I'm back with a 1994 Islander 221V!

[stresspoint]

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...

yea i like to keep an good eye on things when lifting with makeshift devices .
some of the assembly's i have seen people use to lift boat motors scare the hell out of me , but hey if it works and is safe to the operator go for it..

 

[Gibbles]

the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of adding the new lifting point just under the garage door (when it's open).
As long as I can execute it correctly, it shouldn't get in my way.

I also have this dream about replacing my current garage door, and have the new one installed so when I open the garage door it fully clears the garage door frame.

One thing I always hated about my garage door, they made it with a nice high ceiling, and a nice high door frame, but the garage door opened to the normal 8ft height vs the 10 that's available.

 

[Gibbles]

The other day I spent a little time trying to search for islander 221 images via a google image search.
I found a bunch of for sale ads that had some restored boats, and others in totally stock form but newer than this 94.

For the most part the boat was unchanged other than a few minor changes.
I have also been in love with the idea of a camper enclosure.

I ran across this little gem, dual bimimi tops with full enclosure!





Makes me wonder how much something like that would cost to have made.
I'm guessing not cheap, but this might make camping in this thing much nicer.

 

[Gibbles]

Front view,

 

[Gibbles]

Then we have one of my favorite 221 islander paint schemes.


Looks like they had the bow rail modified to square it off at the front.
And I love the little boarding ladder config at the bow.

 

[Gibbles]

I also ran into this,


my engine cover is a bit smushed, so it gives me a good reference of how it should sit.
My rear seats also seem "off"
I'm sure I'm just installing them wrong, but it's nice to see how it should look.

This is a 2006 -2008 if I remember correctly.
the back of my boat is identical to this, down to the locking storage/seat backs.

 

[Gibbles]

This is a little different from mine, but not much different.
On mine there is just a wall here on the pasenger side.
This one has a little glove box thing.

 

[Gibbles]

I also noticed here they have a little access cover in the rear corner?!




Interesting, It might make it easier to access the live well fittings?

I was thinking about installing a pedestal mount for a grill under the port rear seat.
Seemed like a nice place to make it disappear when not in use.

 

[airshot]

On my Islander ( sold it two years ago) I added bases in the floor for three seats across just forward of the dog house. No one liked sitting in the very back anyway. The two outer seats could be swiveled to face the rear for trolling or watching kids on a tube. Those two back corners were the perfect spot to battle fish, the seats would just be in the way.

 

[Gibbles]

A forgotten task this fall was to replace the tarp covering the starchief, but ankle injury prevented me from even messing with it.

Then later I totally spaced it, then snow fell.
Fastforward to this week I noticed that the tarp had a bunch of weight on it due to the melting snow and rain over the weekend.

I saw that the tarp was indeed failing and beginning to rip at the top windshield.

So, $100 later I have a new tarp covering it.

the tarp covering the islander isn't faring well either, it's probably a few years old already.
But at least that boat has two other covers underneath it.

That got me thinking a little more about the future of the islander.
Over the winter in my spare time I like to do some part searching, in the past I have gotten some really good deals.

Story time...
A fine example of some of the deals I can get during the winter would be a Jeep I picked up right after Christmas 2022

as it sat when I purchased it one year ago with a blown engine and a trashed interior, damaged front and rear bumpers, right side plastic fenders cracked and hanging off, and the left corner taillight pushed in/dented.



Just a sample of the interior, carpet gone, seats looked like someone had messy sex in there...


The dash and seats and floors had this white stuff all over.
I decided that the top must have been off and birds must have been hanging out in there.
Once I had it running, the first thing I did was to take it to the local wash bay with a trash bag for the seat, and I proceeded to powerwash the interior.
For the drive home, the trash bag kept my butt from getting soaked.
This was also in late February so it was cold.

I paid 5K for it running and driving, but with a severe engine knock.
I lucked out with the engine block, I was able to reuse it with just a hone.

But it needed a new crankshaft, 1 rod, & piston, full bearings, oil pump, camshaft, lifters, and pushrods.

that engine was also leaking out of nearly ever seal.

I ended up spending under 1k to rebuild that engine.
Here it is all rebuilt and ready to go back in,
Painted silver since I had this left over from another project.



Then on amazon I was able to pick up some nice seat covers for the seats.
And a full carpet kit (bedrug) that was a return, paid less than half price for that carpet set.

My powerwash task and some work using a carpet/seat steam cleaner got those seats looking brand new, but i had already gotten an after christmas deal on the set of seat cover for $120 (diver down).

Interior turned out pretty nice.


Probably about $500 invested there.

Then the dent in the back,
Picked up a harborfreight stud welder/dent puller to deal with that.


As it sit's right now with just some black paint to keep it from rusting.

Hard part was trying to get those body lines to come back, they were pretty much squished in.
Not perfect, but close enough!

Those wheels weren't right for that jeep, it should have had 31in tires on 18in wheels and not the 29's on 16in wheels that it had.
Seller said they bought it like that, so I had to wonder.
The computer also wasn't setup for the tires being so small, so they were always a few mph under what the Speedo said.

A neighborhood kid told me my jeep was ugly after I got it running...
I told him "Yeah I know"

 

[Gibbles]

then later I ran across a heck of a deal on a winch bumper since the one that came with it was all squished.

Picked up a Quadratec brand winch bumper that was new in box but missig the bolts and hardware.
I paid about $120 for this bumper (w/o winch).



This is a very nice bumper, I have used it to push over a dead tree while exploring some family property.

Then move onto the winch, xbull from amazon at about $350 on sale.
SO far it has been working for me very well, but something about that case looked like it needed a different sticker.

So $10 on a sticker kit from Warn, and I increased the value by $1k minimum.



Moving on the wife sat in the jeep with the top off and told me "I thought it would be more Open" with a dissapointed look.

So I picked up a set of tube doors for $150 shipped.
Then I run across a set of wheels and tires from a Jeep gladiator overlander for $200
Bye-bye goes the little wheels and tires, this is the factory tire size in the door...

One very excited wife took this picture while I still had it up in the air, if you notice the jack is under the rear axle.




From there I proceeded to enjoy the jeep over the summer of 2023.

This is a picture i snapped at the top of our family property.


I came home very sunburned.

Continued in a bit...

 

[Gibbles]

Later I decided I wanted something to help keep the sun off of me, so I started looking at bikini tops, but then I ran across a softtop that I scored for $300 in excellent condition.

Besttop brand,


This top doesn't do the convertible fold back feature of the nicer tops, but the sides and the back to come off, and the front part of the top folds back to give you a targa or sunroof.

How I ran it during most of the summer was with the back and the sides off, so I had a really sturdy bikini top, then put the doors back on so I could use the AC.

Then come a day before I pick up the islander, a neighbor turns right into the side of the jeep in full send mode, big gash on the passenger side, and those fenders were knocked off and damaged again, and one of my cheap tires got a big tear in the sidewall.

I ended up getting $4k from their insurance company and decided I could live with the gash.

The tierods and drag link were damaged in the accident and couldn't be adjusted, so I had to replace that.

With that, I also ran across a 2.5in lift kit that had everything I needed except tires.

Then along came a set of almost like new 35in tires that I was able to score (With wheels) for $70!



Neat tires, they have little punisher skulls in the tread.
I'm not expecting these to be great tires, but it got the jeep on the road again.

And of course, while I'm busy looking for winter time deals, I picked up some new side steps that are more lift friendly at $50, however I did need to make my own mounts since they were missing.
(Just finishing those up overthe weekend)

and while I was out in town picking up the cheap side steps, I had this soft top that had been tempting me.
Lower price that made me start thinking about it, and this is the factory one that folds back like a convertible.
Wife is happy with me on that one, said I'll have to fight her for the jeep this summer.

So, $400 more to pick up that soft top (a hell of a deal and like new!) into the "cheap" project.


As the jeep sits right now, I have $5,000 total into it (subtracting the 4k I received from the insurance company from the old price) and including everything I spent on it and stuff for it so far.

That jeep is worth about $12k as it sits and with out the accessories I have for it.

as she sits now, soon to install some side steps since both the wife and I really need to climb into it as it is.

 

[Gibbles]

As the jeep is nearly complete, I really wish the boat could fit in my garage.

 

[Gibbles]

and on the subject of deals, I think there is a chance that the islander has a slight leak in the fuel tank.

I noticed it seems to be able to slide a little under the floor, and the fuel smell I kept getting in the cabin.

I ran across a 50-gallon aluminum tank that's meant to install under the deck, but I have no idea about the dimensions of the current tank, or even if it's actually leaking or something else.

For $50 I was tempted to just go get it, but damnit!

 

[Gibbles]

I have to say, Bottom feeding and looking for deals is addictive.
Started with the Jetstar, I got really into it with the Chief, and it still continues today.

 

[Gibbles]

Well it's getting closer to spring.
I have been thinking about what to do with the engine.
It seems that it's possible to weld the cracks in the block, and they are pretty small vs what I have seen on youtube.

I messaged my welder/mechanic to see if he would even intertain the idea of working on the boat.
If anyone could weld it, he could.

But then if I go through the effort of removing the engine, I would rather replace the engine block...

He gave me a nice solid confirm that he doesn't like working on boats, and didn't offer any suggestions or insite to the book of ideas and pictures I sent him.

So I'm on my own!

Next on the side I also have that Jeep that I need to get 100%.
The Jeep needs new gearing, axle bearings and seals, and I would like a set of air lockers to go in while It's apart.

So that's a solid 3k +in just parts.
Just Empty Every Pocket, and Break Out Another Thousand.

So, onto the engine,
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of not yanking the engine.
Many online have had great success using JBWeld to patch the cracks

It's all about prep, drill the ends of the cracks to prevent it from spreading, and to give the epoxy somewhere to hold.
grind a channel in the crack and patch it up.

I'm thinking I want to give it a shot, all it will cost me is a set of gaskets, some JBWeld and my time.

And if it fails, I'm in the same place I was to begin with.
A new engine to drop in.

 

[Gibbles]

And while I'm on the subject of maybe not pulling the engine out of the boat.

I noticed under the engine mounts, the boat has some frame rails that the mounts bolt into.
Inside of that is a block of wood.

I assume that the block of wood should be held secure to those bolts that hold the engine in place?

Currently I see it flopping around in that channel?!
I assume this might be an issue that I need to address.

As it loops back to the "I should yank that engine to really go over things" path.

 

[Moserkr]

Im the buy once cry once and do it right the first time type. I believe the wood under the engine is for support. As for the block, Id just bite the bullet and get a donor from a glasser. The risk of being stranded on the water or worse, makes it an easy choice in my book. Safety over saving a buck. That engine dies from the jb weld failing when you need it the most is not something id risk. Also it would be good to clean out under the motor and fix the supports. Start fresh while its all apart, put it back together and sleep well at night.

Jeep looks great. I miss my '00 TJ, but it was also a money pit lol.

 

[Gibbles]

Im the buy once cry once and do it right the first time type. I believe the wood under the engine is for support. As for the block, Id just bite the bullet and get a donor from a glasser. The risk of being stranded on the water or worse, makes it an easy choice in my book. Safety over saving a buck. That engine dies from the jb weld failing when you need it the most is not something id risk. Also it would be good to clean out under the motor and fix the supports. Start fresh while its all apart, put it back together and sleep well at night.

Jeep looks great. I miss my '00 TJ, but it was also a money pit lol.

That's kind of where I think I need to go.
Plus I can go over everything while it's apart.

There was a lot of water in the oil, and it was also the wrong oil, 5w30 vs the 24w40 it calls for.
Probably a good idea to really go through the engine, assuming of course if I end up finding a donor block and transferring the rotating assembly over.

I almost had a good donor up in ID, from a S10 or van, spun rod bearings.
It was an earlier model; the block number came out to a roller cam w/o the balance shaft.

I was tempted but knowing that right out of the gate it needs at least one rod and a crankshaft, I'm not sure how the one i have would affect the balance.

Plus, I haven't exactly been able to find a machine shop that I trust as of yet.
My last attempt was a total joke with the Tahoe, I tried to reuse the 5.3 crank in a 6.0 engine build.
The engine shop didn't even balance it.
It looks like they started identifying it, but never followed through.

But they did a fantastic job on the pistons, but the crankshaft wasn't polished correctly, the thrust surface had crosshatching left over.
I attempted to run it, but the engine shook, and it was eating bearings.
(Having a filter cutting/disassembly tool saved me a ton of possible headaches)

So that cost me the price of the "machine work" and then a brand-new GM crankshaft that was already balanced correctly for the 6.0 fixed it up.

That experience also makes me want to skip trying to build an engine and buy one ready to drop in.

That 4.3 engine core that wasn't setup for a balance shaft also could have yielded more power from what I understand.
Combine it with vortec heads and the edlebrock intake...

But a tinny with a vibration = rattles!!
and right now, that 4.3 is butter smooth, so I'm leaning strongly to keeping the balance shaft engine setup.

Another issue is I need to confirm that I survive the possible coming layoffs this spring/summer.
So, I have all the $$$ things sitting in this holding pattern of saving money up.

 

[Gibbles]

Starting to get a little warmer, and my eyes are wandering to the boat more and more.

One thing I still need to do is to install the new swim platform ladder.
I have plans to remove that platform here within the next few weeks.

For the new ladder, it has an under platform mounting setup.
To make that work I need to add a strip of teak in order to support one side of the ladder.

I finally broke down and ordered a strip of .75in teak and it came today.



Expensive little thing!