The Fruits of my Labor (215 Explorer Cleanup)

[seabob4]

Bob,
A little tip that can save you some money.  Call a local Hydraulic shop, ask if they have experience fabbing marine hydraulic steering hoses.  Will save you quite a bit from buying Teleflex pre-made hoses...Electronics installation outfits as well, they fab hoses for auto pilots...

[Unclebob]

Thanks for the tip! I was wondering about that. I'll see what I can find. Saving a few bucks is what gives my life meaning.

[TipsyMcStagger]

Ran across an ad on Craigslist that was simply titled
 
"1999 aquasport walkaround 21 ft - $7500"
 
With this in the description. :queen:
 
"Needs carb work"
 
No pics. No details. No number. That was it...

I don't know who's luckier;  You, for finding such a good deal.  Or the seller, for finding someone to respond to his pitiful ad!

Looking forward to following along with your progress.  Good luck and congrats!

Tipsy

[seabob4]

An interloper!  An interloper!!  Run for the hills!!!

Bradley, what's up?  A pleasure to have you aboard here on CAS!  For those who are wondering who the hell Tipsy McStagger is, well, he is a very good friend of mine, name is Brad, and he frequents Manhattan, so those with leanings towards the city's fineries, well, he will be of great benefit!  Scott, I know your 2 daughters live in NYC...

Brad own's a 24 McKeeCraft, 250 Yam HPDI, on a beautiful, black PAINTED Shoreland'r trailer.  A great trailer for the freshwater membership here...

Brad, how long are you in town, and have you gotten new batts yet?  Or are you back home for Turkey Day?

[wingtime]

Crazy that someone can just park a boat under a tree, with cushions and all gear still in it, and forget about it. You really dont realize what things can go bad just from sitting for 6 years uncovered. A lot more than I figured.

OH I know this Sea Rayder jet boat I bought has only 56 hours on it!  It was parked under a citrus tree since 07 and then a puppy (big one) was allowed to chew it up.  There was complete gear he chewed too...  water skis, ski rope, anchor lines,flare kit,life vests, everything...   granted something bad happened to the owner but still amazing.. only 56 hours on it?

[gran398]

An interloper!  An interloper!!  Run for the hills!!!

Bradley, what's up?  A pleasure to have you aboard here on CAS!  For those who are wondering who the hell Tipsy McStagger is, well, he is a very good friend of mine, name is Brad, and he frequents Manhattan, so those with leanings towards the city's fineries, well, he will be of great benefit!  Scott, I know your 2 daughters live in NYC...

Brad own's a 24 McKeeCraft, 250 Yam HPDI, on a beautiful, black PAINTED Shoreland'r trailer.  A great trailer for the freshwater membership here...

Brad, how long are you in town, and have you gotten new batts yet?  Or are you back home for Turkey Day?

Tipsy,

With a handle like that, you'll fit right in! Welcome!

Bob is right, I have two daughters in the city. Next time I fly up...maybe we can check out the Big Apple via Aquasport

(I'll bring the beer and fried chicken)

[TipsyMcStagger]

Brad own's a 24 McKeeCraft, 250 Yam HPDI, on a beautiful, black PAINTED Shoreland'r trailer.  A great trailer for the freshwater membership here...

Brad, how long are you in town, and have you gotten new batts yet?  Or are you back home for Turkey Day?

Tipsy,

With a handle like that, you'll fit right in! Welcome!

Bob is right, I have two daughters in the city. Next time I fly up...maybe we can check out the Big Apple via Aquasport

(I'll bring the beer and fried chicken)

Thanks for the welcome, guys!  Looking forward to following along with the project.

Bob...no, not in town and no new batteries, yet.  I was in Sydney, AU when I last posted and now I'm coming to you live (and tired) from Guangzhou, China.  We just got in...it's 6:30am and I'm going to grab a nap.  But we're headed to a market this afternoon that's supposedly nothing but fishing gear!  I'm sure it's all junk but it's worth a visit.

Scott, I split my time between NYC, FL and flying around the world...but let me know when you're in town.  If I'm there, I'll take you to my favorite pub!

Sorry for the hijack!  Now back to your regularly scheduled restoration :)

Tipsy

[T Race]

Unclebob,

Not sure if I should say welcome, welcome back, where ya been..... or maybe just hey, do you drink Bourbon or Scotch?

Anyhoo, not fer nuthin', but I want to tell you a little secret:  I LOVE YOUR BOAT.

I mean it, you have perhaps THE sexiest Aquasport boat ever made.  

There may be folks out there with better taste in boats than you - but I havn't met 'em.

Style, size, year model, hardtop - everything.  Just sayin'...

[Unclebob]

T-Race,
Well, the feelings mutual. I looked at pictures of yours for a long time before I finally made it down to get this one.

With that said, I've been on probably every walkaround in this size class. 20'-23'. I cant think of another that has as much room or is better laid out. Little things, like the aft storage closets in the cabin, and the in-deck fishboxes, make a big difference in a boat of this size. It should fit my needs perfectly.

[T Race]

Excellent...CAPITAL !

I am very happy with this boat - it is very encouraging to hear your comments about "other" walkarounds in this size, in that I don't

have your exposure to other boats.  We get lots of compliments.  One local mechanic with almost 30 years experience said the 21 foot

Striper doesn't come close.  

Anyhoo, we will all look forward to seeing future photos of you out enjoying your new boat !!

[Unclebob]

Been so busy I havent had a chance to do much of anything to the boat.

Yesterday I managed to fiddle with the engine for an hour or so just to see what was preventing it from firing... Pulled the airbox off, and cracked the carb float bowls to see if any fuel came out, and if it did, what the condition was. What leaked out of all carbs was pure oil..hmm.

I pulled the fuel line into VRO pump. It was pure oil. I have a half tank of fuel, so pumped it a bunch to see if it would clean up, and it did, a little. The fuel in the tank is obviously laced with oil. After emptying the flot bowls, I gave the carbs a whiff of starter fluid, and she fired. With that, I slept pretty good.

I took a break from work just now and decided to mess with it again. I hooked up my remote fuel tank, purged the oily crap from all the carbs, and turned her over. She fired right up and runs pretty good. Sweet. No LED Warning lights/alarms so I guess that''d good. She smokes like a chimney, though. I didn't let it run very long due to a storm rolling in. I had figured if the diaphram in the VRO Pump was busted (the cause of all the oil in my tank), that it would also put some into my remote tank. It didnt. Tank was clean.

I need to take a deeper look into is this weekend. In the mean time, I've got some learning to do on VRO...

[Unclebob]

Spent a few good hours with the boat yesterday. Scrubbed the cabin floors, walls, and storage,  with comet and bleach. Cabin is now completely clean and ready.

Was going to pull and clean the carbs, but decided to try the fuel from the main tank to see if it would fire on it. I pumped some fuel from the line and it looked and smelled good, with a blue tint. It may be stabilized..I hooked the fuel line up and she started right up, with a little smoke. She sneezed and smoked for a minute or two and then cleaned right up and runs great. I let het run for an hour or so and it sounds real good, cranks with a bump of the key, and no alarms. I decided to leave the carbs alone for now, since she seems to run so smooth. I might still rebuild them just before summer, but still have several months of work to do before then anyway.

Next is steering lines, then rigging tube replacement.

[seabob4]

Bob,
You know the old saying, if it ain't broke...

You'll find out about those carbs when the boat goes in the water and the motor is under load.  Until then, I'd work on stuff that NEEDS working on...

Sounds like all is well in 215 Explorer land!!  

[TipsyMcStagger]

Almost two weeks without an update, Bob?  Very out of character for you ;)

Tipsy

[Unclebob]

Almost two weeks without an update, Bob?  Very out of character for you ;)

Tipsy

I know, but havent had much time (or money) during the holidays to get anything done..

The holidays are over, my birthday is in 16 days, and the kids have enough toys to keep them (and probably half the neighborhood) busy for at least a month or two..

so, expect a flurry of activity soon.

I'll probably start working on the gelcoat this weekend.