This spring I bought an Ozark Boat Works V-174 Fish N Ski from a local
guy on a fishing forum. It has a great layout for a family with a
small kid, and we have really been enjoying fishing from and bombing
around on this boat.

As I researched the boat and the company, I found that Ozark Boat
Works would appear to not be around anymore. There are of course a
bunch of things I would like to find out about things like the
original configuration, wiring, etc. And it would be good to hear in
general from other folks who have similar boats of the same make.

So who has an Ozark? What have your experiences been? What do people
know about the company?

Ours is a 17-foot deep V with two live wells, front and rear decks
that accommodate pedestal fishing chairs, a Johnson trolling motor and
an 88 hp Johnson outboard. A few things I am trying to figure out is
whether the thing should have a bilge blower. There is a switch for a
blower and verbage on the console saying the blower should be used
before start-up, but no blower.

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After some big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from moisture that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out there on Ozark
boats?

If you have an outboard then you probably do not have a blower. The boat
may have also had a i/o configuration.

Boats are a little bit like a cottage industry. The wiring tends to be
similiar on all of them based more on the engine than the boat manufacturer.
Most manufacturers do not have much in the way of brand specific
documentation. Instead look for a clymers or similar manual that covers
your engine. It will have some details about the wiring but probably not
everything. The wiring is simple though so troubleshooting is not
difficult.

I don't have one of your boats. You might be able to find out what happened
to them with some web searches for news related to the closing. Smaller
boat manufacturers start up and close down or get assimilated by a bigger
one fairly regularly. This news group does not have a real large following
so there is a chance that no one here has your boat. Smaller brands are
sometimes are more regional so your chances might be better at the local
ramps.

"HAMFIST" wrote in message
news:387879_43bbafe397bd9ce57068cf18d60d15b4@0000. com...
This spring I bought an Ozark Boat Works V-174 Fish N Ski from a local
guy on a fishing forum. It has a great layout for a family with a
small kid, and we have really been enjoying fishing from and bombing
around on this boat.

As I researched the boat and the company, I found that Ozark Boat
Works would appear to not be around anymore. There are of course a
bunch of things I would like to find out about things like the
original configuration, wiring, etc. And it would be good to hear in
general from other folks who have similar boats of the same make.

So who has an Ozark? What have your experiences been? What do people
know about the company?

Ours is a 17-foot deep V with two live wells, front and rear decks
that accommodate pedestal fishing chairs, a Johnson trolling motor and
an 88 hp Johnson outboard. A few things I am trying to figure out is
whether the thing should have a bilge blower. There is a switch for a
blower and verbage on the console saying the blower should be used
before start-up, but no blower.

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After some big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from moisture that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out there on Ozark
boats?

HAMFIST wrote:
.....

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After some big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from moisture that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out there on Ozark
boats?

Other than the engine and lights are there any electronics you need to T-Shoot?

Johnson has full parts diagrams on their web site, and you may be able to get original
owners manuals and factory service manuals there as well.
My '68 100 HP Johnson outboard came with manuals,
the service manual includes wiring diagrams, most parts are available from Johnson

The blower is for inboards or inboard/outboards, vents fumes before starting to prevent a fire hazard.
Perhaps your boat was originally equipped with an inboard.

I have had a few issues with the electronics at the battery ...
everthing cut out for a while including the bilge pump, ship-to-shore,
lights, trolling motor, etc. I figure that will happen occasionally.

There also had been a fish finder on the boat, and the bracket is
still on there. The transducer and the unit itself are no longer on
there, and I am thinking of wiring a new Humminbird locator rather
than having someone else do it (seems expensive). Right now I am just
using a self-contained portable fish finder that has its own gel
battery. Kind of inconvenient, though.

I am not mechanically inclined, so I am not the brightest bulb in the
box when it comes to even remedial things ... any and all help is
appreciated.

Not sure if there was originally an inboard or not. Looks like the
transom was designed for an outboard. But the fuel tank and battery
compartments are underneath the rear deck ... not sure if that makes a
blower more important. Wisconsin regs are not really clear on which
boats require a blower. It simply says that boats with enclosed
under-deck areas where fumes can build up need to have a blower.

Here is a photo showing the transon and rear deck area of the boat ...
[please refer to link below for photo]

"Grizz" wrote:
HAMFIST wrote:
.....

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After some
big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from moisture
that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out there
on Ozark
boats?

Other than the engine and lights are there any electronics you
need to T-Shoot?

Johnson has full parts diagrams on their web site, and you may
be able to get original
owners manuals and factory service manuals there as well.
My '68 100 HP Johnson outboard came with manuals,
the service manual includes wiring diagrams, most parts are
available from Johnson

The blower is for inboards or inboard/outboards, vents fumes
before starting to prevent a fire hazard.
Perhaps your boat was originally equipped with an inboard.

--
Posted at author's request, using moderated http://www.BoatingForumz.com interface
Thread archive: http://www.BoatingForumz.com/Ozark-B...ict100130.html

If you have a built in fuel tank under the floor then you probably should
have a blower. Gas vapor is heavier than air and a leak will result in gas
vapors sitting in the bilge area under the deck. A wiring short or a spark
from a bad connection can result in that exploding or burning. Having the
fuel tank and battery under the floor creates the possibility of that
danger. The danger is reduced because you have an outboard. And inboard
will also have a big starter motor on the engine down in the bilge so the
blower is even more important on them.

Did you confirm that there is no blower or is it possible that your blower
is broken? They are typically cheap devices and most of them do not hold up
well to moisture which of course is everywhere on a boat. I find one of
mine acting up every few years.

Not being mechnically inclined is a bit of problem with boats. They are not
like cars and bits tend to break fairly regularly. Plus as you've begun to
see paying someone to work on it is expensive and a hassle. Boat ownership
can be expensive and one way to mitigate that is to do as much of the work
yourself as possible. If that's not an option then a new or near-new boat
can actually be cheaper over the long term.

I did not notice the boat age in your posts but a common problem with older
boats is bad electrical connections. They build up corrosion.


"HAMFIST" wrote in message
news:387935_94d5284d236f5b22a9937b06d53cc4eb@boati ngforumz.com...
I have had a few issues with the electronics at the battery ...
everthing cut out for a while including the bilge pump, ship-to-shore,
lights, trolling motor, etc. I figure that will happen occasionally.

There also had been a fish finder on the boat, and the bracket is
still on there. The transducer and the unit itself are no longer on
there, and I am thinking of wiring a new Humminbird locator rather
than having someone else do it (seems expensive). Right now I am just
using a self-contained portable fish finder that has its own gel
battery. Kind of inconvenient, though.

I am not mechanically inclined, so I am not the brightest bulb in the
box when it comes to even remedial things ... any and all help is
appreciated.

Not sure if there was originally an inboard or not. Looks like the
transom was designed for an outboard. But the fuel tank and battery
compartments are underneath the rear deck ... not sure if that makes a
blower more important. Wisconsin regs are not really clear on which
boats require a blower. It simply says that boats with enclosed
under-deck areas where fumes can build up need to have a blower.

Here is a photo showing the transon and rear deck area of the boat ...
[please refer to link below for photo]

"Grizz" wrote:
HAMFIST wrote:
.....

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After some
big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from moisture
that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out there
on Ozark
boats?

Other than the engine and lights are there any electronics you
need to T-Shoot?

Johnson has full parts diagrams on their web site, and you may
be able to get original
owners manuals and factory service manuals there as well.
My '68 100 HP Johnson outboard came with manuals,
the service manual includes wiring diagrams, most parts are
available from Johnson

The blower is for inboards or inboard/outboards, vents fumes
before starting to prevent a fire hazard.
Perhaps your boat was originally equipped with an inboard.

--
Posted at author's request, using moderated http://www.BoatingForumz.com
interface
Thread archive:
http://www.BoatingForumz.com/Ozark-B...ict100130.html

Thanks for the confirmation of my suspicions regarding the blower. I
have confirmed that there is no blower currently installed. The boat
is a 1988 and I am probably the third owner, so there are certainly
been changes made to the thing over time. There is a switch for a
blower on the dash ... but it is not connected to anything!

Once I become basically familiar with things, swapping out pumps and
running wiring through a hull should not be too tough. But some basic
encouragement from folks on the web along with any other objective
info or tips and tricks will be great. I have yet to spend much money
on this boat -- there have been a few bad connectors to replace, and
the tough thing has been finding them. But over time, the more I can
do for myself the more I can spend on terminal tackle ...

"jamesgangnc" wrote:
If you have a built in fuel tank under the floor then you
probably should
have a blower. Gas vapor is heavier than air and a leak will
result in gas
vapors sitting in the bilge area under the deck. A wiring
short or a spark
from a bad connection can result in that exploding or burning.
Having the
fuel tank and battery under the floor creates the possibility
of that
danger. The danger is reduced because you have an outboard.
And inboard
will also have a big starter motor on the engine down in the
bilge so the
blower is even more important on them.

Did you confirm that there is no blower or is it possible that
your blower
is broken? They are typically cheap devices and most of them
do not hold up
well to moisture which of course is everywhere on a boat. I
find one of
mine acting up every few years.

Not being mechnically inclined is a bit of problem with boats.
They are not
like cars and bits tend to break fairly regularly. Plus as
you've begun to
see paying someone to work on it is expensive and a hassle.
Boat ownership
can be expensive and one way to mitigate that is to do as much
of the work
yourself as possible. If that's not an option then a new or
near-new boat
can actually be cheaper over the long term.

I did not notice the boat age in your posts but a common
problem with older
boats is bad electrical connections. They build up corrosion.


"HAMFIST" wrote in message
news:387935_94d5284d236f5b22a9937b06d53cc4eb@boati ngforumz.com...
I have had a few issues with the electronics at the battery
...
everthing cut out for a while including the bilge pump,
ship-to-shore,
lights, trolling motor, etc. I figure that will happen
occasionally.

There also had been a fish finder on the boat, and the
bracket is
still on there. The transducer and the unit itself are no
longer on
there, and I am thinking of wiring a new Humminbird locator
rather
than having someone else do it (seems expensive). Right now
I am just
using a self-contained portable fish finder that has its own
gel
battery. Kind of inconvenient, though.

I am not mechanically inclined, so I am not the brightest
bulb in the
box when it comes to even remedial things ... any and all
help is
appreciated.

Not sure if there was originally an inboard or not. Looks
like the
transom was designed for an outboard. But the fuel tank and
battery
compartments are underneath the rear deck ... not sure if
that makes a
blower more important. Wisconsin regs are not really clear
on which
boats require a blower. It simply says that boats with
enclosed
under-deck areas where fumes can build up need to have a
blower.

Here is a photo showing the transon and rear deck area of
the boat ...
[please refer to link below for photo]

"Grizz" wrote:
HAMFIST wrote:
.....

Any thoughts on what happened to this company -- or tips
for
troubleshooting in particular the electronics. After
some
big rains
this year we did have some issues resulting from
moisture
that got
under the cover. Any other information resources out
there
on Ozark
boats?

Other than the engine and lights are there any electronics
you
need to T-Shoot?

Johnson has full parts diagrams on their web site, and you
may
be able to get original
owners manuals and factory service manuals there as well.
My '68 100 HP Johnson outboard came with manuals,
the service manual includes wiring diagrams, most parts
are
available from Johnson

The blower is for inboards or inboard/outboards, vents
fumes
before starting to prevent a fire hazard.
Perhaps your boat was originally equipped with an inboard.

--
Posted at author's request, using moderated http://www.BoatingForumz.com
interface
Thread archive:
http://www.BoatingForumz.com/Ozark-B...ict100130.html