88’ SS180 by BigNuge

[bchaney]

Dash trim switch should work fine. The only clean way I could see adding one to your existing control is if the manufacturer made some sort of add-on switch or had other control models with it included.

Watermann my fuel filler is on the port side too.

 

[BigNuge]

Hey everybody....got some time in on the boat this weekend. We got a nice break from the unseasonably cold weather we have been having. With that, it got up to 55 yesterday, so I pulled the boat out for the first fireup since I bought it.

https://youtu.be/mVo4FStXzTc

The OB sounds great! Good crisp throttle response, and I’d idled just, though a little high IMO. I won’t adjust idle until I’ve had it in the water and assess under load.

The water jet orifice was plugged with debris from an insect, so I pulled the tubing off for the test run. There was a very healthy volume of water coming from the tubing, but I still plan on doing the water pump.

One thing I did have an issue with is fuel flow. I could not determine if it was the connectors/fittings, lines, or the fuel pump itself. I’m going to eliminate all those potential issues. I have all new connectors, new lines, new primer bulb, new fuel pump, new fuel filter ordered.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah the motor sounds great! Replacing old fuel lines and such is a very good idea.

 

[BigNuge]

Started laying out the helm a bit. All old electrical out, new switches in place, new fuse panel in place. This is only a V1.0 layout for the helm. When the complete resto happens I will be doing a complete new setup/layout at the helm. I would love to do the complete resto this year, but I really think using it for a season will help me make the most out of the resto decisions.

Also, got the new steering cable in and connected at the OB.

Funny side item, this thing takes up the whole length of my shop (as it is now). less than an inch to spare when the motor is tilted all the way up. I have it down for working on it anyway, and that gives me plenty of room to get around at it at the rear. I have plans of extending the shop by 6' next summer....this makes those plans even more important!

 

[BigNuge]

A few pics of the trailer lit up at night. I am very happy with how it came out (lighting wise). I still have reflective tape to apply for visibility, and safety grip tape for walking/standing on the fenders/frame.

 

[Watermann]

Now that is a tight fit alright :lol: Trailer lighting looks good, did you go with LEDs?

 

[BigNuge]

Now that is a tight fit alright :lol: Trailer lighting looks good, did you go with LEDs?

lol, yeah....not an inch to spare!

I did go LED. The tail lights are those “glow” lights, with the perimeter of the oval lit up for tail, and the high intensity LED’s up the middle for brake. Those pics are tail lights only, not the brake lights/brights!

More boat stuff continues to trickle in....hope to get some time into the boat this weekend!

 

[bchaney]

Dang those are some bright LEDs, they look great. I found that most people recommend storing the boat with the motor down so that should gain you some space unless you need an excuse to expand the shop

 

[astor]

nice I like the LED's where did you get them

 

[BigNuge]

Hey Astor, the lights came from Amazon. The options are limitless, but I ended up going with these sealed units for marker lights, sold in lots of 8 (4 Amber/4 red). The tail lights were sold individually, and I picked up a set of simple mounting brackets for the oval lights.

 

[BigNuge]

Hey everybody. Just dropping a note to say hello! I put the boat in storage (rear section of my barn) for the winter right after I made the last post. I brought it back up front and began the wrap up of the project over the last week or so. While it wasn’t a total rehab, I did refresh quite a bit. Honestly, the boat is in really good shape for its age, and I can live with the worn carpet for a year or two.

What was done: Complete re-wire, new gauges, new steering (and steering wheel), new radio, new GPS/sounder, all new power distribution and switches, added trim/tilt switch to control lever, added trim/tilt switch on outboard, all new lighting, tune up on the outboard, new starter, new batteries, new dual bank onboard charger.

I will be back shortly with updated pictures. Hope everybody survived the winter ok! I’m ready to get this thing splashed!

 

[mattsteg]

As far as the electrical goes, it looks like past owners simply added wiring instead of fixing issues. The "OEM" wiring was all still in place, it just seems to have been disconnected. I am going to do some digging, see if I can get some sort of as-built schematic for the boat. Hoping to pre-make a new harness and pull all new wiring.

Anybody with this vintage SS w/88 Johnson, could you let me know if the tach is supposed to light up/turn on as soon as the key is turned on? The tach does nothing at this point, but I am not sure if it just stays off until the motor fires.

The electrical carnage...

Can't help with the Johnson...but am all too familiar with the "add more wiring" school of boat electrical wiring. I'm slowly uncovering the personality in my boat's system...definitely in line for a complete rewire as well. 2 batteries...on separate cut off switches, each powering different things. a panel of resettable breakers and a full fuse panel and bus bar under the helm. Another fuse panel aft, this one with some room in it. And because 2 systems aren't enough, a couple of 9 volt batteries electrical taped to a nest of wires under the console too.

Other than the 9v hackjob, i think most of my carnage is from adding capacity and powering a lot of electronics. It's a 1980 ss v5 that started out as a coast guard aux boat, and most of the original wiring ang gauges are all still intact. Just a lot of extra.

Honestly, other than the dash tilt/trim switches (which may have just been snipped and wired to the throttle control) and the trim gauge - pretty much everything either works (or was removed). I'm inclined to make small improvements and clean ups until I'm ready for a more major overhaul. maybe even further add to the problem.