engine hatch

rasbury

As soon as I'm done with my brakes, it's down the hatch to fix one sea valve and check/service if possible the others. So far all I've done with the engine compartment is impress my friends making it go up and down. Two questions with regard to it, while it does give you fair access, can it be disconnected so you can open it all the way? I would like the area as open as possible.  Also, if the battery goes dead and there is not access to shore power, how the heck to you get it open?? I assume the motor will fail at some point so even beyond a batter problem, how do you open it manually? I tried a search and thought I saw a previous post before but could not find it.

craigswardmtb

Good question and I too do not know what you would do if you had a trim cylinder failure.  I know once its open you can pull the pin and disconnect the power cylinder.  On my 270 there was a "kickstand" to hold it up once disconnected.  Also by the battery switch there are jumper terminals for the hatch if the batteries and shore power are toast.

rasbury

Ah, had not noticed/got that far yet but I recall seeing a couple of terminals there with red caps on them......kinda/sorta...will have to look further! Not much of an "operation" manual for this boat.....guess I should know all this before getting this beast, thanks for the info!

TikiHut2

I have a jumpstart pack that is kept onboard and can lift the hatch or start an engine. Often it'd be the genset jump started as a first choice so it gets the batt charger working.

If the lift ram fails you'd need to remove the table base and reach in to pull the pin. Assuming you had the pull ring turned toward the access......

I usually pull the hatch ram pin and prop open the lid when I need more room. My hitech prop is just a broom handle cut to the Ideal length.

Mike

MIKES342

There is an easier way if you have a battery jumper. The kind that you charge and use to jump a car to start it.. If you get a cable that plugs onto a cigarette lighter put the same connector on the opposite end. Then plug the cable into the jumper unit and into the cigarette lighter on the dash. Once both ends are plugged in just push the rocker switch on the dash to the open position and it will open. I watched my dealer do it on my 342 so it should work on all of there boats

rasbury

10-4! I always kept a jump box on my my Tahoe...I never had to use it but jumped at least two other boats using it over the past few years.....I'll have to think about mikes342 comment, not sure I got it but if there are two terminals at the battery switch, I think someone above suggested just hooking up to that to run the hatch......I am coming down the home stretch on my brakes and I have to free of the sea **** for the gen set and the surveyor said I did not have a fuel cut off switch at the tank.....have not looked at the books yet but to see if the fuel pump in in the tank (hope not) or uses an engine driven fuel pump...would assume in either case that the tank inlet is at the top of the tank, why would you need a cut off valve and if you did, why would not Rinker have installed one?

TikiHut2

Your fuel supply valve is probably up on the firewall/bulkhead (like my 270) near your fuel/water separator.

Your Mercruiser fuel pump is on the frt starboard side of the engine near the raw water pump. There isn't a pump in the fuel tank.

The cig lighter to jumpstart pack patch cord is insightful for raising the hatch but you're right about those spare studs in the aft batt switch hatch. Theyre capable of handling a much heavier load like possibly jumping the engine/genset in an emergency.

rasbury

10-4....I was able to free the seacock and now that it is broke loose it works smoothly.....I'll get it in some fresh water and give them all an exercise and should be good to go there....tried to pull the two wheels off the other side of the trailer, one came off, one has two studs spinning...crap- they are not rusted at all, I think who ever put the wheels on the trailer over did it when they installed the tires...yuk

Black_Diamond

The curse of the air gun without torque limiting.

rasbury

I am not a violent person but I could absolutely kick someones butt for what they did to these wheels....on my other side, I have one wheel with one that is spinning and the other wheel has two. So, I have to go on the back side of each and undue the bracket that holds the brake on the axle which has 6 bolts that are a complete pain to get at with the wheel still on. Took me about an hour and a half last night to get one off which is going to a shop this am to get torched or otherwise taken off. He might be able to put a spot weld on the back side strong enough to brake the nut loose and get it off. If I had take this trailer to a shop to get fixed, I'm guess I would have spent about 2 BOAT bucks to get it fixed.  On the other hand, I am so thankful I did not have a blow out dragging this thing home for 600 miles so I will quit my whining. Anyway, I am going to put this boat in the water tomorrow, somehow, some way as I just made the first payment and have not had it in the water other that the sea trial for a few minutes during survey.  Then the fun will begin I'm sure! I'm going to start a new thread with the heading of: What the heck is this button? as I'm going to put it in the middle of the lake, throw the anchor and start figuring the stuff out. As far as I know, the only items that don't work are the windlass and the spot light as everything was "tested" during the survey. Those two might just be fuses or bad connections...keep in mind the motor has 98 hours and the gen set has 21, not bad for a 2005.  I figure the boat cost the previous owner about a grand for each hour it was used! And where is spell check on this site?

rasbury

Also, I don't think I ever put this up but here is the boat trader add which is still up for the boat: http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2005-Rinker-270-Fiesta-Vee-101789206 if anyone wants to take a look at it....

craigswardmtb

Did they test the generator?  Those things are finicky especially if they are not run often.  Best of luck and enjoy figuring things out.

nhsd

The last time I had a lug spin I went to Sears and paid about $6 for a nut splitter and simply split the lug nut off of the lug. That allowed the wheel to come off. As the lug was already spun it came out with a hammer tap. Bought some very slightly oversized lugs and tapped one back in and was in business.

 

Black_Diamond

Yup: split the nut.

Cableguy Greg

Nice boat!!! It looks very clean, and 98 hours is nothing on an engine. I put 40 a season on my engine in Pittsburgh, which is about average for around here.

rasbury

well,first day out trip out went very well...but I will start a new thread-how does this work as I did run into a couple of issues, I was very pleased at how we were able to handle the boat at the ramp.

TikiHut2

If you have your hatch question answered then start a new thread. It's good form and it helps if people are searching for a specific problem that might have been otherwise answered somewhere that wouldn't come up if it was off-topic.

Congrats on doing well at the ramp. That's no simple feat with a boat that size and  your confidence will build with each launch as the right steps become 2nd nature and the mistakes and wasted steps become fewer.. Hope you got those brakes and lugs fixed too. Otherwise I'll just keep my distance if I see you on the road.
Mike

rasbury

another question on the hatch I had not considered...if the batter is dead then we know how to give it some juice- what the heck do you do if the motor for the hatch is done???? Is there a way to make it release?

Bruce

You can unscrew the rear table mount, make a cut in the insulating foam and reach in and pull the top pin holding the lift rod to the hatch. Then you should be able to lift open the engine hatch.

rasbury

somehow I'm thinking that was not to well thought out by Rinker!  Thanks, only thing I could think of but sure there would be an easier way.....