...Just bought a tango and runs great but I just noticed that rather than solid fiberglass, the motor mounting area looks almost like a putty and I can’t tell if it looks distressed with even a few long stress cracks or if that’s just how they come original?...
Fair warning, I'm a boat geek and a boat-
building geek, so this will be way longer than you probably want to read.
TL;DR? Exit now.
I think 2007 (2008 model year) might have been the last year Sugar Sand made any boats, so it >>might<< be that things got a little sloppy up in Fargo, ND as workers and factory management saw the writing on the wall and their jobs in jeopardy. By 2006 Sugar Sand were probably done with the '
reputation building' phase of their newly established brand and were more concerned about cutting costs and staying in business -- but they always did have a good reputation AFAIK. Much better I think than the SeaRayders of the day, and probably on par (at least) with the Sea Doos.
I don't see anything in your photos to worry about (yet).
Yours looks pretty much like the
1999 Tango 4+2 I just bought from a widow a couple of weeks ago. It was owned by a close friend and marina-mate who passed away last year, but the boat was known to me for nearly 10 years prior to his passing. I've owned a dozen or so production fiberglass powerboats over the last 25 years (including a '96 Sea Doo Sportster) and in some cases I paid thousands for a surveyor's inspection and report. Since each hull is
laid-up by hand, there are bound to be variations in below-decks build appearance from one hull to the next -- this is especially true for a
small-volume manufacturer like Sugar Sand. Getting the Drive Unit lined up perfectly with the transom and hull bottom is bound to require some err...umm...'
adjustment', and I think that is what you have noticed. I think it's perfectly fine, even if not perfectly
pretty.
Now...if I WAS worried about what you are seeing, I would tie the boat up in a slip, start the engine and give it enough throttle to load up the engine mounts while looking carefully at the areas you are concerned about. Also,
listen carefully because an engine like that if not solidly mounted to it's stringers is surely going to make some noises you won't likely miss and certainly won't like. For a REAL acid test, pull one or two spark plug wires and short them to the block so the thing
vibrates like it would with fouled plugs, and again -- examine the areas that concern you.
I think you might be thinking too much -- but I applaud you for that! Too many people buy potentially dangerous motor-toys and don't think much about how dangerous these things can be if not well maintained, especially if a six cylinder motor spinning at 6,000 rpm comes loose from it's dry-rotted stringers and blows up out on the lake with some kids onboard!
Bottom line...these boats were not built for the peaceful fisher-folk of Hobbits in Bag-End.
These boats were designed and built to be run HARD by a target market of attention seeking adrenaline-junkies.
From what I can see, you've got a great boat and (with a little mindful attention) you can stop worrying about the engine coming loose.
Cheers!
