M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Break
Out
Another
Thousand
Out
Another
Thousand
Some of Bodj Built's builds
- Thread starter Bodj Built
- Start date
steves_001
Well-known member
^^^^ this!
300 hour service snowballed on my outdrive. .weeee!
300 hour service snowballed on my outdrive. .weeee!
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Same! I grew up on the water, and I've seen what a lack of maintenance can do to a boat. My dad was never good at maintaining his, and my brother is religious with his.
Thankfully the outdrive is pretty simple and everything is fairly accessible. It's not like a truck where you have to crawl on your back to get to things. This outdrive has been well maintained, but I ordered a rebuild kit to have parts on hand. $100 for a complete overhaul isn't bad.
It's a gen 1 Alpha 1
I think it's fairly significant difference. I should be in the high 2 or low 3mpg range.
Whether on land or sea, I'm not unaccustomed to money pits. I think, largely, the people that use that acronym don't have hobbies outside of fantasy football, or pay to have someone else work on their equipment.
Working on a guy's truck right now - two heims and two uniballs (1" and 1.5") was nearly $300. Offroad trucks just don't have a fun acronym like boats.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Broken starter mount is a bummer. I'm assuming that it can't really be repaired well enough to trust? Tie into the drive bellhousing? Maybe lake but not ocean.
Do you have to get a 'marine' replacement motor?
Do you have to get a 'marine' replacement motor?
M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
This why I have friends with boats instead of owning one. Provide food, beverages, and gas money. No maintenance headaches.
bggrnchvy
Well-known member
Can you even still buy parts for a truck project without spending $300?
customh
Well-known member
Isn't that a big-*** boat for an Alpha 1? I'm with @rattle_snake - I'd think the torque gains of more cubic inches would offset any fuel economy "gains" of the smaller motor BUT I don't know that I'd bolt a V8 onto an Alpha 1 either. Admittedly limited experience between a buddy's 26' cruiser with a (remanned) 5.7 and a Brave and the in-laws '87 16' Sea-Ray with the orig 3.0 and an Alpha.
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Once I get the engine out I'll assess the situation. My worry is not being able to nail the starter alignment, but we'll see once it's out. The PO said it has "an internal coolant leak," so that could be head gasket, cracked head, or cracked block. I plan to tear into it once I get the new engine installed.
The new (remanned) long block was only $2600 with 2 year warranty, so not bad at all. Risers and manifolds and shipping added another $2k, though. I figure I couldn't rebuild the current engine for that price. I'll have peace of mind with my family on the water with new hardware.
It's the same block as a road-going engine, but I think copper freeze plugs, different head gaskets, and more aggressive cam profile for the added load.
Not all of us are that lucky. Dad's boat is an open bow waterskiing boat with a saturated floor. He's in the process of redoing the floor, but that's been a two year process so far. He has other things on his plate. My brother's boat is at capacity with his family. Time for him to get out on the water without them is slim, so that means my invites don't come as often as they used to. Plus I have my own family I want to take out...
Nope! Haha eff.Can you even still buy parts for a truck project without spending $300?
It's only a 20ft boat. Dry weight is like 3600#, so not too bad. My dad's 21ft open bow has the same outdrive behind a 5.7 with no issues in 20 years.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Ah Ok so some additional thing with the motor. Are the exhaust manifolds/riser rusted or otherwise not usable? Does it have a closed cooling system?
I guess the boat looks bigger and heavier in the pics. 4.3 should do just fine. Alpha has less drag in the water, weight and power loss compared to it's big brother.
After you get it out and see how it performs, might consider aerating/drilling the prop to help get on plane. Can really make a difference for $0.
I guess the boat looks bigger and heavier in the pics. 4.3 should do just fine. Alpha has less drag in the water, weight and power loss compared to it's big brother.
After you get it out and see how it performs, might consider aerating/drilling the prop to help get on plane. Can really make a difference for $0.
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Yeah they are decently crusty in the passages. Probably could plug them up and fill with vinegar and get a little more life out of them, but at this point I want a clean slate.
The 4.3L is very common in this boat. They also came with a 3.0, which couldn't get on plane.
The previous owner was an engineer and went through 9 different props, with data sheets and graphs for the boat's data for each prop, and he settled on the one that's currently on there. I'm going to leave it alone and trust him haha
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Ah one of those types....
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Pot, meet kettle.Ah one of those types....
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Here's a bit of an update:
Motor is out. Turns out my dad's Chinese mini-ex didn't have the balls to lift the motor with everything at full extension. Now we know. Went back to our tried and true method of pulling boat motors (we've done a few) with a cherry picker in the bed of my truck. A few ratchet straps to keep it from pulling forward, the boom at full extension, and we were off to the races. A substantial amount of bend in the 2x2x.250" tube was a bit **** puckering, but we got it high enough and used my dad's truck to pull the boat forward. EZPZ lemon squeezy. Had it out in about 3 hours start to finish, including fiddle farting around with the mini-ex, repositioning the boat in the driveway, and setting up the cherry picker.
We're in the process of swapping over all the accessories. Just about everything is done now, but I've been having a hard time locating the exact parts, as things switched a bit from year to year. Also, as we have been digging deeper we've been finding more corroded bits that need replacing, so I've been ordering those as we find them, and shipping has been all over the place.
The original 1992 engine was not internally balanced, so the motor mounts were gigantic fluid dampened things. Can't find them anymore. The new mounts are much smaller, requiring a riser block to be fabricated. I built some out of steel 2x2x.250" tube.
But didn't want to ever touch them again, and being a salt water boat I knew rust was imminent. Made these instead
The holes in the block are drilled and tapped, with a milled recess in the bottom for a socket head cap screw to be threaded in from the bottom, basically acting a stud. Just waiting on the stainless hardware to arrive.
This weekend is booked and still waiting on parts. Hopefully get the new powerplant stabbed in sometime next week.
Motor is out. Turns out my dad's Chinese mini-ex didn't have the balls to lift the motor with everything at full extension. Now we know. Went back to our tried and true method of pulling boat motors (we've done a few) with a cherry picker in the bed of my truck. A few ratchet straps to keep it from pulling forward, the boom at full extension, and we were off to the races. A substantial amount of bend in the 2x2x.250" tube was a bit **** puckering, but we got it high enough and used my dad's truck to pull the boat forward. EZPZ lemon squeezy. Had it out in about 3 hours start to finish, including fiddle farting around with the mini-ex, repositioning the boat in the driveway, and setting up the cherry picker.
We're in the process of swapping over all the accessories. Just about everything is done now, but I've been having a hard time locating the exact parts, as things switched a bit from year to year. Also, as we have been digging deeper we've been finding more corroded bits that need replacing, so I've been ordering those as we find them, and shipping has been all over the place.
The original 1992 engine was not internally balanced, so the motor mounts were gigantic fluid dampened things. Can't find them anymore. The new mounts are much smaller, requiring a riser block to be fabricated. I built some out of steel 2x2x.250" tube.
But didn't want to ever touch them again, and being a salt water boat I knew rust was imminent. Made these instead
The holes in the block are drilled and tapped, with a milled recess in the bottom for a socket head cap screw to be threaded in from the bottom, basically acting a stud. Just waiting on the stainless hardware to arrive.
This weekend is booked and still waiting on parts. Hopefully get the new powerplant stabbed in sometime next week.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Nice work with the crane setup!
Does the boat have a name?
In your area is it boating season pretty much most of the year?
Nitrous probably isn't a good fit here, but there are blower manifolds for the chev V6.
Does the boat have a name?
In your area is it boating season pretty much most of the year?
Nitrous probably isn't a good fit here, but there are blower manifolds for the chev V6.
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Nice work with the crane setup!
Does the boat have a name?
In your area is it boating season pretty much most of the year?
Nitrous probably isn't a good fit here, but there are blower manifolds for the chev V6.
Hah thanks! No name yet. I'm thinking Deliverance.
Yeah you can go out most of the year. Maybe January-early March might have some snotty weather, but you can at least get on the water and fish or get lobster as long as you monitor the weather.
The wife would kill me haha!
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Justin checks in pushing nitrous in 3...2...1...Nitrous probably isn't a good fit here, but there are blower manifolds for the chev V6.
DocsMachine
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2006
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Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
Justin checks in pushing nitrous in 3...2...1...
I bet Justin's weed whacker has nitrous shot!
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
We don't kink shame here, Ryan.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
No, but we still pass judgement!
OP
Bodj Built
Well-known member
Went by my parent's Friday after work and noticed the risers and riser spacers the company sent us are the wrong ones. Contacted the company this morning and they'll hopefully ship the correct ones this afternoon.
Spent the weekend on my brother's boat at Catalina Island. Incredible weather, trolled around for Marlin for a little and saw one breezing the surface, but couldn't get it to play. Sea lions were a menace on our live bait but got a few bumps (probably yellowtail) and couldn't get anything to stick. Fished for calico bass at the mooring while having some drinks and catching some sun. Overall an awesome weekend on the water, and it's got me jonesin' to get mine out there!
Spent the weekend on my brother's boat at Catalina Island. Incredible weather, trolled around for Marlin for a little and saw one breezing the surface, but couldn't get it to play. Sea lions were a menace on our live bait but got a few bumps (probably yellowtail) and couldn't get anything to stick. Fished for calico bass at the mooring while having some drinks and catching some sun. Overall an awesome weekend on the water, and it's got me jonesin' to get mine out there!