Alpha One Gen 2 Gear Ratio Questions

[thormx11]

So I recently purchased a 20' cuddy cabin boat with a 3.0l engine. I believe it is a 1993 model. The outdrive was stolen from the boat, and the boat has been sitting for about 5 years or so. I have a parts boat with a 4.3l engine in it, and what I assume to be a 1.81 gear ratio of a similar year. Could I use the 1.81 ratio for a little while to make sure the boat will be good enough to stick $1500 in for a complete new outdrive? I am only talking about cruising around the lake on the weekends until winter time, then I would purchase a new unit with the right ratio.

 

[QBhoy]

In my opinion....of course you could. Just get a prop to suit.

 

[Rick Stephens]

In my opinion....of course you could. Just get a prop to suit.

I agree. As long as you weren't running a 15 inch prop on the stolen drive, you should have plenty of room to prop that 1.81 drive down. No reason to replace it even. Get it propped right and you will be golden.

 

[thumpar]

A 20' boat with a 3.0l could have been running a 15 or 17 prop on it. 20' is a big boat for a 3.0l. You may not find room to prop it low enough. If you can't prop it low enough you will be lugging the engine. You don't want to do that. If the drive is cheap enough it might be worth a shot though.

 

[thormx11]

The 1.81 drive I have already would be free, I need to make sure if it is a gen 1 or 2 though, I cant remember off the top of my head.
What kind of prop should I try?

 

[Rick Stephens]

All you can do is take your best shot on a prop choice. thumpar said it better than me, but the hard part is having enough room. Typically 15 inch is about as low as it gets. I'd give a 15 a try if you can get your hands on one. I got one I can lend you if you're in Northern Ideeho.

 

[thormx11]

All you can do is take your best shot on a prop choice. thumpar said it better than me, but the hard part is having enough room. Typically 15 inch is about as low as it gets. I'd give a 15 a try if you can get your hands on one. I got one I can lend you if you're in Northern Ideeho.

Nope, i'm in western KY. Quite a bit of a drive from you lol.

I believe I have bigger issues now though, I got the boat running this morning with a outdrive from a v8 engine, I just put it on to circulate water, not going into the lake with it. Once I finally got it started, water is gushing out from the bellhousing. I can't see where it is coming from, but my guess would be a freeze plug. I would assume that the only way to really tell would be to pull the engine out?

When I put the outdrive on, there was a square "o" ring that went around the driveshaft housing that I am not 100% confidant that I got correct. Would this cause water to leak into the bellhousing?

 

[Rick Stephens]

When I put the outdrive on, there was a square "o" ring that went around the driveshaft housing that I am not 100% confidant that I got correct. Would this cause water to leak into the bellhousing?

Nope. Most likely the rear core plug is out, rusted, whatever. (not a freeze plug, of which there is no such thing)

When you do the actual drive install, glue that o-ring into the bell housing with bellows cement. That way it is always in the correct place.

 

[thormx11]

Is it worth trying to fix? I think I could pull the engine out fairly easy, putting it back in would be my only concern so far. I've heard you have to align the motor and outdrive up, is this very difficult?

I've been thinking about taking it to a local marine mechanic, along with the new outdrive and just having them pull the engine, fix the leak, then reinstall the engine and new outdrive. Any idea what this would cost roughly?

I would like to do a little bit of fiberglass repair to the seat frames on each side of the engine compartment while the engine is out, and if I took it to a shop they probably wouldn't like it if I told them I wanted them to pull the engine out and let me take the boat for a few weeks and then bring it back to install the engine lol.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Pull the engine. Get a look at what is wrong. IF the core plug popped because it froze, then the block, head or manifold is also likely cracked. Only easy way to tell is to put a new core plug in, hook up water, battery and fuel and fire it up sitting on blocks. I wouldn't reinstall it until I had determined it was worth installing.

 

[thormx11]

I've got the engine ready to pull now, just need another person to operate our forklift. I did find a nasty crack in the back of the head. I didn't see any water coming from that area when it was running, but all of the water was probably running out of the plug in the rear before it could circulate the engine.

 

[Rick Stephens]

That'll be a bummer. Hope your worries are unfounded, but if I was a betting man...

 

[thormx11]

No Title

I pulled the flywheel off and it looks about like I was expecting. You can kind of see the 2 cracks in the head at the top of the picture. I do not see any cracks in the block or manifold though. There was a little silicone around the edges of the hole. Could I clean the hole up and punch a new plug in it? I know I'll need a new head though.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Might not be a brass core plug. Looks like a steel one. Pick up a new (brass) plug, drive it in with a little aircraft sealant on it and fire the motor on blocks. See what ya got.