hmar Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 So I bought an old Maverick… ‘98 MA 18’5”. I jumped on the sale fast because I thought it was a good price and wouldn’t last, but wasn’t able to line up a survey in time… So I rolled the dice and here I am diving in and trying to get a better idea of the condition and story of the boat. The thing is pretty sharp and seems to be in great shape at first glance… Previous owner gave it some good TLC and invested some $ into it but I have a few things to inspect some more… One issue I’m concerned about is that the bow deck has some sag. (See pic) it is about 1/2” at its worst. In looking closer, it seems like the cap may have been removed and cut from the hatch liners at one point. Is this typical practice for fuel tank replacement? I was told the tank was replaced. Either way, I am wondering how concerned I should be about the deck sag and thoughts on whether or not that would be the reason. Attached is a picture from inside hatch looking at rough top edge where it appears to have been cut. I’ll leave it at that for now, thanks for any thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 I do not have a straight edge long enough to lay across the boat but I did find a thick wall pvc pipe to lay across my cap. I can not detect the sag you are seeing . Is your bow deck solid or does it give. If it’s solid I’m not sure it’s worth trying to correct. The tank looks pretty bad. I have never seen rust on a tank. Did they put galvanized coated tank in rather than aluminum? If so you can repair the deck when you pull that tank out. I swear my oem tank looked better than that one when I pulled it out. Mine is a 1992 I think. I have a restoration page on this site if you are curious what the inside of your hull looks like. I do not have a ton of experience with this particular hull but I do have one in pieces in my barn. So I’m learning a lot. Feel free to reach out with questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 First of all, congratulations on the purchase of a legendary hull! That is a beautiful boat and she appears to be well taken care of! Regarding the tank and deck, that is very interesting. A few thoughts: 1) Deck sag may be cosmetically unpleasant, but it's not going to affect the structural integrity of the hull or the boat. As HB said, you could fix it, but unless it's really weak or problematic in some other way, I'd wait till you had a reason. 2) That is a strange situation with that tank. Is that in the bow or stern of the boat? The models before 1990(ish) had their tanks in the bow. After 1990 something, they went to tanks that were underneath the cockpit floor. It is very clear that the tank in that pic is not the original location for the tank, since they obviously cut out some of the hatch material. My first question would be whether the original tank is still in place under the cockpit floor. You should be able to see it through a hatch under the compartment you sit on while driving, and also under the console. 3) The cover they made is galvanized steel, so to HB's point, check the material the new tank is made of - if it's galvanized, you may need to save your pennies for an upcoming tank replacement at some point. In the meantime, enjoy the heck out of the boat and use it as much as possible. Over time you will get a feel for it. You may find that it's your dream boat - like I did - and it will be worth restoring to its full former glory. You may also find that its just a great "now" boat. Either way - enjoy it for now and don't worry to much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 So point of note when they changed to the under floor tank it did run forward to where the fill lines are almost straight across from the front of the tank. My MA has what they call a coffin tank that narrows toward the bow. The tag on my tank shows it as 47 gallons. I think latter MA tanks were more of a rectangle same width front to back. I agree with whichwaysup in that you did get a good boat for the asking price. I bought more of a project boat and will spend more than you did for the running boat just on goodies like a motor and power poles and such. Not to mention fitting hoses and pumps. Looks like a great boat let us know how she runs with that one fitty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmar Posted May 21 Author Report Share Posted May 21 Thank you both for the thoughts, I will take a closer look at the tank but I believe it’s aluminum, not galvanized. It is located towards the bow and the access is from the circled hatch. I will have to look and see whether or not the original tank is still in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveVero Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 Why not ask HenryCreek? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 Ohh I see now the cover is over the cut they made to replace the tank. Is that picture from under the console? The older MA had an access cover in the front hatch that could be removed to get to the fuel fittings. Again this is just for information .. I don’t think you have anything but a great boat to go enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 HB - interesting to see how far forward your tank is! I didn't pick up on that before. Mine is way back from there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyB Posted May 21 Report Share Posted May 21 Yes I think it is more forward and ends under the front seat portion of the console. I prolly could have modified the hull and added lots of gas but I’m leaning toward making use of the void behind it for maybe batteries or just a hidie hole of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.