What did you do to your boat today

Liberty44140

That home armor works well in the bilge. Someone posted that years ago and a nice light spray of it down there, some time to work, and then a fine spray off with a garden sprayer works just awesome 

aero3113

Yes, I posted that @Liberty44140 . It worked awesome on my 242.

Dirtythirty

Port side done...Power-washed, compounded and waxed. Next weekend will be the starboard side, stern and hardtop.  Hoping for a better year than last year.

Dream_Inn

Very nice @Dirtythirty - when we going to see that show up at Rinkervous??

PickleRick

Got my oem bellow in today.  I saw that the oil resevrior line had a small crack or three in it, i thought no probelm i have plenty of oil hose ill cut cut about a foot of it off the reel and replace it.  

Despite carefully cutting the double walled hose before applying firm but not too much pressure with a flat edge to push the hose odd the barb(not pull) she snapped off in my hand.  So, unless the new part comes before Friday this boat still isn't getting launched.  I'm all for the advancement in polymers and respect their inability to corrode or rust but seems this crucial of a part should be a little more substantial of a material.

But....ill not have to worry about an oil hose or brittle barb fitting for years, im sure this is 2001 vintage. I think this is the part that broke and cost @J3ff a new outdrive. 

bella-vita

Had that break on mine in the water,  I saw it in time 

J3ff

PickleRick said:

Got my oem bellow in today.  I saw that the oil resevrior line had a small crack or three in it, i thought no probelm i have plenty of oil hose ill cut cut about a foot of it off the reel and replace it.  

Despite carefully cutting the double walled hose before applying firm but not too much pressure with a flat edge to push the hose odd the barb(not pull) she snapped off in my hand.  So, unless the new part comes before Friday this boat still isn't getting launched.  I'm all for the advancement in polymers and respect their inability to corrode or rust but seems this crucial of a part should be a little more substantial of a material.

But....ill not have to worry about an oil hose or brittle barb fitting for years, im sure this is 2001 vintage. I think this is the part that broke and cost @J3ff a new outdrive. 

No, this is the part that broke AFTER I got the new out drive.. that is why it was such a rush to get the thing out of the water, oil out and flushed and changed. 

I will never understands mercury's choice on this. Mine broke in the exact same fashion! 

This one thing is why I'll never go with an I/O again if this is what companies do with these things. 

PickleRick

stopped by a little mom and pops boat shop today as they had the parts in stock.  I'll have a spare set on the boat when the ones I ordered arrive. 


These are plastic so they become brittle with age.  The oil hoses become hard with age which makes them break mor easily as the hose loses its flexibility when trimming or turning or both as im sure @J3ff does over all the sand bars in his pristine year round crusing ground. 

If your oil feed hose going from your resevrior to inside your transom is hard chances are your hose from transom to drive is worse.  This should be inspected every time your bellow is replaced.  The fittings are less than 35 bucks for inner, outer and new C clip in case you lose yours.    You probably won't need the inner fitting.  Hose is less than 2.50 a ft.  I don't know what psi the oem was rated, what I used is good to about 85 psi. Judging from the clamps used this is over kill.  


I wish I had known this before hand but the alpha I owned didn't have a remote resevrior so I have never had experience with this part.  

I don't think this is a design flaw so much as an item easy to over look

J3ff

So here's the problem with that. 

Motor and transom assembly were replaced 4 years prior. Do you think they didn't replace that part when I paid 3000 dollars for a T/A ?? 

If they didn't then shame on them for that!! 

PickleRick

I'd think if you did the transom shield they would but i have no idea what they did or didn't replace.  Being I've never replaced a shield before i don't even know if the 90 degree fitting comes with the shield.. 

Bellows (including shifter) shifter cable, water pick up hose and oil hose would be the items I think would be a no brainer.   Maybe the shop cut the hose too short and after a few seasons it gave?  I cut mine to the size of what came off.  

I think boat shops are much like my shop and my competitors shop, its hard to find good help so you're stuck working suitable help.  I spend more time going back over other peoples work than I do working on repairs myself.  One of my guys used to work at a boat shop spoke of everyone he worked with at the marina hated inboards, they usually put the new guy on them. 

Black_Diamond

Finally addressed my OCD about the water backflowing up the engine hatch gutter drain from the transon on my 342 (when coming off plane).  Put in a starboard spacer to reduce the open area.  We’ll see how well it works in a few weeks!  

aero3113

@Black_Diamond , looks like it’s original! You get that much water up there?

Ian

Yesterday:
Power washed after coming out of storage.
Acid cleaned off stain (by hand cloth so to leave bottom paint intact)
Changed fuel inline and water separator filters
Power washed engine room
Buffed up bth sides rub rail to waterline
Replaced all damp rid

Today:
Cleaned out mid bilge from winterizing left over crud
Checked all clamps there for A/C, shower and head hoses and hot water heater (this one got me last year when a heat exchanger hose  slipped off
Cleaned off drives and washed ready to paint this week.

Drive paint and zinc replacement this week and she’s going in, anything else I can do in the water.

Black_Diamond

@aero3113. The water swamps over the swim platform, so at times: yes.  The dinghy and motor don’t help much. 😆😆

TonyG13

One of the single greatest things I learned when I took an on-water class from US PowerBoating was - when possible - make a turn, or an S-maneuver, when coming off plane. Results in virtually no swamping. Understand it might not be possible in all circumstance, but when you can, it works great.

mattie

TonyG13 said:

One of the single greatest things I learned when I took an on-water class from US PowerBoating was - when possible - make a turn, or an S-maneuver, when coming off plane. Results in virtually no swamping. Understand it might not be possible in all circumstance, but when you can, it works great.

Good one!.....makes total sense. Get away from being parallel to the wave.

I often bring the throttle back up for an instant before the plane wave hits. If I remember to. Works well too.

Ian

I do similar, surge forward before the backwash.

TonyG13

Started the engine hatch re-insulation using 1" Soundown insulation, LiquidNails Fuze-It adhesive, and 2" high-temp foil tape. Even though the Fuze-It says it's repositionable, I found it almost instantly adhered, so be careful when you're placing it. Some before/after...

Cableguy Greg

I trailered my boat from Pittsburgh to Illinois this past Sunday. Now I get to look at her in my driveway until the admiral tells me to take it somewhere else. 

trip_n

you made/making your move ? @cableguygreg
ez working when the yachts n da driveway

Cableguy Greg

trip_n said:

you made/making your move ? @cableguygreg
ez working when the yachts n da driveway

I made the move on Sunday. Pulled her for 9 hours via I76, I80, I57. 

trip_n

i hope everything goes your way
seems to be good boating around you
justa learning thing

dragracer2

Check on Springbrook Marina in Seneca Illinois, great place on Illinois River with great prices for a slip, if you don’t want to boat on Lake Michigan. 

Aqua_Aura

We took it out that's what we did 🙂. Stayed at our Marina after work last night then this morning got fuel and headed up river about 15 miles to a marina for the night. 

Ian

I launched and took her to home port and slip 10 minutes away before the high winds came through by midday. Nice to be floating again.

69fastback

Hoping for the maiden voyage today. Trying to get stuff rounded up. I’m usually 100% prepared and have everything clean and ready, but with being in the process of selling my house, acquiring another house, divorce, Ect..... I feel unprepared. I did charge the batteries a few weeks ago and start it on the water hose. Hopefully it all goes well. 

halifax212

Started to remove my bottom paint today. So far so good. Using EZ Strip removing small sections at a time after letting it soak for an hour. Have been meaning to do this for 10 years. Would have been easier when I was 50
.

69fastback

Great day on the water. Boat did awesome, as always. 

mattie

Looks like good fun. We are a long ways off tubing up here in the north. Pretty much July/Aug for that stuff.

Serious stereo equip there.

aero3113

Put her in!!