Hi,
My name is Eric. I've been using the forum for about 9 months, and just noticed this introduction area this weekend! Whoops!
I live in Minneapolis, MN. I've had a canoe for several years, but never owned a power boat.
In summer 2013, I bought a lake cabin near Paynesville, MN and decided I should get a boat to go with it.
My main goal is pleasure cruises around the lake and some night running (with stargazing from the boat), and a little fishing here and there.
I suppose at some point someone might want me to pull an inner tube, but that's not my primary aim.
I'm an electrical engineer, not a mechanic. My dad was a car mechanic when he was younger, but he never showed me what he knew.
I've got a limited knowledge of gasoline engines and little experience doing engine work, so I suspect 'll be asking more engine and mechanical questions than anything.
I've just got basic tools (common wrenches, socket set) so I probably don't have all I need to remove and adjust hard-to-reach engine parts.
I shopped for power boats in June and July 2013 and found that most of the boats for sale on Craigslist needed work. Most boats were left out in the weather and had rotten wood floors and rotten transoms. During the search, I decided that I wanted an engine that polluted the the lake the LEAST, so I narrowed my search to 4-stroke engines. After a month of looking at ads and visiting boats, I realized that the only way I was going to get an affordable 4-stroke engine was to get an older, used model. I ended up settling on this 1978 SSV-177. When we went to look at it, we could tell it needed work (the steering cable was rusted and didn't move), but the transom was NOT rotten, the engine ran. The seller told us he had been demonstrating the engine to prospective buyers with NO water muffs on, so we figured the lower unit water impeller would be damaged. But, price was low enough, so I said ok.
After getting it in the water in July, I started seeing various problems.
1. Oil dripping out of the lower unit while sitting on the boat lift and making an oil slick in the lake bothered me.
Late summer, I paid In-Tune Marine near Cold Spring to replace all the rubber seals in the lower unit, lower unit water impeller, as well the rubber boots in the drive unit.
2. The TEMP light (there was no temperature gauge) was lit during most of a boat cruise. The engine thermostat was replaced as a first step...no change. At the same time, we noted that then engine water pump was working, as water squirts out the top of the engine when you remove the thermostat. The engine block was never that hot to the touch, so I decided to get a proper temperature gauge to give me a better idea of what the temperature really is, and how fast it rises, etc. I just got that temperature gauge installed.
In fall 2013, Rich suggested that I remove the exhaust elbow and check the water channels for rust. I've not done that yet.
3. Spark plugs were black and sooty when I changed them in fall 2013. I've been told this means the air-fuel mixture is too rich and I need to tweak the carburetor mixture settings (and make sure the choke is opening all the way). When I changed the spark plugs, I also changed out the distributor cap, spark plug wires, and swapped out the points and condenser ignition for an electronic ignition module. After I got it back together, the engine started and ran! WHEW!
As of May 12, 2014, the boat is still on the trailer in the cabin's garage. I hope to get it out on the lake by late May, or early June and see how it is running.
I don't have a vehicle that can pull the boat and trailer so I likely won't be able to join in any group events, unless you want to have an event in Rice Lake, near Paynesville?
Eric
