I have a guy that has made an offer to trade his 27 foot uniflite for an airplane project I have . Dont know much about a Uniflite. Can anyone here give me some info. good or bad, things to look at when I look at her. It is a 1979 27 ft, with twin chrysler V8's and shaft? driven props.
uniflite questions.
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windypoint
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Fuel economy will be poor with the twin gas Chrysler. Some of the early Uniflite have a problem with underwater blisters when Uniflite went to fire retardant resin. Check the hull carefully.
So far so good
So far so good
My neighbor has an older Uniflite and he loves it. Tough old hull really tough. He hit an iceberg running at night a couple years ago. He just knew his boat was toast. He hualed it out and had the hull x rayed. No structural damage just one big scratch about an inch deep. He rode clean up onto the berg. He swears by and loves his Uni. I've been on it and it sure handles tough water well not much rolling. If it's in good shape it''ll be hard to beat.
So far so good
My neighbor has an older Uniflite and he loves it. Tough old hull really tough. He hit an iceberg running at night a couple years ago. He just knew his boat was toast. He hualed it out and had the hull x rayed. No structural damage just one big scratch about an inch deep. He rode clean up onto the berg. He swears by and loves his Uni. I've been on it and it sure handles tough water well not much rolling. If it's in good shape it''ll be hard to beat.
AKBassking
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Survey
Survey
Have it Surveyed! It is well worth the cost you will spend.
Survey
Have it Surveyed! It is well worth the cost you will spend.
I used to own a 27' uniflite with a single 454 and duoprop outdrive it planed out and flew 35 mph. Twins are going to be close to 1.1 mpg. I sold my 27 last fall to a guy for $7k cash (tried selling it all spring, summer, and fall for $15 then 12.5) I sold it to the first guy who actually made me an offer. It was a nice boat to not a beater. I've seen and had surveys on 27's for 20-25k but in reality they are selling for 7-15 depending.
Get it surveyed so no one has hard feelings. They are super boats I now have a really nice 23' Uniflite. Awesome AK boats
Get it surveyed so no one has hard feelings. They are super boats I now have a really nice 23' Uniflite. Awesome AK boats
Uniflite is a great hull
Uniflite is a great hull
The thing you have to ask yourself is do you really want to deal with something that's 32 years old. The engines will be high maint, high fuel consumption item. I would check on parts availability for a system that old. Are replacement mainfolds available ?
Uniflite is a great hull
The thing you have to ask yourself is do you really want to deal with something that's 32 years old. The engines will be high maint, high fuel consumption item. I would check on parts availability for a system that old. Are replacement mainfolds available ?
hoose35
Well-known member
If the hull is in good shape, get a couple new engines for it and you will have an awesome boat. I bought a 1979 glasply a few years ago, I replaced the original 305 with a brand new 350 EFI motor. Cost me about 10k for the engine.
FYI
FYI
All I've ever heard is how heavily laid up they are and near bullet-proof. Also, I've seen a few of them in the Cook Inlet drift net fleet, not sure what length they were, but single diesel inboards. Let me tell ya, commercial drift boats take a beaten', there's all kinds of stress at work on them (hauling thousands of lbs. of fish, all kinds of conflicting stress on the hull, deck, bulkheads when pulling the gear and trying to keep the gillnet stretched out & tight) not to mention being out in snotty conditions. Don't see too many Bayliners and the like in the commercial fishing fleet.
One more thing, old age in a glass boat is not necessarily a bad thing as lots of the older fiberglass boats were built to last. Do get the survey. Re-power eventually with diesels.
Haven't heard about the blistering, but a surveyor should know about that.
Good Luck!
Jim
FYI
All I've ever heard is how heavily laid up they are and near bullet-proof. Also, I've seen a few of them in the Cook Inlet drift net fleet, not sure what length they were, but single diesel inboards. Let me tell ya, commercial drift boats take a beaten', there's all kinds of stress at work on them (hauling thousands of lbs. of fish, all kinds of conflicting stress on the hull, deck, bulkheads when pulling the gear and trying to keep the gillnet stretched out & tight) not to mention being out in snotty conditions. Don't see too many Bayliners and the like in the commercial fishing fleet.
One more thing, old age in a glass boat is not necessarily a bad thing as lots of the older fiberglass boats were built to last. Do get the survey. Re-power eventually with diesels.
Haven't heard about the blistering, but a surveyor should know about that.
Good Luck!
Jim
windypoint
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Blistering is very recognizable. It looks like a bubble in the layup. They can be small up to the size of a silver dollar. The fire retardent resin was used by Uniflite for a while when they had a goverment contract for a boat that required it. The Valiant 40 (also made by Uniflite at that time) sailing boat was very negatively impacted with the blisters. The only way to cure it if it has it is to grind off the gell coat, let the boat sit for several weeks as the moisture evaporates out. Refair the bottom to fillout the "busted/ ground" bubbles and the reseal the bottom with an epxoy waterproof coating. The blister issue was really a problem in the 80's, so be sure to check. The best way besides the obvious blister is to tap the hull below water line with a small peening hammer. A void or blister will sound dull in the tap, not sharp as in a good layup.
tzieli22
Member
can be an awsome boat/vessel
can be an awsome boat/vessel
I have a 69 31' w/twin diesels (re-powered).
Uniflite started having the blistering issue in 1977 and lasted a couple of years. Take a close look at the hull. If it is blistering you should be able to see it unless heavy coats of bottom pant are applied. If this is the case, be careful and look just below the water line. Having it surveyed does help but is no guarantee. Trust me on this, my surveyor incorrectly labeled my engines but I ended up okay.
As for the boat itself, awesome boat and hull. I would run my 40 year old up to many newer boats out there. I looked for a vessel for over a year and may newer boats were trashed.
I run in Seward. Good luck.
can be an awsome boat/vessel
I have a 69 31' w/twin diesels (re-powered).
Uniflite started having the blistering issue in 1977 and lasted a couple of years. Take a close look at the hull. If it is blistering you should be able to see it unless heavy coats of bottom pant are applied. If this is the case, be careful and look just below the water line. Having it surveyed does help but is no guarantee. Trust me on this, my surveyor incorrectly labeled my engines but I ended up okay.
As for the boat itself, awesome boat and hull. I would run my 40 year old up to many newer boats out there. I looked for a vessel for over a year and may newer boats were trashed.
I run in Seward. Good luck.
