Building a '93 Caravelle 1750 Classic Bowrider

[Scott Danforth]

For $300, I would be tempted to pick up the bayliner on facetube marketplace for $600 and sell the trailer and outdrive to get my money back.

 

[Reserector_]

I finally got started repairing the crack on the block. (The lawn tractor repair got priority.)
I got off to a bit of a rough start, aesthetically speaking. Working from left to right, I set the first pin too deep, which leaves a hollow ring. It's sealed. It just looks stupid. Good thing the manifold hides it.
The second one was textbook perfect.
The third one went crooked because I was trying to get away with not grinding the second one flush before drilling and spotfacing the second one. Apparently, this is not one of those jobs that allows ANY shortcuts. It is tedious, and that's all there is to it.
The fourth one is as it should be, and so are the ones installed after that.





After this point, I got moving along and almost made it to the halfway point before I broke BOTH of my taps.
The taps are small. About Ø3/16". They broke when I allowed them to bottom out inside the block. I need to be more aware of the depth when tapping and go slower; just far enough and back it out.
They are a proprietary design, so I have to order more of them and wait. The place is in California, and you have to order over the phone.

Getting them out was a matter of making a tiny tap extractor from a screwdriver and then using that and a hammer to break and twist it out one shard at a time. Once the holes were cleared, I was able to chase the threads and install the pins, so all is good in the end.

So, I am dead in the water until I get more taps. I'm excited, though. It really is coming together nicely. Can't wait to get beck out on the water.

 

[Reserector_]

I just got off the phone from ordering 3 more taps to the tune of $61.54 each. I also ordered a couple more drill bits for good measure, and the spotfacing stop collar that I was supposed to get with the initial order.
With shipping and handling the new bill is $275.00! The initial order was 305.74/ I'm now in for a grand total of $580.74
I should end up with a good bit of leftover materials, but GEEZE! But I digress; it is still cheaper and more convenient than any of the other alternatives that I have come up with.

Now to wait...

 

[Scott06]

I just got off the phone from ordering 3 more taps to the tune of $61.54 each. I also ordered a couple more drill bits for good measure, and the spotfacing stop collar that I was supposed to get with the initial order.
With shipping and handling the new bill is $275.00! The initial order was 305.74/ I'm now in for a grand total of $580.74
I should end up with a good bit of leftover materials, but GEEZE! But I digress; it is still cheaper and more convenient than any of the other alternatives that I have come up with.

Now to wait...

A new block may be cheaper … seriously hope it turns out well

 

[Reserector_]

The last time I priced a new block it was $1,200 for the bare block. Then the engine has to come back out and be torn down. Can't just throw used parts in a new block, so there would be lots of new parts like rings and bearings. Reman engines are around 4K now.
I'm confident that this repair will be permanent. The engine ran fine as it was. It just dribbled water into the bilge, which is annoying to say the least.

 

[todhunter]

Nice job. There's always a learning curve to specialty repairs.

 

[Reserector_]

Nice job. There's always a learning curve to specialty repairs.

...which is everything we've done to our boats so far.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The last time I priced a new block it was $1,200 for the bare block.

Rotten boat prices with running 3.0 are back in the $500 range. Sell the drive and trailer to cover the hull disposal fee. Facetube listed an early 00's boat for 1200 because the interior was trash

 

[Reserector_]

Still dead in the water. I called Lock-n-Stitch yesterday to check on my order, as it has been two weeks.
I know my card transaction went through because I saw the notification the same day. I remember being shocked by the price. I checked it again Saturday and it was still showing as paid. But on Monday, it disappeared. Same as last time I ordered. They waited too long and the transaction cancelled.
The guy is really nice, but this is B.S. Now he is whining about half of his staff being out sick, and a dog bit his finger and needed stitches. So I am patient. He says he'll call back but I end up calling him only to get the same.
I honestly believe he's trying, but there is a glitch in their machine, for sure.
I'm really frustrated at this point. The weather is already turning hot, and I should be done with this repair.

 

[Scott06]

Still dead in the water. I called Lock-n-Stitch yesterday to check on my order, as it has been two weeks.
I know my card transaction went through because I saw the notification the same day. I remember being shocked by the price. I checked it again Saturday and it was still showing as paid. But on Monday, it disappeared. Same as last time I ordered. They waited too long and the transaction cancelled.
The guy is really nice, but this is B.S. Now he is whining about half of his staff being out sick, and a dog bit his finger and needed stitches. So I am patient. He says he'll call back but I end up calling him only to get the same.
I honestly believe he's trying, but there is a glitch in their machine, for sure.
I'm really frustrated at this point. The weather is already turning hot, and I should be done with this repair.

You may need to run it as is or JB it and wait for later to get the tooling ...

How much comes out of block when running?

really frustrating as out of all the engines to winterize the 3.0 is apiece of cake two plugs easy to get at.

 

[Reserector_]

It loses just enough to be annoying. The bilge pump can easily handle it.
I currently have the manifold off, and a new gasket ready for the reassembly. I would rather wait and finish the repair than have to order another gasket and do double work.
Too bad they don't have any competition. It's a great product, but they either need to modernize their retail program, or someone needs to knock them off. This technology has been around for nearly 100 years.

 

[Reserector_]

I finally got the block stitched up. I admit that I struggled a bit with it. That little stuff is hard for me to see. But I feel good about the repair.



The pins and sealant should hold the cast together and seal the crack. The few places where I didn't use pins were not leaking, were very thick, and I felt like I would do more harm than good. Especially if I broke more taps trying. I'm referring to the bump in the middle. I only saw leakage through the long, thin areas on both sides of that bump. If it seeps a little bit, I will live with it.

You can see some small gaps where the pins' shoulders seat into the spot faces. Those could be peened to close them up, but it does not affect the seal or the holding strength. Since it won't show with the manifold on, I decided not to torture myself with such trivial work. ;-)


I was shocked at how thin some areas were. As thin as 1/8" from what I could tell. That is why I had to use such small pins for this repair.

I sprayed it black so I can see any rust that may run down IF there is still a leak. If any pin holes DO show up, I can always add another pin.

I'm ready to button it back up.

 

[Reserector_]

She runs once again! No leaks so far...

 

[ScottinAZ]

She runs once again! No leaks so far...

good deal. At least with a marine engine heat cycling isnt as much of an issue. unless something goes wrong, 150-160 is about all it will see which should keep expansion/contraction to a minimum and not stress the pins. otherwise, I am with Danforth..... rotten boat donor motor, and swap it out whole and run it

 

[Reserector_]

I'm out on the boat as I post this!
Testing a 17P 3 blade. Rpm is 3k @ 32 mph.
I need to review the video with the 19P to compare.
She's running great, though. Gets right up on plane.
Bilge is dry from what I can see.

I'll post video later.

 

[todhunter]

Congrats, Mark! Glad you're out on the water letting the flag fly!

 

[Reserector_]

I forgot to mention that I finally added my decorative vents. I wanted least restriction, but I also wanted it to look finished. These are perfect.
I did have to cut them down a bit. I can't get to them well enough to screw them in, so I applied some schtickum and stuck 'em.

 

[Reserector_]

Here is the video from today.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Here is the video from today.

That's awesome Mark! She looks great and sounds great, I hope to be doing that at some point this year. Enjoy her!

 

[Reserector_]

Here's another short video clip that I like.