Texas Maid Update...

[tmcalavy]

Wow, finally got to come up for air...no grading to do this weekend. So I mowed, swept and then rolled the Texas Maid out of the garage to dust the winter off her and snap some pix. Last time the forum saw her, I believe she had the Evinrude Big Twin and a Johnson FD-11 hanging on the transom. These pix show her refitted with a Johnson RD Big Twin to match the rude, the 9-gallon gas tank forward under the bow skirt and a single fuel line plumbed to accommodate both Big Twins. Still not satisfied with the seating arrangement...have two camo swivels in there now, as that's what I had laying around the garage. Maybe I'll figure out what I want with the seats this summer after classes are over. Anyway, she'll go for a splash in about a month...to get the Big Twins tuned on the water. More later.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Lookin good!

 

[Daltonxj]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

where you located at in Texas? good to see another Texas Starcraft..

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Looking good there TM !!! didnt you have problems last year with the other motor ??

She is a head turner !!! John

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

The Maid is berthed/garaged in the home of Buddy Holly...beautiful Lubbock. She's not a starcraft but I like her lines. Didn't have any power problems last season...just limited time. Then the bigger Johnson came my way and I had to use boat resto/improvement time to get that motor ready for the water...a water test proved she was stern heavy, so I've moved the fuel tank forward...still a work in progress. One day, I'll get the balance right and the seating layout, too.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

REally nice!!!!!
Those are two of the sharpest motors ever, to me! I like both motors so much, I'm going cross-eyed trying to stare at both. You need to post a top speed with both motors! I'm thinking of welding up an apparatus to mount two bigtwins on my 24ft. barge. THat way if one of them goes out, I'll have a back-up. I like to motor a long way in my barge on Caddo lake. The wife likes to cruise up to the Texas side at Uncertain and eat there. It's quite a trot by boat, but relaxing. I'd love to have a little runabout like that, too.
Later,
JBJ

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Thanks JBJ, still working on getting the best top end/mph. I'm a BOB (Big Ol Boy) and the Maid is only 15 feet...when I move to the back to adjust the motors at speed, she wants to come off plane...so I'm moving the load around to cure that. If that doesn't work, I'll have to find a small first mate who can tune/adjust the carbs while I pilot. Shouldn't take much to put twins on your barge...TD has posted plans for a home built jack plate on the forum. I'd bet you could adapt something from that. Keep an eye on CL, I found the Maid sitting derelict at a marina up by Lake Arrowhead in North Tejas...I thought she was a steal for $300, sans motors. I was looking for a 16 foot Fiesta but settled for the smaller 15 foot Impala. She handles nice and smooth...hope I can get her to plane out almost flat sometime this summer after I finish teaching.

 

[mike64]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Those are nice twin big twins. I love the look of those old motors. Good looking rig!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Thanks for the compliments...I've been discussing props...larger is better? on another thread in the Outboards Non-Repair part of this forum in a thread titled Twin Outboards. If I can get her to plane out flat by making final carb adjustments on the water, I'll be checking WOT rpms on each twin and top speed to see if a prop adjustment is order...may not need it though.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Tim,
That rascal comes off plane with you in the back with TWIN 35hp motors??? Dang, that's 70hp on a 15foot boat!!! I'd think it would plane with godzilla in the back! I wonder what's going on there? Is that boat fairly heavy or what? Obviously, I have no experience with twin outboards and a boat like yours. Just curious what might be going on. Is it porpoising when you go to the back and that's why it comes off plane?
Also, it seems like you could tune the motors with the prop and really get some speed. What's the hp rating on that boat? I'd think a 40hp would really plane it good.....
Sorry for the rant/quiz, I'm a curious person!
JBJ

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid Update...

Hey JBJ...it's rated for 60 hp in the Texas Maid brochure and the hull clocks in under 700 lbs. With the old set up and me in the back, there was 250 lbs. of outboard, 9 gallons of gas and 265 lbs. of me in the stern. With my cuz at the wheel, we were close to the rated capacity of 850 lbs. Never had a tach on the twins so I'm not sure where they are (rpms) at WOT. She doesn't porpoise when she comes off, just gets stern heavy and slow. And the drag is I need to be in the stern to tweak the carbs and get max rpms at WOT...that's why I moved the gas forward, to try and balance her out a little. Another splash test in May will test that idea. She is a short boat at 15 feet, maybe too short, but it's an interesting experiment. I have a 64 Evinrude V4 Sportfour 60 hp lurking in the shop but that beast is at least 180 lbs. and I don't want to drill holes in the transom...yet.