Ski Boat with a 302

[ratdude747]

Ah. The Bosch relays I have are supposedly good for up to 40A and do appear to be sealed.

The starter is is a very new looking MES:



The starter relay is a big pain to access... ugh. No thanks. Also I confirmed run is hot in start, but I'll leave my wiring for now as I get the idea the ignition switch is a tad crunchy and isolating the ignition from such isn't a bad thing?

Edit: supposedly a Windsor PMGR solenoid draws 42A initially and 16A continuous... wonderful. Maybe buy and remote mount a newer relay? Or find a way to access the existing relay better?

[ArdWrknTrk]

The "test" page that came with my PMGR reflects those numbers pretty well (44A to pull, 13A to hold IIRC)
Gary has that info posted somewhere.

If you intend to replace your crunchy ignition switch it might be a good idea to wire in a more accessible relay.
You definitely don't want a be running 40A+ through a key switch.

One place I've found that has great service and quality components is Texas Industrial Electric.
You might check out their selection.

[ratdude747]

Ah. I was rounding what I found online. I've heard supposedly Bosch makes a pin-compatible relay that can handle the load better... for now it works for shore testing.

Speaking of which, the ignition parts came in. Coil is a dud and oil filled, so I'm using the old one for now. But the solid state pickup is good!

But, I was able to make it run:



(Yeah I was too excited).

There are issues:

-Leaking fuel at the carb inlet. Bad hose clamp... my bad for not replacing it.
-Will not idle, 1200 RPM is as low as it will run. 10 year old fuel a culprit?
-Coil got a bit hot. DC resistance is 5.5 ohms... but I was going to swap it anyway. Oil filled.
-Not getting water flow out the outdrive. Water did make it to the manifolds (per opening one of the drains). Lots of leakage at the muffs when not running... like it's blocked? Probably needs an impeller now if it didn't already.

[85lebaront2]

I do hope it is a Marine grade starter, they are sealed so they can't spark and ignite fumes in the bilge.

[ArdWrknTrk]

MES = Marine Electric Suppliers

You would think it is sparkproof.

[ratdude747]

Given that the brand "serves the marine industry", put a 5 year warranty on the unit, and has an anchor (not a propeller, I misremembered) in the logo, I'd be inclined to say it is.

Looks like I can get a generic "ford marine starter relay" for $15 or less on Amazon... option exists. I dunno...

Edit: Supposedly these are good for up to 60A:

https://temcoindustrial.com/bosch-style-automotive-relay-cn0171-1-qty-12-v-60-80-amp-spdt/

Not sealed though...

[Gary Lewis]

Lots of leaking at the muffs is normal. You want plenty of water pressure on the system to ensure there is water to the impeller. But not getting water out of the prop when running suggests a bad impeller.

[ratdude747]

Reviving the thread to provide closure.


First, this project got moved to another forum where my "marine-specific" questions could be better answered:

https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1976-montego-16-the-free-puppy.770307/
https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1976-888-fuel-questions.772360/

(and a few others if you poke around their forum enough).

Some things that came from that worth noting:

-The engine from the factory is a mix of things. 302 short block, but with 351W heads (under-drilled to 302 spec) and 351W cam (and firing order). And the accessories are mixed too... marine-modded Delco-Remy Aleternator (with a factory 1-wire mod) and a prestolite marine distributor whose consumables cross-references to 1950's Mopar!
-There was a lake under the ski locker, which caused the soft spot in the deck. Ended up cutting the ski locker false-bottom out entirely and will eventually convert to an extended-depth ski locker.
-Put in all new gauges (other than the hour meter).
-Had a fiasco with the impeller/overheating and had to change the impeller and housing set twice. I also modded the outdrive to accept a "Bravo" style muff set since there was concern the muffs I was using was leaking too much.
-Regarding the relay issue above, I ended up installing a mallory marine stater solenoid relay (spec'd for a later model mercruiser of some sort) which worked out great. I also simplified my igntion power wiring since the key switches used (I replaced later) have RUN on during start (no relay/diode set needed).


Second, yesterday it finally got a lake test:



(that's my best friend Josh driving; his aunt gifted me the boat and not only was he on the last trip it ran before getting stored, he used to drive it and knows a heck of a lot more than I do!).

It ran like champ. Have a fuel leak at the tank sending unit to fix ; I can't easily service such without removing the rear seat, so I will probably hot glue the suspect areas for now and fix it correctly when I plan to have the seat and tank out to allow for some deck repairs.

This has been a big project... still ongoing, but to a functional state at least. Now to figure out the next outing...

[Gary Lewis]

Congratulations!  Well done!  I've done a few marine restorations and know the wonderful feeling when you've had it out the first time.  

But, like you found, there's usually a minor problem or two that takes sorting after the first outing - and sometimes after the 2nd and 3rd.  But eventually you get it sorted and get to enjoy the boat.  It is fun!

[ratdude747]

Had a bit of fiasco with the boat/truck today.

Found out I can't safely launch it at my city's boat ramp due to it being too shallow:



We backed it up a few feet into the water, but past that the concrete gives way to river bed. And with an RWD truck that's not going to work unless I want to end up in a youtube compilation.

Long story short, I either need a lower/roller trailer (good luck, anything better enough to be worth buying is hard to find or $$$$ as I'm coming to discover) or a beefier tow rig with 4WD (which would likely be the end of the F150, as such would also be $$$$ and I refuse to take a car loan). We barely made the last place work. Very frustrating.

There is a ramp that's across the river/bridge that's also free but it has no dock. No good for a boat of my size unless the truck driver stays on land or drives across the bridge to the other dock.

Edit- apparently they make bunk slicks that can help with this... may be what I need to do. My bunks aren't in great shape anyway so not a terrible idea.

[Gary Lewis]

I think you said on FB that you tried using reverse in the boat from the deepest spot you thought you could go and that didn't work either.  Right?

And you waded in and checked to see that you had the back tires of the truck as far in as you dared go?  Obviously you don't want to drop off the concrete as you might not be able to recover.

Is the river at its normal height for this time of year?  If so then you might consider mods to the trailer.

First, is the axle above or below the springs?  If below you could put it above and gain an couple of inches.

Second, see if you can adjust the bunks down.  Some trailers have them welded but some are adjustable.  If yours are adjustable then support the boat on the keel and bring the bunks down as low as you can go w/o the boat hitting the trailer as you bring it back on.  Maybe you have a center roller that prevents the boat's bow from hitting the trailer.

Third, if the trailer is sound consider replacing the bunks with rollers.  That will reduce the friction so you might be able to roll the boat off the trailer.

But any of these mods will make the outdrive lower so you'll have to be careful not to hit it on the river bottom.

[ratdude747]

Yes. But there are better solutions.

Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension.

https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800


https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/trailers-towing/hitches-receivers/hitch-adaptors/hitch-extender-with-step-97685.html

Not sure on flipping the trailer axles as I'd be rubbing tires on the structural (step) fenders and I can't raise the fenders much without hitting the boat. The only reason the original trailer was low is that it was also wide.

Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right?

[Gary Lewis]

I hadn't heard about the bunk glides, but they would make a huge difference.  And the hitch extension might get the boat back far enough, but I don't know if I'd want to drive very far with it on.  Just don't know how solid it would be.

If your bunks are adjustable then you might be able to remove them one at a time and put the glides on.

[BigBrother-84]

ratdude747 wrote

Two options I'm exploring (after being given some words of wisdom on the other forum) are bunk slicks and a hitch extension.

https://bunkglides.com/products/54-trailer-bunkslide?variant=45163934187800

Larry, there is also this kind of
bulk slide sold in roll, but I don’t know if it is as slippery as the rigid ones.

ratdude747 wrote

Keel is already on the rollers... so it can't go lower... but since there are 4 bunks all in the back, I can probably remove them one at a time to install slicks without having to get the boat off the trailer, right?

Not sure this is a good idea… Last time I tried to work on the trailer while keeping the boat on was almost a disaster.
I’ll never try this again…

[ratdude747]

Per a recheck the bunks aren't serviceable after all. And I'd need 1.5 of the sets of the linked pieces since two bunks are 4' and the other two are 8'. I read silicone spray helps so that may be something to do the next time the boat is off.

I'm reading mixed things about the hitch extension... I only went with 12" but some places say they're no good for anything but the ramp. Which is not so good since the main parking lot is also a ramp! I'm skeptical of using the extension just from home to the local ramp as I do have to drive around town on a 55mph highway to get to the ramp. I'm too chicken to try it as I don't want to lose the truck and trailer because it fishtailed going down a hill at high speed. Yet I see pictures and reports of people using such extensions for even heavier boats without issue...

Side note: There is a quick and direct route down a different hill that'll get me to the ramp very quickly, but  literally burnt my brakes the one time I tried-  to make the corners I had to ride the pedal and as a result I smelled them for a while after and had a lot of fade... not doing that again, at least not without a brake upgrade to the truck or trailer.

I'll probably take the extension back off (and shorten the chains to match)... I only spent $26 on the extension/pin and I'll have it if I need it. I guess I could stop somewhere downtown and rehitch the truck there if I really want to use it, as annoying as it is.

I'm told I used the wrong part of the ramp to launch... as there is a section marked "no parking launch only" that apparently has grooved concrete with no ledge. That'll allow me to back up further. Stinks because that negates the benefit of being able to pull up straight to park, but we'll deal with it, even if that means the boat has to be docked while I fetch the truck as my wife doesn't have the coordination to back a trailer any distance I'm coming to find out (trying to teach her, but she can't understand "steer with the bottom of the wheel to point the trailer" or any other way of explaining the concept.  

I hope this isn't too much of a word salad... I'm pretty frustrated as it seems no matter what I do it's the wrong solution.

[Gary Lewis]

Just take it one step at a time.

Try the other part of the ramp, and it may solve the problem.  And Jennifer may be ok with pulling the truck and trailer up into a parking spot but not backing up.  Tell her that's what Janey did, just pulled up into the parking spot.

But I agree about the extension - it isn't something I'd want on when traveling at speed.  Put it on in the parking lot if you need it.

[ratdude747]

Which is what I did yesterday. Extension + correct part of the ramp made the difference.

Had personal (idiot) issues with docking but otherwise it was a good outing. Ran about 50 miles or so according to the GPS odometer.

[Gary Lewis]

Congrat's!  Glad you figured out how to get on the water, safely.  

As for dumb mistakes, I've had more then my share.  

[grumpin]

That's great! And good job!

I had someone tell me driving a boat is like driving a car. Not to me. It's a learning curve as you go.

Keep at it.

I would be concerned about doing things right and knowing the rules of the water.

We were beached with another family and our kids and we watched a guy put his boat on the trailer, (the most expensive boat on the lake IMO), pull up the launch ramp and the boat slid off the trailer and landed on the outdrive. He forgot to secure the boat to the trailer, a costly mistake. You'll be fine!

Edit, I forgot. As we watched that unfold, my friend says what are you so worried about?

[ratdude747]

^^^ Why the first thing I do once the boat is within reach is hook the winch to the bow eye. Even if I have to back the truck up a few times to walk the boat on the trailer, as long as the strap is hooked (and the winch doesn't break), it's not going too far and can be retrieved somehow.