23 CC minty green!

[GoodChance]

Originally Posted by Wildman

Well, the mystery leak continues.... Taped over the thru hulls with Ductape for a few hrs this AM, and still had water in the bilge.

On a better note, changing the prop to a 15.75x15 and filling the front tank with fuel made it into a different boat! After wallowing around below plane before, it JUMPS up on plane and makes 30ish mph at 4000rpm now. It was really sloppy today and the boat handled it just fine. Tucked in close to shore in a short 2ft chop, twisted the throttles and let her air out a little bit and FLY, soooo smooth.

I gota get a nice flat day to check top end, wind jacked up to 20+ today by the afternoon. The spray rails work as it was a quarter head sea all the way home. The guy on the windward side got wet, but not NEARLY as wet as without the rails.

Question for you ....... why did you change over to a 15" prop? It seemed like you were over-propped at 17" and were planning on going to 19" and suddenly you were in a 15p. What happened?

I just completed a complete restoration of a 23 Seacraft with a full bracket. Power is a Honda 225. Right now I have a Honda 17p wheel but only making 4750 to 4800 rpm. I'm working with Ken at PropGods to get the correct sized wheel and we are probably going to first try a Mercury Enertia in 14 or 15p but wanted to hear why you ultimately chose a 15p? What make and model prop did you get? Mercury? PowerTech?

[heynow2203]

Hows the baby? Gotta love leaks especially when you can't find them. Did you check Bracket bolts or trim tabs screws

[Wildman]

Merrick is good, sleeping and eating a bunch!
I dont have trim tabs, there is only a slight possibility its bracket bolts. I dont see any staining on the transom, and I used 2-3 tubes of 5200 to put it on there circling each bolt hole. Its really baffling me. I filled the bilge up the the stringer boxes (covering the pumps and transuducer, and thru hull) over night again, still no drips.

[heynow2203]

Hull vents while running? Just a thought

[Trayder]

Leaking wash down pump fittings?

[Bigshrimpin]

patrick - check the scupper drains and the front fish box through hull.
This was the scupper drain on my seafari before I replaced the through hulls. Notice the nice chunk of missing potty putty. After I replaced the through hulls with PVC . . . no more 4 gallon per hour leak. The front fish box drain on the 23 can leak badly too.

[Wildman]

When I had the deck and bulkhead (The one that is directly below the casting platform) out of the boat I did away with all of that mess becuase I have heard of too many horror stories. I knocked out the old brass fitting, filled the hole with thickened putty, and then glassed inside the box and outside the hull. I do need to neaten up the patch on the outside of the hull, but I am pretty sure it holds water OK.

I am 99% sure that it is my spray rails leaking. I looked them over the other day, and the 4200 I used to seal them up is being pushed UP from water forcing its way between the rail and hull. It was hard to tell until we had pounded through a few big waves last weekend. Now you can grab the rails and move them up and down a little bit. My theory is a PO picked the boat up with a sling and broke the sealant, loosening the screws. Now I need to pull them off completely and reseal.

[Wildman]

Quick cell phone pic, the 'flap' I am pushing on is actually supposed to be between the rail and the hull. Its been pushed up, and there is almost NO sealant under the rail.

[Wildman]

OH boy its been quite a while... Put ALMOST 100 hours on it (in less than 3 months) before the weather got really crappy. Still haven't 'winterized' it yet and its almost Jan, but I was hoping to get some COD or Tataug fishing in this winter.

Winter list:
Leaks:
Pull teak rails and figure out what to do with them, replace w/plastic or reattach with new screws/sealant that will fix my leaks

Welding:
Center rigger new mount & reinforcements
Fab up an aluminum hatch for Fish well (under leaning post), I need to make something as the glass one is NOT doing the job, well fills up with rain water.

Fishing etc:
Starboard Tackle center (fits plano boxes) in side of console, my old one broke.
Console needs some triangles glassed in the corners underneath, the top is so big it makes the console 'twist' on a drift in the wind. I may incorporate a 10in sub box into them.
Tuna tubes on stern, need to get a set of em, and bolt & plumb em up!
Bolt my rear cleats on, just been procrastination on that one.
Figure out why my VHF is a POS and only broadcasts 1/2mile with an 8ft antenna.

[Wildman]

Grab rail progress!

Dark, 20 deg before the wind chill, looks like it could snow any minute, shop is full of $hit, seamed like the best time to build a getto bender and bend up a grab rail!

Bender mock up.




Added paper to keep the rusty table top from scratching tube.



Got one side done before I couldn't feel my fingers and I was hungry. The hard part is going to be matching the other side. Ill bend the 90s on it next week w the real bender.