Happiest Day of Ownership !!!

[tpenfield]

My new Mercruiser also has the pressurized single point drain although they kinda lie about that...there are still a few plugs that you have to take off near the water pump. Since my boat stays in a heated structure in Nevada now, I really don't have to worry about freezing. I don't do any fogging since I have cats.

What are you towing that with?

I just ran -100˚ F antifreeze through the raw water side of the engines. These engines also have the pressurized drain system, but I did not drain it (raw water side).

Also, what's the deal with some AF saying it is not intended for engine winterization? Is it alcohol? Not seeing how it would matter? I see this question getting asked a lot on FB groups, etc. Asking for a friend

There is a fogging procedure for these engines, and it is pretty similar to the old school MPI engines. So, I used my usual procedure of fogging & AF.

I am towing it with an F-150 EcoBoost, which is a little out-matched, but it is all local back road towing. I think the trailer is set-up with a bit too much tongue weight, so I'll have to measure it and adjust accordingly.

Remember all the 'fun' we had a few years ago figuring out how far to move a set of trailer axles in order to reduce the tongue weight?

 

[tpenfield]

Very nice "large trailerable" boat. Design seems to be very well engineered and thought out I like bow compartment functionality and access being on the side leaving room for access to the below area. Surely good times are ahead.

I've only spent a day or 2 on land going through the boat and getting it ready for winter (or wintah as we say in Boston). The layout is one of the better designs, but I'm finding things that were not as well thought out as they could be.

The electrical and electronics seems very complicated, am I'm not sure it has to be, but I'm still figuring things out. This boat has the inverter, instead of the generator, and it seems that the AC stuff wants to run off the inverter and not shore power. . . but maybe there is a switch for that.

There also seems to be no single way to shut off all the power (like for fueling).

The boat also has air conditioning, which I'm not sure I'd use, but it too required winterization.

I was going through the GPS and the SmartCraft - It looks like the boat uses a lot of fuel (like 1.1 mpg ). The GPS is showing a Maximum travel speed of 41 mph, which seems a bit slow, but no telling if it was run at WOT. During the sea trail the bottom and propellers/outdrives were really dirty and we hit just about 40 mph @ 5,000 RPM.

 

[Lou C]

I just ran -100˚ F antifreeze through the raw water side of the engines. These engines also have the pressurized drain system, but I did not drain it (raw water side).

Also, what's the deal with some AF saying it is not intended for engine winterization? Is it alcohol? Not seeing how it would matter? I see this question getting asked a lot on FB groups, etc. Asking for a friend

There is a fogging procedure for these engines, and it is pretty similar to the old school MPI engines. So, I used my usual procedure of fogging & AF.

I am towing it with an F-150 EcoBoost, which is a little out-matched, but it is all local back road towing. I think the trailer is set-up with a bit too much tongue weight, so I'll have to measure it and adjust accordingly.

Remember all the 'fun' we had a few years ago figuring out how far to move a set of trailer axles in order to reduce the tongue weight?

I think some is intended for pvc pipe & plumbing and does not have corrosion inhibitors. Glycol itself is corrosive so it needs corrosion inhibitors if used in cast iron or aluminum engines. This is why I like using the Sierra PG antifreeze it’s good enough to be used as an engine coolant not just for storage as the -100 is.
As far as the electrical these new boats have CANBUS electrical systems just like modern vehicles, as far as I know.

 

[alldodge]

OK, I'll have a look. Folks on the Cruisers FB group say it does not have a plug and they merely vacuum up any water. I'm not thinking that will work out in some situations where lots of water gets in there.

Lots of water should be the bilge pump, right?

Maybe drilling time, will show Cruisers how its done

 

[alldodge]

I winterized my AC systems maybe 10 years or more ago because I never use it. Used RV AF and if I had to do it all over again I would have tried to use just air. The AF will dry out

 

[tpenfield]

Yes, there are 2 bilge pumps - one for the forward section of the hull and the other for the bilge. Of course bilge pumps tend to leave a inch or two of standing water, and I'm not sure how the pump will like that when the standing water freezes.

 

[Lou C]

If you run out of time you can just dump some -100 in the bilge to protect the pump

 

[alldodge]

Maybe something like this
https://www.amazon.com/EXTRAUP-Portable-Suction-Electric-Transfer/dp/B07DPD7N38

 

[tpenfield]

Yes, the CANBUS stuff. The gauges do move in defined increments, like the second hand on a clock. So, I assume the analog gauges are responding to the digital input. Lot of A/D and then D/A going on. Brings back memories of my college days when I worked summers testing and troubleshooting Digital/Analog converters . . . way back in the day.

BTW - I double checked the BoatTest.com numbers for this boat and I should be seeing something near 50 mph for speed and 1.5 mpg, which would be great. The test boat was the early model which did not have the arch, and they only had 25 gallons of fuel aboard. (so pretty light). This was with the Volvo Penta 320 HP, which is pretty comparible to the Merc 6.2/350 HP.

 

[bruceb58]

What year is the boat/engine?

 

[tpenfield]

What year is the boat/engine?

2016

 

[bruceb58]

2016

So you have cats...Personally, I wouldn't do any fogging mixtures. I am not with my 2017 with cats.

Can't remember...do you have Rinda Diacom software? First thing I bought when I bought my 2017 Cobalt. Had to make sure I purchased the correct adapters.

 

[tpenfield]

So you have cats...Personally, I wouldn't do any fogging mixtures. I am not with my 2017 with cats.

Can't remember...do you have Rinda Diacom software? First thing I bought when I bought my 2017 Cobalt. Had to make sure I purchased the correct adapters.

Yes, I have the Rinda Diacom. Probably need the correct connector though. The Stbd engine has a low voltage warning, which seems to be a sensor issue ant not voltage itself.

 

[tpenfield]

The biggest issue with the boat is the upholstery, which you can see some of the issue in the picture below.


.
The thread in the upholstery seams is disintegrating and the seats are literally coming apart at the seams. The PO put sticky tape patches over the seams to keep them from coming apart further. It is only the sun-exposed areas that are doing this, so I assume the manufacturer used the wrong thread. My understanding was that there was not a warranty recourse since the boat was out of warranty.

Anyway, I'll probably start another topic to get more specific input, but this will be my winter project. . . re-doing the upholstery. I'll probably do all of the seats over since they all may experience seam disintegration at some point.

Not sure if I should try to re-use the existing vinyl, or buy/make all new upholstery. (Any thoughts on trying to re-stich?) If I make from all new vinyl, I'll probably go with Nautolex brand (not Spradling which Cruisers Yachts uses) and I may add a little color (red or blue) to the center piece of the backrests.

Before making the offer on the boat, I consulted with Cruisers Yacht Tech Support and got their pricing on new vinyl coverings. We worked that cost into the negotiations.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if the vinyl is still pliable, re-use it.. just re-sew

you will know as soon as you start pulling staples as to the condition of the vinyl. however if that area is sun-baked, replace.

 

[tpenfield]

if the vinyl is still pliable, re-use it.. just re-sew

you will know as soon as you start pulling staples as to the condition of the vinyl. however if that area is sun-baked, replace.

My only concern about re-use of the vinyl would be that there would be too many needle perforations along the seams and the seams would have a tendency to tear. It would be nearly impossible to get the sewing machine to go into the prior needle holes along the seams.

Scott, you mentioned that Spradling was a mid-tier material and not high-end. I'm wondering if that will be a consideration as well. I got 20+ years out of the Nautolex vinyl seating on my Formula.

 

[JASinIL2006]

We had some vinyl sections repaired where one or two panels in the entire piece were replaced, and the 'good' vinyl was restitched. It looked good for a time, but those restitched seams are now tearing for exactly the reason you mention: too many needle holes have weakened the fabric. The 'old' vinyl adjacent to the seams is fine and supple, but the fabric is tearing right along the lines needle marks. We got maybe 4 or 5 extra years out of the seats, but it probably would have been more time- and cost-efficient to just replace the vinyl in the first place.

 

[Scott06]

Also, what's the deal with some AF saying it is not intended for engine winterization? Is it alcohol? Not seeing how it would matter? I see this question getting asked a lot on FB groups, etc. Asking for a friend

I am towing it with an F-150 EcoBoost, which is a little out-matched, but it is all local back road towing. I think the trailer is set-up with a bit too much tongue weight, so I'll have to measure it and adjust accordingly.

I think yes the AF is related to the type of alcohol in it. In my personal experience it is just fine for what you are doing. I use the cheap Walmart stuff for my jetski and boats for years no issues.

My tow vehicle is outmatched as well, but like you it is short distance and just use your head... I found out a lot of the difference in tow rating has to do with heat removal from engine and tranny. I tow with a Highlander XLE (5500 lbs rated), the LE version is rated at 1500 lbs, same engine and brakes, difference is engine and trans oil coolers. Might affect it if you tow to AZ.

 

[tpenfield]

Thanks for the input and comments guys.

I'll be measuring the tongue weight on the trailer and making any tweaks accordingly.

As far as the vinyl, I forgot that much of the stitching is french seams, which sort of rules out re-use of the vinyl, since it will look awful with re-stitching. JAS comments are helpful as well, knowing that the repaired panels may not last.

I've also posted the vinyl question on an Upholstery forum for further input.

 

[bruceb58]

My only concern about re-use of the vinyl would be that there would be too many needle perforations along the seams and the seams would have a tendency to tear.

Exactly which is why you shouldn't bother. It's also why you try to keep stitch length as long as you can...which I am sure you already knew.

When I see stitching that fails, it's usually due to people using cleaners with bleach in it. Also, I only use PTFE type thread anymore instead of polyester.