Aluminum 1977 Crestliner Rebuild Finally Underway

[Woodonglass]

Just remember...All I did was flap my lips...YOU did all that quality Work!!!! Here ya go...

 

[Patfromny]

Thanks Mike, that means alot. Next time I will try using a regulator and a plugged in compressor. :facepalm:

Watermann, the lake unfortunately has a 40 hp max rule. My boat is rated for up to a 90 so you can imagine how underpowered it is with that old 35 on her. The fastest i have gotten her to is an eye drying 26 mph. Lol. I have been searching for a 40 that isn't made of gold since I started this project. The avg. Price around here for a 40 is about 1300. Some up to 2500. I am cheap but even if I wasn't, that is pretty steep for a mid 90's engine.

I thought about drilling the holes but the Crack was actually bulged out at its lowest point and once the epoxy went on, it wasn't ever getting welded so I figured if it lasted the long weekend, that was good enough. It did, not without complaining everytime it was in reverse though. WOT with a tube behind it, it didn't make a peep. Reverse out of my dock at 800 rpm was like hearing your neighbors party through a shared apartment wall.

My miserly ways have seemed to pay off in this case though. I called the marina to ask about a new unit and told them the story. One of the owners, a women I grew up and worked with every summer, called me back and said they didn't have any lower units for my year but that they did have an 05 etec 40hp they took in on trade. Great I thought to myself. I can't spent 2500+ more on this boat. She said she would give it to me for what they paid for it.
The lake I camp at is family owned and the kids are starting to take over for the old regime. It just so happens that I hung out with all of them my whole life. It seems that this is starting to pay off. The price for the engine with just the battery cable was 550. I am 90 percent sure this engine is a super low hour specimen. The lake itself is mainly elderly people and they rarely use their boats. The high taxes and remote location plus the distance from the city make the lake unappealing to younger folk I guess. If there are 5 boats out on the lake at the same time it is busy. So she quoted me the price on the motor and I immediately screamed YES YES YES. My wife said I sounded like Meg Ryan in the diner scene with Billy Crystal. She walked by me and said, "I'll have what she's having".

Here is a pic of the engine is took before I left for home. I haven't been calling for updates because I don't want to annoy the good price away. Lol. Gonna call them today to see what parts they have hunted down and their prices.

 

[Patfromny]

Is anyone else having trouble with iboats and photobucket? That last post took about a day to happen. I couldn't pass
Texas the pic to the post and then I couldn't restore my post back here. It kept bringoing me back to the build page instead of restoring the post.

 

[Watermann]

Ok, that makes sense on the HP limit. Thanks for the story about you lake and that was a great bottom feeder price on that etec!

Yeah the forum has an issue at times when I try to post but if I hit refresh it's there.

 

[Patfromny]

I tried everything. I am using a tablet so there is no refresh, I pull down at the top of the screen and it refreshes. I even turned the tablet off and it didn't help. Photobucket was acting up too. It seems to have worked itself out now so I'm happy.

Does anyone have any idea where I should start trying to prop this thing? I am prop ignorant. I found a program that says I need a 13.25 17 to ski and a 13.25 19 for speed. Does that sound right? It's a 16 ft with a 76 inch beam and weighs 800 dry without rigging. The 35 had an 11 inch prop. Sounds like a big difference for 5 hp?

 

[Watermann]

A couple things, the old motor you had was rated at the crank and new one at the prop so you'll see a big difference in that "5" HP.

Pitch is what matters and I have no idea where they get those numbers as a 17" pitch on a 40 HP motor seems very high especially for a boat rated for a 90. Just to give you an example, my 16' SN has a 55 HP with a 12.5" x 13" pitch prop. My 18' Chief has a 205 HP I/O with a 14" x 23" pitch prop and it looks huge compared to the one on my SN.

My opinion is that a 12.5 x 15" pitch would be close to the max for a 40. Be sure to get a prop that has the interchangeable hub so you can just replace the prop shell at a lower cost and make sure you also get the hub kit. Read some of the reviews for the TP Hustler props there's lots of guys with 40 HP range motors that are using 13" pitch props.

http://www.iboats.com/Hustler-Alumi...9980653--session_id.421835148--view_id.374031

 

[Patfromny]

Thanks WM. I Keep thinking the 17 and 19 are diameter. I went back to the program just now and retried. I found one mistake I made. I put 76 in the "beam" box. I reread the caption and it asked for the beam in feet. :doh:. So I guess if I had a 16ft boat with a 76 ft beam I would need a 19 pitch. The new (correct) analysis says either a 13.75 15 for ski or a 13.25 17 for speed. They recommend a hub system...mainly because it is theirs. I was using the TP prop analyzer program. They also recommended the Hustler prop. Other than the cheaper cost of the prop, is it like a quick change system? If I could change props quick to ski I might get the hub system and ask for a ski prop for christmas. Lol

While we're on the prop subject, do you think an SS prop will do much on a 40? I was told I wouldn't gain much, like maybe a mile an hour, on the 35. Wondering if the 40 would benifit or if it is still too small an engine. Thanks for letting me pick your brain...I have never really delved into the world of props. I was always too busy keeping the 35 running to try and make her faster. I learned to gear my old street racer by trial and error but there were only a few gear choices there. The selection of prop sizes and pitches is mind blowing.

 

[Watermann]

I don't know what your gear ratio is for the 40 but knowing what little I do about props if it were me I would pop on a 13" pitch prop.

 

[Patfromny]

Worth a try, thanks. I'll call them tomorrow and ask what prop is on the engine now. It looks huge.

 

[Watermann]

I have a TP Hustler prop shell that's a 15" pitch I can't use just sitting on a shelf as it would barely get my boat on a plane after wallowing about. So if the 13" is a bum steer and winds your motor out too much then you can have the 15" one.

 

[Patfromny]

Cool, I appreciate that Watermann. I'll let you know how I'd all shakes out. I hate the boat being 4 hrs away, this is the first thing I am letting someone else do and it's killing me. No updates, I'm worried that they are making up for the good price on rigging parts. I don't want to hound them but I would like to known where it's at too. I have searched for everything and the best prices aren't all on one site. I am also worried that they will give me a slower prop than needed. The mechanic sounded pretty worried about how fast this thing will be on this small fishing lake. A tach and some seat time will cure my fears though. Lol

 

[Patfromny]

Well, I got a call from the marina today. Pretty good news, the mechanic got me some good prices on everything. I'm paying a lot for the system check gauge but I'll take that. He sold me a BRP controller that was in a damaged box for 195. Just the box was damaged, and all his other prices must be their cost because they were better than anything I found. I have been picking my feet up high with every step I take lately.. don't want to wipe off whatever I stepped in. Lol

 

[Patfromny]

The controller is in and so are the cables. Beyond that I think it is just disassembled. No rush really, I won't be up there for a few weeks. If he had it done by now my brother, who is going up this weekend, would be the first one to use it so I'm not all broken up about them taking their time. :laugh: I would kinda like to be the first one to take her out. No big deal either way but it would be nice to take her on her newest maiden voyage.

 

[Patfromny]

While I was up for the holiday weekend I saw this boat from my past. When I was growing up, we would ski behind my buddies boat just about everyday. This boat belonged, maybe still belongs to another friend who lived year round on the lake. He would be out with his family on this boat skiing too and I fell in love with this boat. His dad painted it and it still looks cool 30 plus years later. He has a sheild painted on the back from some faction of the military. I guess his dad served. His dad had converted his basement into a boat shop and was trying to build this boats twin but with the engine in the middle of the boat. Guess it never panned out. Shame.

 

[Patfromny]

That boat was the coolest looking boat on the lake while underway. Never seen anything else like it. I was super happy to see it there, still together and at the lake. Needs a polish though. Lol

 

[Patfromny]

I found some picks from the weekend. Here is my buddy Scott's son at the helm. He loves this boat and can't wait to drive it every year. He is like his dad though and the second the boat hits top speed, he is pushing the throttle forward looking for more.



Here is one of my daughter taking her turn.



You can see the traffic jam going on behind us in that last pick. I hate when the lake is crowded like that.

Looking at that last pic it seems I need to clean the rubber windsheild gasket with some bleach. Jees. I guess I'm always on the other side of the glass. Lol

 

[Watermann]

Good times right there, sure glad you were able to squeeze one more boat on that lake. :lol:

 

[Patfromny]

I think i counted three behind me in that pic. That is super busy. That is where they troll and it was almost the perfect time for doing so so maybe that explains the heavy traffic. Lol

My brother is up there now and I asked him to send me some pics of the progress. He is holding out on me. He has been up there since this morning so I am sure he has been by to check it out. Maybe I'll get some pics from him while he's sitting by the fire tonight. If not, he's getting a stern text from me tomorrow I can tell you. Lol

 

[Woodonglass]

Those Pix are what it's ALL about!!! Yeppir, makes every moment of all that hard work WORTH IT!!!:nod::rockon:

 

[Patfromny]

This was the two of them the first year of this rebuild. He has grown considerably. It has been 4 yrs...jees. love this pic. His dad, my machinest buddy Scott, is actually hiding. He is the red thing toward the stern there. We wanted it to seem like the kids were in the boat alone. I don't remember why. You can see how badly she needed a paint job though. What do you guys think. Looking at that picture, it has a pinstripe. I have been on the fence about putting it back on. Any opinions?