"1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

[kwik_uk]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

It's been a while since my last update; between working away and other jobs I haven't really had the chance to do that much more to Bumblebee

I'm a bit disheartened with the project at the moment. I lost my momentum, and now I think it's starting to drag on a bit too long. I just can't find the motivation at the moment. Which is really annoying as the more I know I've lost my motivation, the worse it becomes!! Procrastination seems to be rife.

I did however go down to the marina just to fit a few odd bits of trim while the weather was nice, and what should I see.... another Dateline!!

This one however was in terrible shape. They had a big Force 150 on the back of it, and this like mine before the work was totally rotten. From what info I can gather, the engine ripped the transom clean off the boat! I looked round to see if I could find any salvageable spares for mine, but literally there wasn't a single thing on the entire boat that was of any use!

I'll let the pictures do the talking....

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

In this final shot you can see Bublebee next to his sorry looking cousin


I believe someone is going to fix it from what I've heard. A job I certainly wouldn't consider myself.

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

More progress this weekend! My crohns disease has been really active the past weeks , hence not many updates, that coupled with work .

Well I made a new throttle mount system. Replaced the bendy original with 1.75" marine ply:

Then came the dreaded trimming! I used the very few bits of this vinyl I had left as you can't buy it any more. I covered the stand off, and the rear (which the rear passengers see) with one contiguous bit. Took me over an hour to get the patterns right! Only marine grade stainless staples were used here, and boy they aren't cheap!!!!

Then it was time to mount the carbon!!! I used M4 Countersunk orange anodised aluminium washers for no other reason that it looks cool against carbon. These particular ones are from an RC race car (my other hobby). I really pleased how they look!

The finished item with the controls attached all ready just to install:

What do you guys think? (the bits where you can see wood are hidden. It's just the mount that will be visible)

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

The plan is to get the monster Mariner 135 installed on the back of it this weekend. Seriously, I am so excited!!

Only things left to do (other than put the motor on) are:

• Fit the carpet (dad)
• Recover the new backrest for back seat (dad 80% done)
• Create a wiring loom for gauge pod, and trim gauge (me)
• Connect the power cables up to the bilge (me)

I reckon that it might be entirely possible to get her back in the water after next weekend

 

[Trooper82]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Awesome job....found another thread I had never seen...doing mighty fine work there kwik..

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Re: 1986 16.5' Dateline Bikini full gut and rebuild. My first

Awesome job....found another thread I had never seen...doing mighty fine work there kwik..

Thanks Trooper

Can't wait to get her back in the water!

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Well I managed to get my gauge pod all wired up. Decided to use some old nylon braid that I had from a PC project years ago. Everything is soldered, crimped and in most places heat-shrinked. I'm taking no chances!!

So that I can make the pod removable in the future I used WS Deans Ultra connectors for the power (these are normally used as high-current battery connectors on RC cars and take about 50A running through them). I'm running from the ignition positive as I don't want to use a switch.

Final unit ready to install

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

I then managed to work out and build a new wiring loom for the other gauges and bilge. This took a little extra planning as it was all braided with the nylon sleeve like I did with my gauge pod. I used pink for the boat loom, and blue for the pod so I could tell which was which. If you're wondering why I used these, it was because I'd ran out of black

You can also see my home-made tacho mounting bracket. Alas when I got the gauges this was missing!

I used a Dymo label printer to make up a set of labels for each gauge and cable. This should make identifying anything in the future much easier.

Controls all mounted up, secured and wired:

 

[ezmobee]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Your wiring is top notch and that gauge pod is really cool. I should do something like that on mine as I have extremely limited dash space.

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Your wiring is top notch and that gauge pod is really cool. I should do something like that on mine as I have extremely limited dash space.

Thanks ezmobee. I originally wanted to use the dash pod in the pictures below, but sadly it was slightly too deep for my dash
Not sure if you have space for something like this on yours? They use these aftermarket pods in 2001 - 2004 Subaru Imprezas. You can get them in either real carbon (the ones in the pics) or ABS plastic.

 

[Trooper82]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Agree^^^^^the wiring is real nice....what are the white tabs? Wire numbers?

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Agree^^^^^the wiring is real nice....what are the white tabs? Wire numbers?

They are labels to tell me which cable is which. I've printed out each signal wire eg "Trim", and wrapped it round the corresponding wire. The others say +ve and -ve, so I can tell which is ground and which is live Will save a lot of hassle when you haven't got the manual handy should anything happen in the future.

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Well got a little bit further on with Bumblebee this weekend.

Managed to build and recover a new rear seat back rest. Lot's of help from my mother! Here is a pic of it in progress:

Got the lower dash trim piece built and installed. I used a piece of bevelled mahogany with 1/4" foam and then a piece of the old vinyl recycled from the old vinyl dashboard and cut a strip out of it. I then stapled this to the pre-drilled wood (pre-drilled carbon too. Screws don't like going into carbon) and screwed it down. I then used a hot air gun to heat up the vinyl so I could stretch it. I'm a newb at trimming, but in my limited knowledge, I've found that it gives less wrinkles and creases as when it cools down it tightens back up again. Voil?!

Dashboard Complete!! Wooooo!

Also decided to mount the battery in the bow. So to handle the current draw, I used some left over cable from a car audio build. This stuff is PHENOMINAL cable, not gonna talk about the price though! It's 0AWG, so it it very very thick. It's a good deal thicker than my thumb!

I used this for both positive (but in red) and negative to run back the engine connectors on the standard Mercury loom. Going to cut their connectors off and use a pair of these for the best possible power transfer:

Also..... My engine is going on tomorrow night after work! I am so excited/nervous. I really can't wait!

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

We finally got the engine on!!

With the help of my friend and his van & crane, three strong men still struggled to lift this beast!!

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

This is me feeling very proud!!

A nice rear shot to show the scale of this beast on my boat!

I'm going to go down straight after work tomorrow night and finish all the rigging and get the battery mounted down in the bow.

Jeez, only got the carpet to lay and the rear seat to bolt down, and I think Bumblebee will be ready to splash!!

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Managed to get down to the marina for a good four hours tonight. Quite a late finish!

Alas we hit a problem with the steering. In our haste to get the engine mounted, we didn't notice that the steering link would need to be threaded through as the outboard was moved into position due to the tight curve and height the outboard is mounted at in relation to the opening in the splash well. D'oh! :facepalm:

With a crowbar, some long bolts, and a lot of jiggling we managed to get it threaded through and connected up with the new drag link. I also managed to get all of the controls mounted up, and everything threaded through the rigging hose.

One question though: fuel line. I've used 3/8" which is what was on before, but it seems a little slack on the hose tail that goes to the oil injection pump. I spoke to a chap at the local Merc dealer, and he said that 3/8" was the correct hose... It does tighten down ok with a jubilee clip, but normally I'd expect it to be a tight fit over the barbs on the hose tail? Any ideas? I'm really hoping this is not going to draw any air in, as I've just spent ?17.00 ($26.70) on four metres of the good stuff.

Here are some pictures of the work tonight:

[Please ignore the dirty splash well. We've just had monsoon rain and flooding last night! Nearly 2" fell in an hour!!]

I'm going to try and get it started on the hose this weekend and make sure it's all running ok.


So come on guys, what are your thoughts? Anything I can do to make this better? I'm still pretty new at this, but I want this project to be as perfect as I can get it.

Don't seem to have had many replies, so I must be doing something wrong lol

 

[GT1000000]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

My Dear Boating Brother from across the Pond,

You are doing absolutely nothing wrong...as a matter of fact, you are doing it the right way, everyday!

Don't be discouraged by the lack of responses...so many rebuilds going on and so few that are either willing or able to help, that it can seem like no one is paying attention...

But, after my computer crash has been put behind me, you can count on my assistance in any way that my knowledge allows...

If you ever get into a bind, Please feel free to PM me, and as soon as I get the message, I will respond with whatever information I can come up with...

Now, on to getting caught up with everything that has transpired since my unexpected disappearance...

Marvelous score on the Mariner Engine...Thumbs Up!!!

Those are basically Mercury Engines in a different color scheme...from my limited knowledge and experience, I understand them to be very well built, reliable, and very powerful for their size...

The best advice I could give you regarding anything to do with that engine is two-fold...

Post up any questions you have about what you should do to it on the Mercury/Mariner Engine Forum, here on Iboats...There are many extremely knowledgeable guys on there that can answer most anything about them...

Two gentlemen you especially want to look for go by the 'handles' of "faztbullet" and Clams Canino"...they live, breathe, and dream about these engines...

As far as the fuel line fitting...let me see if I can sort through this...from what I understand, your concern is that the fuel line fits loosely on the barb fitting?...and, what you call the jubilee clamp, we call a worm drive type hose clamp...

I think...here's a pic...

If so, just tighten it down till it is snug on the 5/16" barb...that will be fine...

If I didn't understand, please clarify with a picture...

And I just noticed that you mentioned the oil injection pump...

This is very important and will require that you do a bit of research for clarification...
I have read in several sources that oil injection systems are notoriously prone to problems and that most of these systems are bypassed by their owners to a much simpler and fool-proof system of just pre-mixing the oil with the fuel...
You can double check this in the previously mentioned Mercury/Mariner forum...

Also be sure to do all of the required Pre-Start up procedures to the engine, to prevent any issues...

The two that come immediately to mind are to change the lower unit oil and the water pump impeller...

I am sure there are other things that you should do before you start the engine for the first time, so again, check with the engine forum...

Hope this has been of some assistance...

You are getting so close to enjoying the fruits of your labor...I am very excited for you...

As always, best regards...
GT

 

[fat fanny]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Sir I have been following this from the start and as mentioned before your work is top notch I love the carbon fiber work down to the great wiring job!. That thing is gonna fly can't wait til the splash!

 

[BonairII]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

Don't be discouraged by the lack of responses...

Yup....lots of people follow threads(including me) and don't reply to them. I have no info that would be helpful to the OP's rebuild, so I just quietly follow along.

Take a look at my Starcraft resto thread. 95% of the posts are mine. Probably a decent amount of lurkers on my thread, but only replies from a handful of people.

I don't take it personally......The lurkers are probably just a bunch of people who are jealous of my super awesome construction skillz and don't want to encourage me.

 

[kwik_uk]

Re: "1986 16.5' Dateline/Sidewinder sports boat. Full strip and rebuild

My Dear Boating Brother from across the Pond,

You are doing absolutely nothing wrong...as a matter of fact, you are doing it the right way, everyday!

Don't be discouraged by the lack of responses...so many rebuilds going on and so few that are either willing or able to help, that it can seem like no one is paying attention...

But, after my computer crash has been put behind me, you can count on my assistance in any way that my knowledge allows...

If you ever get into a bind, Please feel free to PM me, and as soon as I get the message, I will respond with whatever information I can come up with...

Now, on to getting caught up with everything that has transpired since my unexpected disappearance...

Marvelous score on the Mariner Engine...Thumbs Up!!!

Those are basically Mercury Engines in a different color scheme...from my limited knowledge and experience, I understand them to be very well built, reliable, and very powerful for their size...

The best advice I could give you regarding anything to do with that engine is two-fold...

Post up any questions you have about what you should do to it on the Mercury/Mariner Engine Forum, here on Iboats...There are many extremely knowledgeable guys on there that can answer most anything about them...

Two gentlemen you especially want to look for go by the 'handles' of "faztbullet" and Clams Canino"...they live, breathe, and dream about these engines...

As far as the fuel line fitting...let me see if I can sort through this...from what I understand, your concern is that the fuel line fits loosely on the barb fitting?...and, what you call the jubilee clamp, we call a worm drive type hose clamp...

I think...here's a pic...

If so, just tighten it down till it is snug on the 5/16" barb...that will be fine...

If I didn't understand, please clarify with a picture...

And I just noticed that you mentioned the oil injection pump...

This is very important and will require that you do a bit of research for clarification...
I have read in several sources that oil injection systems are notoriously prone to problems and that most of these systems are bypassed by their owners to a much simpler and fool-proof system of just pre-mixing the oil with the fuel...
You can double check this in the previously mentioned Mercury/Mariner forum...

Also be sure to do all of the required Pre-Start up procedures to the engine, to prevent any issues...

The two that come immediately to mind are to change the lower unit oil and the water pump impeller...

I am sure there are other things that you should do before you start the engine for the first time, so again, check with the engine forum...

Hope this has been of some assistance...

You are getting so close to enjoying the fruits of your labor...I am very excited for you...

As always, best regards...
GT

Hi GT,

Nice to see you back online again buddy! Heard you had lots of pc trouble? If you get stuck again or need any geeky advice just give me a shout.


Fuel line actually tightened down fine. I used the stainless worm clamps (we call them jubilee clips in the UK. I have no idea why!). It was super-soft fuel tube, so there wasn't a problem in the end

Did all the pre-start checks as you mentioned and she started fine. I have got an issue with the tell tale not peeing though, so like you advised I posted in the Mercury/Mariner section in this this thread here.

Quite annoying really as I'm not sure whether it's an issue or design "feature". Merc factory manual doesn't seem to list any operational procedures to look for either which was weird!

I do love this engine though. It just sounds perfect. Sits on the boat just nice. It was a lot heavier that I expected though. Nearly killed us lifting it haha

I took the time and cleaned it down further. Clayed the paintwork with Meguairs clay kit, then Super resin polish, followed with Extra gloss sealant, then topped off with Megs wax. I sprayed it all down with Quicksilver corrosion guard too. Heard good things about it. Greased everything, checked all connections etc and buffed the prop. Hard days graft I tell you!

Sir I have been following this from the start and as mentioned before your work is top notch I love the carbon fiber work down to the great wiring job!. That thing is gonna fly can't wait til the splash!

Thanks for the comment on the carbon. I'm really happy how it has turned out, better than I expected I could do. Most of it down to luck I think!

Yup....lots of people follow threads(including me) and don't reply to them. I have no info that would be helpful to the OP's rebuild, so I just quietly follow along.

Take a look at my Starcraft resto thread. 95% of the posts are mine. Probably a decent amount of lurkers on my thread, but only replies from a handful of people.

I don't take it personally......The lurkers are probably just a bunch of people who are jealous of my super awesome construction skillz and don't want to encourage me.

Thanks Bonair, yeah I guess I'm guilty of that myself. Lurking and not posting. I really should have thought about it from the other side of the fence before my previous post! Just had a look at your Starcraft thread; looks top notch mate!


Hopefully next time I post, it will be with a video of it running with a working tell tale!! Fingers crossed!


Mark