Transom assemblies and engine room makeover

Handymans342

@LaRea I hope you are making a wiring diagram 

LaRea

Yes, while it's fresh in my mind.

Dream_Inn

Looking good!  I do love those push on brass fittings!  I installed them on the front of my water heater with 90 degree ones so I don't keep bumping them while in the ER.  Did you install a new water heater as well? I also see you have a pressure tank.  I think that was the best thing I installed on my boat!  My water tank and pump is under my salon floor, which is great.  But, it was a little loud.  The pressure tank really helped with that and now I don't hear it kick on.  (I also isolated it better as well)

LaRea

Yes, the water heater was 14 years old and probably living on borrowed time.  I also made a custom mounting bracket for the water pump and accumulator tank.  

oscar1

can you use regular PEX and sharpbite for the pluming system?

LaRea

Yes, regular PEX and SharkBite if it's not exposed to sunlight.  The original plumbing was PEX with plastic fittings.  The great thing about SharkBite is you can easily take it apart if needed.  But they are expensive. 

oscar1

thx

LaRea

I mounted a 2'x4' piece of 3/4" plywood on the starboard side.  It's sealed with primer and two coats of BilgeKote.  The cable trays and other components are all screwed to the plywood.  The slotted cable tray is by Panduit, purchased from Digi-Key.  It's great stuff, but expensive. 

Boats that are built this way from the factory are expensive, and now I can see why.  The labor costs to design cables and finish them like this would be huge.  

TonyG13

@LaRea - You are doing God's work. 

aero3113

Looking good @LaRea !! 😎

reneechris14

All awesome wiring then a wad of red tape with 4 white wires that must be temporary 😀 

LaRea

Haha - I figured somebody would comment.  That's the LED wiring harness I built a few years ago for the cockpit and speaker lights.  The connections are sturdy and reliable (soldered and heat-shrinked under the tape), but definitely not pretty.  I'll re-do them when I find some good 4-wire connectors.  

Speaking of which:  I cut out most of the OEM wiring harness for speakers and lighting.  I should have removed it when I upgraded those systems.  

And the power feeds for the DTS controllers up at the helm (two 40-amp circuits) each had an extra 15 feet of 10-gauge wire that was just coiled up and zip-tied.  The extra has been cut out and re-used for the trim pumps.  

mattie

LaRea said:

And the power feeds for the DTS controllers up at the helm (two 40-amp circuits) each had an extra 15 feet of 10-gauge wire that was just coiled up and zip-tied.  The extra has been cut out and re-used for the trim pumps.  

Smart!

LaRea

Three wires run from the battery charger to the isolator.  As with everything else, they disappear into a wiring harness encased in black electrical tape, wire ties and corrugated sheathing.  Well, I extricated them today.  I'll make a new wiring run that can be traced by eye and will be half as long with new connectors.  As it should be.

It's hard to describe how satisfying I find this job.  At the end of a busy day, I go to the boat for an hour or two and extract order from chaos.  

reneechris14

dropped the long block at the machine shop today. Doing one at a time so I don't get things mixed up. Oh and don't have to take all my eggs out of the basket at once. I think the intake on a 496 is bigger then the block.

Grahamu

Have to commend you on your skilled and thought out workmanship. 

earl1z19

How many hours on your motors? What is the reason you are rehabbing them? 

LaRea

@earl1z19 I guess you're asking @reneechris14.  On my 496 motors with 800 hours, I can't find any reason to open them.  The oil report says the engines are fine.  I'll just do corrosion control, and replace the starters and hoses.  Even the oilpans are fine.  

LaRea

Now this project is starting to feel real.  I still have much to do in the engine room, but MAYBE by spring I'll do things that will win me favor with the Admiral:  gelcoat and carpets.  

342_Long

Great Job Chris.  I am so jealous.  looking forward to see it in person.

aero3113

@LaRea , you should put some cameras in the engine room to keep an eye on things as your running.

goalie59

Awesome job LaRea, I wish I had half your patience

LaRea

The thought has crossed my mind.  Raymarine apparently has good support for IP cameras, but I'd need to find one that is ignition-protected.  And I'm not shelling out $500 for a Raymarine camera!

mattie

LaRea said:

@earl1z19 I guess you're asking @reneechris14.  On my 496 motors with 800 hours, I can't find any reason to open them.  The oil report says the engines are fine.  I'll just do corrosion control, and replace the starters and hoses.  Even the oilpans are fine.  

I think as long as you stay on top of preventative maintenance you can put a ton of hours on those motors. 

In road vehicles 3000 hrs equates to approx 100K miles.

Boat hours get a bad rap, but I firmly believe that the large majority of boats get little to no preventative maintenance on motors. Lack of use, lack of maintenance & lazy owners are the cause.

LaRea

I've been making slow progress.  Today I installed the batteries, built the battery cables, installed shiny new insulation on the bulkhead, and reassembled the breaker panel.  I busted the breaker that serves the cabin DC power ... at $50 each, I'll be more careful next time.  

For $100, I got a hydraulic crimper and enough ring terminals to build everything I need.  Most of the OEM connectors were in rough shape and needed to be replaced.  

LaRea

Example:  the installer didn't have the correct ring terminal for the windlass, so he used used one that was too small, and made it fit by brute force.  That's some serious Friday-afternoon, production-deadline kinda stuff.  I cut it off and installed a proper ring terminal.  

aero3113

Looking good @LaRea . 

Harbor freight has a great hydraulic crimper that I use. With a 20% off coupon it’s a great deal!!

https://www.harborfreight.com/hydraulic-wire-crimping-tool-66150.html

LaRea

@aero3113 that's basically the one I have, straight out of China.  I doubt it would last for 1000 crimps, but so what.  

aero3113

I recrimped all of the terminals on my 242 and a bunch on the 330. It does a great job.

TonyG13

@LaRea - What did you use for your insulation? My engine hatch insulation was deteriorating so I ripped it all off and have been looking for options.