When is it time to give up?

[erikpn]

I give up on everything. Everything sucks. I have been looking for a boat for over a year, spent thousands rebuilding theboat in the last 4 months since buying it, and still have not had a successful run on the water. I have 5 weeks left before starting graduate school in another state.I hate this motor with a passion. When I got it back, 3 days after picking it up then the starter wouldn't crank. Turned out the wiring was incorrect. Spent a few hundred and lots of time rewiring the outboard according to a repair manual, got it running after much frustration. Spend thousands more on restoration. Boat looks gorgeous. On the first water run, the throttle cables were misadjusted and the throttle cam got stuck under the throttle valve. Slow leak from the back from a damaged drain plug. Went back in, spent time fixing everything and another hundred installing a good bilge pump. On the 2nd water trial, the timing was way off at WOT. I diagnosed the fuel system, replaced zip ties the PO used to secure the fuel lines with proper hose clamps instead. I moved some wiring to install one hose clamp, and when I tried to start it I noticed the motor was throwing a spark from the starter solenoid. I put every wire back where it was, I disconnected absolutely no wire at all. Then it kept throwing sparks every time I tried to start it, bigger and bigger each time. The starter will crank jerkily in very slow motions now. I have no idea what it is. All the wiring is correct and in good shape. I expect to lose another weekend and another few hundred bucks. I now just feel like I have made a very expensive mistake.

 

[tinkeringwackyone]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Not knowing the whole history but from what you have said my advice is stick with it. You are so close. If you need to, walk away for awhile. sometimes being away from a project helps, trust me, been there done that.

The money you have invested sounds like well spent as you already know what you have. If you tried to sell it you probably couldn't get out what you have in it.

Projects can seem like the pits at times and seem like they'll never stop eating your green, but keep in mind, you have come this far, finish the race no matter how long it takes.

Good luck in your decision. tink

 

[heiliges]

Re: When is it time to give up?

I am on my first restoration and the foam removal alone has me wondering if I have made a mistake on undertaking the task set before me. But, all I have to do is think of a summer about 10 years ago when I was first mate for my brother-in-law and we took yachts back and forth for people who had more money than time. It would take us the better part of a week on the water to transport these things from one place to another and I got paid to do it. All the while I was on the water and living a somewhat carefree life. These were easily some of the happiest days of my life as I had not a care in the world and I was out just enjoying the cruise, the locations, the fishing. There is something about a boat and open water that brings sheer enjoyment and the smile that goes across my face makes my wife sometimes wonder whats in this head of mine. If you have ever had a great experience on a boat, you have to remember those days and look forward to them in the future when you get that boat of your in the water and cutting waves.DOnt despair and good luck, here's to just one more weekend of work.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: When is it time to give up?

It may seem never ending right now but one day soon you'll turn that key and it will just run. No misses or sputters, just a surge as it jumps on plane and the fun will begin. Hot days,cool drinks and good times are just around the corner.

 

[ezwitter]

Re: When is it time to give up?

i fell your pain but don't give up. had this same feeling before years ago but found this site and it helped me through. there are a lot of willing people here that will help you through this. ask ? get answers and follow them. i'm one for not following direction completely, but please follow the info you get completely and you will overcome. good luck

 

[cougar1985]

Re: When is it time to give up?

keep at it your almost there.nothing beats knowing youve done it yourself.i own a cedarstip boat and im constantly sanding and varnishing etc.but in the end its all worth it to me and i take no small pride that people will walk across a parking lot to engage in talk about woodies that theve owned or just to check out the old girl.as for the zip ties on the fuel line, actually, depending on the year, that could be factory.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: When is it time to give up?

I think my first 3 trips out with my previous resto project were pretty well disasterous. Takes a bit to get everything sorted but you'll get it.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Take a break. Working on boats is no fun under the gun, period.

If you wanted to get on the water before starting school or whatever, sorry things worked out this way.

It sounds like you've spent time making the boat look good, is it possible you haven't gone over the mechanicals thoroughly? The thing that sticks out for me is the zip ties... if I'd spent several hundred on a boat restore I'd certainly have either checked and repaired the motor myself or paid someone to do it.

The fact that you still had zip ties on the motor until recently tells me you didn't go over it looking for problems, repairs needed, etc. If that's the case, and the previous owner did hack fixes like the zip ties, then there may be a string of problems waiting to happen that you don't know about. Cracks fixed with JB weld, mis-adjusted rockers, an automotive carb instead of a marine one, etc.

If you don't want to labor at it yourself (and it sounds like you're pretty fed up with it) then take it to a local boat shop and have them do diagnosis on it. No guarantee they'll get it fully fixed, but at least they can tell you if you have more show stoppers coming up.

This is generally why we here recommend people check out the drive and mechanicals of a used or project boat first... to make sure they're in or near working order before spending time or money making the boat look good.

Worst case, if the boat looks good but the motor is questionable, you can store the whole thing until you have time and money to repair or replace the drive system.... then you'll have a near new boat, right?

Erik

 

[ezmobee]

Re: When is it time to give up?

I agree with one of Erik's points above. Mechanicals should come FIRST unless you were already planning on a re-power. When I acquired my first project boat first thing we did was see if we could get the motor running. We did but it was obviously not firing on all cylinders. We took it to a mechanic and had it completely gone over. Then my dad and I took it for a test run (sitting on lawn chairs) to make sure we were happy with it. THEN I started work on the cosmetics. As I previously mentioned, once the boat was "done" we still had a couple bugs to work out but once it was sorted we ran it for 5 seasons with no issues. And that was a '73 outboard! Good luck with it.

 

[osborn159]

Re: When is it time to give up?

stay the course shipmate,
you have come this far why quit now?? if you must leave it be for a while, give yourself time to reguvinate your enthusiasm.
i left mine alone several times during the process of rehabing, it will still b there when you get back

 

[jbjennings]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Sometimes an extra set of hands and eyes can be invaluable. See if you can get a knowledgeable friend or mechanic to look over your motor. I agree with everyone else. You probably just have a few bugs to work out and you're on the water and in a good mood. The same would probably be true of a brand new boat! DOn't think that new boat owners don't have to take their boats back to the dealer to work out problems......they DO!!!!
What kind of motor is this that you hate so badly??? THere could be a reason for your hatred!
Keep on keepin' on!
BTW, it sounds like you may have something wired wrong or a bad solenoid. Are all connections perfectly clean?
JBJ

 

[DJ]

Re: When is it time to give up?

BTW, it sounds like you may have something wired wrong or a bad solenoid. Are all connections perfectly clean?
JBJ

Sparks are not good. They are almost always are from poor connections, especially the high amperage ones from the battery. Check the connections, especially GROUNDS.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Working under pressure is never a good thing. Take it from me. I was trying to get the boat on the water last weekend and I may have fractured my hand due to the fact I was rushing. I had to take a few weekends off to gather my head also.

 

[JB Platte]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Sounds like we are in the same boat! I bought a used boat a couple of years ago and delt with many of the same problems you are. I just replaced all my decking this year fixed everything up nice and found out it wouldnt start. The bad news is every spring you will have things like this come up. Thats part of owning a boat. The good news is you have these guys on iboats to walk you threw it. Its frustrating to walk away because it eats at you until you get it fixed i know. But trust me taking a break gives you time to think about solutions. I feel your pain but stay with it

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: When is it time to give up?

It's the old saying that "it's allways darkest before first light", or something like that. If it helps, you're not the only one that's had problem after problem and even had to redo some of his own work.

One of the moderators made a comment about someone that was something to the effect that "... with that old boat, it will never run right until he fixes or replaces everything..". I thought he was being a grumpy old man but when I applied his comments to my boat, it turns out he was pretty close to right. Truth is that you have to inspect everything and make no assumptions about a certain component working if you haven't checked it out. You'll get there eventually. The feeling of being on the water with the boat purring like a kitten are fantastic - even if everything isn't completely perfect.

Not sure about your initial comment about not completing anything. Heck, if you're going to graduate school, you've completed something! And by the way, if you know anyone up there who doesn't have a criminal record, we need a new quarterback in Eugene!

 

[cougar1985]

Re: When is it time to give up?

dont think just because he had plastic tie wraps on there that its a hack job ,many outboards came with them right from the factory.for the 10 or so years ive owned my 90 its had them and they were on there from day 1.never had a fuel leak or any other issue period.id imagine its a cost saving thing from the factorys stand point and perfectly safe on low pressure systems.i didnt believe it at first but ive looked at several 80,s outboards and they had it too!now if he had a high pressure system like a etec or maybe any dfi system maybe thats a whole nother animal .just to make double sure i wasnt talking out of the wrong hole i went to brp evinrude and brought up a early 90,s 90hp and they do indeed use what they call clamp straps which are plastic and look just like tie wraps.i had to change mine and there was no diff from the factory ones or the ones you would buy at any auto store other than price.

 

[Dzrtcj7]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Shakedown runs almost ALWAYS have issues. I've done enough now to find hilarity in the dumb issues that come up. Trying to get a project done underpressure can get really frustrating. Just remember, boats are supposed to be for fun.

That reminds me of one run ... just finished a long, full restoration on a 1962 Chris Craft runabout. Boat was beautiful, fresh stain and varnish, all new interior, detailed beautiful motor. First launch, pushed it up on plane and ol' Murphy decided to launch the dipstick over the side of the boat All we could do is laugh.

Keep trying. Someday you'll look back and appreciate the headaches the boat has given you. It's these things that give project character.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: When is it time to give up?

Just remember......You ain't beat 'til you quit fighting........

 

[jonesg]

Re: When is it time to give up?

I give up on everything. Everything sucks.

its a common misconception that boats are recreational vehicles.

I used to buy motorcycles, just turn the key and use em for a year then sell for the same price I paid.
Boats are not like that. The problem is the learning curve starts out very steep and can be expensive if you rely on the yards to do everything.
Thats why we're here.

Eric is correct about due diligence, I went through my engine from battery to prop and I'm not a mechanic but I can read.
Clean all elec connections til shiny, no wingnuts on the battery. Tighten everything good and seal with liquid electrians tape. Do the same at the starter ( with battery disconnected.) and try again.

And anyone can change their outlook on life, I've been known to tell myself in the mirror "oh just shut the bleep up."
And its healthy to have a good laugh =at= ourselves.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: When is it time to give up?

You never give up on a boat project. It must be conquered