum boat and I'm NOT a Know it All by any means.

Short story: My head Canvasman bought a 30ft Carver aft salon off eBay and had it shipped from Ga. east coast to a Tn. marina. I helped him move it by water to a different marina once it got there. When we got to the second marina, I noticed the 28" Marinette sitting 3 boats down the dock. So I walked down to look at the dirty, cob web covered sad looking boat begging for some TLC. I learned later that day that the Marina mechanic called the owner and the owner would be willing to sell it. So we contacted him again and I made a deal. The mechanic said I better hurry, winter pool is close. 2 days later, Monday, the water level dropped 4-5 feet to winter pool. The boat ramp at the same marina was a no go. So the boat had to towed (not running) to the travel lift marina where they had put in the Carver. Ok I will stop there.

I always liked the Marinette boats ever since I saw a 26 footer at a local marina here in Ga. I look forward to restoring this Marinette so my wife Michaelle and I can enjoy some more time on the water. We both are in our 60s.
Just a Note: Got it running and the first thing I bought was all new " fresh water" anodes... all $330 worth from boat zinks .com I will likely stay in fresh water lake around here in the Ga. mountains for now.
I have searched for many questions I have here on the forum and hope to learn the proper way to ask about the ones I didn't find.
Thanks to all the help and advice, glad to be here.
Bud