Question and my status update....

[Handegard]

First off, I found a wealth of information I didn't need via google, but not the answer to the question. Does a 280 outdrive prop work with a 270 outdrive? There are two good deals on 280 props locally, but no 270s...

Anyway.

Been out on the lake a few times. Ran the battery dead once. Oops. Got me some small complaints though.

#1 Engine doesn't want to start cold. A small squirt of ether and it'll fire, and then I just let it warm up and it'll run good. I'm planning to have the carb rebuilt, but I'm trying to find a dual carb manifold before I spend that money. I want all the oomph I can get.

#2 My boat likes to drift to port I've noticed. Let off the wheel, and it'll turn probably 20* to port instantly. I've been unable to figure out why.

#3 sending unit in gas tank hates me. It worked while it was out of the tank, and then I put it back in the empty tank, added 12 gallons, and it didn't move a bit. So back out it comes.

#4 My "flapper" on the exhaust came off sometime since I got the boat. How critical is this? It by no means appeared water tight, and I haven't sank yet..

#5 The motor that makes my prop go up and down only goes one way. My dad told me you have to reverse the wires that run to the motor. Funny of him huh. I want to correct this. The "harness" going to the motor has three wires, but the motor itself only has two. I assume he found a cheap motor, and just clipped the third (yellow) wire.

#6 The damn fish finder. My dad bought it new for alot of money and it's never actually been used. Well, it doesn't read speed right, or depth, and it's dubious if it's actually showing me fish that I'm truly above. At least the thermometer works.

#7 Idiot that sold it to my dad towed it after the prop dropped. The bottom most "fin" is about 1" tall, in photos I see it appears to be at least 2-3" taller. I'm assuming this is the cause of my crappy low speed handling. I'm thinking about replacing the lower half, except:

#8 My dad had the outdrive rebuilt the last year he used it ($800). He was trying to correct a "thunk" when you put it in either forward or reverse. The "thunk" is still there. Unsettling to say the least. See above, except I don't want to replace a recently rebuilt lower with a used lower, unless I pinpoint the problem.

#9 The minor stuff- Voltage gauge always seems to read low, tach isn't very accurate, speedometer doesn't work, and the horn don't blow. Oh and I grabed the wrong thermostat, I got a 195* instead of 180*. It just never ends with a boat does it?

Ahh, all in all I'm loving this boat as much as I did when I was younger. I haven't gotten a prop good enough to pull a water skiier with, but we tugged a boogie board around for awhile the other day, and I love just hanging onto the rope and getting towed. My friends all agree, I need a tube though.

 

[captmello]

Re: Prop question and my status update....

Re: Prop question and my status update....

1. Don't use that ether on it. rebuild the carb and do a full tune up.

2. you can adjust the part with the rubber flapper left and right to fix the pull.

3. Welcome to boat ownership. You just don't remember your dad working on it all the time.

4. Fix the flapper or risk ruining your motor, it a no brainer.

5. You've got the wrong motor. 3 wire motors are still available oem and aftermarket. They don't give those away.

6. It's more challenging when you can't see the fish.

7. The skeg is not that important, as long as it isn't twisted or bent over.

8. The guys on this site can help you figure out what is wrong with your outdrive. But that may be a priority.

Props will fit from the 280. You most likely have a short hub setup on your boat, so make sure you get that. Short hub props are 4 inches or so and the long hubs are over 5.

Good Luck.

 

[Handegard]

Re: Prop question and my status update....

Re: Prop question and my status update....

1. Don't use that ether on it. rebuild the carb and do a full tune up.

After all the work I've put into the engine, my budget for a carb rebuild is a few months off probably. I already used the 5 gas on it before I ran it for the first time. It's not running lean, not in the slightest, so I'm not afraid of any damage. It just doesn't have any form of choke.

Also, I'm not out there running the thing on ether. I put the throttle open, give it a single quick squirt, and it fires up. I've gotten it to fire up a couple times without it, but it's usually a crank-crank-crank-crank while playing with the throttle deal. I don't want to spend money rebuilding a 44 PHN-3 anyways, because if I can find a dual carb manifold, it uses different carbs, and I'd want those rebuilt.

2. you can adjust the part with the rubber flapper left and right to fix the pull.

I just noticed this earlier today, while I was out looking at the flapper to see how I could replace it A single allen bolt, who'd have thought? I never knew I could "align" my boat. I wish it was that easy to align my tow-rig [*grin*]

Thanks for that tip though, I was gonna come back and say "hey, it looks like I can turn this, good idea?"

3. Welcome to boat ownership. You just don't remember your dad working on it all the time.

I remember him working on it all the time I'm finding evidence of him working on it all over too. Splices, wood screws, etc While "mechanically inclined" he was far from a mechanic though.

4. Fix the flapper or risk ruining your motor, it a no brainer.

Ok, if you say so What's it do that helps not ruin the motor? Keep water out while not running? Not being a ***, I seriously had no idea it was important.

5. You've got the wrong motor. 3 wire motors are still available oem and aftermarket. They don't give those away.

Yeah, I figured exactly as much. Dad probably bought a cheap motor. That's high on my to do list. Hopefully the 2 wire is usefull to someone on eBay...

6. It's more challenging when you can't see the fish.

Heh.. I actually don't really fish. I'll go along if my dad or grandfather wanted to fish, but I don't care much for it. I just wish the fish-finder would show me speed and depth... I also feel bad, because my dad paid a bunch of money for it and never used it...

7. The skeg is not that important, as long as it isn't twisted or bent over.

Well, anything called a skeg doesn't sound that important It's not twisted or bent, it's just "gone" I was thinking of grinding away the jagged edges a bit, right now it looks like a chunk of metal that got drug behind a truck ya know...

8. The guys on this site can help you figure out what is wrong with your outdrive. But that may be a priority.

So that sounds like something wrong? To me, honestly, it feels just like my '70 Mustang. Idles a teeny bit high, and when you put it in gear, you get a little "thump" when it engages the bands. Off course, I don't pretend to know what magic goes on inside the outdrive, so who knows...

Props will fit from the 280. You most likely have a short hub setup on your boat, so make sure you get that. Short hub props are 4 inches or so and the long hubs are over 5.

Thats great to hear. My dad had two props, and the bigger one that he said was for water skiing is badly damaged. The other one I have, while mildy chewed up on the edges, works fine, but is pretty tiny. Most of the use for this boat will be towing a tube/board/skiier or just floating in place while we dive off.

Sadly, I think I'll miss out on the deals for props, because I don't know what size/pitch I have now nor what one I would want... I need to learn quite a bit I think...

Good Luck.

To you too Sir
Thanks much,
Chris

 

[captmello]

Re: Question and my status update....

Sounds like you've go it under control

Its tricky boating on a budget, But you have to fix things right or you'll be doing it again, soon. Ask me how I know...

Things like the flapper that prevent large amount of water from washing up the exhaust, are musts, as is the outdrive lift mechanism. Treat your lift right and it will come in handy.

Your probably looking at a 14-15 pitch prop to pull up skiers. 17 for cruising. The props are stamped on the hub normally. What RPM are you getting at WOT?

What lenghth/weight is your boat?

I'm not sure what the bumping it the outdrive is. Check your idle high idle is very hard on the outdrive and will cause the thump. The volvos are capable of totally smooth shifting. Mine shifts completly smooth sometimes and other times it makes a small thud. The issue is probably it the upper gear box. But is a very expensive part. Not in my budget.
Have you had the upper off yet? Checked your ujoints?

 

[Handegard]

Re: Question and my status update....

Sounds like you've go it under control

I sure try I'm hoping to buy a '88 Bayliner this week with a 302. If that happens, I'll just fix this one up with the current carb.

Its tricky boating on a budget, But you have to fix things right or you'll be doing it again, soon. Ask me how I know...

Yeah, it's not just boating that does that Ask me how I know [*grin*]

Things like the flapper that prevent large amount of water from washing up the exhaust, are musts, as is the outdrive lift mechanism. Treat your lift right and it will come in handy.

Yeah, I went reading about the flapper after you posted. I assumed it was to limit noise, or keep fish or seaweed out or something innosequential. I now see how water could pretty much go straight in if the prop was up while I was launching. I'm planning to get another flapper soon as I can. I already am bidding on a 3 wire motor on eBay. I'm sick of having to switch wires to send the prop up or down

Your probably looking at a 14-15 pitch prop to pull up skiers. 17 for cruising. The props are stamped on the hub normally. What RPM are you getting at WOT?

I found numbers on the prop my dad used for skiing. It's a 15R17MWC

I can't make out the numbers on the prop I'm using, I'll try and wire wheel them clean tomorow. The blades are smaller, and shorter though.

Right now my tach is topping out at about 4k, but I keep forgetting to bring another tach along for a trip. I know my other tach reads differently. I printed a big To-Do list to hang in the shop, we'll bang these things out in short order for the most part. Now that we know the boat runs, it's alot easier to spend a little money here and there.

What lenghth/weight is your boat?

Don't know how heavy (not much I would say) but it's a 16 foot fiberglass boat. Right now, it's pretty empty, I rebuilt most of the wood and the seating, and I'm waiting for my better half to do the upholstry before I put it all back in. I'm really lacking in weight up front, so I have everyone sit there.

I'm not sure what the bumping it the outdrive is. Check your idle high idle is very hard on the outdrive and will cause the thump. The volvos are capable of totally smooth shifting. Mine shifts completly smooth sometimes and other times it makes a small thud. The issue is probably it the upper gear box. But is a very expensive part. Not in my budget.
Have you had the upper off yet? Checked your ujoints?

Yeah, I'm planning to go easy on it untill I get it all taken car of. If I get the carb rebuilt instead of doing it myself, the best part is that the guys at Carb-Connection (highly recommend them, btw, they have 4 of my carbs right now!) will tune it juuuust right. Of course, I suppose prop selection is equally key.

I haven't touched the outdrive, it has no more than 10 hours after he had it rebuilt locally. My focus has been on what I know best- engines. Only now that it's running am I starting to chase down the little demons.

Oh, I believe I got the speedo on the fish finder going though. So there is that. I think I may have fixed the depth as well. I should have known better, but my 2 year old thinks it's a "fish game" and wants to "play" it all the time. I usually set it to "Demo" so she sees stuff happen, but I got the factory manual today, and started playing with settings, and also managed to clean the speed sensor and get it working...

 

[captmello]

Re: Question and my status update....

I'm hoping to buy a '88 Bayliner this week with a 302.

Careful, let's get crazy.

I would guess that the prop you have is a 15" diameter and 17 inch pitch.

You should be getting close to 5000 RPM WOT. So if the engines good, then you should be reproping. Your boat will perform way better.

 

[Handegard]

Re: Question and my status update....

Careful, let's get crazy.

I would guess that the prop you have is a 15" diameter and 17 inch pitch.

You should be getting close to 5000 RPM WOT. So if the engines good, then you should be reproping. Your boat will perform way better.

Hehe, I wasn't planning to buy the Bayliner as a means of going faster. I found a Bayliner with a cracked block at a very good price, and I happen to already have a block I could use.

My problem is I don't know what size prop I'm using, it makes it hard to ask for advice in getting a bigger one. The engine is 98% running good, and I'm pulling ~4000 rpm tops (according to the boats tach, I'll check with another later) My motor is rated for 46-4800 cruising speed I believe.

With the prop I have, I hit 32mph according to the fish finder thing. It does take awhile, but the innertube we were towing was like towing a anchor... My friend drove the boat today, and said without the tub behind it, it was like a rocket by comparison.

So I need to figure out what prop I have, and then get one that will raise my RPM by 700 or so...


Oh, yeah, I sat and wracked my brain last night trying to figure out a polarity reversing circuit so that I could use my 2 wire trim motor without having to switch wires. I came up with it. For about $15 I'll be able to make a circuit that'll make the 2 wire motor act just like the three wire motor did, and it'll be using waterproof components. That'll be a big help to some people I bet. I'll eventually clean up my diagram and post pictures...