Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

New cost update:

Previous total $1994.00

Stereo $80.00
Speakers $50
Swim Platform $50
Bilege Switch $22
Stainless hardware $24
Stainless Hardware $20
3M Sealant $10
Through Hull fitting $5

New total $2255

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Great weekend on the boat. We were able to do quite a bit of kneeboarding and not having the carpet in the rear of the boat made for a much more enjoyable time moving about. I can't wait to coat the floor this winter. The stereo also worked pretty well. I should have just bought an amp instead of the head unit and plugged my Ipod directly into the amp, but hindsight... On the bad side the engine is running too rich and carb problems are causing a rough idle as well as acceleration stalls or slow response. I need to go ahead and rebuild the carb, but might put it off until the winter as I see no safety issues with its current condition (not that rich).

I guess I haven't really talked much about the trailer, but it is getting a full restore. The trailer's condition sucks and it needs bunks pretty badly. I also need to narrow the trailer's wheelbase by 12"s. This trailer has some kind of jerry-rigged adjustable bunk height system which is absolutely stupid. I plan on lifting the boat above the trailer bunks with a jack and some wooden supports and then welding on non-adjustable bunk rests as well as adding two front bunks as I really don't want the keel being supported by the rollers. Then I want to add a front V that will catch the bow when loading. Once the supports and new front catch have been welded and the bunks added I will put the boat in a lift towards the end of season so the trailer axle and spring supports can be taken in 12"s. THEN...I can sand the trailer down, primer, paint and re-wire/light/add brakes. I find it amusing that I am more jealous of my friends' properly fitted shiny trailers than their shiny boats.


I love my Shepherd. He is crazy and going through the teen years (2 years old). Saturday he worked himself too hard at the lake and I had to leave him at home on Sunday. He is absolutely crazy at the lake and goes nuts for people to splash water at him. I cannot keep him in the boat unless we are underway. I really need to see if he will use a floaty of some sort and just 'hang out' with the crowd in the water, but I highly doubt it. To think, I want another! What amazes me the most about my dog is how much he likes my cats.

Buddy, I hate cats, but I have always seemed to have one or more around through the years. All my shepherds have gotten along with them. My last shep would let the cat do whatever it wanted be it chewing on her ears or snuggling on top of her head. Some of the funniest moments in life are with a dog and cat in the same house. I am personally fond of the dive bomb attacks that my old cat would do to the dog! She would sit up on a plant ledge and as the dog walked by she would launch herself 8' down onto the dogs back and scare the s**t out of her. Then the cat would just hang there and ride on the dogs back.

That is the best thing about shepherds. If you bring them into your home and family, they are a MEMBER! Kids are no issue, other pets no prob, they are easily trained to stop being aggresive to strangers entering the home without losing the protection aspect if it is not someone you want there. Mine have always been trained with the words "he's cool" or "shes cool"! ears go back and the dog just turns the switch off. Awesome dogs.

I have trained mine to wear a custom made backpack since she was 1. I took a harness type collar and sewed a duffle bag to it that I fill with water and her food when we go camping or wheeling and this also helps drain the energy by putting her in working mode. Try it, it will amaze you. Its like they know, put weight on them and they instantly change demenor. I bet if you got him used to something like that then a modified life jacket would be an easy step after that. Man I know exactly what you are going through with a 2 year old! Dont worry, in a few months he will be an old man and just want to hang with you and of course still get the ball 22 hours a day!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

If he's a true water hound, you need to get him a hound PFD...not to spendy and available in all sizes. They don't object once they get in the water and figure it out.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

If he's a true water hound, you need to get him a hound PFD...not to spendy and available in all sizes. They don't object once they get in the water and figure it out.

Man, I was at a boat show and there was a booth set up that sold pet flotation devices i.e. doggy life jackets. I just for the life of me cant remember the name of the company but im sure there are tons of these out there. The hardest part is getting them used to having something constrictive around them and keeping them calm enough with it to not take away the fun that they SHOULD be having with it on. The barrel chested thing doesnt help finding one that fits either.

My last shep actually died from that reason. Her chest was HUGE and that allowed her stomach to flip inside her just from random gas It was the sadest thing ever...she was the size of a rubbermaid trashcan from the bloating...

 

[skargo]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

My current dog is big in the chest, and a Stearns PFD XL fits him perfect.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

My current dog is big in the chest, and a Stearns PFD XL fits him perfect.

does it just help with bouyancy or does it provide full flotation?

Oh and system-f sorry for turning your thread into a dog and wheelin thread I LOVE your boat, and think you should post pics of the swim platform so we can oogle it!

 

[skargo]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

does it just help with bouyancy or does it provide full flotation?

Oh and system-f sorry for turning your thread into a dog and wheelin thread I LOVE your boat, and think you should post pics of the swim platform so we can oogle it!

He hasn't been in the water with it yet. I will report back when we do, probably this week.

Swim platforms, hey, I just cleaned and oiled mine!

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

oh, here is kindof a way to bring all this together

jeeps and boats! Here is mine! It sits a little low in the water as you can see

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

That's what my boat is going to look like this winter, at least half of it. I am still not sure if I am going to separate or cut the cap when I do the transom, but I would also like to flip the hull and give her some good paint...decisions.
I keep forgetting I need to figure out how to get the prop off. Right now it looks like I am going to have to cut it off

Keep the dog talk going, I don?t care I love my mutt-dog. My best friend?s girlfriend is my vet and after our conversations I am terrified of bloat. After JerryLee eats no puppy dog playtime for at least one hour to minimize the possibility of bloat and he hates every bit of it. We usually tie up in shallow waters, but later in the season we might stop for in some deeper water and a life jacket is a must for him. I really do need to throw a pack on him so he has a ?job?.

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

here are the pictures of the stereo, speaker placement and swim platform. I have not yet drilled to flush mount the tweeters.

This is tucked way back under the dash with plenty of access to the back of the stereo.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

looks good man! Wish I could worry about a stereo and swim platform!

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Thanks, but my boat is going to go under the knife this winter and I will have a lot more to worry about than tunes.


Now for the confusion. My boat is a Glastron Crestflite V174 with a Texas title saying that it is a 1977 model, but WAIT from what I can find Glastron didn't make a 1977 model Crestflite?!?!?!?! In 1977 the Glastron V174 was a Bayflite

As you can tell that is not my boat, but this is (minus the jet pump and + merc drive):

I don't care if my boat is a 70 rather than a 77, but it seems as though the engine serial and drive serial match up with a 1977. So did Glastron make a crestflite in 77? What am I missing here?

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Turns out my boat is a 1971.

When I got the boat the prop was stuck. It looked to be a 19 pitch aluminum 3 blade which are a dime a dozen. I also found a 23 pitch aluminum 3 blade under the seat that doesn't even look used. The 23 pitch is what the Merc. book calls for my boat and engine combo.

Here are the pictures of the prop removal:

Cut off the front section

Then I took out a middle section so I could get to the hub.

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Two outer sections gone. Now I can make two hub cuts.

Two hub cuts completed

Time to take out the rubber hub

Now the delicate cuts into the center hub section

Spreading it apart:

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Half of the center hub section gone. Looks like I nicked the prop shaft

19 pitch Prop, fits merc outdrive...needs assembly

Time to clean, lube and grease the shaft for the new prop.

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

The other day I noticed that the idle was not very smooth. I guess I figured it was the carb needing to be rebuilt, but I ran another compression test anyways using the latest Mecrusier specs.

Results:
1 100 < - went up with oil added
2 120
3 120
4 120
5 30 < - went up 10psi with oil, not enough to matter
6 60 <- went up 10 psi with oil, not enough to matter

Since the head had been pressure checked, the cylinder walls were in good shape, no holes in the pistons, and the head gasket is fine it must be something with the valves. Time to pull the head again.

In about 2 and a half hours the head is back in my shop and I am re surfacing the valve seats. I am really surprised the other valve were not leaking and although the valve seats look fine after resurfacing with compound the valves all probably need to be replaced, but I will do that this winter when the engine is out. Now for some pictures.

5 and 6 before I pulled the valves

Intake on 1 and 2 look wet because I was spraying them to check for leaks. They had none.

The valves are out

A not so good picture of 5 and 6

This is after lapping the valves. Some seats aren't shinny because of the WD40 I am using to inhibit rust.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Its hard to tell from your pics but it kind of looks like the valve seat is not making contact in some spots? If they aren't bent does it have loose guides? You seem pretty good with engines so Ill assume u know how to check them. I like your rig and I like the cherokee in the background too. That will prob be my next vehicle.

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

5 and 6 intakes were not making full contact, but after much lapping they seem to be sealing fine now. Before the lapping you could spray solvent around the intakes on 5 and 6 and watch it seep through rather quickly to the intake port...not good. If the valves continue to leak I will have the head machined and replace all of the valves, but this is going to help some if not all of the problem.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

Did you check the play of the guides? Id hate for you to do all that work and have it still have low compression.

 

[system-f]

Re: Poor Man's Skiboat...Restore?

I planned on checking the guides before reassembly.