Crusader 350 Repower - 1976 23 Seacraft SF Inboard

[John3325]

Engine is in!

[FLexpat]

Looks nice!
Now you need to add a few more letters on that Scrabble board; s, t, a, l, l, e, d
Just in time for spring.

[kevmen]

Can’t wait to watch the progress! Good Luck! Send plenty of pics!

[John3325]

Absolutely will do. Just went over some things with the shop today and they'll be starting the install this week.

[John3325]

First dry fit to have the spacers measured and ordered.

[John3325]

Forgot to take some pictures but the engine/drivetrain is all in. Only current issue is console clearance and making the exhaust fit.

There were concerns for exhaust flow with the current muffler, so it was taken out and two dual long pipe exhaust baffles are being installed with custom brackets through dual exhaust ports - should have a nice rumble to it now and nice throaty sound when underway.

4 inch extensions were put on the risers, since the water line was pretty close to the level of the risers from factory. With the risers, we are having clearance issues with the console and shelf so more customizing is needed. Possible the whole console will have to be raised but that's a last resort.

Next time I am at it I'll snag some pictures of the install.

For anyone considering, Scalisi Marine in Weymouth, MA has done an exceptional job with this tough install and I highly recommend to anyone looking to repower one of these classic hulls.

[John3325]

Engine just did not want to fit, console had to be raised 4", the engine was moved back about 3", the risers were about sea level so we decided to put 4" extensions on the risers (of course they don't make 3" anymore), and the oil filter located off to the side in the engine bed. New shaft, cutlass, dripless stuffing box all are installed. We are almost there, just need to install the exhaust and get the harness/Garmins hooked up and talking to the Crusader. Then we can finally sea trial and play with some props.

I was able to snap a few pictures today of the install:

[SailorChlud]

Wow - that is a lot of shoehorning. Amazing, actually.
What is the shop charging just for the install? Ballpark?

[John3325]

Estimate for engine/tranny/shaft/dripless/cutlass (essentially entire drivetrain) was around 20k.

[kevmen]

Glad to see things moving along - FWIW I did try a new prop on my setup - went down to a 16x15 from a 16x16 - lost a couple knots at cruise, but the engine liked it much better - just ran smoother all around. Slightly slower getting out of the hole, but liking the change I made.