1998 252 updating thread

[xlint89]

Boat is back at he mechanic to get the out drive refreshed/re-installed.

Unfortunately I have now lost my winter storage facility and most likely the ability to still work on the boat. (pretty bummed as I was doing so well)

Still need to find a place to put her. I really don't want to store it outside.....

[xlint89]

Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy doing stuff to the boat, and I absolutely miss my storage facility.

The boat ended up being stored outside and I've only been able to work on it as weather permits.

Taking a gamble, I decided to try something. I REALLY hope it works out.

JL Audio 12" sub mounted in a custom 3 cu. ft. sealed box in the walkway to the bow.

3/4" Baltic birch plywood sealed with 2 coats of fiberglass resin on the outside. Decided to cheat and use exterior grade oil based Varathane for the interior of the box.

Mahogany wood sealed with Varathane for the inside corners of the box.

Baltic birch window braces sealed with fiberglass resin. The brace with the circle actually helps to support the magnet of the 30 lb. subwoofer

Cut a piece of plywood to fit behind the fiberglass to give it strength. It was also sealed with 2 coats of fiberglass resin.

Sanded the back of the fiberglass to remove any high spots and scuff the surface. Wiped the surface with denatured alcohol to remove any grease or wax.

Applied copious amounts of polyurethane to to the fiberglass and installed the plywood board.

The box was then built in place and secured to the support board with a layer of silicone between the 2 to seal it altogether air tight.

[xlint89]

Got tired of looking at my fallen head liner in the head. Been trying to get my guy to install one, but decided I have an idea.

What if I just painted it?

Nah, how about undercoat? Maybe, but it's black.

I wonder if they make white undercoating? Hmmm.....

And there it was. Flexseal. Not kidding.....

[xlint89]

Removed a JL 800/8 that was driving the M880's on the tower and under the rear bench.

Installed (2) MHD 600/4 to drive them now.

Installed a fused distribution block and new wires.

First pic is of the old wiring.

Still need to finish the install, this was what I got accomplished this week end.

[rabiddawg]

Nice!

[AsLan7]

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That's some fantastic wiring work X.

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[xlint89]

Detail of the sealed enclosure

[xlint89]

Painted and sealed the outside of the box with my left over Flex seal.

[xlint89]

Boom....

Literally and figuratively speaking.

[tsouthard91]

WOW

[xlint89]

Been a while since updating this thread.

Sub in this location is not bad. It puts a little more bass to the front of the boat than the rear though. The wind screen/door across from the sub does not rattle like I thought it would. Really, nothing mounted to the boat rattles. The emblem on the steering wheel does shake though.

I do like a lot of bass heavy music, so I would really like a second sub. Although I'm sure this sub alone would be more than enough for most people.

The sub mounted in the engine compartment did surprisingly well, but you couldn't hear it in the bow. And the sub mounted in the walkway is more biased to the front. Ideally, if I could, I would prob have 1 sub under the helm facing back, and the other in the walkway taking care of the bow.

NOTE: when discussing multiple sub location options with retailers, they strongly suggested I not use a ported enclosure in the engine bay. And even though it is a low voltage, there is potential for a spark to occur and cause an explosion in the presence of fuel vapor. A sealed enclosure would be more suitable if used in this location as any spark would be contained inside the box away from fuel vapors.

The MHD 600/4 amp is powering the jl 8.8's under the bench seat quite nicely. I was surprised to see the difference in bass from them VS. the 800/8 that was driving them prior.

The MHD 600/4 driving the 8.8's on the tower is really not noticeable compared to the M800/8. It's mostly treble you hear coming from them, as it's very difficult to recreate bass in an open environment.

So... With that being said, I am considering changing this amplifier. If I can find a suitable location for another subwoofer, I might consider a MHD 900/5 or even a M1000/5 amp in it's place. That would allow me to power the tower with the same amount of wattage I had last year, and add a second booty shaker.

[xlint89]

I'm now chasing an electrical gremlin with the new gauges. (Still thinking it's coming back to the speedometer wiring problem I was having. during install)

Engine temp normally does not work. I have gotten it to display 2 times while on the garden hose, but once launched, it didn't work just 2 hours later.

Tachometer is still acting erratic. The original was acting weird, that is why I ended up replacing the gauges. Thinking it was getting old and needing replaced. Now I'm thinking it was a wire failing then, and is still causing me problems now. It will display properly, and then jump another 1K RPM for no reason. Often showing I'm idling at 2K RPM and cruising at 4k. WOT reads much higher than what it should as well.

While out yesterday in 2' choppy/windy conditions, the engine was stuttering when landing off a decent wave. (happened at least a dozen times) The engine would hesitate for a split second, the trim tab display went dark, and the GPS speedo would do a full needle sweep as if it had just "woke up" and the air temp gauge would come and go while the depth gauge was normal.

After trailering the boat and starting to diagnose my problems, the dash was dead. Key on and no alarm sound. No switches worked. Climb behind the dash and start pushing elec connectors on the switches and circuit breakers. I would get a quick alarm sound. Start wiggling individual wire groups, and it would come alive. Turns out to be the main wiring harness that powers the ignition switch not making good contact. The large 10 awg power wire is sliding out of the old factory plastic connector. I will most likely be updating the quick disconnects from the factory as they don't seem to be as good as the newer style out now. I hope (pretty sure it is) that this is the engine stuttering problem and gauges failing problem we experienced yesterday.

[xlint89]

Having now gotten to use the trim tabs in different conditions, I can say that they make quite a difference in the boat handling. Take off is nice and planes out faster even with a full tank of fuel and 7 adults on board.

The ride is much smoother. We're not slamming down the back sides of waves. I'm even able to cruise much faster in 2' waves with the tabs installed. Ran around 35 MPH yesterday and no one being lifted out of their seat or the boat taking a heavy beating.

I haven't gotten to set my preferences yet, so the auto trim pro feature I haven't experienced yet. Still trying to use them manually to learn the operation.

So far, very good investment and worth the aggravation with the install. If your water conditions are normally choppy like mine, I would highly recommend installing a properly sized set of trim tabs.

[xlint89]

Added some protection with the automatic extinguisher.

And some reliability with the new water circulation pump

[AsLan7]

Added some protection with the automatic extinguisher.
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aa.jpg

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And some reliability with the new water circulation pump

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Why is it when that color blue pops up my adrenaline gets flowing.

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