My 85 volante

[Midskier]

Ron you better look at the pics again ........ It's not a Chevy

Dan T

[RonT]

10 years from now we'll see how good your short term memory is smart a&$ 

[Midskier]

@ least still have SOME of my vision 

[MaxA]

Hi, the trailer that mike posted is still on craigslist for 700.  It is for a 18 foot skier, but is there any chance that my boat will fit on it?  The trailers look the same, does anybody know the difference between the two?  Any information would be great!    Thanks, Max

[Mike Harry]

If your serious about the trailer I would call Ron and ask him what he thinks. You cant always go by what you see but according to what I see the trailer is newer than the boat. At least that's what the decals would suggest on the trailer. Those decals are Advance decals if I am not mistaken, and all Advance boats to my knowledge were longer than 18'.

The trailer looks exactly like my trailer and the decals make me think its newer as well. Im no end all be all but Im thinking its an Advance trailer.

[RonT]

I have not seen the trailer in question but neither the 18' skier trailer or the Advance trailer would fit a Volante, the width between fenders is a big issue, bow stop position & angle is different between the 18 & Advance but also the weight capacity would be a concern. All the OEM trailers were designed for the basic boat with fuel and many were designed before the various minimum brake laws went into effect. Most states now require brakes at 3,000# & above. I am seeing a lot of overloaded OEM trailers out there with typical causes: fat sacks, towers, giant stereos, etc. I just finished building a new single axle trailer for a Volante & used a 5200# axle, & 6 lug, 15" wheels with 2800# capacity, each. The Older OEM trailers had 3500# capacity axles, add rust & corrosion & tired springs & it may now safely carry 1500#s 

[Mike Harry]

http://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/4087598221.html

Ron, click on this link to see pictures of the trailer

[Mike Harry]

And for goodness sake please ignore the pics of that poor boat........

[RonT]

Thanks Mike, I would agree that it's probably an Advance trailer, there are a couple hints, the A/S decal, the NMMA Trailer decal & the bow stop. It also looks like someone chopped the tongue & turned it into a removable tongue, Cant tell how much clearance is between the fenders & hull, but with a creative cutting & welding it could be widened. They have also loaded the boat from a deep ramp & were off center a few times judging by the chewed up bunks. The boat windshield is the only thing I caught as incorrect for the stated year, but it does need a lot of work.   

[MaxA]

Today I got a new starter!  I also got some oil and a oil filter.  So this weekend we will try to fire it up!  I will keep you posted, I'm sure there is more trouble ahead.  Thanks, Max

[MaxA]

Update
Today it finally decided to run, and it was LOUD!   The starter was spinning very slow so we went through all the wires and sanded the terminals.  That didn't help, so we went through all the wires again and found one that was severely corroded.  Luckily we had one that was the same size so we bolted it on and after 4 years of not running, it fired up instantly!  The only gauges that worked was the oil pressure and the battery.  But i could tell it was running warm because i couldn't hold my hand on the exhaust manifolds for more that a couple seconds.  But it was drawing plenty of water from the bucket?  So tomorrow we will pull the gas tank and clean it (we were running it out of a 5 gallon tank).   Thanks, Max

[MaxA]

Hi guys, i got a update.  I recently bought a trailer for a "volante", turns out it was for a 1991 volante.  So it doesn't fit my boat.  But, i am taking it to a welder and he will be welding brackets on the cross members to put the bunks on (kinda like the new nautique trailers).  I'm not getting the new trailer welded until Saturday, so i decided to replace the floors in that time period.  Today i got them all cut out.  But I'm very confused.  I'm 99% positive that these are the original floors, but when i pulled them out there was no foam.  Or any traces of foam in the past.  Did it come from the factory with no foam?  Anyway, i hope to be on the water soon,  is there still gona be a mini reunion in Florida at the end of march?  I might be able to attend it.  Thanks, Max

[RonT]

1) USCG does not require flotation foam in boats 20'+ .  HOWEVER I am not aware of any boat builder who does not foam their boats that are less than 25' in length including A/S ( our 24' Eagles had foam)  My best explanation is this: your boat would have been built in the new Ocoee plant with new employees, new plant manager and a lot of confusion. Many came from the Regal plant in Orlando where they build many large boats. A closed bow Volante in production in Ocoee was an odd build as most were Advances, and it IS possible that it did come out that way.
2) I would foam the hull, it will add rigidity, and quieter, feel better on the water.
3) I would pull the motor, allow the hull to normalize before replacing the floor and locking in the now deformed hull shape, the closed bow Volante hull is VERY sensitive to this. Besides it will force you to correct the alignment issues.
 4) Yes I plan on being available in the Orlando area on Saturday April 5th for the day. Open to anything, repairs, free guidance, BS session??

[Mike Harry]

Say when and where Ron. The wife and I might be able to get out and do dinner or something with you and yours....... boating is out of the question Im sad to say, she had back surgery on Wednesday but all went well and she is recovering nicely, boating not an option though.

I may be able to get my dads "toon" If you wanted to troll Butler

[MaxA]

Hi guys, i got a few questions. 
1.  I started unhooking every thing that was connecting the motor to the boat.  I decided to loosen the motor mounts because they looked a little rusty.  I got the top nut free, but how do i get to the bottom two in the rear of the boat?  There is no room for a wrench, there is a lip on the motor mount blocking access. 
2.  When i got the boat, i saw a bad patch job on one of the exhaust pipes. But today when i pulled of that exhaust hose from the headers to the fiberglass tube, i saw the damage was much worse.  My guess is that the center piece of floor broke then fell on the pipe.  What do i do about this?  Do i have to replace the whole pipe?  Or can i just buy a new piece of that angle and connect it with the rubber exhaust pipe?
3.  When i have the engine out is their anything i should replace?  I'm will replace the damper plate.  And my oil pan (its super rusty).  Does anybody have a oil pan for a 351 commander?
Thanks, Max