Just bought a 75/76 Kings Craft 55ft houseboat and have a few questionsh

Great Cornholio

Recruit
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
5
Hey everyone how are you doing? As the title says I just bought a 75/76 Kings Craft 55ft houseboat. I figure a little back story will help. Believe it or not this is my first boat. I know crazy to jump into something this big, but I work 150 miles from my house so I need a place to crash (hopefully not sink) while I'm at work so I figured houseboat was the way to go. I say a 75/76 because the previous owner has always said it was a 75, however when I got the in water survey (no haul out facility at this marina) the surveyor said the HID indicates its a 76.

The survey uncovered some things that really need fixed so I'm here to ask questions. Since this is my first post I'll just ask a few then ask some more as time goes on.

1. Electric system seems to be a mess. Switches don't work, some aren't labeled, loose unconnected wires under helm, etc. It seems like rewiring the boat is probably a must. Should I use marine wire? Is it possible to rewire most of the boat without taking the wall and ceiling panels off? Any other gotchas you guys can think of with the electrical system?

2. Potable water plumbing. There is a leak in the fresh water supply line to the sink in forward head. I figure all of the plumbing is the same age so other leaks are bound to show up so I might as well replace all of the pipes/tubing. Can I use PEX sharkbite from Home Depot? If not what should I use?

3. Left engine starter went out (inboard with v drives) The engines are Marine Power Corp. The left engine is apparently left hand rotating. The previous owner had the same starter rebuilt twice within a month of me buying the boat. First time the mechanic basically just cleaned it and charged him for a rebuild. Second time a different mechanic rebuilt the bendix. The starter is weak and got to the point where it would only turn the engine over at full throttle, then eventually got weak enough it couldn't even turn the engine over at all. I'm under the impression that the starter is basically shot at this point. Is it possible for that part of the starter to be rebuilt? Does anyone have any idea where I can find a new starter for a Marine Power Corp 350? I've looked but so far have been striking out...

4. Finally the worst one (I think). The survey revealed some corrosion and pitting on the hull under the access panels in the floor. No haul out facility here so I have not had a chance to see how the bottom of the boat looks. Lets say worst case the hull is pitted enough it needs capped. Does anyone have a ball park price of how much that'd set me back?

That is all for now. The survey did reveal some other issues, but I'll save those for another day. Right now the boat needs more work than I was hoping, but as of now I'm not to the point of regretting going this route so hopefully it stays that way. Sorry kind of long winded and thanks for you help and time.
 

Mikeopsycho

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
738
Hi Great Cornholio (that's hard to type without laughing) :laugh:, and welcome :welcome:. I hope you enjoy your new boat.

I'm no expert, just a fellow iboater, and I don't own a houseboat so any advice I give is just my opinion. There are lots of houseboats where I live, and almost all of them are on aluminum pontoons. Is your boat a monohull or pontoon type? Is it steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or something else?

1. All electric wiring should be tinned marine wire according to all I've read on the internet. Easier said than done. I have never been able to find a supplier that will sell small quantities, but if your redoing all or most of your wiring you'll need a lot of wire, so buying in bulk would be the way to go. I doubt that you'd be able to just pull new wire in behind the old wiring, but who knows? Most likely the wiring will be secured somehow behind the walls, so I'm guessing you'll need to at least open up some areas for access.

2. I am in the process of replacing my water tank and some plumbing and have researched the use of PEX tubing for this purpose, and apparently it's OK to use. New boats are being built using PEX for their water system. In my case some of the fittings will be impossible to get at once the boats all back together, and I'd rather have a PEX crimp fitting or sharkbite than hose clamps or flared copper fittings.

3. Dunno.

4. Corrosion on the hull. I'm thinking steel? Again, sorry, can't help you there.

Anyway, good luck with your new houseboat. I hope it doesn't prove to be more work than you want to do. Working on a boat can be frustrating and expensive, but it can also be very rewarding. I hope the fridge works OK, you're gonna need a couple brews to keep you going. :very_drunk:


Cheers, Mike
 

GT1000000

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
4,916
Hello and welcome, O Great Cornholio...
Heck of a first boat you got yourself...
Yeah, sorry, I can't help you out with most of your Q's, but this Forum has a bunch of great subsections that will definitely answers to all of your inquiries...
Electrical section link...http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...ctrical-electronics-audio-and-trolling-motors
Engines forum link...http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engine-repair-and-maintenance
And if you hang out here for a bit you might find a few folks that know their way around a hull like yours and can lend some input...
Love to see pics and follow along as you meet this challenge head on...
Best of luck and have fun!
GT1M:)
 

bigdirty

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Messages
652
Great Cornholio! Come out with your pants down! :lol: nice.... anyway, welcome to iboats :) Most old boats I've worked on have been 'hacked' electrically by previous owners, and sometimes a complete re-wire is the only way to go.. although, sometimes you can simply replace a few fuses and clean grounds/get rid of 'add ons' to circuits and everything ends up working..

No problem I can see using PEX, i did in mine.. :D Actually wrked quite well to splice into the factory grey plastic lines going to my galley and head sink..

Not sure on the 'Marine Power Corp' motor, but if it is a "350 GM" motor block, (as in chev 350cid V8) i cant see you having a problem simply bolting on a 'mercruiser' or other starter.. a pic of the motor/starter would help here though...

Not sure about the hull, again, pics perhaps?

Sounds fun man :)
 

Great Cornholio

Recruit
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
5
Thanks for all of the replies. I can hardly type my name without laughing either. Glad it was a hit so far with this crowd.

I will take some pics sometime here soon when I can get some time. Work has been about twice as busy as normal lately which is making working on the boat even slower.

Now time to answer some questions from you guys.

The hull is aluminum and a monohull. The whole boat is aluminum which is why these boats are still around.

From what I've gathered the engine blocks are GM 350 V8s. The issue is the left engine on this boat is left hand turning so finding a left hand turning starter has been the issue. I'll get a pic of the engine data plate and engine in a bit. I can't get a pic of the starter though cause its with a local mechanic who is trying to track a new one down.

I'm glad to hear that PEX is good to use. Thats about the best news I've gotten all week.

We may try to clean some grounds in order to see if we can get some stuff to wake up, but the little bit of the wires we have seen are trashed so I'm thinking complete rewire is the way to go. Its almost comforting hearing that hacked electrical systems is at least semi common in old boats. At least I don't feel alone anymore.

Another system I'm looking into is to change out the heads with vacuflush. I've heard as a live aboard thats a much better way to deal with that stuff. Although I haven't had time to research it at all yet.

Thanks again for all of your help. It cheered me up after I got kinda down watching all of my neighbors go out and enjoy their boats while I'm stuck in the slip. Although I know one day I'll be able to join em.
 

Durango318

Seaman
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
68
Congrats on scoring a wonderful boat! First, address the most important. That is, keeping the boat yours and not the fish's. Automatic bilge pump(s) should be a wiring priority as well as the battery and charger related to it. It should have it's own fused circuit right to the battery so you can disconnect the rest of the boat to work on the birds nest of wires. Next, check the anodes and your gonna get wet for this. You will need the right kind to protect the aluminum. Keep the bilge clean, especially free of copper wire cuttings! The rest of your list you can take your time with. Again, great boat!
 

Great Cornholio

Recruit
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
5
Thanks for the advice. The surveyor advised that I add an additional bilge pumps as well so since this now comes from 2 sources I'll boost it up the list. Knowing nothing about boats (before I bought this one I had only been on boats about 7 times in my life) trying to come up with a plan of attack has just been guessing on my part.

I feel bad that I've got so many questions and thanks again to everyone for helping me out.

A problem I thought I had band aided (to try to get to new marina before starter conked out) has returned. This problem leaves me with 2 questions. Problem is the fuel water separators are the old school kind that you replace the filter element, but keep the same outer metal shell. The shell has apparently gotten thin at the bottom over the years and fuel seeps thru the metal. I bought new filters and housings to mount in the engine room. Once I got back to the boat I looked at the paper work and it said do NOT mount in an enclosed engine room and to use only on outboards. So I took them back the next day (40 min drive each way) and asked to exchange them. The guy at the shop looked at me like I had two heads for not wanting to put those in the engine room when the paper work says not to. He also had no idea if there were other filter housings for enclosed engine rooms. Sorry for long story so heres my questions.
1. Does it matter what kind of filter and housing I put in the engine room?
2. A little spilled gas goes a long way smell wise you guys have any tips on killing the gas smell?

​Thanks again.
 

bigdirty

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Messages
652
Yes, many bilge pumps, can never have too many of those :lol: I have 2 hooked up in my 25ft, AND a third on board for a spare, just in case.

As for the fuel filter.. a few years back I 'added' a fuel/water sep filter to my 81 chriscraft, as all there was was just a silly little in-line filter.. Got a 'kit' from west marine with the filter head (housing) and a new screw on filter for about $60 I believe.. They are intended to be bolted to the motor, or bracket of some sort off the exhaust manifold.. I ended up making my own custom bracket, but the housing has two 'ins' ad two 'outs' so you can put it where ever you need/want. (came with two plugs, for the ports you dont end up using0 I dont remember seeing anything about 'do not mount in engine room' on it... Will need a few barbed fittings, and some steel line/hose, but that would be what I'd do to both motors. And replacement filters are cheep, and readily available.

About the gas smell, in theory any fuel that leaked or spilled should eventually evaporate and the smell should go away on its own with some ventilation... Leave the engine hatch open for a while if possible.. does it have a working blower fan(s) in the engine bay? If it still smells really strong after a day or so, you may have a continuing or undiscovered leak... which means you should be VERY careful trying to start the motor(s) or do too much work in/around the area until you sort out this fuel issue...
 
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Great Cornholio

Recruit
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
5
Update time. Sorry for being so quiet, but work has been swamped and when I'm not at work I've been working on the boat. A few things have been fixed since I was last on here.

Found and installed new starter
Replaced fuel lines with marine lines
Installed new fuel filters and shut off valves
A bunch of other odds and ends things

So replacing the fuel lines means that now there is no fuel in the lines at all. We thought we could start the engines and keep them running on starting fluid for a while in order to get the engine driven fuel pumps to prime the lines and get the fuel to the engines, but so far that hasn't worked. We also tried to use a small pump to prime the lines, but that didn't work either, although thru testing that pump didn't pump anything unless the travel was very short.

Any of you guys out there have any ideas how to prime the fuel lines? We are thinking of trying a bigger pump.
 
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