hackergreg
Cadet
- Joined
- May 22, 2012
- Messages
- 6
Hey all, I tripped over this thread and appreciate all the tips you guys provided. I thought I'd let you all know how it worked out TWO YEARS LATER..sigh. I made the mistake of tapping around in the engine compartment as we were cleaning it up in preparation to install the new motor, we i hit a bad spot and old dark water started running into the motor compartment from inside....well that basically destroyed that boating season for us. we wound up removing most of the decking and foam in the motor compartment area, exposing the transom and stringers which were wet but not rotten and leaving the boat to dry out as much as possible which took a couple months. Then re-deck with marine ply, reglass most of the engine compartment and of course-refoam, with enough damn foam to fill the cavity. What I believe happened over 20 years of use, was that the original foam in the cavities did not fill the cavities, and condensation eventually built up and had nowhere to escape, rotting though some of the decking and deck framing....what huge, ugly restoration project, While we were at it we added a fuse block in the motor compartment, and then wound up installing our 330 horse chevy performance 5.7L Engine, kept the outdrive, and manifolds, and added a holley 650 CFM. kept the original distributor, really bad move. We struggled with the the way it was running for most of 2019, not sure what it was. On a friend's suggestion we upgraded the Distributor to a higher output performance setup and the running problems went away. Now the boat tops at about 35, and will throw you back in the seat at takeoff. It also burns a fair amount of gas unless you're really careful to stay out of the back barrels, and cruise at 22-28mph. I think a different prop setup would help that (any suggestions ?)...The boat has been a great learning experience and alot of fun but it still handles like a pig in mud. and it's tough to dock, it goes sideways at the drop of a hat, especially if it's a little windy. Thank you all for your great suggestions.