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Success and Failure

It has been a while since I gave an update so here it is.  This is probably the last post for this blog but I will be starting a new one that I will share.

So the boat was in the shop from March until sometime in May.  The original engine gave the shop fits.  They installed it and the starter wouldn't work so they had to pull the engine to fix that.  Once they got it all working the clearance between the valves and pistons wasn't correct and a valve hit a piston.  Engine had to be scrapped and had to pay for a 2nd engine.

Finally got the boat back and the ignition wasn't wired up.  However, the boat wouldn't start after hours of messing with it so it went back to the shop.  Needed another starter.

Got it back again and it was leaking oil from one of the valve covers so I had to fix that and wire up the ignition.  And wire up the trim pump.

Took the boat out and ran it at the lake... everything was working fine.   Got to the dock and the engine stalled.  Wouldn't start in neutral so I put it in reverse to start it... POP!  Throttle and shifter worked fine but the drive wouldn't do anything.

Got towed in and found that the gimbal ring snapped in half and the bell housing broke.

I bought second hand parts to fix it but my wife and I decided to stop sinking money into this project.  So all that work and the boat is getting parted out!

We were concerned that there were chronic issues and the boat might be unsafe.  We even found some holes in the side of the fiberglass that look like someone shot it with a BB gun or something.  I also found some wiring the previous owner did behind the fridge that didn't look safe or correct.

I found that my biggest mistake was continuing forward at the advice of others.  Everyone kept saying spend the money and get it going but there was just too many things wrong.  I was going to have to replace almost every piece of that boat to make it usable and there are still concerns in my mind if that hull was sound or not finding small holes in it, etc.

Something soon!?

I dropped by the mechanic shop on Friday to drop off a check to pay for the engine work to get one.  They thought it would be done before the end of this week. We shall see what happens.

I will be sure to post pictures when it comes back.

Waiting Game

No word back from the shop about the Sea Ray.  I was expecting a call on Wednesday to get an idea of price and timeline.  The rough estimate was one week.

I'm going to wait until Monday to call if I don't hear anything before then.  Trying not to be impatient but the appeal of having a boat that will actually run is quite exciting.  Looking forward to the interior work with mixed emotions.  Excited it will be usable but nervous about potential delays and problems.

Engine Shop!

Been busy the last few months visiting family, Christmas, and a week long ski vacation.  As it had months ago, reality set in that I wouldn't be able to devote the needed time to finish the boat motor in a reasonable time frame.  The boat was purchased early 2009, the transom was rebuilt at the end of 2011, and the motor has been an on again off again project most of that time.

I loaded up all the parts and dropped the boat off with my marine mechanic.  Can't remember if I mentioned him before or not but he did the rebuild on my ski boat motor which had some freeze damage like everyone had here recently.  My guy said he did about 30 motors alone!

The prep work for loading up the trailer was very interesting and thought it might be worth sharing my insights.  I literally took everything out nailed down in the boat and moved it to the garage.  It is amazing how much stuff was sitting in there.  With everything out the interior project looks much less dubious that it did previously.  I will try to do a better job of photo/video documenting some of the work from here on out when possible.  It seems like I get started on a project with that intention but get side tracked doing the actual project at hand.

In writing my notes for the finishing parts of the restoration I'm realizing some parts for these Sea Rays cannot be bought readily.  Some I will fabricate and some I may need to find a boat junk yard to salvage some pieces for.  I'm sure they have such places but no idea where.

November Update

Not a whole lot has happened on the boat recently.  I have a guy lined up to do some work on it but trying to find a time when he is available has been tricky.

One thing I don't think I have touched on is the importance of documentation.  Photos, notes, videos, etc.

When I first began disassembling the motor, thinking it was just the heads that needed replacement, I didn't do a  good job of documenting.  We took off the heads there were some bolts and an hold gasket.  Those few things became a larger assortment of bolts.  What went where?  What is this?  What is that?  Trust me... document.

Luckily some items I put in a zip lock bag and labelled it.  This has been helpful even on parts I intended to replace.  Its not easy to find 30+ year old bolt kits so you find yourself hunting around for certain sized bolts at your local hardware store and its helpful to have a reference.

Even keeping old parts is helpful.  I wrote down the part number of a few items but found myself looking at the parts and comparing them to online pictures to be sure I actually got the correct item.  Some part numbers have different versions/revisions.  Fuel pump is a good example.

Lastly, never underestimate what you should take a picture of.  When I notice some rot on the helm seat I took it out to fix it and the rot was bad enough the seat fell apart.  Since I didn't have good reference photos I couldn't figure out how to get the back seats to work like the original one did.  Ultimately, I decided to buy a new helm seat rather than struggle with recreating the broken one.

Engine Oil

The stamp on the valve cover of my engine says it uses SAE 30 oil.  I found that its hard to find this weight oil locally and ended up ordering some from Summit Racing.

One key issue here is older engines that use flat tappet cams need a higher Zinc (ZDDP) content than modern engine oil.  This is an anti-wear additive that is essential to keep your cam from being damaged.  Newer engines use roller cams which allow them to use a lower ZDDP content in the oil which is important because ZDDP is hard on catalytic converters.

I've read several online discussions and posts which suggest that oils have come a long way since some of these older engines were designed and that while SAE 30 works it is recommended you user 25w-40 (the standard 4-cycle engine oil) in your 4-cycle instead.  That is good news since 25w-40 is easier to find.

Bad news is you still need the ZDDP but there are products and additives that provide the extra Zinc which might be easier to procure than SAE 30.

While I wouldn't tell anyone to do this without doing their own research it is something I am going to try and look into more closely.

Nothing New

It has been hotter than hell in TX recently, regularly over 100 degrees out.  Once it cools off I will get back to the motor.

One interesting event we had rain last week.  I forgot about making sure the engine was covered but luckily it was.

Get a manual!

Engine was out and I went to install the exhaust (its a U shaped piece that has to be in before the engine) of course I got concerned bout how many lines were supposed to run from the outdrive and into the boat.

As it turns out, it should be 2 hoses (one from trim up and one trim down ... IE an in and out hose for the hydraulic fluid).  These hoses need to be in place and secure before installing the exhaust on these older boats because otherwise you can't access that area again.

I ended up buying a Clymer manual for that model year range (mid 60s - 80s) which has provided a fair bit of detail that really helps the re-assembly process.  [How many hydraulic lines wasn't included, I had to scour the internet to figure that out.]

I'm also finding manuals to be lacking in terms of bolt sizes and lengths.  That has taken some research and trial and error to resolve.  Best advice I can give is label everything in a zip lock bag and keep it all together!

Engine in and back out!

So the gantry was built a while back and the engine was placed in the boat.  Since it has been about 2 years since I started this project I couldn't remember all the details of the tear down of the engine, etc.

After the engine was in the boat there was some question if there were some type of rubber stops on the engine mount to reduce vibration noise.  I ended up finding some steering wheel bushings that looked like they would work.. but... ultimately found that they were not required.  The front engine mounts on this boat just had two screws on the top and two on the bottom to hold the engine at the proper angle.  If anyone reading this blog is curious the bolts I needed were 3/4" fine thread (16 threads).

Getting the engine lined up to drill the new motor mounts was relatively easy... the bolts that attach the bell housing to the outdrive basically get you aligned correctly left to right and front to back.  The only real adjustment was getting the engine level and at the correct angle for the outdrive shaft which is done by adjusting the aforementioned bolts.

In my mind this was the correct thing to do (getting the mounts drilled) before finishing engine assembly.  But as it turns out these older Mercruisers use a "Y" (mine looks more like a U) shaped exhaust pipe that has to be installed BEFORE the engine (there isn't enough clearance to just slide it under the engine).  So the engine has to be taken back out, the exhaust pipe installed, and the engine can go back in.

One trick I've found is stacking two 2x4s and laying them across the boat (under the rails) provides a simple yet effective mini-gantry to lift and position the engine.  This was extremely useful when trying to get the engine level on the mounts.

One issue I am seeing in my future is that with the exhaust manifolds installed and hoses it will be difficult to access the valve covers to adjust the valves (if needed).  It would have been better if the engine was on a test stand.  I can't remember if I mentioned or not but the engine was originally a long block but the guy who was supposed to finish building the motor for me stripped it down to inspect it first and when he refused to work on a manufacturered motor... I got it back in pieces.  Otherwise, this would have been less of a concern.

It isn't fatal but may take a little more time to adjust the lash on the valves if needed.

Gantry it is

So putting the shop crane in the truck be didn't work.  The boom wasn't long enough to reach into the back of the boat.

Instead, I ended up building a gantry and was able to place the engine inside the boat.  However, this took up a good part of the afternoon and the weather hasn't been cooperating (I'm writing this June 1).

Maybe this weekend I can chisel out some time and start working on engine mount placement.  I had scheduled to do this on Monday of this week but that didn't pan out.

Engine this weekend?

My last post was at the end of January and not much has happened with the boat since then.  I bought a new house so moving and getting settled in has taken a priority over the boat.

This weekend I plan to drop the motor in.  With a boat like this it is a bit of a process because of how tall the boat is sitting on the trailer.  As with most DIYers, I don't have (or have access to) a large crane, gantry, etc.  Nor do I have a large tree that is readily accessible to use.

The solution I'm attempting is to take my shop crane and put it on top of a flat bed truck to give me enough height to drop the motor into the boat.  Basically, the crane wasn't quite tall enough to reach into the boat on the ground.  Additionally, I purchased a vertical chain hoist to allow me to raise/lower/position the engine without having to move the crane up and down too much.

I will try and get some pictures and document the trials and tribulations of this approach soon.

Misc. Updates

In my last update I mentioned that the fiberglass work was done and the engine was coming along.  The original plan was to have the fiberglass shop also install and wire up the engine.  I ended up modifying my plan slightly after the fiberglass guy called me while I was out of town to say he was worried about my boat getting impounded because the shop owner was an alcoholic and either had or was or might not make the rent payment on the facility.   Not really the thing you want to hear especially if you were going to cut a reasonably large check to have additional work done.  Plus, the time it takes to resolve legal stuff like that could potentially take months (or more) to resolve.

So the boat is back at the storage place and the engine is still in the garage but a lot has happened.  I was able to get the heads installed, lash set, and intake installed.

The intake was an interesting story.  Apparently an aluminum intake on  cast iron heads is not quite a bolt-on procedure.  I found that there were 4 center bolts (which stick into the heads) that needed bolts that were longer than what was in my bolt kit.  And because they stuck into the heads they had to be just the right length or they could interfere with some of the push rods.  A trip to the hardware store and some meticulous searching fixed that.  Next problem was one of the bolt holes in the remanufactured cylinder head as being stubborn.  I ended up going through a box of parts from the old engine and finally found one that was agreeable.  However, I also found that some of the bolts would not thread properly into the holes.  I'm not sure if its due to the deck height from remanufacturing the block/heads or if it was due to the machining of the intake being a little off, etc.  But... luckily some time ago I realized a day would come where I would need a die grinder!  I was able to bore out the holes in the intake just enough to get the clearance I needed.  Interestingly enough... the holes for the bolts (more like an oval slot) offer a fairly large range of motion up and down for the bolts but not side to side like I needed.

My next step will be to finish off attaching the accessories and then I'll be ready to drop the engine into the boat and start getting the drive system going which means... actually being able to drive the boat!  I want to make sure everything runs and the boat performs before I start redoing the cabin interior.

Transom Complete ... Engine Time!

The transom is done and the boat and motor are ready to be coupled up...well, as soon as the engine is done.

I had one of the hydraulic lines replaced as well (I think I mentioned this in the last post) because it was starting to leak.

On the engine... I will say if you don't want to put the time and effort into it... you should buy a crate motor.  It has taken me over a year to get the engine ready.  I've spent a ton of time trying to find the right part numbers, etc.  Of course, I'm putting in an engine is close to stock as it would have been coming off the showroom floor.

Fiberglass Work Done

The marine shop called and said the fiberglass work (transom replacement) was done.  Took them about 2-3 weeks from the time I dropped it off until the time the work was done; not too bad.

Now they're putting back in all the outdrive and engine accessories (fuel tanks, etC)

As a note: When the engine and accessories are out is a good time to put in new hydraulic lines and do any engine work that might be needed.  It is harder to do with the engine in and if something requires the removal of the engine it will incur the cost of pulling and dropping the engine back in.

New vs Rebuilt vs Remanufactured engines

I put this out on my other random blog but wanted to cross link it here as it is applicable to boat restoration as well.

New vs Rebuilt vs Remanufactured

Transom Rot

One of my goals as stated in the introduction of this blog was to help people not only learn what getting into a restore could entail but also signs that a restore is upcoming for those who might want to avoid such a project.

As I mentioned in an earlier post my Sea Ray needed new motor mounts and close inspection showed it also needed a new transom.

First, I want to discuss the transom and some basics of boat construction and then wrap up with how to identify transom rot.

Boat Construction Crash Course: In fiberglass boat construction a hull of a boat is created by layering fiberglass (more on this shortly) over a mold or some type of structure.  When the fiberglass cures it becomes a rigid shape.  In modern boat construction a mold is created and the fiberglass is shaped to that mold and a top and bottom piece of the boat are combined to create the boat (that's why most boats have a trim ring around them near the top of the boat... that's where the two piece join).  A lot of the reason in modern construction for this type of approach is that it requires no wood products to be used to mold the boat hence no chance of the wood rotting.

Older boats, like this Sea Ray, used wood to create the form for the fiberglass hull.  Wood planks running from front to back (called stringers) provided a shape for the hull connected to the transom (roughly the back of the boat). In outboard boats the motor attaches to the transom while in larger boats the transom is generally referring to the back of the boat.

Once the fiberglass is cured it becomes the structure and the wood is merely the form around which the fiberglass is poured.  So you might thing... if the wood isn't structural, why do I care if its rotting?  Well, that get back to the properties of fiberglass.

Fiberglass: What we call fiberglass is typically "fiber reinforced plastic" or FRP.  Depending on the application the fiberglass can be chopped, strands, or even woven mats of glass.   By itself the glass is fairly flexible but when a hardener/adhesive is applied (resin) the structure cures into a hard surface that is hard as steel.  Fiberglass is usually composed of many layers of fiberglass/resin to increase the stability of the structure.

However, fiberglass has some drawbacks such as not being  UV resistant and being absorbent (blistering is an example of this).  So why would be make a boat out of this stuff?  Its light weight, its tough, and with the proper coatings you can repel water and UV protect it.

Coming full circle... you can see how rotted wood (IE wood that has water in it) would be harmful to fiberglass.  Over time, the moisture causes the fiberglass to de-laminate (IE the adhesive starts to fail) and the fiberglass falls apart.

What happens with transom rot?  As the moisture de-laminates the fiberglass it allows water and moisture to further penetrate the fiberglass.  Not only does this extend the area of rot but also the amount of water being absorbed into the glass.  While this breakdown takes some time it basically means that if you let your boat sit in the water long enough it would eventually sink because water would be flowing freely through the hull.

The main reason you want to get transom rot fixed (or any rot really) as soon as possible therefore is to prevent further damage (IE a more costly repair) and to reduce the risk of your boat sinking.

Signs of rot: There are a few ways to determine rot on a boat and they are as follows:

1. Wood that is rotted will be soft to the touch, wet, and likely crumble if you handle it.
2. Rotted fiberglass will also manifest itself as soft spots; places on the floor of the boat where the floor gives or feels soft when pressure is applied.
3. Places where the fiberglass looks to be coming apart into sheets (de-laminating)

Screwdriver test: While I don't recommend running around doing this to everyone's boat you can use a screwdriver (or the end of a ratchet) to strike the fiberglass with a light to moderate amount of force.  If the fiberglass is rotted you will likely penetrate the fiberglass.  If you were to touch inside the hole in the fiberglass you might find the back side of the fiberglass to be mushy.

Knock test: Another test which is slightly less reliable is a knock test.  If you knock the hull of the boat you should hear a solid sound but if you hear a hollow sound it means there is a void where something has likely rotted.

Cost of repairs: The cost of fiberglass repairs can vary but expect a transom repair/replacement to cost $3,000 - $5,000.

Repair options: In my case, there were two potential fixes I explored.  The "traditional" fix is to remove the old fiberglass and wood, and add new wood and fiberglass over it; just like the original boat construction.  On smaller boats more so than larger ones a popular repair is to remove the old wood and fill in the void with some type of epoxy; a popular one being Sea Cast.  This would have been cheaper probably but it does add weight and requires there be no moisture in the transom area for it to bond correctly (which would have been difficult to do without taking the transom apart, etc)... so I opted to have my transom redone.

Preventing transom rot: The easiest way to help keep your transom from rotting (or any parts of the boat for that matter) is to keep it dry.  Make sure your bilge is dry... apply an anti-fouling paint if you store the boat in the water... and make sure the paint coatings on the bilge, hull, etc are well maintained.  Those coatings help prevent UV damage and repel water.

State of the Fleet

So after the ski boat crapped out I got caught up in other things and finally getting back to getting the boats ready for 2011!

As it turned out the ski boat (despite sitting for about a year and a half with the plugs out) still managed to get some water in it over the winter and popped the freeze plugs!  But to find that out required a removal of the motor, tearing it down to check for damage, and re-assembly and install... $1200.

The Sea Ray found its way to a Marine shop and it turned out not only were the motor mounts shot but the transom as well!  Currently awaiting completion of the transom and mount repairs to the tune of $3,000.  Once that is done in the coming weeks the motor will have to be dropped in and the interior and exterior of the boat will need some TLC.

Fabricate Fabricate Fabricate

One of the most tedious and time consuming parts of the rebuild project that has been ongoing despite other setbacks has been fabricating replacement pieces.

I found early on that the helm seat was rotted on one side and I couldn't tell until I removed the seat (I did so to take it into the garage to clean it) only to have the entire console fall apart!

Originally, I was going to fabricate a new console but found additional rot on the underside of the seat and some of the vinyl was dry and cracking on the underside as well.  A quick fix for that was to order 2 new back-to-back seats.  The cool feature there is that they fold out to a lounge chair for sunning.  Problem also was that the lounge chair support frame isn't tall enough as it dangles past the raised helm platform.  I'm presently working on some extensions so the supports will touch the deck.

I also don't like how the engine cover was built (it flexed in the middle a little too much) and discovered as I took it apart it was something someone built and not the original engine cover.  My improvements here will be additional sound insulation as well as a stronger support.  I might try to put gas shocks as well to hold the cover open.

Other little things were water seeping in under the door and caused some of the old flooring to bow.  I'd fixed this once already but looking to redo that area again with a better fix including putting a drain by the door and putting some type of seal on the bottom of the door to prevent water from coming in.

Another project is the air conditioning.  I'm currently working on way to disassemble and a/c parts to get them into a configuration where they will fit under one of the dinette seats.

B.O.A.T.

B.O.A.T. - Break Out Another Thousand.

So the boat restore (which we didn't really expect to get into) wasn't going well and we decided since we still had our ski boat to take it out.

As we go to plane out... the boat overheats and we have to get towed in.

Two boats out of order...