Classic AquaSport
General Aquasport Forums => Chum => Topic started by: wingtime on February 11, 2012, 09:48:51 PM
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Well, I started working on getting the 245 Explorer into top shape. Picked up some spark plugs, racor filter, fuel hose, and a primer bulb. I figured I'd try a test spot of buffing on the hull to see how the gel will come out:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_143722.jpg)
I started to change the Racor but when I saw how nasty the fuel was I drained out of it I figured I'd better drain some out of the tank to see what I had in there... this is what came out:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_162221.jpg)
After sitting for a few minutes the fuel turned cloudy like this:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_162113.jpg)
Yuck! so I decided I'd better start draining it. While it was draining I figured I'd see if I could clean the bilge. I mix some bilge cleaner and water in a pump up sprayer. I sprayed the bilge down, let it sit and rinsed it off. Much better: Here's a few before N after pics:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_144552.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_144559.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_144623.jpg)
After:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_174541.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_174548.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_174554.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_174622.jpg)
Much better!
Oh and I found this along with a scrub brush, bait bucket lid and funnel down in there. Bob did one of your buddies leave that in there?:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120211_174738.jpg)
I drained 30 gallons out of the boat. The mechanical gauge on top of the tank said 1/2 when I started. When I was done.. it still said 1/2. Oh no! So I'm guessing the sender is totally not working. Now I have no idea how much fuel is in there. It could be almost empty... or there could be 110 gallons left in there! I guess I will have to pull the sender off and peak in there.
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Bruce,
Oh man, those are some GREAT pics! Now I know what that plug was you were talking about. That's a plug for a t/hull transducer, should for some reason you want to pull the element out. I would assume you have a bronze shoe on the hull somewhere...
That fuel? Doesn't look good. To be honest with you, I'd pump it all out. Ethanol fuel, untreated, turns an orangy color as it degrades, and that looks orangy to me. There's an outfit in N. Pinellas that does fuel testing and tank pumpouts, costs around $150, can't remember the name but they were at a house I was working at, an old Proline, in Seminole. If you can do it yourself, that would be great. But that fuel doesn't look good...
You definitely need a ground bus, and you should pull down the breaker/fuse box and check the condition of the fuse holders and breaker. Also, check the condition of the wiring, take off any ground on that bus bar, cut off the ring terminal, then strip back, tell us what you see...
That "cut out" you found? Well, you'll probably find more than that!!! :shock: :shock:
BTW, interesting place for an hourmeter...
Bruce, hope I'm not overly critical. Just kinda know that back end pretty well. See that string tagged "pull wire"? About worthless as tits on a boar hog, as it gets wrapped around the hull harness, about impossible to pull anything through with it. And one time, when we had an Explorer already built, a customer bought it and wanted a set of tabs installed. Got the planes installed, was drilling for the actuator mounting holes, felt something hard just after I broke through the transom pocket, kept drilling (we installed our Racors in a different location on Ospreys)...damn, drilled right through that Racor cannister!
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Looks good Bruce :thumleft: just make sure you take care of that old nasty gas, if you have someone around you that does tank cleaning and fuel polishing you might consider it? I wish I had, it would have saved me a lot of trouble later on, but that big carb'd Johnson is a lot more forgiving than these direct injected motors. Keep up the great work :salut:
Marc
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I didn't think of a fuel tank cleaning company. I did that once on another boat a LONG time ago. Duh! I think I know a guy that knows a guy. I think that is the way to go. So far I drained 30 gallons out of it and I have no idea what I will do with The drum of that stuff.
Your not overly critical Bob. That ground bar does look funky. It's painted with some sorta black paint. I'm guessing some sort of a sealer. Your right the trim tab cylinder is RIGHT behind the Racor canister.
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I didn't think of a fuel tank cleaning company. I did that once on another boat a LONG time ago. Duh! I think I know a guy that knows a guy. I think that is the way to go. So far I drained 30 gallons out of it and I have no idea what I will do with The drum of that stuff.
Your not overly critical Bob. That ground bar does look funky. It's painted with some sorta black paint. I'm guessing some sort of a sealer. Your right the trim tab cylinder is RIGHT behind the Racor canister.
Bruce,
The bus bar was coated with Liquid Neoprene (we actually used the OMC branded version of it), I just bought a can of spray-on liquid electrical tape yesterday at HD, gonna see how it works.
I've got a bus bar in pretty good condition if you want it.
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Nice shine! Crappy fuel! Great advice already given!
If you fly me down there and back I will buff it for free! :cheers:
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Nice shine! Crappy fuel! Great advice already given!
If you fly me down there and back I will buff it for free! :cheers:
Lewis,
Right now it is 48 degrees with a cold west wind at about 15 knots...wait a couple days!
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I've got a bus bar in pretty good condition if you want it.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind. I think I may have one.
My bilge floats... I need to see if they work or not. (I'm thinking not). They are a blue box type. The aft one looks like it will be fun to get to. Is there a particular type that you like best?
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That would actually feel really warm. Right now its 24 on the porch and gusting to 35 mph. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!
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That would actually feel really warm. Right now its 24 on the porch and gusting to 35 mph. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAMN!!!
Bruce, that's a Sure-bail float. OK, as far as performance, I do recommend Rule floats, but I have had real good luck with Attwoods that you can buy at wally world for $18 without the cage.
What I DON'T recommend is swapping out the pump for an combined pump/float like a Rule-Mate. Pumps don't really crap out, but floats do. The float craps out on an all-in-one, and you have to replace the whole unit...
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These problems suck. Feel the same as if they were my problems....since I had a hand in it.
From the trailer on the pull down.... to the weird sump.... and now the bad gas.
We heard the motor idle down sweet on that gas. The gas may look like chit...but the Ocean Runner could have cared less.
Bottom line....hope you have no regrets. Did our best on this end.
For what you paid...IMO...you did well.
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No regrets what so ever Scott. The gas doesn't smell bad at all... and the motor does run on it... but watching it change color when exposed to the air... thats wild stuff. Gotta love that ethanol! I pretty much planned on doing this type of work on any boat I bought to bring it up to my standard. So it is no surprise. Besides I enjoy bringing the shine back to a diamond such as this.
Lewis, It's windy and chilly out down here so I know it's gotta be freezing up there. Supposed to be in the 30's here tonight! :shock: I'm drinking a big cup of coco with a blob of marshmallow fluff in it right now!
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When you remove that float, be somewhat careful, it does contain some Mercury.
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No regrets what so ever Scott. The gas doesn't smell bad at all... and the motor does run on it... but watching it change color when exposed to the air... thats wild stuff. Gotta love that ethanol! I pretty much planned on doing this type of work on any boat I bought to bring it up to my standard. So it is no surprise. Besides I enjoy bringing the shine back to a diamond such as this.
Lewis, It's windy and chilly out down here so I know it's gotta be freezing up there. Supposed to be in the 30's here tonight! :shock: I'm drinking a big cup of coco with a blob of marshmallow fluff in it right now!
Good deal. Like your thinking.
Makes me feel better. You guys may not believe this...but I agonized over this deal probably more than Bruce did. Only because I had already felt the hard sting of a bad deal.
So....go forward, little brother.
:thumright:
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just make sure you take care of that old nasty gas, if you have someone around you that does tank cleaning and fuel polishing you might consider it? Marc
Well that didn't take too long to find. :
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/mas/2813975465.html
http://wffpms.com/
I guess I will try to determine how much fuel is in there then decide my next course of action. I did notice my tank has two fuel pick ups. I can uncap the unused one and temporarily install a hose barb to pump out the fuel.
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All will be well, trust me. She's a great boat, Scott, you did excellent leg work, Bruce, you have a beautiful boat that will serve you well for many years to come...
So just got back in "walking" the dog. She walks herself, she just likes me out there. Back inside to nice cozy warmth, cold natty light at my side (do I get accused of PUI? Well, maybe...).
All is right with the world!!!
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Bruce,
That's the outfit I was thinking about. They're good... :thumleft: :thumleft:
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All will be well, trust me. She's a great boat, Scott, you did excellent leg work, Bruce, you have a beautiful boat that will serve you well for many years to come...
So just got back in "walking" the dog. She walks herself, she just likes me out there. Back inside to nice cozy warmth, cold natty light at my side (do I get accused of PUI? Well, maybe...).
All is right with the world!!!
Excellent :lol:
You and Baby Girl may need to crank up a Florida fireplace this evening :thumright:
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All will be well, trust me. She's a great boat, Scott, you did excellent leg work, Bruce, you have a beautiful boat that will serve you well for many years to come...
So just got back in "walking" the dog. She walks herself, she just likes me out there. Back inside to nice cozy warmth, cold natty light at my side (do I get accused of PUI? Well, maybe...).
All is right with the world!!!
Excellent :lol:
You and Baby Girl may need to crank up a Florida fireplace this evening :thumright:
Maggie has the heat right where it needs to be right now...toasty warm! And the little one? At the foot of the bed, sound asleep. Tomorrow? A little Yamaha servicing to do. Got a bunch of parts from SIM Yamaha today... :thumleft:
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Bruce
Definitely call and talk with them, if I had done that in the beginning I would have saved myself two tow ins from the gulf. I drained my tank when I bought the boat but you cant get the nasty stuff that resides in the tank. The fuel in my racor is crystal clear ever since I had the polishing done. Pull your sender, and see how much fuel is in there, you want some fuel for them to work with, the guy here uses a forklift with a trailer ball, and he raises and lowers the bow back and forth, to get the correct attitude, then goes in from where the sender mounts and his machine cycles something like 50 gals per minute for the small tanks like ours, that much turbulence in there busts all the trash loose and his bank of filters does the rest. I had about probably around 50-70 gals of fuel in mine, he cycled 250 gals through his machine, said there was chit going through his filters that looked like eel grass :shock: and about 3 or 4 gals of water were removed. Total cost was around 350 and that was with a quart of fuel treatment that he recommends.
just make sure you take care of that old nasty gas, if you have someone around you that does tank cleaning and fuel polishing you might consider it? Marc
Well that didn't take too long to find. :
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/mas/2813975465.html
http://wffpms.com/
I guess I will try to determine how much fuel is in there then decide my next course of action. I did notice my tank has two fuel pick ups. I can uncap the unused one and temporarily install a hose barb to pump out the fuel.
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I fired them off an e-mail. I'll pull the sender today to have a look see in there.
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Did some buffing and wet sanding on the 245 Explorer today. I'm really happy with how well things are cleaning up. The hull is fully buffed out and waxed. The starboard cap up to the gunwale is wet sanded. Here's some aqua porn:
The po did a terrible job of removing the Aquasport bill fish logo and putting a dolphin in it's place. You can see the old adhesive smeared around and a ghost of the Aquasport bill fish here:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/Cleaning%20the%20new%20245/20120212_161835.jpg)
Here's the starboard side of the hull looking good. This is BEFORE wax:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/Cleaning%20the%20new%20245/20120212_170736.jpg)
The required Half N Half shots:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/Cleaning%20the%20new%20245/20120212_172354.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/Cleaning%20the%20new%20245/20120212_172337.jpg)
Starboard hull side name with the "Fishies" removed:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/Cleaning%20the%20new%20245/20120212_174715.jpg)
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Looking good, bud!!! IIRC, we were using ArmorCote Gel back then, looks like it has held up!
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Great job, lookin like a different boat :thumleft:
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Looking good! I know it's tidious, but two coats of wax will go a long way.
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Looking good, bud!!! IIRC, we were using ArmorCote Gel back then, looks like it has held up!
That was good stuff Bob. Amazing the perceived color difference between the two halves.
Sweet job Bruce :thumright:
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Well turns out my office landlord's fishing buddy owns All Tanks Fuel service in St. Pete and he will be next door working on a forklift tomorrow. I'm going to pull the 245 to work in the morning so he can clean my fuel tank for me while he is here. Money well spent in my book.
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Well turns out my office landlord's fishing buddy owns All Tanks Fuel service in St. Pete and he will be next door working on a forklift tomorrow. I'm going to pull the 245 to work in the morning so he can clean my fuel tank for me while he is here. Money well spent in my book.
You don't know how well spent :cheers: And fortunately you probably never will. Good job :thumright:
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Well, the fuel tank is all clean! You should have seen the nasty stuff that came out of that tank! Price wasn't bad either and all the nasty fuel is gone. Now I need a loan to go fill it up! :roll:
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Ya'll have non-ethanol there B?
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Well, the fuel tank is all clean! You should have seen the nasty stuff that came out of that tank! Price wasn't bad either and all the nasty fuel is gone. Now I need a loan to go fill it up! :roll:
If you don't mind, what that set you back? Thanks!
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Ya'll have non-ethanol there B?
Yes I have a place right near by me. That's all I use in my boats.
EDIT:
Here is a link to web site where you can find non ethanol gas:
http://pure-gas.org/
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Well, the fuel tank is all clean! You should have seen the nasty stuff that came out of that tank! Price wasn't bad either and all the nasty fuel is gone. Now I need a loan to go fill it up! :roll:
If you don't mind, what that set you back? Thanks!
$186 Clams
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Picked up my "billfish" stickers from the sign shop today. Even though it's raining outside I couldn't wait to see how they look on the boat. As son as I got home I stuck this baby on there... now for the Aqua porn:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120217_173935.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120217_173944.jpg)
They look better in real life than in the pics. Must be the overcast nasty day outside!
I had a smaller set made up with the Aquasport logo under them. Not sure where I'm going to stick these yet:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120217_173849.jpg)
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Looks Awesome!
As far as the smaller one goes, how about on the back window of the truck?
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As far as the smaller one goes, how about on the back window of the truck?
Yeah one might end up there! Heck I might get some more made up. Maybe even some smaller ones to stick near the dash or something.
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They look great Bruce! Just like the originals! I always have liked that graphic...
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Did some work on the 245 Explorer today. I cleaned out the Racor fuel filter bowl (nasty) and replaced the filter. Installed a new fuel line and primer bulb. Ran the motor sounds good. I did a compression check 100 psi in all six cylinders. I changed the spark plugs while I was at it. Drained the lower unit and refilled it. The carbs still had the original stickers on them so I decided to pull them off for a cleaning.
While I was running the motor I noticed the water pressure was 15 psi. What is a normal pressure for a 225 at idle? The gauge reads up to 60 psi which I doubt it will get that high.
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OK making progress on getting the 245 ready for the pre-spring Tampa bay gathering.
I took my time and disassembled and cleaned the carbs on the 225 today. Even thought it looks like the carbs have ever been apart for a cleaning before they were actually pretty clean. I did find a stuck needle in one of them. Overall they were easy to work on. Just tedious. I replaced some fuel lines and was able to get them back on before I ran out of daylight. Here's a pic and some videos of the motor running.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1998%20245%20Explorer/20120219_165010.jpg)
Motor running:
http://youtu.be/6LwtNQTbIuk
Video of starting and running the motor. Notice the nice strong "Wee Wee" stream.
http://youtu.be/6LwtNQTbIuk
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Looks like she's running great :thumleft:
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Spent the day working on getting Reel Crazy ready for the pre-spring gathering. Even though the motor seemed to be pumping water pretty good I had no idea how old the water pump is. So I dropped the lower unit today to get a look. There was traces of grease on the bolts so someone had been in there in the not so distant past. The pump housing and impeller looked pretty good but I went ahead and replaced it. I pulled the prop and greased the shaft and reinstalled it. I wet sanded the port side cap and gunwale. My friend John buffed most of the cap today and the gel is shining up well. There was two loose bolts in the swim ladder. so I removed them and repaired the holes with marinetex. If the weather permits I'm going to take her out on the lake for shake down ride.
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Great stuff...Wish I could be there to see your new girl next weekend :thumright:
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Bruce, the carbs look great, she sounds ready...
2 interesting things to note. First, see how the engine rigging tube enters the lower pan? We used to chuck the POS grommet that came with OMCs as far as we could, then use that strap held in place with (2) 1/4-28 machine screws and clamp down over the rigging hose, doing away with that BS grommet. Learned that trick from my old buddy Tony Fernandez. You can even do that with the new Etecs, they have the same strap.
Second. See that anchor light base to starboard of the motor on top of the transom? That tells me the Hardtop was not a factory install, or at least the top was added to a yard boat as an option to sell her. When an order came down the line, and the boat got a top, the stern mounted anchor light base was deleted, and we simply tied up the wiring up and out of the way...
Bruce, can't wait to see her, she sounds great! :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:
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Bob, As usual you have a good eye. I did notice the anchor light base on the transom. I was trying to figure what I could mount in it's place. The strap holding the rigging tube seems nice and solid. As you know I have looked at a few 245 Explorers and my top is identical to several others I have seen. In my owners packet is a 1998 model catalog with all the options this boat has checked off in it. Now if that was done when it was bought or afterwords I have no idea. But I agree with your summation that the boat wasn't built with the top on it. Maybe it was added later either at the factory or at the dealer. I can tell you the top MAKES the boat.
Scott, come on down man I'm sure we can find room for ya!
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Bruce, you know what we used to do? Install a starboard cutting board on the transom top to cover the whole! :shock: :shock:
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Bruce, you know what we used to do? Install a starboard cutting board on the transom top to cover the whole! :shock: :shock:
You know I was thinking of that. I have seen a removable type cutting board mounted there.
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She is a Wilmington North Carolina boat... so if not a factory top there remains only one sourcing solution for the top, given the production period:
http://www.goremarineinc.com/ (http://www.goremarineinc.com/)
And if in fact it is a Gore Brothers top?
Better than factory.
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The top on my boat is exactly the same as the green 99 TM I looked at in Tampa. I know that was a FL boat. I did some polishing of the top frame and rod holders today. It's cleaning up really nice.
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Excellent...looking forward to seeing her splashed :thumright: