1965 Jet Star restoration

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Wee Bonnie Jean is in the shop. When I opened the motor crate I was delighted to discover that a new gas tank and fuel line was included. It was just like Christmas! I'll need a wheel though. I think the tag on the shaft said that for boats between 600-1000 lbs a 9 x 12.5 is recommended. That seems a little small, but Mercury probably has some clue about applications so I'll try it. We are going to Tybee Island on Saturday for a week. I'd like to have her back before Friday so we can go right to the lake when we get home.

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Got her back. They did a nice job mounting the engine, and the control they supplied as part of the trade is a brand new (7/2011) Mercury single lever. There are also 5 available instrument connections for stuff I'll get later, a fall-away kill switch, and trim buttons on the end of the lever. The new motor also has a remote trim switch on the port side of the lower engine cover. I tweaked a few things, then ran a water hose from the house--the shop water is blown dry in the winter--and fired her up. Purrrrrrrrrrrr....

I'll get some pictures tomorrow. I haven't had the heart to add up all the receipts for this little yacht project, but I'm sure I'm pushing 7 grand at this point. All in all that ain't bad for what is essentially a new boat. By the time I get all the bells and whistles I want I'll be north of 8 large for sure. Still not bad.

I broke a long standing male law and actually read the book that came with the engine. I know, a reputation once lost is gone forever, but I just couldn't help myself. Good thing too. I had figured to break her in at about 40 knots for a few hours, but it seems Mercury doesn't care for doing it that way. They want me to treat it as though it was a '37 DeSoto. Slow. Very slow. Then not so slow, then slow again............. And I don't think hanging the leg in a rain barrel and revving her up will satisfy the requirements either. Oh well.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Congrats on the return!!

Sounds like you made a great deal, you'll ge gald you did it every time you're purring along. I decided not to tally up my total, it might make me cry!

Break it in slow & easy, and do they have you change the lower unit oil after 10 hours?

Looking forward to the pics!

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Here are a few pics of the new pusher.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Looks great, it should be a real quiet, smooth runner. When will you be getting it out?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Oh man, new OB, sweeeeeet

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Deleted duplicate.

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

When will you be getting it out?

This coming Saturday, God willing. The temp is predicted to be in the mid 50's. I'd really like to have a tachometer installed before then, but I have to get hold of Mercury and find out which lead to hook it to. That will make it easier than using the Mark-I ear to guesstimate engine speed.

This is going to be the back bench seat/storage locker. I plan on a two piece top with a swivel chair on each side. It will slide into the existing brackets and be secured with a drop pin for easy removal.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Great idea for the back seats. This boat will be a beauty when it's finished! Will you be able to take video this weekend? Photos anyway I hope.

Your workshop is way more organized than mine!

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

The weather looks like it will co-operate: sea trials this weekend.

Here is a deal for someone.

EDIT

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Your workshop is way more organized than mine!

Kind of you, but that was a carefully chosen view to conceal the hip deep clutter. I know where stuff is, but no one else would have a clue. We bought this place in '01, and the first thing I built was my shop. I had two weeks to get it done, all by my lonesome. It is small: 16 x 24, but with scissor trusses that effectively raise the useable ceiling. I dug out a basement with pick, shovel, and wheel barrow after the fact. I think the colloquial expression is "ten pounds of (whatever) in a five pound sack".

 

[bunker108]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

I am super envious of that modern Mercury! Great job getting ready for the new motor too...I guess that I am envious of your modern transom too!

 

[TM-1(ss)]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

There is something wrong with my digicam. I have great pictures, but for some reason my hp program doesn't want to download them. I'll keep trying.

Meanwhile, we went to Fontana today. the water level was down 45+ feet. Almond landing was a ghost town, so we drove over to the public ramp at Tsali park. There were 8 or 10 die hard fanatics on the water as evidenced by their empty trailers. By the bye, they were all parked on or adjacent to the ramp and would have been under thirty or more feet of water a couple of months ago.

We dropped the yellow rocket in and away we went. Those first two hours of the 37 DeSoto treatment were really hard. We never got above 20 mph or so. But when the book said I could do a full power run I was more than ready. The lake was flat calm and I picked an area with no houseboats or fishermen and fire walled it. At half throttle the bow wave started about the wind shield. At 3/4 it moved back to right behind me, and at full bore there wasn't more than 1/3 of the bottom in the water. Great. The less wet bottom the faster you go. I played with the trim a little and brought the bow up a few inches. My best guess, based on having a way above average mental thing relating to automatic speed and distance calculations put us--at the least--at something in the close neighborhood of 45 mph. She was just leaning into the wind and hauling the mail. The Merc 30 ELPT was putting the HP in the water for sure. I can't tell you guys how happy I am with that new pusher. Now get this: all the break in stuff, and 20 minutes or more @ 3/4, plus a few short 60-90 second) full power runs, consumed 2.4 gallons of fuel.

I still have a bunch of little things to get finished, but now I can kick back and take it slow over the winter knowing what is waiting in the Spring.

I'll keep trying to get the pictures posted in the next few days.

 

[rheagler]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Nice looking boat. Congrats on the splash, looking forward to seeing the on the water pics. And for the record, I too am envious of the brand new outboard!

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Way to go TM. Hope you can get the pics up. Always nice to see a newly wet tinny.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Hey, great! Can't wait to see some of the video. Nice job.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Congrats! (however I'm gonna need to see a photo of a GPS to believe that 45MPH number )

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

Yah, I do believe a 30 hp pushing a Jet 45 mph would be quite optimistic. Really fast too!

Maybe going downhill?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

When I splashed last week I thought I was going at least 250 mph until I looked at the GPS. It was that wet tin rush.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 Jet Star restoration

When I splashed last week I thought I was going at least 250 mph until I looked at the GPS. It was that wet tin rush.

Too right GA