1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

[JDA1975]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

that vinyl cleaned up pretty well...did you remember to put a ladder on that seat base? JK, looks good, you're gonna be boating in no time

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Hey Judge.
Well it has to be tall or I can?t see over the silly cabin. I am going to put seat belts. The people in the seats looking backward will almost be out of the boat!!!!!:facepalm:
I?m going to slide over to your thread and see what you?ve been up to.
Dave

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

yeah your set up is actually intended to stand at the helm...or have a leaning post...so if you want to sit down you would have to have some tall seats indeed....seat belts in a boat can be a bad idea...if you were to flip, it would be better to be thrown out into the water than drug unconscious to the bottom with your boat! that's just my 2 cents of course

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

+1. NO SEAT BELTS! There's a reason boats don't have them to begin with. As JDA says, if your vessel should turn over and your passengers are strapped in place, things will get real bad real quick. A catamaran is not a kayak, so you won't be Eskimo flipping her over should she capsize. Believe it or not, it's better to be tossed clear of the boat, rather than have it rollover on someone, and always wear a PFD while underway. Per another post, boats aren't cars. No mirrors, no seat belts, no air filters, no hand breaks. A boat is a boat and a car is a car.
Glad you're making progress. It's always fun when you get to the interior and get to do the fun stuff like play around with the layout and accessories. Speaking of which, rather than a seat belt, have you thought about an ejector seat for any unruly passengers, or those that don't want to pitch in for gas? Just a thought

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

One little thing now when I squeeze the bulb on the fuel line after the system is full it squirts out the front of the carb (and the bulb does not get hard) but the thing started so wahooooooooooooooo. Your friendDave

Gas dripping in the motor cowling is really dangerous! You said this occurs "after the system is full". Does that means you think the carb bowl float is closing the inlet needle valve and creating some back pressure on the primer bulb? They get firm, not rock-hard and you are a big, strong guy who could realistically force fuel past the inlet needle. Be gentle! Worse case, you may have to do that carb rebuild sooner rather than later. The suspense is killing me; did the new water pump impeller cure the overheating problem? Bill

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Hey Guys!
Thanks everybody for popping in. No Seat belts…..I got it! Lol
I don’t know about the overheating I did not run it too long. Just long enough for it fire and putt for a little while. It sounded like it started to splutter while running after a min or two. So when I ran to the back of the boat it looked like no fuel was flowing into the glass bowl. But it was hard to tell this was the first time I had a fuel filter in the bowl. So I killed it quickly and took apart the fuel pump. I had rebuilt it so maybe I did something wrong. I don’t see how I basically replaced one figure 8 gasket and a little thin diaphragm and I put it all back how it came off. Very simple; or so I thought. As to carb, I don’t know, it never did that before what ever happened last week. The bulb would get rock hard (and not squirt out the orifice in carb). Now I appreciate the compliment on my superhuman strength but I don’t think that is the problem. Something happened when it went kerfluie. It does not leak when running. Only when the carb and fuel lines are full and I squeeze the bulb...Example. I pump the bulb and watch the fuel flow through the glass bowl. I pump a little more and I hear the fuel flow into the carb the bulb gets a little harder and squirt out the orifice it comes. After that point, each time I pump it squirts. Sooo as soon as it squirted I said the carb has gas and vroom, up it fired easily. Then it ran well for a min or two and then it started to splutter that is when I killed it. I did not want to damage again.
c-ya
dave

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Hello again Dreams. The leaky gas situation you describe sounds like your carb's float pin is sticking. It's fairly common and easy to fix. Just remove the carb from the motor and take off the lower bowl which houses the float and check the tiny float pin and the even tinier float pin wire. It's super small and thin and can be a little tricky to get set up just right. Additionally, the float body itself should be level when inverted. When installed correctly, you should be able to move the float through its full range of motion without the float pin sticking, or getting hung up in any way. Once ROM (medical lingo ) is confirmed put it all back together, making sure that everything is reassembled correctly. While you should still be able to manually pump/prime the fuel line you should not have any fuel coming out of the carb any more. When you fire the motor up again, it should idle all day, however if it drains the bowl and dies, you may have a fuel pump issue. Keep us posted.

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Hey Guys,
Took the boat to the lake today for a ?sea trial?; boat floated great. Motor would not start! Spent 3 hours at the dock. Un freaking believable. Motor turned over but would not start! (it started a few days ago remember). Then I accidently slipped it into gear I grabbed the wrong control, and now it will not come out of forward gear???? No matter how I wrench on the lever it is completely stuck. I had a miserable day just getting to the lake. Got out to the ?boat yard? around 11 am; found out I had 3 flats. One flat I saw was not a road tire (it came off of a lawn tractor). Took that tire off using a set of long screwdrivers, I put the spare tire on the rim and then after fighting with it got the tire on the rim. It would not set the bead with my little air compressor. SOOOO back into town I drove to get a tire shop to set the bead. I took it to 3 places and nobody could get the bead to set. At the last place (Walmart of all places?.I needed to buy the plugs for the bilges there anyways. The tire tech told me to put a ratchet strap around the tread and cinch the tire onto the rim. Then he told me to fill a trash can full of water (I used my 55 gal drum) and fill it with the strap on it, while underwater; the bubbles will help set the bead. It worked great. There was a little water in the tire after I took the strap off and the tire was filled with air. I took the little fitting out of the valve stem (I forgot what it is called) and the pressure of the air in the tire blew the water out the valve stem. I filled it again and blew the remainder out.
Then I had to rewire the trailer lights when I was mounting the new license plate I noticed the mice had chewed all the wiring loose under the trailer (I had no lights at all) so I had to climb under and rewire the lights. By the time I got a few gals of liquid gold and was heading to the lake it was already 4:00 pm. The park rangers asked why we were coming so late to the lake when we checked in, and went through the long story of the tire and the lights and etc., along with when we told them that we were probably not even going out in the water we just want to see if it floats and how the motor runs. They told us since we were not going out on the lake (and it was very late) they did not charge us a fee for the boat. It only cost 3.50 (half price for the day, normally 7 bux) to cover the day use only. We launched the boat thankfully the lake was empty so I could stay on the dock without bothering a soul. As I said before, we (my mom and I) sat there for 3 hours dorking with the darned thing. When the gear shift stopped working I packed up my toys and went home knowing that it will never start in gear.
It was a beautiful afternoon and although the wind was blowing very hard and raising a large chop on the water (can?t really tell from photos but it was really bad). My mom and I had a nice afternoon together alone (the first time in a looooong time).
I am very frustrated with this thing so I am going to take a little while off of it to get my mind right! I probably will not work on it at all for a week or two. I am very annoyed right now. Really what happened to the shift lever?
Lastly before I take it out again I need to put 2X4?s or something for rails. I scratched the boat a little putting it back on the trailer. (nothing bad, just a little paint gouged off). The boat sat really high in the water I can see where I need to do a little more painting on the bow of the pontoons. (I could not get while on the trailer while painting, I thought it would be underwater anyways).
Lastly (again) :facepalmlease excuse my slovenly appearance, I was wearing my mechanics clothes not my boating clothes. Since I was not planning on going and having ?fun?
c-ya guys
Dave

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

One final comment; the wooden bench I built is a little heavy (it is mainly 2X4’s). With my mom, and I sitting on it, on the one side of the boat (and as you see I am not a small boy) the boat did not list or even lean a little.
Dave

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

You know, maybe I mixed too much oil in. I thought I read 50/1 on the measuring cup but I seem to remember thinking that it was a lot of oil for 2 gallons of gas. Like ? to 1/3 a quart sized bottle. Who knows? Now I got to figure out what happened to the shift lever first.
Goodnight.
Dave

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

One more thing…sorry I got too much to talk about tonight. The thing sits so high in the water I was able to launch and trailer it with the motor down. I did not need to tilt at all. Is the boat supposed to sit so HIGH in the water. I mean barely 6-8 inches or so of boat is underwater.
Dave.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Took the boat to the lake today for a “sea trial”; boat floated great. CHECK

My mom and I had a nice afternoon together alone (the first time in a looooong time). CHECK

Lastly before I take it out again I need to put 2X4’s or something for rails. CHECK, put some carpet on the 2X4's also.
Dave

Dave, I remember the great feeling of seeing my first boat floating in the lake like it belonged there. Sorry to hear the motor challenged you again but, unfortunately, that is what these 50-60 year old beauties do to earn our respect. I know you can whip it!

Regarding fuel/oil mix, you are correct it should not be much oil per gallon. At 50:1 ratio, it is only 2.672 oz./gal. Next, I would not be too concerned about the boat floating higher in the water than you expected because that is a good thing. Wait and see what it does with full fuel tanks and three or four people. Remember, that boat is designed for a larger motor or twins like yours. Finally, it may not amount to a hill of beans but I recommend you remove what looks like wooden spacer blocks under the trailer winch. They appear to making the cable pull the boat at an angle instead of parallel to the keel which is ideal. Take a break and recharge "your" battery! Bill

 

[Monterey Dreams]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Hey Bill,
I actually did not use that thing (winch) I did not trust it (rusted away and block is not too sturdy). I used my long ropes to pull it up onto the trailer and then cinched it down with the ratchet strap. I am going to replace the whole thing and lose the block. I will also build the rails and cover with the carpet as you suggested. The good was, it floated well and did not leak. It was in the water for 3 hours and I did not have any water in bilges when I pulled the plugs. I also launched and re trailered it with very little trouble. It was very stable with my mom and me wandering around on it. (My mom said the cabin was very warm). I also saw where the fuel was squirting from. It is not coming from the big grated orifice in the front of the motor. If you look a little to the top and right of the large round orifice there is a small hole about a little smaller than a dime and that little hole is where the fuel squirts from. I will try to get photos over the weekend.
I think maybe fuel was the culprit again. I think I put more than 2 oz per gallon. I had two gallons and I think maybe 6 0r 7 oz of oil. I did have a measuring cup (I must have read it wrong) So I should dump roughly another gallon of fuel in to thin it out. If I can figure out why it is stuck in gear and get it out maybe I can use some of my old premix from last week and see if that is the culprit or not.
Have a great night everybody
Dave.
I am very happy it saw water after 50 something years. I bet she was very happy also. I am getting there; it was a little depressing to have less than a total success.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

Wow, no wait...WOW!!!

"Dreams" looks great sitting in its natural environment...that is one super-cool looking boat...

You have done a fantastic job getting it all spruced up...

Don't worry that your sea-trial did'nt go as planned...

When I first got my tub, I lost count, but I think I put it in the water 4 or 5 times, before I actually got most of the bugs sorted out and actually had some fun in it...

Wouldn't start, didn't Pee, wouldn't shift into gear, wouldn't idle, wouldn't rev up in gear, leaked like sieve...etc., etc.

It is part of the price we pay for reviving these old floaters, but in the end it is worth every penny, drop of blood and sweat, and every sleepless night...

You'll get it just right before you know it, and you and your family and friends will be enjoying the water for many years to come...

Take that hiatus for a few, re-enrgize yourself, and then just take it one step at a time...

Keep on having FUN!
Gus

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

I had two gallons and I think maybe 6 0r 7 oz of oil. Dave.

This is actually very close since two gallons at 50:1 should contain only 5.344oz. It's a little heavy but not a concern since that motor was originally designed for 24:1 ratio premix. I say move on to the motor issues and don't worry about the fuel. Regarding the motor issues, post those in your thread over at the E&J Forum because that's where the gurus like Joe Reeves and F_R hang out.

Like Gus pointed out above, lots of positives in your first outing. Just the fact that the hull(s) do not appear to leak is huge and allows you to focus on the motor, trailer, cosmetics, etc. You should not be depressed but proud of what you have accomplished with a limited budget and severe time constraints. Maybe we should call that "hump day" and believe it is all downhill from here. Good luck!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

You know, maybe I mixed too much oil in. I thought I read 50/1 on the measuring cup but I seem to remember thinking that it was a lot of oil for 2 gallons of gas. Like ? to 1/3 a quart sized bottle. Who knows? Now I got to figure out what happened to the shift lever first.
Goodnight.
Dave

You need to pick one of these up http://www.walmart.com/ip/SeaSense-Oil-Mixing-Bottle/16781959 It will show you how much oil is needed for X gallons of gas for a whole bunch of different mixing ratios. Oiling your gas is NOT something you want to mess up.

 

[registeroot]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

CONGRATULATIONS! good job. it takes a bit of perserverance to finish off something as big as this!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1959 Glasscat Catamaran Project Underway.

+ 1. The oil container usually has a chart on it that shows the proper mix ratios on the back, as well. Either way, a little extra oil won't hurt anything (except the mosquitos), especially if she's been siting awhile. It should also smoke a lot less on the open water. My old '66 33 hp was a smoker in the test tank, but really not bad at all on the open water. It made virtually no smoke at top speed and only a little at idle.