Recent content by f4igrad

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    '73 Evinrude not starting - battery or starter?

    Took out our boat last week for the first time of the season and it fired right up and ran great. Didn't do a thing since then, and went out today and she won't start. I turned the key and it cranked about one revolution and then nothing. Now it just makes a "click" sound. The battery has about...
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    Chunks of metal on drain screw

    Just wanted to hear opinions on this. I am dewinterizing the boat today and I pulled the magnetic drain screw to drain the oil. There were several metal pieces on the drain screw, they were curved almost like they would follow the contours of a screw. I know this sounds very bad, but here is the...
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    2 quick questions about lower unit

    I just had my lower unit rebuilt the other day and it is much better now. i put new oil in it and the first time i took it out, it shifted into forward and reverse so smoothly that I didn't even here a "thunk" into gear. yesterday i took it out again and I heard it "thunk" into forward and...
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    lower unit mounting bolt stuck and stripped, help!!

    i am trying to remove my lower unit to replace the clutch dog, and one of the four bolts that holds the lower unit in place is completely stripped. the bolt is totally frozen in place, so i have no clue how I am going to get it off. there is a fin under the bolt, so I can't even get a bolt...
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    Normal behavior from water pump?

    I have a 1973 Evinrude 50 hp engine. The only way that I know how to tell if the water pump is working or not is looking at the very back of the engine where there are a few small slits, water runs out of there when the engine is running. I noticed today that when I opened the engine up a bit...
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    replacing clutch dog, can I do it myself?

    ok, I now have my boat up and running, in fact we used it all weekend and it was great. The leaks are gone, and the hull and floor feel very solid now. Next issue is the engine (1973 50 hp Evinrude). Once it gets to about 3500 rpms, it slips out of gear with a huge BANG! Makes for very slow...
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    Use this battery with my bilge?

    I have 2 batteries on my 15 foot runabout. One is used for starting, it is an 800 cranking amp marine starting battery. I bought the other one as a backup starting battery, it is a 600 cranking amp. On the side, it says "marine starting, deep cycle, RV." Can I use this backup battery to run my...
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    stupid engine won't start

    This boat has been one huge headache after another. I thought my battery had died, so I charge it up overnight but the starter still wouldn't turn. So I took the starter off today and resoldered the brushes on, now the starter spins just great but the engine WILL NOT start. I have cranked the...
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    dead battery or something else?

    for those who have seen my other posts, I have recently finished reinforcing the stringers, foaming under the floor, replacing the floor of my 1975 Thundercraft. Today I was going to take it out and see if all was right in the world again. I tried to start it in my driveway just to make sure it...
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    advice for adding foam to my boat

    I want to do a search, but I can't, so I guess I will just ask and hopefully receive some answers. I have purchased some closed cell foam to pour under the floor of my boat. i was wondering if you all have any tips. My biggest concern is that the foam is going to totally fill the voids under...
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    Got some rain in the boat, will it hurt?

    Went out to the movies tonight, came home to see the cover blown off and a good 6 inches of water in the boat. It took a long time to drain it out through the drain hole. I have the floor up because I am reinforcing stringers and replacing the floor. Do you think the weight of the water caused...
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    Transporting boat with no floor

    I have ripped up my floor to patch up the hull in a few places where it had weakened and had a few small cracks. I want to tow the boat about 2 miles to a ramp and put it in the water to check to see if ther e are any other places that water is intruding. I figure that the floor is a support...
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    Question about repair on my trihull

    my boat has always taken on just a little bit of water, but nothing to be alarmed about. it had a crack in the hull that i fiberglassed, and I am about to start pulling up the floor to check the stringers and add more fiberglass to the area that I originally repaired, hopefully making the boat...
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    hmmm, repair my boat or sell it?

    I am going back and forth on this decision. I bought a 1975 trihull for $600, had a bum motor. Got a 1973 Evinrude 50 HP for $400. So I have about $1000 invested. The boat has a long crack in its hull since I got it, so I cut a whole in the floor and glassed the crack, although I didn't go to...
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    decent boat for $3000-4000?

    i was wondering if it is normal to find a boat that is in pretty good shape for $3000-4000. I don't care about cosmetics, I am just talking about the engine being reliable and the hull/stringers/floor being fine. Looking for a bowrider or something similar, maybe 15-17 feet in length. Is this an...
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