Transom assemblies and engine room makeover

Grahamu

You did a nice job, hoping to put mine back in soon.

LaRea

Installed new exhaust shutters today.  All four sets were gone.  

What are the odds that I could bend these trim hoses without screwing them up?  The originals had 90 degree bends, and the new ones are 45.  I can make it work, but 90 would be better.

LaRea

I also installed the transom assembly wiring harnesses, secured the cables along the transom, and put the cover on the cable tray.  It's starting to look less messy and more yachty.  

YYZRC

Is the doohickey to the port side of the port trim pump your steering angle sensor for autopilot?

aero3113

@LaRea , it’s going to be tough to bend the hoses without kinking them unless you have a small tube bender. If you have a small tube bender it should be possible, but I don’t know if you have enough space for one with what I see.

redlightning

You are killing it on this project.  Great job!  

LaRea

@YYZRC - yes, that's it.  The actuator is at the far right side of the photo, and the actuator cable runs along the steering link.  

@aero3113 - I found a mini tube bender on Amazon.  For $15, maybe I'll just buy one and see if it's small enough.  One thing's certain:  I do NOT want to risk destroying one of those hoses!  

[EDIT:  I doubt I'll be able to get a tube bender on there.  See photo.]

Grahamu

@LaRea what auto pilot set up do you have. I started to look into it but didn't find anything suitable for I/Os.

Dream_Inn

I think it'd be too much risk to bend it.  There isn't much there near the fitting to allow more to bend.  A professional could do it, and with the correct tool, yes.  I couldn't imagine if you kinked it. 

aero3113

@LaRea, with the fitting slid down to the hose you might have enough room.

YYZRC

@LaRea what LEDs did you use for the engine bay?

LaRea

@Grahamu I have a Raymarine autopilot with an Octopus Type R drive -- made by your fellow Canadians.  It's the only one that I know works with Merc I/O, and it has performed flawlessly. 

https://octopusdrives.com/products/type-r-mechanical-remote-drives/ 

@YYZRC I used a Scandvik 8" LED that is ignition-protected.  They are not cheap at $23 each, but six of them do a great job of illuminating every corner.  I have two on each side, and two along the transom.  

https://boatstore.com/scandvik-41346p-8-led-scanstrip-white.html

aero3113

@LaRea , do you have any close up pictures of the lights installed? I’m interested 

LaRea

I'll grab some pix this week.  In cell phone photos, the "cool white" color looks a bit antiseptic, but it's effective for visibility.  Electrically, installation is easy because they draw hardly any current.  Mechanically, they weigh almost nothing and can be installed with small screws.  

I installed a switch at the helm.  But if you don't want the hassle of wiring a switch, I think it would be fine to connect them to the cockpit light circuit.  

LaRea

Another note for anybody who buys new transom assemblies:  the kit does not include bushings for the tops of the trim rams.  If you can't or didn't keep the old ones, a new set will cost you $32 per drive.  

aero3113

@LaRea , my “Swim Light” switch isn’t being used and there’s an open plug at the transom for it. My current engine room lights that are hooked up with the cockpit lights are good but nowhere’s near as bright as what you have.

LaRea

Well, I have zero experience bending tubing.  If I kink one of those hoses, it would mean removing the transom assembly ... basically a full do-over.  That's not a risk I want to take when I'm this close to the finish line. 

I mean, zero SUCCESSFUL experience!

aero3113

@LaRea , I wouldn’t chance bending them if you don’t have the correct tool. Maybe you can get some fittings and make your own “bend”?

Grahamu

@LaRea, thanks for the link, looks like a project for next winter.

rasbury

This is how all of us would like to finish our boats- I sure cleaned mine out well when the motor was out but I just could not see doing all of that and then seeing it go back to crap with use...but I am super envious I did not take the time to do it now looking at this! Great work!

LaRea

@rasbury you are so right!  Owning a boat is like treading water ... it takes a lot of work just to stay in place. 

The thing is:  when I'm not on the water, and especially during The Season That Shall Not Be Named, I'm not good at sitting around relaxing.   I'm worse than most.  The Admiral calls me Captain Spring-Butt.  Best guess, I've put 160 hours of labor into this project.  And I was happy to have it as a diversion. 

I'll do okay on resale, but my labor will earn me like four cents an hour.

Handymans342

My hats is off to your Analnis Chris 😁

rasbury

I guess it is different here in FL during "that time of the year" as there is just always activity year round and typically for me, I'm in the water all year. My poor boat is in a sad state of affairs and the little bit of cooler weather we do have is a great time to get the buffer out as the rains let up for our "winter" also. Just did not happen this year but hopefully I will get her home soon and get to work. I also need to start replacing upholstery and carpeting up top....get my home projects done and I can start on the fun stuff again... 

LaRea

aero3113 said:

@LaRea , do you have any close up pictures of the lights installed? I’m interested 

The guy who helped me install the transoms is planning to install them on his boat.  Gotta say, it makes a big difference.  

I used Ancor 16-2 duplex wire because I had leftovers from other work, and Ancor makes a really nice product.  But it's LED lighting ... you could use smaller wire.  

Anyone planning to tackle this job should get some high-quality heat-shrink butt connectors.  Example, with a shout-out to @Aqua_Aura:   https://www.amazon.com/stores/CascadeTools/Homepage/page/C837E51F-2125-480F-8190-F4A8F5C67D3F

aero3113

They look nice @LaRea  you went with 6 total?

Aqua_Aura

Those are nice lights. The stock ones on my boat and I assume everyone else's Rinker are very inadequate. 

LaRea

My ER originally had two tiny lights like the cockpit accent lights, and they were useless.  When I upgraded the cockpit lights to LED, I upgraded the ones in the engine room ... still useless.  

The Skandvics throw light almost 180 degrees, and it's a comfortable level of light.  I have two on each side and two along the transom.  

[EDIT:  I used screws to attach the lights, but @kennydalglish used epoxy -- which is probably a better method.  The lights weigh almost nothing.]

oscar1

Good idea to replace my engine room light too. 

oscar1

By the way where did you get the led light?

LaRea

This place has a good price:
https://boatstore.com/scandvik-41346p-8-led-scanstrip-white.html