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  1. tpenfield

    MPI Fogging - Fuel Line Question . . .

    Today I am going to fog my Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI engines (see sig. below) and I was wondering about the fuel line considerations, having to disconnect and re-connect things. Presumably, each year, I will have to disconnect and re-connect the main fuel lines to connect the temporary line for the...
  2. tpenfield

    Who put the 'white stuff' out there . . . ???

    First accumulating snow of the season for the the greater Boston area . . oh-boy. :rolleyes: I still have boat maintenance plans for the weekend . . . ;)
  3. tpenfield

    Who Put the Dark Out There . . .

    now that daylight savings is over, going home in the dark will take some getting used to . . .
  4. tpenfield

    Ideas/Suggestions for 'Drying Out' Bulkheads

    The survey of my 'new to me' Formula 330SS indicated that there are higher than normal levels of moisture in the bulkheads. I also found water residing in the forward compartment due to a leaking anchor locker, and the associated bulkhead seems to have absorbed a good amount of water. The...
  5. tpenfield

    Closed Cooling System - Engine Thermostat Concerns

    I just finished installed a closed cooling system - the FULL system type - on the port side engine. Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI (see sig.) So, I loaded it up with coolant, hooked up the muffs and gave it a few test runs for about 15 minutes total. Well, the first thing I noticed is that the engine...
  6. tpenfield

    My 'New' Boat is Harbor Master Approved !!!

    The local authorities regulate the moorings in my area . . . it has been that way for years now . . . so mooring spots are quite coveted and you do not want to lose them. Since I upgraded from a 24 ft to a 33 ft boat recently, I was somewhat unsure if the Harbor Master would approve the larger...
  7. tpenfield

    Gelcoat 'spider' cracks at bulkhead

    Yea, so as I was looking at the hull of my boat today I noticed vertical spider cracks on both sides of the hull . . . it appears to be right at the point of a forward bulkhead. Here is a photo I took and note the spider cracks pointed out by the arrows. They are a bit hard to see because of...
  8. tpenfield

    The Fresh Water Cooling Kits Arrived Today !!!

    a. k. a. closed cooling system. 2 big boxes awaited me when I arrived home today. :D My FWC kits for the Mercruiser 7.4's . . . they were a little heavy . . . 60 lbs. each. Of course, I had to open them up and take a peek at the parts and instructions . . . These kits are the 'Full'...
  9. tpenfield

    Swim Platform Delamination

    Yea, so I noticed a 'squishy' noise as I walked across the swim platform on my new-to-me Formula 330. Upon further investigation, it seems that the platform is delaminating from its core material (presumably plywood). So, I did my hammer soundings and drew a pencil outline of the effected...
  10. tpenfield

    Looking forward to a Nice Holiday Weekend in the Northeast . . .

    Yea, I'm sitting here at the office updating some project plans, etc. . . thinking about the long (holiday) weekend ahead. Then by chance, I look out the window to a perfectly blue sky !!! We have been having our share of rainy days lately, so I hope the good weather holds for the Columbus Day...
  11. tpenfield

    Foggy about fogging an MPI engine - Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI

    This is my first time having an MPI engine(s) . . . And I might winterize the engines this weekend. So, I am not totally clear on the oil fogging of an MPI engine versus the regular old carbureted engines. Thanks in advance for any clarity that you can bring to this 'foggy' situation. Engines...
  12. tpenfield

    Which Color Scheme Do You Like ???

    As you may know, I got this new (to me) Formula 330SS . . . It is done in the "Palm Beach" color scheme . . . which includes a mix of Pink (aka Magenta), Teal, and Dark Purple. The hull has graphics using those colors and the seats have trim in those colors too. My boat has the 'pink' as the...
  13. tpenfield

    Hull Blisters Found Pre-Purchase . . . Need some advice

    I looked at a boat today with intentions to buy . . . 13 year old 28 foot boat . . . twin 5.7's W/ Bravo 3's . . . the boat was in pretty good shape. The seller offered to take me out for a sea trial (sure :) ). . . the boat did OK on the sea trial (4500 RPM both engines, 52 MPH, temp...
  14. tpenfield

    Mercruiser Horizon Engines - Question . . .

    In my search for a new (to me) boat, I have come across 1 boat that has twin Mercruiser Horizon 5.7 engines. Most of the time I have seen regular Mercruiser 5.7's etc. So, I am not sure what a 'Horizon' is versus the regular branded Mercruisers. Is 'Horizon' sold as a field replacement...
  15. tpenfield

    Help Me Understand Volvo-Penta Model Series Speak . . .

    I am looking at a few boats that have Volvo Penta engines and the alphabet soup of their model numbering convention is quite foreign to me. I wonder if anyone can help a Mercruiser guy make sense of all the model lettering . . such as GSi, GXi, etc, etc. :confused: I'm used to 'Alpha 1'...
  16. tpenfield

    Sanity Check: Big Bowrider (28 feet) for the Ocean???

    Hi Folks: In my search for the 'next' boat, I have been looking at Formula 280 Sun Sport boats in the 1996-2001 model year range. There are a few Formula 280 Bowriders available, and I had not really considered a bowrider for the waters that I frequent, but I am wondering about the...
  17. tpenfield

    Mercrcuiser 7.4L Hydro-locked and pretty much destroyed

    Well, my boat ran into some engine issues a couple of weeks ago. So, I thought that I would start a thread to get some input and ideas as to what to do about it. A little background . . . The engine was only about 5 hours into the season this year, and last season, I did a valve job and...
  18. tpenfield

    Happy Friday the 13th !!!

    Who's going boating today? What could possibly go wrong??? :D
  19. tpenfield

    Advice on Process for Selling My Boat. . .

    I am considering selling my boat at some point and have been weighing various options and approaches in my mind over the past few weeks. I noted that there are not too may threads on selling advice, mostly buying advice, on this forum. So, I thought that I would seek some advice as my...
  20. tpenfield

    Anybody Got the Garmin GPSMAP 76 Cx ???

    I just got this unit to replace my Garmin 76, which STB on me last weekend. The regular 76 was butt simple to use . . . this new one looks like you have to be a rocket scientist to set things up and use it. The biggest thing so far is that it looks like it comes with no marine navigational...
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