What did you do to your boat today

Handymans342

is that a Detroit Lions hat? Hahahahahahahaha

JoeStang

Yeah, can't help but root for them since I was born and raised here. Trust me, I wish I was Packers or Steelers fan. 

Handymans342

Maybe not GB so much now LOL

Dream_Inn

JoeStang said:

Yeah, can't help but root for them since I was born and raised here. Trust me, I wish I was Packers or Steelers fan. 

Could be worse...you could be a Browns fan like me! LOL!  Actually, I'm not much for NFL, love college ball!  Go Buckeyes!!

JoeStang

Tomorrow is D-day for me, but I couldn't ask for a better forecast. I drive mine about 50 miles to it's winter home for indoor heated rack storage, so a calm sunny day makes it much more enjoyable. 

rasbury

We are dead of winter here this am....friggin 59 degrees....burr...........

Willhound

rasbury said:

We are dead of winter here this am....friggin 59 degrees....burr...........

  I've lived in areas where you could put a minus in front of that with wind chill .....

Cableguy Greg

Friday is D-Day for me. Not looking forward to it.

Cableguy Greg

JoeStang said:

Yeah, can't help but root for them since I was born and raised here. Trust me, I wish I was Packers or Steelers fan. 

You can still be a Steelers fan!!! I am sure there are a few Steeler bars in your area.

JoeStang

Definitely not, not that I know about anyways. People leave Detroit, not come here. Lol

zaverin1

Vivios is a Steelers fan owner bar 

field of dreams is da bears lol

remind me again joe where you take it that’s 50 miles away 

212rowboat

i finally had a come to Jesus moment, and tossed in the towel.  bought a 357 w/mercruiser 3yr warranty, and with a full fresh water cooling system... i'll be swapping the 314 i've been playing with out, putting brand new manifolds and risers on it- wires, timing chain, dizzy+cap and wires ... my issue with the 314 engine HAS to be ignition and either the dizzy itself, or outside possibility the chain- it's not that timing is hard to set, it's that it's impossible to maintain- causing it to jump wildly, and after at least four caps and several coils, it simply can't be that it's spraying spark.  i missed an entire season between that and working dang near literally every available moment... as much as i like to toy with engines, i don't have the time now and when i do? i'd rather be out on the water with family...... so...... brand new mercruiser built 357 w/warranty.... 

oh... fresh water full kit means (to me) i can drop that thing on any decent winter day that presents itself and not have to go through the process of either draining it every time or pumping pink coolant in it... flushing and blowing out the exchange and risers only takes a few minutes... so.... it should put the fun back in boating.   

randy56

Big move, right move, did'nt know of all those issues, on the 314. are you going to put it in yourself? 

212rowboat

yeah, doing it myself... the engine in a 212 can literally be sitting on the ground within half an hour of pulling the boat out of the water (and letting it cool down... but, you get my point)... and w/o hardly breaking a sweat.   outdrive pulled, fuel lines, 10pin, battery lines, four mount bolts, exhaust boots/elbows, water lines, and hook the winch on the gantry to pluck it out... going back in only takes longer due to aligning the outdrive.  

with the 314 sitting on the pallet the (new)357 came off of, it'll be super easy to track down what is making it sick... namely, it will be super easy to put brand spanking new manifolds and risers on, pull the timing cover and see about that chain (can it be that sloppy?) and/or dizzy, tune if from carb to rockers, plugs to oil pump, every filter- check compression, and make sure it runs right- put the cowl dress kit on it, make sure the paint is in good condition........ then sell it for $2k or so... it's not that it's a bad engine, it's that doing what i need to do to it is FAR easier to do on the ground than in the boat.... and if it's spark issue can be repaired (and not to the $$tune$$ of going as deep as the camshaft) $2.5k ought to be a good deal for someone in need of a turn-key fully dressed rebuild with less than 40 hours on it.... but it won't have a warranty and it won't be something i'd be worrying about anymore giving issue whenever it occurs to it to do so in the middle of my season. 

all of this i can do at a snails pace whenever i get to it... but once that 314 is on the deck, that 357 is literally only an hour or so's effort from being mounted with several feet of water underneath it- running basically worry free for years and years to come, that i can use whenever it strikes me i have any more than an hour to kill on a pretty day, summer or winter.  the thought of that is what sold me on the idea of just buying a new warrantied engine.  

Dude_Himself

I really like the Merc 496 with the Auto-Drains for winterizing. Doesn't usually get that cold here in Charleston, so if we have a great day followed by a freezing day we just pump up the system with a hand pump and crank the engine over a few times (with the kill switch killed) to purge any water and prevent damage.

JoeStang

zaverin1 said:

Vivios is a Steelers fan owner bar 

field of dreams is da bears lol

remind me again joe where you take it that’s 50 miles away 

So thanks for letting me know where not to go haha.

I take it to Wyandotte for winter storage. There's a rack heated place down there that's very convenient and reasonably priced. It's all wrapped up for me, had a beautiful and calm last trip. 

JoeStang

And I just realized I probably overestimated the mileage a bit. It's probably like 35 or 40 miles dock to dock. Took 1 hr 15 minutes at 28-30mph today. 

JoeStang

Starbrite EZ on EZ off I found works amazing, but its not for the faint of heart. Use at a minimum eye protection, and I use rubber gloves and a mask too, because its really strong. Barely had to scrub at all, just spray on with a garden sprayer and powerwash off. If I was on a trailer it'd make it much tougher, because you cant get to the middle of the hull that way. I dilute it like 50/50 to start, and then make it stronger as I go to get the tough stains off.

I dont mind the work, and I also get the scrub brush and goggles out every couple weeks in the summer to clean the bottom in the water. I'm looking to buy a trailer next spring, so that will help being able to pull it out here and there to clean it too.

BTW I went to Whiskeys on the Water for dinner, it was friggin awesome!

Dream_Inn

On my 310, I used to use a 50/50 mixture of muratic acid & water in spray bottle.  Initially started with Mary Kate's on/off, but the muratic acid was much cheaper buying from HD.  If you are worried about the trailer, you could use FSR.  It works quite well too and it is just rub on and then off.

boatman37

I used the On/Off this year. Worked great. I crawled under my trailer on my back to get the middle. Not a fun job but it's done. I was told that On/Off has oxalyc acid in it but you can buy the oxalyc acid off eBay for about $20 for a bag that will last you a few years. Mix a little with hot water. BTW-I paid $45 for 1 gallon of On/Off and used the whole bottle on a 25' boat

Cableguy Greg

Pulled my boat yesterday. Got her winterized, but still need to clean the bottom. 

rasbury

Nice f150 sitting there too...ecoboost?

Cableguy Greg

rasbury said:

Nice f150 sitting there too...ecoboost?

Thanks! Yes, 3.5 Ecoboost.

Black_Diamond

Finally replaced my old CO monitor. Probably long past its life. Newest model from Fireboy. 

rasbury

Ford fleet sales for almost 22 years now....

Willhound

Put her to bed for the winter. See you in the spring sweetheart!

rasbury

I hate this time of the year....gets pretty lonely on the forum!

06Rinker270

@Black_Diamond did you go with the battery operated or hardwire?

Willhound

rasbury said:

I hate this time of the year....gets pretty lonely on the forum!

Don't worry. Just re-grouping and really busy at work lately but have lots of ideas for changes and upgrades that I'll need input on over the winter!

Dream_Inn

rasbury said:

I hate this time of the year....gets pretty lonely on the forum!

heck, this is when I'm on the forum the most, when I'm not boating!  (the admiral would say I'm on it all the time!)