How bad is this?? Help...

[chrisf695]

Hello everybody, found a problem near my motor mount today cleaning the bilge. I just dropped a new motor in this spring and i know for a fact this crack wasnt there before i put the boat in the water. How should i go about this? I just put on a alpha SS and would like to run it for the rest of the year. But how serious should i take this? Anything i can do? The boat is in MINT condition.... a true classic.

1989 Powerplay Integra
408 SBC (400hp)
Alpha SS outdrive
67mph

 

[oldjeep]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

How many HP did it have before you did the swap? 400HP - I'm guessing it has plenty of torque too.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Looks like you might have some mint rot going on there, I'd investigate further with drilling core samples.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Before this engine was a standard 350/260. I changed the transom assembly in the spring also, and there was not a trace of rot what so ever. Could a engine vibration cause this? Because I had a misfire action going on for a week and ended up being the distributor. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

You are overpowering the alpha 1 drive....... what kind of prep did you do inside the 23 year old hull to prepare it for that much power? It is difficult to tell but that might have happened even with the older motor.

Those cracks are not in the transom but in the stringer's correct? Did you test drill the stringers too? You said you changed the transom.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Vibration might have caused it, ya never know until you pinpoint the cause.

I said rot because cracks like that are characteristic to fiberglass over wood, when the wood gets wet and swells up it will crack the fiberglass just like that. Take a drill with a 3/8" bit and drill into the suspect area, if shavings come out light colored and dry you're good... if they come out dark and/or moist you have problems.

 

[jestor68]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Engine torque will pull(up) on the left side(looking from the back). If this stringer is on that side, it appears that your hot rod motor is trying to pull the stringer (up) out of the boat.

The Alpha 1 drive is rated for up to 300 hp.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Ill give the hole with the drill bit a go, Im pretty confident its solid but will do it anyway. Thanks for the suggestions and help!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Vibration? You can rip a frame with that kind of power if you jump on it hard enough, wood seems like it would have more issues

Quick test - which side of the motor is that on and which side of the motor rises when you hit the gas?

 

[ricohman]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Looks like you might have some mint rot going on there, I'd investigate further with drilling core samples.

+1
My buddy and I did the same thing on his "mint" repowered Bayliner. We were certain the cracks were superficial but the soggy bottom boys had nothing on his boat. Since he has nearly 2K into his repower he is going to have to redo the stringers and transom. I don't understand his situation as the boat has been stored indoors and he is the original owner.

 

[truckermatt]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

I had some spider cracks in the fiberglass of my boat up in the anchor locker, there was no wood up there, but some stress cracks over the many years.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Stringer rot around the engine mount . . . The engine will do damage to the other mounting points if left unaddressed.

Looks like that engine will be coming out again for some stringer repair.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Well waking up early and not being able to sleep, I thought i would poke around this morning at the cracks... its solid as can be. Still done feel great about this, but ill put some 3m 5200 on top and wait til winter to address this.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

I would suspect it wasnt designed for that amount of hp.

 

[series60]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Hello everybody, found a problem near my motor mount today cleaning the bilge. I just dropped a new motor in this spring and i know for a fact this crack wasnt there before i put the boat in the water. How should i go about this? I just put on a alpha SS and would like to run it for the rest of the year. But how serious should i take this? Anything i can do? The boat is in MINT condition.... a true classic.View attachment 161632View attachment 161633View attachment 161634View attachment 161635

1989 Powerplay Integra
408 SBC (400hp)
Alpha SS outdrive
67mph

Way too much hp/torque for the Alpha1 (300 hp max). Looks like you have some stressing on the engine mounts. I would grind out all the crack and if stringer is good (no rot), repair the area with 2-3 layers of glass cloth and epoxy. I would strongly suggest an alignment check after the repair. Things have already started to move

Just my 2?s worth but was the block a 400sbc to start with? 400 sbc is not the best choice for a boat because of the steam holes in the heads/block. Especially if used in salt water. Steam holes can become plugged with all sorts of debris.
Not a big issue if used in fresh water only but keep an eye on the temp!

 

[chrisf695]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

Well, from doing countless hours of research, people have been throwing 400-500hp at the alpha SS for a while now with no issues... just gotta keep up on changing the gear lube and not be a dumba** doing hole shots all the time.

But the motor did start out as a 400 sbc block... its a .40 over bore which comes to a 408 sbc. Its only used in freshwater, its been a great motor all year.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

I agree MH Hawker. The stress cracks in the fiberglass weren't likely caused by 400HP as opposed to 300HP. He is also running the Alpha SS, not just the regular Alpha, so it can withstand more HP than the plain Alpha. I'm not sure a few cracks (not even touching the motor mount mind you) are indicative of stringer failure. I'd equate the cracks to being caused by settling of the wood from the weight of the engine. Perhaps the glassing was a bit thin there, who knows. Either way, I don't think I'd be pulling the engine because of a couple of minor cracks that could be repaired easily.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

I'd equate the cracks to being caused by settling of the wood from the weight of the engine.

If they were not there before the swap, why after? 400 doesn't really weigh any more than the 350 he pulled out.

Going from 260HP to 400HP seems like a likely culprit. Any idea what the torque specs are on the old vs new motor?

 

[chrisf695]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

The extra torgue could be +250lbs more from the 350 i had, Im taking to a well know shop Friday for an expert to take a look. Now, Of course Ive been going into freak out mode since i saw this... this boat is my pride and joy. I have serious OCD when comes to things like this and this has really bumped me out, hopefully the expert im taking it too can enlighten me that this isnt too bad. This boat is very capable of having 400hp or more... there are a few guys i know that have the same boat that have 450-500hp with nothing done to there stringers for re-enforement. But again every boat is different i guess, even if its the same exact boat. Thanks for all your responses!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: How bad is this?? Help...

If they were not there before the swap, why after? 400 doesn't really weigh any more than the 350 he pulled out.

Going from 260HP to 400HP seems like a likely culprit. Any idea what the torque specs are on the old vs new motor?

My point is that it probably isn't structural with the stringers. It's likely just stress cracks in the fiberglass from the increased pressure on the stringers from torque and any added weight the 400 may have over the 350 (I understand it's a small difference). The cracks can be repaired and it will be as good as new, no stringer replacement or motor removal needed.