93 Crownline 250; she 'was' dirty, but now shes clean and SPLASHED!!

[redneck joe]

you should be able to hold a plane lower I think - trim tabs working OK?

 

[redneck joe]

you should be able to hold a plane lower I think - trim tabs working OK?
​

 

[bigdirty]

Oh ya, they work alright, but I prefer to run with as little tabs as possible, just enough to keep her level. They essentially are just a lot of drag, which uses more power (fuel) to push through the water.. My buddys formula 31pc acts about the same.. bigger boat yes, but with twin big block V8's, so the power to weight ratio is likely on par with the crownline.. and it will not stay up and plane below about 30mph either...

 

[mr300z87]

Hi BD, congrats on s successful project. I have been quietly following along and waiting to see how she performed. My project is similar to your boat, a 1990 Sea Ray Sundancer 250 powered by a 7.4L Bravo 1 Combo and I have not been sure if I was going to like the way she performs. I like a little sportier feel that I think she is going to have. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going on my friends 1989 Sundancer 250 (same hull as mine) powered by a 5.7L Alpha combo and was less than impressed. It sounds to me like the BB engine is a much better power plant for a boat like this. Only time will tell, maybe someone will offer me 10K for her when she is done.

In NJ we have Tices Shoal to Hang out like you did. although not sure how many overnight there as its not very sheltered. Looks like good times. In my world beer and rock and roll is never a bad thing. Enjoy her.

Mike

 

[556guy]

because your SBC/Alpha combo is about 350# lighter than the BBC/BII combo

Only difference is the engine I'm running a B2. Usually run with 40-50 gal fuel, a full fresh water tank and the wife has the aft cabin full of her crap. Add a couple more guys to the load and I'm still under 25. And I don't use tabs either, only to level the ride port to sbd.

 

[bigdirty]

Well theres something.. I tend to run with a full fuel tank when heading out, so almost twice the weight in fuel that you run.. and I didnt put the small amount of flotation foam back in the side batt shelf areas, beside the motor.. hmm.. maybe it would help get her butt out of the water a bit and I could hold plane at a lower speed, but now that I'm thinking about it... i doubt it would make too much diff as i have deleted my hot water tank, put batteries as far forward as possible, and moved the fuel/waste/water tanks forward 6" so that has to help even things out :lol:

 

[bigdirty]

Hey folks, havent been online much in the last little while, but I'm still kicking. :lol: i'm just gona revive my thread as i have some 'plans' for her over the winter.. if I have the time. Short story long; i got laid off again early summer this year, so didnt get out on the boat as much as I liked.. (when I did she performed well, but it has become apparent that i need to re-design the rear deck seating arrangement for more space, and get a new waste tank made up.. dont ask.. uke: ) So after hanging on as long as I could at the shop I have worked at for 10 years, (unemployment running out, and no work coming in... and wintr is coming..) I had to do something.. I just tarted at a new place about a month ago, another small machine shop. Its about a 40 min commute, but they started me at $3 MORE than I was making, and guarantee 40hs a week, plus there is overtime @ time and a half pay. So hopefully I will have the funding to re-do the seating, and maybe build an extended swim platform, but now free time will be in shorter supply.. :laugh: i have worked every weekend since I started, and was asked today to work this coming as well... Make hay while the sun shines i suppose right?

 

[kcassells]

Good for you BIg Dirty!

 

[Mikeopsycho]

It's great to hear from you bigdirty! Glad to hear you found work. The three bucks an hour oughta pay for your longer commute and the OT will go to a good cause (boat). I gotta be honest here..... I'm kinda glad you're gonna have to redo a bit of your boat, your updates on your projects have always been enlightening and entertaining! :joyous:

 

[bigdirty]

Thanks guys So.. The foreman told me today hes quite happy and very impressed with my work, attitude, and skills.. Says he has talked to the boss/owner about getting me on as 'permanent/full time' as they only hired me as 'temporary/full time' to see how I work out, and what I can do.. Permanent would include benefits, and a possible raise after my 3 months.. Told me "you're stayin here man, i wish I had of hired you a long time ago!" It is honestly not a super difficult job for me, but i can see they have had quite a few guys through in the past little while that were 'hacks' and/or had poor work ethic.. so its not to hard to shine. :laugh: He's pretty adamant about me staying on.. also said if my old shop gets busy again, he doesn't want me going back.. So i feel fairly confidant I'll be doing something good (boat stuff) with any extra funds I make over the next 3-6 months..

Anyhoo... I've got some 'concept' and design sketches of what I'm planing to do with the old girl, and as things go with me, it's gona involve a bit of craziness and hacking fiberglass.. I will try to post some up soon, I'm having my typical struggles with the old shop computator as well as photobucket..

 

[Rickmerrill]

Great to hear about the employment situation, sounds good. As a crownie and a former machinist at Bendix who worked as a maintenance machinist and then a prototype machinist I have the utmost respect for anyone that can make it in a small shop and we might be related! Don't be telling me you can't figure these infernal computers out cause that's what I left the trade to do and if I can figure it out I know you can!

 

[Mikeopsycho]

Sounds like you and your new employer are gonna be very happy together!, It's always nice to be appreciated. Maybe they saw your thread on iboats and were impressed with your problem solving skills and stick-to-it-ness. Looking forward to your project resurrection . And sooner or later you're gonna have to tell us why you need a new waste tank...no pictures required. :hand:

 

[bigdirty]

Hey Rick, ya i can figure them out, but its the same old thing.. "The blasted engineers just messed it up from the start... argh... it doesnt work right to begin with!" :lol: Yup, I actually like the 'small' shop, as it's never boring or the same old job day in day out. What I'm doing at my new job is basically a mix of maintenance/repair and prototype/R&D stuff, mostly automotive related. Lots of really complex air ad hydraulic systems, plc controlled small machines and fixtures, AND I go install the new stuff we build on-site and make it work... basically, stuff I am pretty good at, AND enjoy doing..

Mike.. ya well... :laugh: i dont wana think about it right yet, I'm waiting for cold weather to deal with the tank issue.. uke:

 

[Rickmerrill]

That sounds like a great job having a good mix of things to do and set ups at customer sites really makes you feel like your helping somebody else out. I always missed being able to touch the results of my labors. The computer field was good to me but there were many days I was so frustrated I wanted to take one and toss it in a lake so I know where your coming from!

 

[556guy]

Glad to see you back! I missed the updates to the build as the more you did, the more I learned about my 250. Did you ever get a gph reading on fuel? Best I was able to get with the 5.7 was 2.2 mpg at 3500 rpm. This was off a garmin gfs.

As a side note, saw a player on WOT this morning with the name bigdirty. Any relation?

 

[bigdirty]

I'm baaaaaaack! :lol: no, for real this time folks.. Its been a bit crazy for me the last 6 months or so, but don't worry. I've been hard ad the boat for the last month or so redoing the interior and getting ready for the summer.. pics of new seats and panels coming soon, just poping in and it loks like I have a lot of catching up to do!

 

[zool]

Welcome back BD, I thought the Russians finally caught up with you.. :lol:

 

[bigdirty]

testing...

 

[bigdirty]

so I need to figure out how to post pics in a thread again.. things ARE DIFFRENT NOW AAAAGGHHHHH!!! :lol: I think that link goes to all the pics in my photobuckey thingy now.. give me a few days to figure this stuff out again..

 

[tpenfield]

Hey BD, nice to see you back in the saddle here at iBoats.

Yea, picture posting is a bit different with the attachments, but I have found that the URL approach works pretty much the same as before. For me, and for some reason, when I post attachments instead of URL's (photobucket links) I get full sized pictures instead of the little icons.

Anyway, looking forward to pics of your interior work.

I have a 3 day weekend planned with boat stuff end-to-end. New bow roller & anchor, refurbish cabin headliner, throw some wiring in there for a windlass, outdrive stuff, trim pump stuff, yada, yada, yada.

Still too cold to safely light up the engines . . . maybe a couple more weeks.