Recent content by Kosmofreeze

Lou - I can confirm that your description of what's going on with the raw water cooling on my 5.7 GXi-A is accurate. Even when I allowed the stat to open (>160F) before I poured in several gallons of the PINK AF via the muffs, most of it ended up in the risers and on the ground! When I drained...

Fun Fact - Water is unique when it comes to common liquids in that it expands when frozen. This is what makes blocks crack. Even if your glycol or alcohol based antifreeze "gets hard" at below zero temps that doesn't mean that your block (or other components) are at risk of damage. The...

I hope you can get some more life from your engine with JB Weld. However, when it comes time to sell, I don't really think that there is any difference between a cracked block and a JB welded block ... good luck. I always cross my fingers every spring ... did I get ALL of the water out of the...

Mine is raw water cooled so no heat exchanger to plug up. I'm leery of using a hose to flush out any sand for fear of flooding the risers and getting water in cylinders. It's probably safe to flush backwards from the impeller inlet back to the drive ... I'll give that a go when I winterize...

I have a few "blemishes" on my Atlantic Blue hull and am going to give it a go to repair them myself. I probably need less than 2-4 oz of gelcoat for these repairs but minimum order quantity is a quart (32 oz) ... enough for years of self inflicted wounds even at my rate! Would storing...

Attempted to beach the boat the other day. Suffice it to say that it didn't work as planned and I sucked up a lot of sand in the process. Other than missing a little paint on the lower units, it doesn't appear that I'm any worse for the wear. Engine temps are running normal/normal since the...

My 2001 MetalCraft trailer still has the original bunks and carpet. Bunks still seem solid but the carpet needs to be refreshed. It's a 7000# boat. I see carpet specifically for boat bunks - is this "marketing" or is there more to bunk carpet than meets the eye?

My 2001 Chris Craft Constellation 26 turned 25 this year - you'd never know it. Of course it has only been used in fresh water. It "lives" on a trailer in covered storage and has spent most of its life in the high desert of Utah and Wyoming. With 411 hours on the tach, that pencils out to...

In my 4 seasons of being a DP-SM owner, I finally hit a rock (log?). Hit it maybe going <10 mph. I run an aluminum prop because I believe what I read about aluminum being somewhat "sacrificial" compared to the stainless steel counterpart. The strike wasn't "bone jarring", but I was surprised...

I got 3 years out of a pair of Interstate 27M Deep-Cycle before I started to loose confidence in one of them. Full disclosure, I did leave some accessories on for days and ran the house battery flat on at least 2 occasions - doh! Running a lead-acid battery to 0% SOC is not a good idea ... so...

I see about 13.5V at the battery when charging off the alternator. When using my AC (shore power or genny) charger, I see just about 14.1V at the battery. It looks like my alternator voltage regulator is set at about 14.2V. (14.2-0.7 diode drop=13.5V ... just like the text book says!) So ...

I just learned why I can't get a full charge on my batteries while charging off my alternator. I'm pretty sure it's the voltage drop from my diode type battery isolator. Best I see when charging from the alternator is about 65% ... per my Victron battery monitor. I guess I could try to...

I have a septic system at my house. I also have a macerator/Y-valve set-up on my 28' cruiser. I keep my boat in a shed at the house - it lives on a trailer. I also have a rule on my boat - "Except in an EMERGENCY - no pooping in the shitter!" In those rare emergency situations, I rigged up a...

I just went through this with my Tilt/Trim motor/pump. It turned out to be some corrosion in the motor connector. First - If you can hear the relays 'click' when you hit the UP/DN switches - your switches and wiring are good. If not, it's either the switch or the solenoid. Find the...

I'm happy to report that my tilt/trim issue has been resolved. It turns out that the main power connector to the trim motor was corroded. After cleaning it up and the reversing relays (for good measure), the system is working like new. FWIW I never did find the separate 50A tilt/trim reset/CB...