170 AS Maiden Voyage - THE EDGE -

[pzart]

Took her out on Sunday, the following is the description of that first ride....thanks Gonzo...


 But with the throttle screwed on, there is only the barest margin, and no room at all for mistakes. It has to be done right.... and that's when the strange music starts, when you stretch your luck so far that fear becomes exhilaration and vibrates along your arms while holding tightly to that stainless wheel. You can barely see at a 43 mph; the tears blow back so fast that they vaporize before they get to your ears. The only sounds are the wind and a dull roar floating back from the 110 Evinrude. You watch the horizon and try to lean with it... howling through a turn to the right, then to the left, up and down the swells that seem like speed bumps... letting off now, watching for manatees, but only until the next smooth stretch and another few seconds on the edge... The Edge... There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over...willingly. The others- the living- are those who pushed their luck as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Later. But the edge is still Out there. Or maybe it's In Here...deep within the soul.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!

[wingtime]

Cool you got the old girl going!  

[fitz73222]

You could be a song writer, but alas; you are nothing more than an AS boat owner.... So congratulate your team. Sleep well tonight my friend, knowing that you are nestled in the warm bosom of others like you; who embrace those differentiators between those who get it and folks who don't.

[gran398]

What a wonderful soliloquy. Everyone has, or once had, an affinity for warm bosoms. Which ain't a bad thing.

 

Congrats on the splash

[love2fish]

Hunter S. Thompson right?

[pzart]

Hunter S. Thompson right?

Yes my friend, Gonzo at his best....adjusted around to adapt for boats instead of motorcycles  

[pzart]

Cool you got the old girl going!  

Yes I did, since the motor and boat both had been sitting a long time, I did a compression test first, 100 across the board, shot some gas down the carbs....she fired. Then made the trip to Sutherland Marine (Johnson/Evinrude Dealer) to buy carb kits, waterpump kit, gear lube and screws, champion plugs, throttle and timing bushings, primer kit and de-carboning kit. Torn her apart, put her back together, tested the thermostats, replaced water hoses.....Cranked her on the ear muffs and she fired and idled like brand new. After a few minor adjustments, and waiting a week because of the gas tank issue with the WellCraft (by the way, I posted the pics you asked for!) I headed for lake tarpon.

Wasn't sure if she would sink, float or stall so I hung around docks and lagoon for a couple of hours just testing everything out. Had a couple guinness (enough for courage) and hit throttle. Will definately do 40+ in very choppy water, felt very good. Was so excited about the boat (not sinking) and the Evinrude (not stalling) that I forgot to test out the live well. Taking her out again this evening for another trip    

[pzart]

Took the old girl out again this weekend...the boat that is I wanted to see just how fast and dependable this 1989 110 evinrude is. slipped her in the water at lake Tarpon and commenced a full throttle run around the lake. Quarter way around I stopped and pulled the plugs   found a few small specks of aluminum on one of them   looks like the very beginning of a lean burning of the piston. Check the compression....its great, put the piston up to the top and shine my led flashlight in there....top of piston is shinny....WTF!!!! dig into everything and find my throttle plates are going over center and then leaning the motor out.

I had replaced the throttle and timing bushings but didn't check the throttle linkage for adjustment :x

So I set the linkage for proper movement, clean the plug, then start her up and continue on my full throttle run, stopped after 10 min to see if plug was alright....it was then continued on. Took about a hour to go all the way around. She ran great

Top Speed: (so far) 43 mph

Fuel used: approx 8-9 gallons

Motor is running great, now it's time to shine her up a bit....the boat that is