just picked up the wellcraft from my other thread

[turbocorrado]

got it home today, did some quick interior cleaning. ive got all the parts on the way to do the gimble bearing and bellows. its probably gonna get an interior this winter. some questions, the bimini top is there, but there are no bolts to screw it to the mounts, what are they supposed to look like? for the bilge pump, when i have the dash switch turned on that just activates it so when the water gets to a certain level it will turn on and pump correct? or is the switch supposed to make it run all the time? also the engine cover has a piece of wood to keep it up, is there supposed to be some sort of strut or something bolted to it??
here are some pics of it. 1997 wellcraft eclipse 2000s

on the way home this morning

some interior before and after. all ive done is just wipe it down so when people come over it looks slightly presentable,

 

[turbocorrado]

also, found this line hanging, havent had a chance to see where its supposed to go, anyone point me in the right direction??

 

[LippCJ7]

The screws should look something like this
http://www.iboats.com/Convertible-To...view_id.168044

The other question I can help you with is the bilge, put your plug in, put the hose in the bilge and turn it on. The bilge should be automatic, so make sure it is by doing this, do it the first time you go out every season and a even a few times through the season. The switch should be for just in case, say you want to check how much water you have on board, otherwise the bilge should not depend on you using the switch to clear any water it should do it on its own.

Also, the wood is a go around, it is possible you could have had struts but to be honest I have seen them both ways, on yours I bet it did not, I would think that the amount of work you are in for the best idea would be to remove the hinge so that you can remove the engine cover completely, it will just be easier on you, then once your done with the interior you can fabricate mounts for a couple struts to make it better, completely depends on you.

Your outdrive needs new anodes, the line you see could be the speedometer but I am guessing, the part that impresses me is that what needs cleaning appears to clean up nicely! If you need to take the carpet out completely and wash it with a power washer, probably be a good idea to judge its condition, if it is to brittle take it out and leave it out until you are ready to replace it, then take it to your upholstery guy so he has a pattern it will save time.

 

[kjsAZ]

The bimini could be also one of these:

If wired correctly the bilge pump switch in the helm should always activate the pump and make it run all the time. A float switch should be wired directly to the battery and "in parallel" to the helm switch to turn the pump on whenever it detects water.

 

[turbocorrado]

i actually went out and found the hood struts undone hanging down by the engine, so i guess i can look up some replacements. also thanks for the link to the hardware, that looks like exactly what i need, and west marine should have them in stock down the street. it has a closed loop cooling system on it, and one of the coolant hoses is rubbing the back of the alternator, looks like its only a matter of time untill it pops, im gonna have to look into a new hose as well

 

[LippCJ7]

i actually went out and found the hood struts undone hanging down by the engine, so i guess i can look up some replacements. also thanks for the link to the hardware, that looks like exactly what i need, and west marine should have them in stock down the street. it has a closed loop cooling system on it, and one of the coolant hoses is rubbing the back of the alternator, looks like its only a matter of time untill it pops, im gonna have to look into a new hose as well

Hopefully they have the hose, once you have that fixed you can cut a section of the old hose and slice it length wise, then slip it over the new hose where it is rubbing the alternator, that should fix the problem for a long time.

 

[bruceb58]

Is the boat hanging off the end of the trailer?

 

[turbocorrado]

Is the boat hanging off the end of the trailer?

no i was shocked when i got there, the rollers stop about an inch or 2 shy of the back, it fits it perfect.

 

[tpenfield]

Congrats on the boat . . . looks like you have got some work ahead of you.

 

[bruceb58]

What weight is the trailer rated for and what size tires are on it?

 

[redneck joe]

good deal. The upholstery everywhere but the seats will be easy

 

[WellFast210]

Ahh, a fellow Wellcraft Eclipse owner. That baby has a ton of potential. Very nice. About in the same condition as mine was when I bought it. Just finished a complete interior resto, including glassing in a new 5/8" floor, this spring. So nice to have it done. Been freaking raining ever since...lol

Does your boat have a small white oil reservoir container on top of the engine? Not for sure but the line at the lower end unit could be part of the gear oil monitoring system.

And yeah, that 20 foot boat looks like its ready to break that trailer in half. Kinda looks that way anyhow...lol

And be sure to post a build thread when you start interior.

 

[oldjeep]

What weight is the trailer rated for and what size tires are on it?

Always hard to tell from a picture at the wrong angle, but that doesn't appear to be a straight line between the tongue of the trailer and the trailer itself. Looks like a pretty big bend there.

In addition to Bruce's questions, any idea what your tongue weight is?


It is a nice looking boat though once you cleaned it a bit. If all it really winds up needing is the bellow and upholstery then you got a decent deal.

 

[JaCrispy]

Good luck with the boat! You can get replacement prop rods from Napa.

 

[turbocorrado]

just trying to familiarize myself with this stuff, the drain in the ski tunnel, it rained pretty good last night and obviously water is dripping out of the plug hole, i peaked in the ski tunnel drain, and down at the bottom i could see some water(didnt have a chance to see how much is acutally there though, is it common to be able to see water there, or should it always run back? if its uncommon can i just run a household drain snake through it to clear it out??

 

[turbocorrado]

Always hard to tell from a picture at the wrong angle, but that doesn't appear to be a straight line between the tongue of the trailer and the trailer itself. Looks like a pretty big bend there.

In addition to Bruce's questions, any idea what your tongue weight is?


It is a nice looking boat though once you cleaned it a bit. If all it really winds up needing is the bellow and upholstery then you got a decent deal.

the trailer is rated at 3450lbs, its got a 3" tongue and it is rated at 6000lbs, tires are st205/75/15 it does appear to bend slightly up toward the tongue, but i dont believe it is flexing, at some point it has had the front beam replaced, and it appears to be the pitch of the beam that makes it look bent

 

[LippCJ7]

It is a pretty good possibility that you have gotten some blockage in the drains that run along the keel, yes a fish will work but be careful not to tear into the fiberglass.

If it were me I would determine the tongue weight on your trailer, anything more then about 250-350Lbs is to much and you can relocate your boat or your axle in order to relieve some of the weight on the tongue and make your trailer ride better.

 

[bruceb58]

the trailer is rated at 3450lbs, its got a 3" tongue and it is rated at 6000lbs, tires are st205/75/15 it does appear to bend slightly up toward the tongue, but i dont believe it is flexing, at some point it has had the front beam replaced, and it appears to be the pitch of the beam that makes it look bent

Well, the dry weight of your boat is 3250#. Your fuel tank is 50 gallons so there is another 300#. The trailer likely weighs 750#. So just those 3 things without any gear is a total of 4300#.

This doesn't count batteries, line, fenders, anchor, fire extinguisher.....

If your tires are load range C, they are rated for 1820# each

You are dangerously overloading that trailer. You need a different trailer.

http://www.wellcraft.com/downloads/p..._2000_S_97.jpg

 

[thumpar]

My boat is about the same weight and has a tandem axle bunk trailer. That tube on the drive is the pitot tube for the speedometer. It fits into the front of the drive above the cav plate.

 

[turbocorrado]

got the outdrive off, bearing came out with it, oil in the u joint boot. what seal is bad letting oil in the bellow, is it on the transom side or outdrive side??