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  1. K

    Getting impatient

    Summer in the Northland: Just 6 weeks of bad sledding. All seriousness aside ... On the positive side of our short but glorious boating season up North - if the season was 12 months, I don't think I could afford to be a boat owner. The winter months give my boat budget time to recover.
  2. K

    5.x GX Parts Issues

    Nice resource - unfortunately none of my VP part numbers cross ref to the Gates part numbers.
  3. K

    5.x GX Parts Issues

    Anyone having problems sourcing the rubber pre-formed hoses for the early 2000 Volvo Penta 5.x GXx? All of my regular on-line VP parts sources are out-of-stock and they say VP can't tell them when they will will ship citing a supply chain issue. All of my rubber coolant hoses are original...
  4. K

    Help choosing an older cruiser - 1993 Chris Craft Crown 262 or 1995 Rinker 265 Fiesta Vee

    Probably should qualify this by saying, "... any boat as old as those that has been slipped is gonna have rot ...". My 2001 Chris Craft Constellation 26 "lives" on her trailer (high and dry) and has spent most of her life in a climate controlled toy-shed in the high, dry desert of Wyoming - dry...
  5. K

    Electric Brake Overhaul???

    It seems that my electric brakes on my tandem axel steel trailer are loosing their "grip". I test them by flicking the brake controller to MAX BLAST when pulling out of the driveway and easily notice the extra drag of the trailer but their effectiveness seems to be waning over the years. My...
  6. K

    Cruiser comparison

    Consider how/where it's been stored - dry stored/trailer or slip. Also consider engine/drive hours (thinking VP and Mercruisers here) on the older cruisers. I see some 20+ year old dry-stored boats with 400-500 hours (just broken in?). Compare that with a 10 year old boat with 1000+ hours...
  7. K

    Bellow condition??

    While it might be possible to replace the bellows without removing the pivot housing, removing it makes it much easier to access. When removing the pivot housing break the female allen head bolts loose BEFORE you pull the drive. The weight of the drive will help you break those suckers loose...
  8. K

    Bellow condition??

    My DP-SM bellows were last changed in 2011. My boat is dry stored (fresh water only, trailered and inside) when not in use. It saw about 200 hours use in 24 years. I changed both bellows this spring. If you are handy with tools, don't sweat pulling the drive - watch some youtube vids - it's...
  9. K

    Fuel Tank incorrectly labelled?

    That's a lot of work but really the only way to know for sure. The sensed (fuel level float) fuel quantity in my boat varies considerably with the pitch attitude of the hull. Based on experience, it's pretty accurate when I'm cruising on plane. It's very conservative (i.e. shows EMPTY when...
  10. K

    How do you trim?

    This works for me ... Starting off w/ engine full DOWN and hull tabs full UP. Hammer down - as the the speed stabilizes and the hull is on plane, I begin trimming the engine UP while watching the bow rise. At max pitch the bow begins to porpoise and I can feel a rumble under my feet...
  11. K

    Volvo Penta Dpsm prop play

    Looks normal to me.
  12. K

    Which NMEA2000 gateway to use on a VP 4.3 GXi-E

    ^^^^ THIS ^^^^ I have a 2001 5.7GXi-A. Contacted Fox Marine and they knew exactly what I needed. Easy install. Works Great. Turned an old cruiser into my "Glass Cockpit" pride and joy.
  13. K

    DP-SM Annual Inspection

    First timer for removing my DP-SM and inspecting gimbal bearing and bellows. The drive came off easily but there were a couple of surprises. The manuals say there should be a jam nut on the shift cable cube ... there wasn't one (pic 4096)! Also, there was no C-Clip on the drive side of the...
  14. K

    Time to replace tires?

    I found my "sign" ... the date code was on the inside - 1407 😲 Pics as requested -
  15. K

    Time to replace tires?

    Just noticed some slight weather checking on the sidewalls of my trailer tires ... 2-axle steel trailer with 7,000lb boat. I bought the rig 2 years ago. No date code on the tires - I suspect they COULD be 6-10 years old. The trailer has always been stored indoors. Tires are Firestone...
  16. K

    New Style U-joint Bellows DP-SM

    Just opened my new U-Joint Bellows kit (VP 23075752). Surprised to see that the new design is much different than the old-style "radiator hose", soft rubber design. The new one is a pleated hard-ish plastic with soft rubber mating ends. I usually seek out the VP replacement parts but I'm...
  17. K

    Bellows adhesive or not?

    A timely thread since I'm finally going to change my VP DP-SM bellows that was last changed in 2011. While the rubber still looks and feels good after 14 years and 160 hours of fresh water (dry stored) it's probably time to change it. I've never done it before. The local VP shop wants over...
  18. K

    Kohler 5E Generator crank/no start K2/3 lit up

    If you suspect the control board on your Kohler genny, take it out and send it to these guys - https://www.flightsystems.com/. I did and was very impressed with their speed and acumen in helping me troubleshoot my problem. They'll test the board and repair if necessary. In my case there was...
  19. K

    Electric wiring question

    Generally in vehicles - cars, boats, airplanes, etc - fuses are used to protect the wires, not the appliances. Depending on the wire type, they can tolerate an over-current fault for a short time (on the order of seconds or more) while they heat up to their maximum temperature rating...
  20. K

    Electric wiring question

    Belt AND Suspenders? If it comes from the factory that way, I'd be interested in what their engineering minds have to say. I'm not sure about the 'wrong wiring' scenario ... fuses take too long to blow - the damage will be done before the fuse "opens" the circuit.
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