I salvaged this 100’ jet drive houseboat and I need help!

[Justincas3]

This boat was recovered by me after hurricane Ian last year. The entire helm was torn off by power lines as it was carried ashore by 20+ foot storm surge.

-She never sunk.
-Motors crank right up (I disconnected the drive coupler first)

1.)can anyone help me identify them?

2.)how can I ensure it’s safe to connect the drives? (From what I understand, the previous owner said they needed to be cleaned of barnacles, oysters, etc. before engaging them.

3.) is that really a thing?

4.) do I need to dry dock to do it?

5.) where can I find a controller for the motors? Linkage etc?

6.) edited by mod

 

[Bondo]

This boat was recovered by me after hurricane Ian last year. The entire helm was torn off by power lines as it was carried ashore by 20+ foot storm surge.

-She never sunk.
-Motors crank right up (I disconnected the drive coupler first)

1.)can anyone help me identify them?

2.)how can I ensure it’s safe to connect the drives? (From what I understand, the previous owner said they needed to be cleaned of barnacles, oysters, etc. before engaging them.

3.) is that really a thing?

4.) do I need to dry dock to do it?

5.) where can I find a controller for the motors? Linkage etc?

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.....
#1,.... Turbo diesels,.... Look 'em over, 'n find the tag with the serial number, my guess is the manufacturers name will also be on it,....
#2, #3, 'n #4..... If yer not gonna pull the boat outa the water, I guess yer goin' swimmin' to inspect the condition of the drives,....
I'm quite sure that marine life would love living in them if not run for awhile,....
#5,.... Seastar is well known for various controls,.....
I'm goin' to delete #6, as solicitation isn't allowed here at iboats forums,...
Please read, 'n follow our posting rules, 'n guidelines,..... Thank you,....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Pic of valve cover says Volvo

 

[Justincas3]

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.....
#1,.... Turbo diesels,.... Look 'em over, 'n find the tag with the serial number, my guess is the manufacturers name will also be on it,....
#2, #3, 'n #4..... If yer not gonna pull the boat outa the water, I guess yer goin' swimmin' to inspect the condition of the drives,....
I'm quite sure that marine life would love living in them if not run for awhile,....
#5,.... Seastar is well known for various controls,.....
I'm goin' to delete #6, as solicitation isn't allowed here at iboats forums,...
Please read, 'n follow our posting rules, 'n guidelines,..... Thank you,....

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.....
#1,.... Turbo diesels,.... Look 'em over, 'n find the tag with the serial number, my guess is the manufacturers name will also be on it,....
#2, #3, 'n #4..... If yer not gonna pull the boat outa the water, I guess yer goin' swimmin' to inspect the condition of the drives,....
I'm quite sure that marine life would love living in them if not run for awhile,....
#5,.... Seastar is well known for various controls,.....
I'm goin' to delete #6, as solicitation isn't allowed here at iboats forums,...
Please read, 'n follow our posting rules, 'n guidelines,..... Thank you,....

Thanks for the reply.

They are Volvo Pentas. The jet drives say it as well as the motors. They are 6 cylinder. They DO run but have a couple parts they need before disembarking without a doubt. The drives have a plate but the numbers are hand written. Is that normal or should I be looking for a different plate?

I CAN dry dock it at my place if I need to. I’m in fresh water but this boat came from salt water with some the highest known salinity in the world. I’m sure they are full of stuff judging by the boat’s condition when I recovered it.

Somebody recently recommended I try and manually turn the drives to “break up” whatever was in there. Thoughts?

Would you elaborate on number 5? Know anywhere I can purchase these controllers?

Sorry about 6. I’ll keep it clean

 

[Justincas3]

Pic of valve cover says Volvo

Yes sir.

Are you able to further identify them with more info?

Thanks

 

[Justincas3]

Pic of valve cover says Volvo

Found a plate on the motors.

 

[Bondo]

Somebody recently recommended I try and manually turn the drives to “break up” whatever was in there. Thoughts?

Ayuh,.... They're aluminum drives with stainless impellers, I'd wanta tear 'em down on the bench before I run 'em, myself,.....

Lots of clearance issues to check,....

 

[kenny nunez]

There should be an inspection cover on top of the pumps for the removal of whatever gets drawn into the impeller. Is there a nameplate on the jet pumps?

 

[Justincas3]

There should be an inspection cover on top of the pumps for the removal of whatever gets drawn into the impeller. Is there a nameplate on the jet pumps?

Is this what you are referring to?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Justincas3]

Ayuh,.... They're aluminum drives with stainless impellers, I'd wanta tear 'em down on the bench before I run 'em, myself,.....

Lots of clearance issues to check,....

Where can I find out more about what exactly to check? Is there a specific punch list I could refer to?

 

[kenny nunez]

With the model numbers you should get a service & parts books from Volvo in Chesapeake, Virginia.

 

[stresspoint]

im not familiar with your drives , in general its not a good idea to run jet drives with any form of disruption to the flow.
you probably have stainless impellers running in a stainless ring ,
they will turn over quite freely is my guess "however " a build up in the housing /intake , exit nozzle or on the impellers will cause loss of suction , in turn causing inefficiency within the unit , the last thing you want with a jet pump as they are inefficient to start with ( unless you run big HP ).

it will be well worth the effort to have the pumps serviced and clearances checked even if just for peace of mind.

 

[ggc]

As to 5., I have had a couple houseboats and they had ZF Mathers MicroCommander controls. In fact virtually all houseboats on my lake had MicroCommanders. However I had Mercruiser drives, not jet drives. I would guess that MicroCommander controls could be used for jet drives also. You might want to contact them.

 

[ggc]

FYI This appears to be a Volvo Penta K25 jet drive.
Workshop Manual and an installation manual are on ebay or you can buy from Volvo Penta. Engine manuals are also available. that should help.

I would get the hull number and try to figure out who made the houseboat. Many but not all houseboat manufacturers are in KY near Lake Cumberland.

There is a list of manufacturers with links to websites on the
all-about-houseboats website. There are probably only a dozen companies in business currently that have built a houseboat that size. Look at Horizon, Lakeview, Sharpe, Stardust, Sunstar, Thoroughbred, for example. Contact one and send them a picture of the houseboat. They can probably tell you who made it and help you with the project and sourcing parts even if they did not make it. Fantasy Yachts made many large houseboats, but they are no longer in business. This engine-drive combination is unusual for a houseboat.

Hope this helps. Good luck.