1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Welp it was mixing oil and water again.

4 quarts in about 6 minutes running time to be exact.
Come to find out, under the starboard side valve cover, one of the 3 plugs that thread into the cylinder head to block off the water passages had ruptured in the middle allowing high pressure water to squirt under the valve covers and blend with the oil.

We fixed that, and she ran beautiful. I'm going to record another video tomorrow.

Another funny fact, the 60 gallon tank still has like 30-40 gallons of 10+yr old gasoline in it. I hooked up the fuel line and it ran tonight for easily 10-15 minutes off that gas with no problem LOL

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Glad you got the water intrusion issue fixed.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Thanks EZ! Talk about perplexing and confusing. Had 3 machine shops tell me "I dunno?"
Wild.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

After the new valve covers, and water issue fixed.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Great news! When's the splash?

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Hah, i'm not even going to jinx myself with any kind of itinerary regarding launch date. I originally planned on july 4th, and look where that got me LOL

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Welp went out today on the maiden voyage, without power steering (so no film LOL) also as a result it was very short. However the following things were learned.

1. This boat is going to be fast.
2. MUST have power steering, i could only do two brief passes in the cove since turning to the right was almost impossible even with my strength being what it is.
3. This boat is going to be VERY FAST.
4. I still have cooling issues it seems, and I believe its time to look at the raw water impellor since everything else appears to be fine.
5. This 302 is performing beyond measure, and when I can steer I estimate 50+mph from this boat. It knocked me off my feet from off-plane to full throttle in <1second
6. A 500CFM 2 barrell carb can sound better then you ever thought possible.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Awesome! Good luck on getting your steering straightened out.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Major update:

Well i'll do a video with all this as well, but here is the latest.

Took the oil out of the 3 sections of the stringer 800, intermediate housing, upper then lower. Put fresh gear oil in, hooked up all my guages correctly and decided to go out for another try. After changing that gear oil it seemed to steer a lot better so I was optimistic in that regard.
Get out on the water, my buddy leaves his truck & my trailer on the ramp as we back away because I don't anticipate this being a very long test. We get out there and I let him have the helm while I watch the motor. No sooner has he planed it out and throttles up, something snaps and the motor revs sky high.

Two problems at this point. One is that something broke, the other is that we are out in the bay now LOL. I jump in and try to swim us back 1500yds, but it's not happening in a headwind with this huge boat. Finally his buddy shows up and we get it back.

Took it back to the shop tore apart the outdrive and the fated water pump shaft splines had turned. Apparently from some reading here and elsewhere this is fairly common with these drives. Anyway I found a much newer upper gear housing and just replaced the whole thing. It was from a 400 stringer I believe but if i'm not mistaken the uppers are identical (they sure looked like it to me) and the gearing is done in the lower unit planetary gears right?

Also noticed it was leaking just a hair of water into the bilge from the lower part of the transom seal, upon further inspection I realized that I had forgotten to come back around the seal with a "finishing" bead of 5200 in black. So only what had oozed out from the initial bead was protecting it, talk about a self-inflicted fail there.


Anyway i'm all fixed up, new fuel sender, all guagues work cept tach and when I pulled my old upper housing apart and saw the water pump impellor, I learned my cooling issue. The housing was cracked allowing it to stuck air into the water stream. I'm hoping my new one will completely solve that cooling problem.

Can't wait to find out!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Good luck!

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Welp i'll post and comment on my own videos I guess. I like them.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

They have blocked youtube at my work so I have to remember to watch them when I get home. I haven't been real good at remembering

 

[sdride]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Seems to be running good. You are in the home stretch now.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

I WAS in the home stretch, till the guy you see driving in a couple of those vid's sais to me yesterday "hey, trim it up a lil" i'm like DUDE its a stringer you can't do that!

Ohhhh it's ok i've done it before just a hair it'll run easier.
SNAP CRACKLE POP good bye ball gears.

NEVER do anything but follow your gut instinct.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Dude should pay half.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

LoL it's almost worth new ball gears to finally have said something right, that HE was wrong about when it comes to boats hahah.

Whole project he has been right and me wrong (he DOES work on them for a living). No idea where he dropped the ball on this one though.... I knew better too but I was like hmm he does have a good track record maybe those little ball gears are sturdier then they look.
Nah actually they are WAY SOFTER then they look

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Finally caught up with the vids. Boat looks great out on the water (I love that windshield) and seems to really haul the mail. RPMs sounded a little high or is it just me? Sorry about the ball gears. At least you know you've just about got it dialed in.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Re: 1981 "SpaceCraft Boat Works, Miami FL" 23.33ft 4100lb V240 Super Sport

Well it wasn't the ball gears or triming it up slightly, it was a bearing cage in the new gear housing i JUST got that let go and wrang itself up in the bearing.

That locked it up and the ball gear as a consequence started shredding due to the motor having so much torque lol