I'm back with a 1994 Islander 221V!

[jbcurt00]

I really wish photobucket hadn't done their money grab a few years ago.
Lots of really good islander restore threads that have their image links broken.

Trashed multiple forums I frequent..... still get requests a week from PB to re-activate my acct....

 

[Gibbles]

Messing around with some pool pillows since we have a nice storm coming in.
I also need to jump in there and suck out some of the engine oil, I'm assuming I'll want to reuse my pickup tube (if not rusty), oil pump, and the oil filter housing.

So I just have two pillows in the front, one at the bow against the railing, and another right on top of the cabin and in front of the windshield.
this top has a little leg to help support that area, so I have that installed between the two pillows.



So far I'm happy with them, but I'll probably grab another set to install on the other side of the top windshield.

That tower also acts as a support for the huge tarp that it came with, and that's the main reason why I haven't removed it and put it into storage.

 

[Gibbles]

Anyone ever do a 4.3l to 5.7l swap in their islander?

Landing on the list of "maybe"...

 

[Gibbles]

Well, the islander has been fully winterized.
it still has a solid 3/4 tank of fuel.
So, I'm assuming that's probably like 30 + gallons.

Future plan once I have the Jeep back on the road will be to start removing that fuel, and then put it in the Jeep since our other two vehicles require Premium.

If that actually happens is best guess at this point.


Future plans will be for me to start the removal of the swim platform, and then finally the lower/outdrive.

I'm hearing it's suggested that I do that in order to free the engine from the coupler anyways.
+ I can look over the bellows and stuff while it's free.

I also know I need to tighten all of the bolts since the many years of use has left so many somewhat loose.

So, I want to remove every bolt and hit with some 5200 before reinstallation.

That might also turn into a paint stripping task for the back of the boat.
I would prefer it be bare vs that old paint and rivet sealer that the PO pasted all over the boat while trying to chase a water leak.

 

[Watermann]

Amazes me the lengths people will go to with goop to try and seal out the water. I had to scrape off a couple tubes of sillycone from an OB Merc motor mount and it's mounting holes as if that was going to stop it up.

 

[Gibbles]

Amazes me the lengths people will go to with goop to try and seal out the water. I had to scrape off a couple tubes of sillycone from an OB Merc motor mount and it's mounting holes as if that was going to stop it up.

I need to get a picture of how bad it really is.
Yellowing included since that stuff wasn't meant to be in direct sunlight.

 

[Gibbles]

Another issue I noticed was with the trolling motor/remote troll mount.
seemed a little loose to me.

they also gooped up some white sealant over the bolt holes, it's not 5200 but it did peel off easily with my fingers.

I can't quite tell yet if the bolts go all the way through, or if they are just threaded into the transom.

the back of these "newer" boats is a bit of a pita with all of the storage and trim.

Future me problem for when I have the out drive and the engine out.

 

[Gibbles]

As I'm more in the planning stage of future things, I have been looking at the addition of trim tabs on this 22ft islander.

I forget who came up with the name, but we call it the Dorm Room fridge due to the overall boxy design.

I love the setup I did there, the little merc has it's steering tied into the big outboard so it turns along with the main steering, and still allows me to position the little trolling motor up without messing with the main steering.

I wish I could do that on this boat, but the PO added a remote troll with the wireless remote setup, that allows me to steer the little trolling motor from anywhere on the boat.

One thing it's missing is a full remote control for the throttle and forward/reverse.

My little merc on the Chief, I have a separate remote control at the helm to control it.

It makes it really easy and smooth to use the little trolling motor to navigate.

I have even used it to pull up to the boat ramp, however I usually like having the big engine idling and ready in case I need to move out of the way really quick.

I'm keeping an eye open for some sort of throttle and gear selector remote control for that little trolling motor.
So far, I'm not seeing that it was even an option with the 4 stroke yamaha.

the little merc also had an available steering attachment that I was able to buy and install.

I can't find any such option for the little yamaha.

 

[Gibbles]

On my Chief I have a set of nauticus trim tabs.
that Chief also has a big Chrysler 140hp outboard on the back, and along side of that I have a little 9.8hp merc.

It took a bit to really bring the stern out of the water.

the one time I had the islander out, I noticed the same thing happening.
So I'm seeing a set of trim tabs in the very near future.

But that probably won't happen until the stern has been stripped of it's paint and "sealant".

That brings me to the question.
Those with the 22ft islander, has anyone used trim tabs?

I'm curious what I should get.
Maybe the same brand as before, or should I spring for a set of adjustable?

the basic set from any brand seems to run right around $150.

but if I upgrade to a set of power trim tabs, that goes up and over 1k.

I'm leaning towards the non-power tabs, however if I have to drill holes, I would prefer to do it once.

I'm also curious where I should install it on this boat?

I do have a fishfinder transducer near the starboard corner of the boat, so I'm thinking maybe inboard closer to the V of the hull?

I suppose it would also be fine to relocate the fish finder transducer.

 

[Gibbles]

Well this weekend i did some rough measuring to see if it would even be possible to fit the islander in my garage far enough in order to clear the garage door and get that engine pulled.

Plan would be to use the lifting points that I used to hang the StarChief from the ceiling back when I did the restore on that thing.

I don't think it will work unless I remove the top windshield.
And that's not something that really interests me right now.

so the next idea would be to build a little something in the driveway to lift the engine out and reinstall it.

I went browsing at the local hardware store to see how much some 4x4 posts cost.

Pricewise, not too bad for some 10ft lengths.
Idea would be to build something like this.

 

[Gibbles]

Looking at that thing, I wouldn't do it so nicely.

Probably just two posts, a couple supports on the sides, and then a post crossing the top with something to give it some left and right support on the top, and front and back support on the side posts.

but then it almost seems like it might be just as much work to get the damn windshield removed.

 

[Gibbles]

The other idea would be to create something inside of the garage, but something underneath the garage door when it's open.
Really that's just wasted space anyways.

plus, I could use the walls to keep it steady, and I could leave it in place for future maintenance tasks.


Wife started going off on me when I showed her the picture above of what might live in our front yard for a few months.

 

[stresspoint]

i use a floor crane with extended / modified boom , for counterbalance i just rig up some old V8 engines ,makeshift set up but works well and safe.

 

[Watermann]

Trim tabs yes, I have the Nauticus smart tabs on my Chief.

Nauticus SX Smart Tabs - iboats.com

Nauticus SX Smart Tabs - Since 1998, iboats is the most trusted water lifestyle online store for boat parts and accessories, boats for sale, and forums. Enjoy great priced products with fast shipping.

ww2.iboats.com

 

[Gibbles]

Trim tabs yes, I have the Nauticus smart tabs on my Chief.

Nauticus SX Smart Tabs - iboats.com

Nauticus SX Smart Tabs - Since 1998, iboats is the most trusted water lifestyle online store for boat parts and accessories, boats for sale, and forums. Enjoy great priced products with fast shipping.

ww2.iboats.com

Same setup on my StarChief.

I love them, but reading online they suggest using the power ones for boats 22ft and longer.

I feel like I don't want to spend a grand here, but I do like the idea of having more control...

 

[Gibbles]

i use a floor crane with extended / modified boom , for counterbalance i just rig up some old V8 engines ,makeshift set up but works well and safe.

I would love to see a picture of that setup.

 

[Gibbles]

Going through my old build threads, Jet and the Nova.
Blast from the past!

Neat to see how much my yard has changed over the years.
My apple trees alone!!

I'm about to rip them out here soon, I can never get decent apples out of them, however they are really good for privacy since they are so full and big now.

From waaay back when!



Neighbors house in the background.
Well, that old guy turned out to be a total psychopath!
Sociopath really, but still.
I won't get into it but holly ****...

if I could go back in time and tell past me to never talk to him and plant some trees asap!!

 

[Gibbles]

And last night I found myself at Sportsmans warehouse.
Wandered back to the boating and fishing section.

I spent some time looking at the new fancy fish finders.

One I loved had a massive screen, made by Garmin.

While messing around with it, I thought "how the heck do you select?!"
Then I touched the screen.

Greeted with a "Boop" and bam I was off to the next section!
I was falling in love with it, until I saw the price tag.
$2000!

Downside to it is the overall size, like where the heck do I mount it?!
blocking half my windshield if I mount it on the dash.

 

[stresspoint]

I would love to see a picture of that setup.

ha ha no you wouldn't , it looks a bit unsafe , however it has turn out to be quite safe and i always have a person to be ready incase more counter weight is required ,
NOTE :we do move the boat and trailer rather than the crane as it does get a bit wobbly if i try to move the crane around too much.
next time i need a motor out i will make effort to take a pic

 

[Gibbles]

ha ha no you wouldn't , it looks a bit unsafe , however it has turn out to be quite safe and i always have a person to be ready incase more counter weight is required ,
NOTE :we do move the boat and trailer rather than the crane as it does get a bit wobbly if i try to move the crane around too much.
next time i need a motor out i will make effort to take a pic

Reminds me of my current engine hoist.
Instead of getting one new, I figured I would try and score a used one for cheaper.

What I got was one that had been used to lift something very heavy.
the boom and one of the legs had a bow to it.

I didn't even notice the leg until I tried to pull the old engine from my tahoe.
As soon as I got it up high enough to clear the grille and then tried to move it that sucker tried to fall over on me!

Luckily my wife was home, and while I had the engine suspended over the front of the truck I had to stand on the side as a counterweight to keep it from coming down.

Wife came out and I had her stand on it while I backed the engine out and let it down.

I suspect the PO used the engine hoist to move landscaping rocks.
the ram also turned out to be toast, it didn't last long.

Leg straightened up via my 20 ton press and some careful eyeballing it until straight.

I have to say, I don't want to ever go through that again.

However now I'm thinking I want to add more structure to those legs anyways...