2004 250 Project Thread

[nolaboater99]

Jeesh I can relate big time to installing a bimini alone without scratching or tearing anything. Try doing it with an arch by yourself!

Its pretty cool that you and Nola are going through your boats the way you are. I love watching the progress. So when it's done, what's next? A classic car restoration? Build an airplane? Submarine?

For me, there will always be something on the boat to do. Two years ago we bought a 48 year old house and I will be demoing and installing a new kitchen and 3 bathrooms. Plus making changes to the master bedroom to give my wife a new walk-in closet. She loves boating but I owe her....big time.
Shawn

[Ytmsn]

A treehouse hmm? I'm looking forward to seeing that thread! I can only imagine what you'll come up with.

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[slideruleracer]

Haha.. My boys wish! I'll have to throw up a thread in the marina when I start it.

Ok, so it's coming down to the wire. The boys get out of school next week, but I don't think the boat is going to be finished for next weekend. So I'm targeting to be in the water by the 4th...

Tonight I went through the second round of epoxy fairing on the swim platform and started to prep the outdrive for a quick paint job. I was going to overhaul it originally, but that is going to have to wait until next winter.

When I pulled the outdrive out in the fall, I noticed the water wasn't draining out of the casting int the front of the drive - tonight I discovered why... It was filled with about 4" of dirt/sand/crud. It ended up being much more difficult to clean out than I expected, but it's clean now and the drain hole was redrilled. Little victories feel so good.

[cmattj]

It's good you found the outdrive issue I remember your struggles in removal so you will be fresh . And at least you had her out last year to know what worked.

Amazing job slide and that platform repair had me overwhelmed just in the pics.. oh and we voted no grill. Sorry You'll have to use a clamp in front cheapy.

Keep the pics rolling!

[Ytmsn]

WHAT? Shirley you're're not going to put that old crappy used outdrive back on a new boat?!!

Slacker

[slideruleracer]

WHAT? Shirley you're're not going to put that old crappy used outdrive back on a new boat?!!

Slacker

In my best German accent.. "I fix old things and put them back"

[slideruleracer]

Outdrive is painted. Might be able to get it back in today. Give the paint a day to dry and will fire up the engine in the boat tomorrow. Then I can finally start focusing a bit more on the tuning, though most of that won't happen until we're on the water. Last items items left are the sun pad covers and the swim platform....

[Table Rockin]

Wow...looks brand spankin new

[nolaboater99]

Very nice....

[slideruleracer]

Uggh.. well it was bound to happen. A big old gut punch just when I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

I aligned the engine Friday afternoon... I was struggling with it because it appeared to be off a bit left/right and there's no adjustment for that. I did the old mallet on the alignment tool (maybe a little harder than normal) and loosened a bunch of stuff and tried working everything around and eventually I got the alignment tool going in and out with very little effort. So then Saturday I finished painting the drive and installing the exhaust pipes. Fast forward to this morning when the outdrive was finally bolted back up and I fired up the motor for the first time since April (or whenever it was that I started it in the driveway on the pallet) and the whole boat is shaking back and forth violently. I shut it down quickly recognizing that the engine clearly wasn't aligned to the gimbal. I pulled the outdrive off and then started the engine back up and it ran smooth at idle, but then I tried picking up the revs a bit and the engine sort of fought back - it would pick up the revs and then drop back down, like the engine was still trying to maintain idle speed, and I did it again with the same result and then I pulled back on the throttle and the engine died and I couldn't get it restarted..

It seemed almost as if the throttle position sensor wasn't being read correctly, but I didn't hook up the computer to check it, like I should have. The TPS is one of the very few sensors/senders that I didn't replace during the rebuild so I'll go ahead and order one now, but I'm stressing about this big time. The engine did fire back up a couple of hours later when I tried, but I didn't take it out of idle. Not sure why the IAC would have changed then but not right when trying to restart after a stall. Not to mention that I still have an engine alignment issue to work out.. or a bad engine coupler... which would be weird, since it was fine last fall. Uggh.. if it's the engine coupler, then the engine needs to come back out.

Sorry I'm babbling.. I needed some shoulders to cry on.

Fingers crossed that I can get this worked out quickly without having to pull the engine back out. Hey, at least I installed the LED docking lights this weekend.

[nolaboater99]

I certainly feel your pain. I had everything done, or so I thought, at one time or another and ended up pulling something back apart to re-do it. And I am still having the issues with steering which means I may have to pull something else apart. Whatever I have going on means I will not be taking my boat to Lake Guntersville with me for next weekend after renting a waterfront cabin. It's just not ready.

We do these projects with a broad plan but no real set of instructions. I've said a couple of times during my project that I felt like a kid putting a model boat together with no instruction sheet. I made up a Timeline Chart/Punch List and tried to follow it but it was not always possible. I just couldn't think of everything. And the closer I got towards the end the more I forgot. I actually took a day last week and walked away from the boat and went and played a round of golf. I had to get my head out of the boat for a day.

I'm going to tell you what someone recently told me....Don't be too hard on yourself. What you're doing, and what I'm doing is not easy and as hard as we try, we just can't think of everything. But not everybody can do what we are doing. And the one cool thing is that even though we have those backwards steps, at least we have the knowledge, wisdom and experience to correct.

You'll figure it out and you might lose a day or so but everything will work out. You'll get there.... Go play a round of golf.
Shawn

[Ytmsn]

Wise words. Its things like this that keep us mere mortals from tackling a major project like either one of you are doing. Or I should say, it is the FEAR of something like this happening.

On my 240, I started it up once and it shook side to side pretty violently. Scared the crap outta me and I shut down immediately. It turned out to be a combination of my fuel pump and TPS. I changed the TPS and (at the time) cleaned the screen on the fuel pump. Problem solved. I ended up changing the fuel pump later.

So maybe you were aligned all along? Just thinking out loud here... If the engine was starved for fuel it will buck. So it ran at idle, but with added fuel it acted up? And then wouldnt start after stalling... Did you install a new pump?

This may sound crazy, but if all you can get in your area is ethanol, and it's been setting there sucking moisture out of the air for several months, it could be something as simple as a fuel booger blocking a passage. And when you whacked it with your mallet it came loose.
Maybe? Fingers crossed

[slideruleracer]

Well it sure seemed like an imbalance, and it went away as soon as I removed the drive... But bad fuel and tps are at the top of my list for the engine issue.. Still not quite sure what I'm going to do with the ~70 gallons of fuel.. Hope my suburban can handle it!

[slideruleracer]

I'm going to tell you what someone recently told me....Don't be too hard on yourself. What you're doing, and what I'm doing is not easy and as hard as we try, we just can't think of everything. But not everybody can do what we are doing. And the one cool thing is that even though we have those backwards steps, at least we have the knowledge, wisdom and experience to correct.

You'll figure it out and you might lose a day or so but everything will work out. You'll get there.... Go play a round of golf.
Shawn

Thanks Shawn.. I do have to remember to put things in perspective. I just wish our boating season was longer than 2 momths.. Losing a weekend wouldn't be as big a deal.

By the way, I stumbled across your project thread on the Searay forum (at least I think that's where I saw it). You should post up some of those older project photos! Holy cow did you have that boat emptied out.

Mondays are my golf league night so I'll go take your advice.

[liquid]

I certainly feel your pain. I had everything done, or so I thought, at one time or another and ended up pulling something back apart to re-do it. And I am still having the issues with steering which means I may have to pull something else apart. Whatever I have going on means I will not be taking my boat to Lake Guntersville with me for next weekend after renting a waterfront cabin. It's just not ready.

We do these projects with a broad plan but no real set of instructions. I've said a couple of times during my project that I felt like a kid putting a model boat together with no instruction sheet. I made up a Timeline Chart/Punch List and tried to follow it but it was not always possible. I just couldn't think of everything. And the closer I got towards the end the more I forgot. I actually took a day last week and walked away from the boat and went and played a round of golf. I had to get my head out of the boat for a day.

I'm going to tell you what someone recently told me....Don't be too hard on yourself. What you're doing, and what I'm doing is not easy and as hard as we try, we just can't think of everything. But not everybody can do what we are doing. And the one cool thing is that even though we have those backwards steps, at least we have the knowledge, wisdom and experience to correct.

You'll figure it out and you might lose a day or so but everything will work out. You'll get there.... Go play a round of golf.
Shawn

Sage words here. I'm pretty envious of the ability to do what you guys do.