Recent content by thompsdw

  1. T

    Hooked up My Trim Sender wrong!! Help??

    I found out today that when I reworked my transom over the winter that I apparently installed the trim and limit senders incorrectly. I replaced both of the senders when I did the transom overhaul on my boat. I have a ’92 Wellcraft 197 Eclipse with a 4.3 Mercuiser/Alpha 1 (Gen 1) drive. The...
  2. T

    Throttle Control Lever Stiff at Low Idle

    My 1991 boat throttle control level is a little stiff at low throttle speeds. I have lubricated all of the fittings in the back of the boat. The same problem exists. I guess the best way to describe the situation is when you are first putting the boat into a throttle condition, it feels like...
  3. T

    Reverse Lockout Soleniod Installation Question

    I recently added a reverse lockout soleniod (connected to my reverse light) install on my trailer boat. I spliced the soleniod into the brake line and ran the 12V line to a newly installed 7 prong plug on my auto.<br /><br />Here is what happened. At first the soleniod seemed to work fine with...
  4. T

    Reverse Lockout Soleniod Installation Question

    I recently added a reverse lockout soleniod (connected to my reverse light) install on my trailer boat. I spliced the soleniod into the brake line and ran the 12V line to a newly installed 7 prong plug on my auto.<br /><br />Here is what happened. At first the soleniod seemed to work fine with...
  5. T

    Marine Surveyor & Mechanic in Cleveland, OH

    Does anyone know a person that can complete a reasonable mechanical inspection in NE Cleveland, OH. I would love to find a "do it all" person that could assess the condition of the hull (no rot or delamination) as well, however, I primarilly need someone that can assess the condition of the...
  6. T

    Trailer Rating

    How much heavier should the rating of the trailer be for a light cruiser that is 25' long. The boat weighs in at ~4,500 lbs. I am estimating that fuel will weigh 400 lbs. That takes me up to 4,900 lbs. I would assume that a trailer capable of holding 6,000 lbs would be the correct size that...
  7. T

    Marine Surveyor & Mechanic in Cleveland, OH

    I need a boat checked out in Cleveland. I will have to do a hull/transom/stringer inspection and do the powertrain as well. If anyone knows of a good mechanic and a good surveyor in that area, please post it here. Thanks in advance.
  8. T

    River Boating???????????????

    That dreaded day has come. We are being relocated to a rural part of ohio along the ohio river. No great lakes are really close (>2 hrs) and I am hearing negatives about river boating. We like to anchor the boat and do watersports off of the jet ski when we boat. I am not sure that I can do...
  9. T

    Black Material in Battery

    During my pre-launch check I was adding water to both of my batteries. The house battery (charged through West Marine battery combiner) has a black coating on the battery caps. I cannot really tell if the plates are blackened like the caps without pulling the battery. The water in the cells...
  10. T

    Drive Fluid Level Drop

    Is it normal for the drive fluid in the indicator bottle to fall ~1/8" over about 10 hours of boating time. I have an Alpha 1 Gen II drive. I didn't notice this on my previous boat (same drive), but my new boat (~70 hours now) does seem to consume some drive fluid. I do not see any water in...
  11. T

    Replacement Seat Bottom Material???

    Our Ray has a removable seat in the transom pass-through. Some time ago, one of the kids was standing on the seat and the starboard base failed (no shear strength at all). Given the fact that I want to put something with more strength back in place of the starboard, what should I use?<br /><br...
  12. T

    2001 Alpha 1 Gen II Drive Whine ????

    Took the new SeaRay out yesterday and experienced something new to me? There is a whining noise that comes from the drive at certain RPMs. I changed the prop from a 19 pitch to a 21 pitch and the RPM band that the whine occurred was significantly shorter. No other problems with the drive - only...
  13. T

    Water Vents on Lower Unit: What if Water is Coming Out???

    My new boat has an 2001 Alpha 1 Gen II drive on it. Today I did a drive fluid change and changed the water pump impellar. In the process of changing the oil, I started the boat on a hose to brind the operating temperature up to normal. While flushing, I noticed that the two vents on the front...
  14. T

    Trash Can Holder

    I was recently looking at Ebbtides and saw a cleaver idea. They used poly board and made a no-nonsense trash can holder that they mounted to the back of head hatch. Open the compartment door and the small plastic trash can was easy to get to. Now I could make one, however, someone else has to...
  15. T

    Fuel Smell in Bilge

    I am looking to purchase a 2000 model SeaRay from a person that was honest and told me about the only problem he has had with the boat. The story goes this way - he had a problem with a fuel odor in the bilge. The dealership (new boat) repeatedly tried to solve the problem but could find no...
See more
Top