My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

[classiccat]

CMC Unit Mounting:
I had an "oh crap" moment a few days back.

I 1st mounted the mirror-polished faux motor pad using 1/4-20 bolts that were slobbed-up with "pelican poo" (5200).

The admiral pitched-in and helped man the impact driver from the outside while I was inside.

We got the CMC hung and after cleaning-up the residual 5200, I snapped a pic.

When sat down inside to check out our handy-work, I zoomed-in, I could clearly see that the pad/kneebrace bolts were hitting the CMC!

Stupid-me for not dry-fitting!

This was pretty late in the evening so I had to dismount the CMC and pull the lower 4 pad bolts and clean-off all of the 5200.

TIP: denatured alcohol is waaay better than acetone for clean-up. WARNING! I wouldn't use alot of it near 5200 that is drying...but for cleaning off drips, tools, etc.

The next day, I dry-fit the CMC (with the 4 pad bolts still pulled) and drilled 4 shallow dimples into the backside of the CMC (from inside the boat) to accommodate the pad bolts.

Now it fits like a glove:

I used the highest setting (upper hole) based on measurements, the anti-cav plate should be 2" above the hull bottom when using the motor's lowest setting (highest hole).

The CMC has over 6" of setback...probably closer to 7" in the vertical position so my gut is telling me that I parked it in the appropriate spot.

 

[GA_Boater]

Is the new mantra "Measure once, cut once, dimple once, maybe twice."?

You didn't have to tell.

 

[classiccat]

Is the new mantra "Measure once, cut once, dimple once, maybe twice."?

You didn't have to tell.

Bah, yeah...I like to throw the trolls a softball every once and awhile :lol:

Most folks delete the motor pad altogether which has recessed bolt holes. So if you're deleting, plan ahead.

If I had, I would've ordered up some 5" wide, 3/16" stock to shim the entire assembly...even though a 1/8" deep round dimple in 1" thick aluminum isn't going to hurt anything.

 

[Watermann]

Some very nice work there! :encouragement: Oh yeah wooden motor pads are a thing of the past for sure but when your boat has OB mounting holes that are not BIA standard then covering them up with a plate is best as with my SS.

50 amps? Whoa, what the heck are you going to do run a wire welder and space heater out there? :lol: So you're running your boat power off your motor starting battery?

 

[classiccat]

Some very nice work there! :encouragement: Oh yeah wooden motor pads are a thing of the past for sure but when your boat has OB mounting holes that are not BIA standard then covering them up with a plate is best as with my SS.

50 amps? Whoa, what the heck are you going to do run a wire welder and space heater out there? :lol: So you're running your boat power off your motor starting battery?

:lol: Yeah i could/should dial that main breaker back a bit considering everything is converted to LED now (the amperage selected based on wire gauge/length from the battery to the fuse panel...not anticipated load.) Save it for when I wire in a bow-mount trolling motor (directly from the house battery.)

We have separate house & starting batteries. The only thing I'll power from the starting battery is the TNT, fuel sender and gauge lights.

 

[Watermann]

:lol: Yeah i could/should dial that main breaker back a bit considering everything is converted to LED now (the amperage selected based on wire gauge/length from the battery to the fuse panel...not anticipated load.) Save it for when I wire in a bow-mount trolling motor (directly from the house battery.)

We have separate house & starting batteries. The only thing I'll power from the starting battery is the TNT, fuel sender and gauge lights.

I wouldn't hook that tank sender to 12v power, especially if it's got fuel in it The powered gauge just reads resistance through the sender wire.

 

[classiccat]

I wouldn't hook that tank sender to 12v power, especially if it's got fuel in it The powered gauge just reads resistance through the sender wire.

How do you think it "reads" the resistance (hint: Ohm's law ); technically I'm hooking it up to my ignition switch but the power is still supplied by the starting battery.

 

[GA_Boater]

When Ohm wrote his law, we didn't have gas tanks.

 

[classiccat]

When Ohm wrote his law, we didn't have gas tanks.

​

:lol:

He was a real visionary then!

I gave you guys a softball with the back-dimpled CMC... I didn't expect to get trolled on my electrical chops! :lol:

​

 

[GA_Boater]

I'm old and was told to stay inside as much as possible. Boring!

So I get curious and hit the Google button. My Air Force instructor in 1965 never told us the history, but he sure made us memorize and tested us on Ohm's law, the right hand current rule, impedance rules and other stuff. Since I was a tech and not a designer, I don't think I never used them again.

My head is filled with so much useless stuff, it's no wonder I can't remember my cell number, but I spout can my AF serial number in an instant. LOL

Carry on, CC. A splash is calling you. You're so close.

 

[classiccat]

I'm old and was told to stay inside as much as possible. Boring!

So I get curious and hit the Google button. My Air Force instructor in 1965 never told us the history, but he sure made us memorize and tested us on Ohm's law, the right hand current rule, impedance rules and other stuff. Since I was a tech and not a designer, I don't think I never used them again.

My head is filled with so much useless stuff, it's no wonder I can't remember my cell number, but I spout can my AF serial number in an instant. LOL

Carry on, CC. A splash is calling you. You're so close.

No worries Ga! If trolling an electrical engineer on his wiring helps fight the quarantine boredom for Watermann and yourself then troll away! :lol: In all seriousness, I appreciate you guys sticking with me for almost 6 years (Thread has a birthday in 11 days!)

Talk about forgetting things, I almost couldn't get gas the other day b/c the pump asked for my zipcode and my brain farted on the last digit! Luckily i remembered that the admiral gave me a birthday card to mail! She's always bailing me out!

I moved-up the fuel-system install date simply for evidence that I can hack my way around a fuel gauge/sender :lol:

Before connecting (and testing the "accessories" circuit):

New fuel sender hooked-up with a waterproof connector:

Full tank:

Empty tank (well, almost empty...1" from bottom leaves me with 2.8gal to baby it back to port :lol:

I had 2 bottles of seafoam in the bottom of the old tank since last year:

Rubber pads for the tank:

Strapped-in the old 18gal:

last but not least, random picture of my switch panel:

 

[GA_Boater]

Gonna say something nice, CC. I like the switch panel with protected toggles so can't be bumped.

I was gonna send a BD card next week.

 

[classiccat]

Gonna say something nice, CC. I like the switch panel with protected toggles so can't be bumped.

I was gonna send a BD card next week.

That is a very nice thing to say GaB! Those protected toggles are pretty nifty! :tea:

An brief update on the ol' tub.

Sanded the transom cap upto 800g and polished through the green buff.

i came close to ripping it apart (polisher running "WOT") when a neighbor was at the bottom of the driveway waving to me and I lifted my head to nod to acknowledge her :Cry:

I was able to find ~ 3/4 of the predrilled epoxy plugs...#8 x 1/2 SS screws were coated w/ 5200 and driven home. The holes that are empty, I didn't want to chance missing the plug & drilling into transom wood:

taped-off the horizontal splashwell seam and caulked with 5200 :lol: after filling in any large gaps with butyl puddy tape:

^^^ I'll take care of the horizontal seams/gaps when the horizontal cures.

Lastly, the old 'Rude makes a cameo showing off her new OEM solenoid!

I hope you guys are staying safe/healthy/sane...mucho crazy world right now! :yo:

 

[Watermann]

Oh yeah I'm all good here, you're moving right along there so you must be virus free. We wouldn't abandon you this close to the finish line.

Just wish the wind would stop blowing here, hasn't stopped for 2 weeks and if it did I would self isolate on the walleye

 

[classiccat]

Oh yeah I'm all good here, you're moving right along there so you must be virus free. We wouldn't abandon you this close to the finish line.

Just wish the wind would stop blowing here, hasn't stopped for 2 weeks and if it did I would self isolate on the walleye

That's awesome Rob...I was worried a little when I saw how hard the PNC was getting hit. When the wind stops, the walleye will be a little bit bigger

Yeah ...the only fever I'm suffering is cabin fever thankfully. The governor shut things down pretty tight allowing (mandating) us to start telecommuting this week.

 

[GA_Boater]

CC - Got any more rivets to drive? Use a hands free phone and pound rivets. Work will hang up.

Probably won't work, When I teled, it was remotely on my PC with no mic or speakers used. It was a thought.

 

[classiccat]

CC - Got any more rivets to drive? Use a hands free phone and pound rivets. Work will hang up.

Probably won't work, When I teled, it was remotely on my PC with no mic or speakers used. It was a thought.

:lol: That would do it!

I thought I would get a little more "hanger time" but I have a staff to manage through this chaos in addition to the day-to-day grind. Teleconferencing/video-conferencing apps have come a long way even from 5 years ago.

Its funny you should ask about rivets :madgrin:

Don't put those clecos away just yet!

I'm building a panel for splashwell area...solid foundation for the shutoff switch...stomp any vibration.

I'm completely rewiring the hacked-up TNT circuit.

^^^ Notice the dielectric grease on the terminals. Don't do this for high current/relay applications. OK to use on the rubber seal...stop there.

• Adding a better breaker.
• Shorten the power leads
• Adding another Up/Down switch (Stern + console)...without butt splicing.
• I'll probably add flyback diodes to the Up/down relays; I read the reviews of these TH Marine push-button switches and folks complain about getting shocked. The only thing I can think of causing it would be the inductive response from the relay. I'll do some testing 1st to see if I can replicate / resolve the issue.

For anyone wishing to embark on this, the terminals are pull-to-lock (not the push-to-lock that I originally purchased)

so to remove, you have to flatten the retainer and push:

 

[classiccat]

A little throwback to ~ 6 years ago:

Yesterday:

So with the CMC at the highest position (lowest bolt) and the 3cyc 'Rude at the 2nd bolt from the top, the anticav plate is ~ 1" from the hull bottom:

 

[GA_Boater]

Deja vu! LOL

Neat rubber glove rest, CC. Is it doing a 1 finger salute?

On the pull to locks - They stay connected better with a retainer clip. Those are new to me.

 

[classiccat]

Deja vu! LOL

Neat rubber glove rest, CC. Is it doing a 1 finger salute?

On the pull to locks - They stay connected better with a retainer clip. Those are new to me.

I put that grease-packed glove on prop shaft when we relocated 5 years ago. I think it's using sign-language to remind me what prop pitch to use (17) :lol:

I guess you can bend the retainers back out however I have full intent on replacing the wire & connectors with new.

I mention it just in case someone down the road also wants to rewire the relay circuit (i.e. to repair 2 decades of P.O. hack jobs). I started by digging with my release tool while pulling the wire-side (how majority of connectors go together) when the light-bulb went off. Here's the replacement 10-12awg connector PN:

If redoing connectors is your thing, you'll want this style crimper that folds into the wire and compresses from all sides:

^^^ This one is nice b/c it compresses the conductor and insulator simultaneously...and its ratcheting.

Power and control wiring complete on the outboard...1AWG a little overkill and a tight fit at the retainer: