1982 Sea Sprite 1789 VEE

[Jimmy7756]

Used a stethoscope check the exhaust manifold, the fuel pump, the distributor, listen to The Block, the sound is more of a scraping than a tick. When you put the stethoscope up against the bellhousing you have to remove it from your ears it gets so loud . He is pulling the engine today and tomorrow so time will tell. But I would almost bet my paycheck that it's the bellhousing rubbing on the flywheel bolts

 

[sheboyganjohn]

remember sometimes the tick is exaust shutters , put a 1" conduit against the areas and listen , check the lower exaust the tick is probebly coming from a shutter.

Considering I had just replaced the exhaust shutter before I started up the engine I would hope it was not the shutter. For me it picks up the pace as the RPM's go up, I would think the shutter would stay open with the higher exhaust flow. I am fairly sure it is something related to the bell housing. I thought it was the flywheel cover because it got a bit louder when I put pressure on the flywheel cover, but the noise was still there when I ran the engine with-out the cover. I am hoping that Jimmy finds the problem so I have an idea of the direction to look on mine. I am just tired of pulling engines at this point in time so it will be a spring project.

Jimmy, I hope you keep your paycheck and you are correct, or at least it is something easy to locate.

 

[Jimmy7756]

[No message]

 

[Jimmy7756]

Luckily my paycheck is intact. Simple fix we just switch to the original bellhousing

 

[Jimmy7756]

We took the boat out on its maiden voyage yesterday just to do water testing and engine testing. Got about 10 minutes from the dock and the motor shut off had to have a friend come and pull me back in. Got her home to the driveway tore the spark arrestor off the carburator and the choke was stuck open. Reworked the choke, engine fired right back up. Most of our time will be spent on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario so when I rebuild the transom I'm definitely going to put in bracing for a kicker motor mount for times like yesterday when I have to get back to the dock.

 

[Jimmy7756]

Okay then I'm going to need some opinions here. .. Upon really close inspection of the transom on the outside tonight, I have found some stress cracks in the gelcoat underneath the outdrive. I'm already planning a full transom, Stringer, and floor gut job and replace. The cracks are about 4 in Long starting at the keyhole and working their way down. My question is.. ..is this something that I can repair my self without reskinning the whole back of the boat . If so how bad of a job is it going to be to do. I know everyone is going to want pics, I will get them up as soon as I can

 

[sheboyganjohn]

I have stress cracks around both keyholes on the Sea Ray. They were just in the gel coat, not into the structural glass. I am leaving them for now. They will get taken care of if I ever get to the point of painting, or re shooting gel.

 

[Jimmy7756]

sheboyganjohn... So once i pull the transom apart i should be able to tell if they are structural or not , is that correct? If they do happen to be structural, is it a major fix or can i patch

 

[kcassells]

Yes to first and no not a biggy cause you will be doing a new transom. Sand away when the time gets here.

 

[Jimmy7756]

Thanks for such quick replies and great info

 

[Woodonglass]

After the new transom is glassed in the outside cosmetic work is a BREEZE!!! No Worries!!!

 

[Jimmy7756]

So, I think I have decided on poly resin after reading everything on here I can find on it. My question is... any idea of a good starting amount to buy? The boat is 17'6" ...transom, stringers and deck all getting replaced. Found a seller on Ebay selling 10 gallons of laminating resin with catalyst for $385.00

 

[sheboyganjohn]

10 gallons would be a good starting point. I would guess you will be into it for about 15 to 20 gallon when you are done.

I lucked out when I did my build. Found a guy on E-bay that I could get 5 gallons of poly resin delivered for around $120. I think he was sending it straight fed ex with no hazardous shipping on it. Don't know how he pulled that one off.

 

[Jimmy7756]

10 gallons would be a good starting point. I would guess you will be into it for about 15 to 20 gallon when you are done.

I lucked out when I did my build. Found a guy on E-bay that I could get 5 gallons of poly resin delivered for around $120. I think he was sending it straight fed ex with no hazardous shipping on it. Don't know how he pulled that one off.

That's an awesome price!! I'm still looking around trying to find it the cheapest I can get.

 

[kcassells]

Did you check US Composites? They are fla. Make sure you order marine .

 

[Jimmy7756]

Did you check US Composites? They are fla. Make sure you order marine .

I have checked out US Composites. They are very competitively priced for sure.

 

[Jimmy7756]

So in reading through the forums I have seen people do this type of rebuild both ways, cap on and cap off. I'm positive from reading that cap off is the better way to go but honestly I'm not 100% confident about pulling the cap and making sure it is able to go back on after work is completed. Is there a sticky I can read up on that explains exactly how to remove the cap including what measurements I need to take to be able to get the cap back on.

 

[kcassells]

You will need to build a minor cradle to support the hull before decap occurs. Check the stickies and google boat cap removal.
Build a cradle for the outboard.
The size of your boat makes it s perfect candidate for cap removal.
Tools you'll need;
Drill,.sawsall, oscillating tool, sawzall, , bi-metal blades. You wil need to have these on hand anyway for your project.
2x4's, maybe pc. of ply.
Caes of Beer, maybe 2 and ask some friends to come over for BBQ. When they arrive then you tell the cost of the beer and burgers is to help you lift cap off.

Store cap on level platform with ply or studs to keep it level. Cover it.

Advantages of removing cap;
Mobility
No need to make modify what was sliced out
Great exposure of hull componets to replace, stringers, bulkheads, wiring
Less material, less costs
Take alot of pics and measurements. Save in computer files for when you back with top.

Either way works. Break out the ole Ben Franklin T bar score card for pros and cons.

 

[Jimmy7756]

You will need to build a minor cradle to support the hull before decap occurs. Check the stickies and google boat cap removal.
Build a cradle for the outboard.
The size of your boat makes it s perfect candidate for cap removal.
Tools you'll need;
Drill,.sawsall, oscillating tool, sawzall, , bi-metal blades. You wil need to have these on hand anyway for your project.
2x4's, maybe pc. of ply.
Caes of Beer, maybe 2 and ask some friends to come over for BBQ. When they arrive then you tell the cost of the beer and burgers is to help you lift cap off.

Store cap on level platform with ply or studs to keep it level. Cover it.

Advantages of removing cap;
Mobility
No need to make modify what was sliced out
Great exposure of hull componets to replace, stringers, bulkheads, wiring
Less material, less costs
Take alot of pics and measurements. Save in computer files for when you back with top.

Either way works. Break out the ole Ben Franklin T bar score card for pros and cons.

My boat is stern drive, that and motor are being removed. I'm not removing boat from trailer, does it still need a cradle?

 

[kcassells]

It is recommended to cradle whereas the bones of the boat are comming out.