Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

[tmcalavy]

Well, finished up all the details needed to put the Texas Maid project in the water tomorrow and see how well she scoots with the twin Johnson 18 hp's on the transom. Ran both motors in a tub in the driveway today and got them tuned for this year and the throttle cables adjusted at the control box. The neighbors love it when I do this in the driveway...got a couple of frowns, but my first mate the Chocolate lab got all excited, guess he'll go along tomorrow. If I can drag my teenager along for the ride, I may have some pix to post. The trailer repaint went well and got most of the oxidation off the hull paint. Last steps will be pulling the windshield to repaint the top deck, gunwhales and dash...and maybe some new rubrail. Hope I manage to get some sleep tonight, can't wait for tomorrow. If it makes the knots I want, thinking about naming the port motor "Rip" and the starboard motor "Snort."

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

cool let us know how it goes, and definately pics.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Ditto!
JBJ

 

[tmcalavy]

Texas Maid went out today...mixed results

Texas Maid went out today...mixed results

Put the Texas Maid in the water today with mixed results. Lake was low, wind was fierce, chop was up. Bottom line is the twin 18 hp Johnson's are too short with a load (me) up front. Ran well, I was impressed with what the twins were trying to do, but kept cavitating...then the port twin died and the recoil starter crapped out so I motored back to the ramp on one engine. She was in the water about 90 minutes...floats nice and took on less than a half gallon of the wet stuff (guess I should have Gluvit-ed the inside hull). I like the seating arrangement and controls and the cable-over-pulley steering (not as responsive but I like that). Lots of room between the seats and transom, too. And she drew a crowd at the ramp...the gate guy called the ranger guy and the marina folks came out to ask lots of questions. Nothing like a crowd watching as you find the hole at the short end of the ramp with the trailer! With my 265 lbs. in the pilot's chair, the lower units don't have enough constant bite...so I guess I'm looking for LU extensions for the 18's or just twin 25/33 hp Johnsons instead. Or...I could resurrect the RD-19 35 hp Johnson in the shop, but then I wouldn't have twins...they really made a nice sound on the water. Pix are attached of the Maid prior to launch. She travels well on the trailer with little drift, wheel bearings didn't heat up and the new winch got her back on the trailer in spite of the nasty wind. The trailer is going to get guide-ons though, had to wade deep enough to re-baptize the Cajone brothers and man the water was brisk. Tomorrow I pull and repair the recoil starter, and start pricing LU extensions...which I think also means longer driveshafts and maybe shift shafts. Enjoy the pix. I think she's a keeper...I could have netted a limit at the boat ramp, but left the poles, net, dog and teenager at home.

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Wow. Those twins look sweet! I was thinking about something like this to replace the single 40HP on my Starcraft.

I can see why it drew a crowd. You don't get that with a newer boat (unless you are having one of those days launching it..).​

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

OOOOHHH man she sure does look sweet with the twin !!!!! that stinks that there to short !!!! she looks so pertty !!!!!! how did you get a half of a gallon it her in 90 mins?? was it that ruff out there?? John

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

man she is sweet, definately a looker. what is the length of your transom, the motors should be for a 15-16 inch transom. they may have to be spead apart a little more to get good bite.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Hi Tim,
Are both motors 18s? The cowling on your portside motor looks like a 15...
Good to see my throttle in place and in use!
Where are the AV plates in relation to the bottom of the boat? Are there any bottom strakes immediately in front of the motors? They might cause some turbulence that can create ventilation...
- Scott

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Thanks for the input. The Maid's transom is 20 inches from top to keel. The twins are spaced 11 inches apart, each 5.5 inches off of the centerline. They measure 17 inches from transom top to the cavitation plate, so they are 2.5 to 3 inches above the bottom of the hull. My guess is my weight (265 lbs.) forward raises them enough for the props to cavitate, especially in chop and maybe in a turn. Add a passenger and it aggravates the situation. Add weight at the stern and possibly sacrifice speed/top end from the twins. So if I want to keep the twins I guess my options are to notch/cut about 3 inches out of the transom up top (splash well is deep enough for this), or have some stern brackets made to push the twins out and down. Don't really want to cut up the transom though, this would make the splash well cover really odd looking. Using brackets would mean my cable/pulley steering cables would not be exactly parallet with the transom...don't know how that would affect handling/safety, and might also mean longer control cables, at least for the starboard twin. Thought about extensions for the twins, but they are already long shaft so extending the legs would mean custom driveshafts and shift rods (way to expensive). So, guess my options are A.) find a pair of longshaft Johnson 28/33 hp twins or B.) abandon the twin concept and hang one 28-40 hp Johnson on the transom. I've got a couple of Johnson RD-19S's laying the shop that I haven't fooled with yet. Guess I need to see if I can make one good 35 hp outboard out of that pair and then hang one beast on the transom. Unless I can find a deal on a pair of 28/33 Johnsons, or a good used Javelin, circa 1955-1957. Ya'll keep your eyes open for me.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

yeah you need a long shaft, it's acting typical of short shaft on a long shaft boat. damn what a shame.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Hey Chinewalker, guess we were typing at the same time. Hadn't thought about bottom strakes...I'll check that. Yeah, the port motor is a 15 hp, 1956 I think. Not exactly a matched pair, but close enough to an 18 I figured...and I had both on hand in the shop...hence my experiment with twins. The Shipmaster control worked great...wasn't real keen on mounting flush with the top of gunwhale, but the hull isn't rigged for a lower mount. I think the weight distribution raises the stern just enough to get some prop ventilation, given the 2.5 to 3 inch difference in the cav plates and hull bottom. I know the props were ventilating cause I could hear and feel it...catch, slip...catch, slip...in tune with the chop. I think the twins would provide enough speed because both ran well and throttled up nicely...I was curious how two mid-hp outboards would push the Maid, since she is officially rated for up to 60 hp. I'm thinking larger longshaft twins is the only good option, as TD says, if I want to run the maid with dual motors.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

TMcCalavy,
I liked the boat---very nice and clean-looking. The trailer, windshield, and pinstripe were great touches. I would think that it would be hard to get the windshield polished and looking good.
Was there any torque steering pull with the 15 on one side and 18 on the other? Just curious. Very sharp. I think a '57 and '58 18 would look good together. I'd like at least a 40 on that boat, too, if I couldn't get twins. I do believe I saw a long shaft conversion for sale on ebay the other day for an 18. I'll look and see if it's still on there. It was neat seeing it all fixed and ready to go.
Later,
JBJ

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

If your cavitation plates are above the bottom of a flat bottomed boat, on a 20" transom, your motors are not long shaft. The correct way to measure them is from the inside of the top portion of the transom clamp to the cavitation plate. On a regular shaft that measurement should be 15."

The long shaft conversion, with one insert piece in the motor's midsection, will convert the motors to 20" from the top, inside of the transom clamp to the cavitation plate. In order to do this conversion, you will need the midsection plugs, longer driveshafts, water tubes and shift rods. Obviously this requires some work and some expense.

I don't recommend cutting the transom and, if you can find a pair of 28 or 33hp johnsons with long shafts, you will have a pretty decent setup. I don't remember the exact weight on these motors but they should be around 140 pounds. Given that the 60hp motors of the same vintage as your boat were pretty heavy too, I think you should be ok weight-wise.

Before you pull these motors, it might be helpful to take a couple of pics from the back of the boat. Most of us will recognize whether your motors are short or long shaft just by looking at them. I would also like to see the pics because of the odd interval from your cavitation plates to the bottom of the boat. Unless there is some "V" to the bottom at the transom, you shouldn't be coming up with a 3" difference.

The good news is that you discovered one of the "bennies" of having a twin setup - being able to get home when one decides to quit. BTW, you may want to check the one that gave up the ghost for signs of overheating because if your motors were too short, you may have been having water "pickup" issues too.

If you decide to stay with the smaller motors and lengthen them, I agree that the mismatch in hp isn't a big deal. Just put props of the same pitch on both and go for it, because a 3hp difference won't be noticeable. In fact, if the compression readings are better on the 15 than on the 18, you might be putting out as much hp in the 15 as the 18, anyway. Although I doubt this will happen, if the 18 does want to outrun the 15 by a little bit, push the throttles up to your desired power setting on the 15 (both at the same time but looking at throttle position on the 15) and then adjust the 18 to match the 15. You can often tell when twin motors are out of rpm sync by listening for a cyclical hum that sounds repetitive and out of balance. Its hard to describe but you will know it when you hear it. You could also put a pair on Tiny Tachs (2 stroke version) on the motors to help you "dial them in."

More pics, please!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Thanks guys. I pulled the twins, gonna keep the 18 cause I restored it myself. The FD-10 is now boot for a trade up to a 33 or 35 hp. There was a little pull in the steering, but not much. Went to work today on two motors that came with the Maid, a Johnson RD-19S and a RD-20S. Got spark, good compression, new fuel lines, clean carb and fuel pump done today on the RD-20...it needs a lower unit though, but should be able to find one. What's the best way to test a starter without smoking the wires? I've got the wiring harness, and I don't have enough arm to pull start this baby at 90+ pounds of compression on both cylinders. If I can figure out the starter/wiring, I'll plumb up some water via hose to the water tube fittings in the lower unit and get it fired up. It's a long shaft, 21 or 22 inches from the transom clamp to the cav plate and weighs a ton, even without the LU. Any input is appreciated. Jay, both the twins measure 17 inches from the top of the transom (not clamp) to the cavitation plate. If I can find a pix, I'll post it...I know I took one. The 15 died on the water cause I didn't have the idle stop at the control box adjusted correctly and it doesn't have an idle adjustment on the motor, throttle back too far and you hit the STOP mark. Did just that and then the pawl on the recoil let go when I tried to restart it. Still looking for twin 28's or 33's while I work on the RD-20S.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

OK, I'll look for the pics.

Sounds like the compression release mechanism was removed from your RDs. I had them on my '58 Bigtwins but I took them off to prevent possible problems with the pop valves on the heads opening inadvertantly. I was probably stressing about nothing but I did it anyway. I have had to recoil start mine a time or two, so I know what you mean about the level of "yank" that you have to apply.

BTW, if you need to replace one or both of the lower units, you should be able to replace them with later model lower units. If your RD19 is a 57, you might want to do that anyway because the clutch dog is different from the '58s and newer, and isn't available any more. Those motors were produced over a very long time span (relatively speaking) and the models from the original 25hp, to the 30hp, to the 35hp, to the 28hp, to the 33hp, to a version of a 40hp (not the fat midsection "super-quiet" models) that was produced in the 70s, share alot of similarties and parts. Although some of the later model LUs might not bolt on to the pre-1957 models, I think all of them will fit your motors. If my memory serves me correctly, however, the 40hp models have the "squared" cavitation plates on them, so they might look a bit funny on your RDs.

I think you'll have alot of fun with your boat powered by a pair of old Johnson 35s. I had my Bigtwins on a 15' Glassmaster trihull for awhile and I'm pretty sure that it went well over 30mph - I wish I had a GPS at the time! I ran 14" props (that steepest available) and I would think that my boat was alot heavier than yours, so you should really move! Although I ended up moving up to a bigger boat, I was about to have those props pitched up at the prop shop to 15" and think I would have gotten a few more mph out of it.

I'm also smiling about the crowd you ended up with. I had pretty much the same thing every time I launched with the Bigtwins. All the old timers who hung out at the boat launch wanted to know where I found a matched set of 1958 Evinrudes! It used to take me five minutes to launch the boat and park my rig, and a half hour to tell the story of the motors, before I could go fishing!

PS: To try the starters, use a set of jumper cables to go directly from a battery to the ground on the motor and directly to the positive post on the starter motor. On the hot side of the starter, use the cable that is in place (after disconnecting from the solenoid) rather than touching the jumper cable directly to the post, because you will get a little bit of arcing, and doing this to the post might bung up the threads on it somewhat.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Hey JBJ, actually the windshield on the Maid is original...just polished/refreshed it with Meguiars cleaner and then polish (two separate products). Makes it look almost new, but you can see some crazing in two spots if you look at the right angle. The blue hull stripes are original too, the hull paint really cleaned up nicely after a round of polishing/rubbing compound and then wax (my arm took a beating with the compound though...the oxidation was too thick to use the buffer).
Hey Jay,
Thanks for the tip on testing the starter. I'll try that today, since I have one to test with each RD. I've already got a line on another RD that is complete, but powerhead is toast...just need to confirm the model number. Do you know the initial carb settings for the Big Twins? I guessed and set the RD-20S like I set my 57 Johnson 18 hp: 3/4 turn out on the high speed and 1 and 1/4 turns out for the slow speed. Hope at least one of the starters is functional, I'd like to plumb a water tube to the RD-20S powerhead, attach the tank and get her fired up and running.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Hey Jay,
I'll be plumbing the leg for garden hose water supply sometime this week. I put power to the RD-20s starter and it doesn't have enough umph to turn the flywheel with plugs in, or with compression release activated. Put the RD-19 starter on and it turns the flywheel with or without the compression release activated. Pulled the plugs, put some premix in the cylinders, put the plugs in and wires on and it fired over and ran for a few seconds with the compression release on. I know how the release activates when pull starting, but how about when using the starter...I was activating it by hand. I'll put fuel in the system this week and run it in the barrel, then it looks like a long road transfering the lower unit from the RD-19 to the RD-20...which means putting the gearcase together from pieces in a big coffee can. Wish me luck and thanks for the replies, this forum is a great asset.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

To adjust your high and low speed jets, turn both needle valves in until you gently seat them. As is always the warning, do not overtighten because you will distort the bevel on the needles if you do. Back the high speed jet out about 1/2 turn and the low speed jet out 1-1/4 turns.

Final adjustment of the jets is best done with a test wheel in a tank but since few of us have them, the next best thing is to take a friend out in the boat and do the adjustments in the water. What I do is to let the motor come up to operating temp and then have the friend drive the boat at WOT. I then adjust the high speed jet for maximum rpm. Most often, this will involve adjusting from a rich mixture to a leaner mixture (1/2 turns to something less than that), so be sure to stop leaning at peak rpm. If you go past peak rpm, open the valve up a little to get back to the "sweet spot." The reason why making sure that you don't over-lean is important is that, in general, a lean mixture runs hotter and in a 2-stroke outboard that relies on oil mix for lubrication, it also provides less lube to the "internals" of the motor.

The low speed jet needs to be adjusted after the high speed jet. Tie the boat firmly to a sturdy dock. engage forward gear and set the throttle to achieve an rpm of 700 - 750. Adjust the low speed needle to peak rpm.

This procedure is pretty simple and you should have your motor "dialed in" without much effort.

The starter motor should be able to turn the motor over without application of the compression releases. If your starter won't, it may need a rebuild. Another possibility is that the battery was either not fully charged or not large enough. This situation can also be compounded by the length/guage of the jumper cables too. The shorter the cables and the lower the gauge (thicker wire), the better. One thing you might try on this motor too is to rotate the flywheel a bit by hand just to see if anything is binding. If all is well, however, you should be able to start these motors even with long cable runs - when I had my Bigtwins on my 15 foot Glassmaster, I had the batteries in the bow for weight and balance reasons. While I did have some heavy guage wire and pretty "beefy" batteries, I never had any problems with the 12 foot distance from battery to the motors.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

Cleaned the top of the recoil tonight and the knob on the compression release bar...now I can get 3 good thunks when pull starting with the comp. release working, barely got more than one before. Guess I need a new starter or a rebuild, I was using the battery out of my SUV, standard length jumper cables (8-9 ft.) and a short, spare battery cable (made for tractors) on the starter terminal. Flywheel isn't binding, I think the old girl just has lots of compression and the starters are probably original and not been used in years. An experienced gent told me he used to pull the rope out about 6 inches to engage the comp. release, then hit the starter to get his going on a cold start. Maybe I'll be able to pull start it hot if I need to.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Texas Maid goes out tomorrow

You may also have a two brush starter - look on the sides of the casing for large "straight-slot" type screws. If there are two it is a 2 brush unit and if there are four, it has four brushes. If you want to upgrade, you can look for a later model starter off of a 28hp or 33hp. They should fit in your mounting bracket without problem.

PS: The two brush starter is also shorter than the four brush unit but should still fit in the space available on the starboard side of your motor. I really don't know the difference in starting torque for one v. the other but it stands to reason that the longer, four brush starter should have more power.