Sure is quiet in here....do I need to start a fight?

[Cantdog]

It is a domino effect to ever start looking closely and starting maintenance on a boat, best to nevah look. Once started it just snowballs into one job after another. I look too closely, just opposite from my dad who never maintained anything he owned, guess I became the balance cause I had to fix it all. He had a 15 hp Viking when I was very young, he ran that thing without ever touching a bolt or screw on it for 17 years, in salt water as much as fresh and it ran til a reed valve petal finally snapped off, went in through the engine til it lodged between the piston and cylinder wall. Never had a sparkplug removed or the lower gear oil changed, just run and sat wherever it was parked, no grease or a a thing done to it.

Yes it is.....not unlike auto body work....you fix the big dings and then you notice smaller ones you missed.....fix those and there are more smaller ones still......on and on....

My father did pretty good at maintaining his stuff but was always fixing things because he could not afford to replace them....and most all his stuff was well worn by the time it got to him.....he never had much money though he worked hard all the time so he just repaired what ever was broken......I remember changing 6 cyl motors in our boat three time when I was young....no hoists or cranes or come-alongs.....just blocking and crow bars and man power. Our boat was used almost daily....we had no car on the mainland so any place we went was by water.......lobster fishing was it's main job...year round...seining herring in the summer.....bottom work was done by grounding out between tides. I never remember him paying more than $25 for a motor....the last one was free, a 235 chevy that was in my great uncle's boat. It had broke it's mooring and come ashore in a storm right in front of my camp and was destroyed. I remember we picked up the engine and reverse gear off the beach on the in coming tide and brought it as far up the beach as our boat would allow. Pulled it the rest of the way up with our 47 Studebaker Commander. He flushed the salt water out of it with fresh water put new oil in it and started it up just above the high water mark right there on the beach on a skid he fashioned from driftwood timbers...he could fix anything.....not a always perfect fix but usable. This was done right across the harbor from my camp on the island. That motor went down again in our boat when it sank too, in a storm off Naskeag Point, and cleaned up and used 5 more years. Was the last motor in that boat and it died with the boat when it was hauled out and burnt. Guess that's why I'm the way I am.....genetically inclined and brought up that way too....LOL!

 

[Homeowner]

Anyone can buy stuff, but it takes a genius or at least a wizard to fix things without money or proper tools.

 

[Cantdog]

Anyone can buy stuff, but it takes a genius or at least a wizard to fix things without money or proper tools.

Yep.....mostly wizard!!!! LOL!!!

 

[Cantdog]

Hoisted the boat off the trailer and placed on boat stands in the shop....trailer outside....replaced the 16 old black rubber "Wobble Rollers" in the forward roller bunks yesterday with new yellow poly "Non-Marking" rollers. Gonna start replacing the brakes today. Have to go to my NAPA store in the morning and get some "Seal Savers" for the axels ......hope they have the size I need in stock.

 

[Cantdog]

Set the trailer up on jack stands and had to boost the air pressure to 150 to rattle the lug nutz free on the wheels.....and I neverseized too last time they were off!!! Removed the drums, backing plates and hoses.....cleaned up the spindles with a wire wheel. Test fit the new hubs, rotors and caliper mounts.....everything looks to fit fine. Removed and replaced the hitch/brake actuator....moving right along...

 

[pioneerguy600]

Living on the shore here I have pulled many engines out of the salt water after accidental sinkings and flushed them out with fresh water and soap. Then re oiled them , start them up and get them running again, they lasted a good long bit afterward

 

[tbone75]

Never had any boats with motors , sounds like I did good NOT having one ! LOL

 

[pioneerguy600]

Never had any boats with motors , sounds like I did good NOT having one ! LOL

Most expensive ones I did so far were a pair of 2038 Caterpillar diesels with 21 hrs run time on them, boat struck a rockpile on its maiden trip, sank and was abandoned. They are both still running in separate vessels today.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Set the trailer up on jack stands and had to boost the air pressure to 150 to rattle the lug nutz free on the wheels.....and I neverseized too last time they were off!!! Removed the drums, backing plates and hoses.....cleaned up the spindles with a wire wheel. Test fit the new hubs, rotors and caliper mounts.....everything looks to fit fine. Removed and replaced the hitch/brake actuator....moving right along...

Stainless is about the only metal that will last around salt water, everything else corrodes sooner than later.

 

[Cantdog]

Most expensive ones I did so far were a pair of 2038 Caterpillar diesels with 21 hrs run time on them, boat struck a rockpile on its maiden trip, sank and was abandoned. They are both still running in separate vessels today.

When our boat sank with that old 235 it was down three days....the seas to rough to raise the vessel. We finally got her in on the beach and replaced a plank and floated her on the next tide. Old Frankie Day towed us up to Benjamin River Boatyard......the old man and Frank was in the tow boat and I was aboard ours working on the engine......once I got fresh oil in it I noticed the propeller shaft was spinning pretty good so I threw her in gear and let the prop spin the engine with no spark plugs in for 6 miles or so, then dumped that oil and replaced with fresh again......gave her a good flushing!!

 

[pioneerguy600]

Have used a donkey engine to do the same after a good soaking and flushing with fresh water, new oil and turn the oilpump only if possible with a 1/2" electric drill to circulate oil through the engine for 10 - 20 mins. Also use a donkey engine to turn the flushed engine to get all moving parts coated with oil before actual startup. Many outboards that get dunked in saltwater we just drop into a big tank of fresh and let them soak overnight,then flush as best as can with a hose, dry out a bit and then fill with oil, dump it and get it started.

 

[stihl023/5]

Afternoon fellas.

 

[tbone75]

Nice warm afternoon , summer is the best season !!

 

[stihl023/5]

Nice warm afternoon , summer is the best season !!

There you go again.[emoji15]

 

[Cantdog]

Been very nice here evah since I got back from 'Nadia......but starting to get a little humid....not bad...been coolish in the mornings...windy.....low 80s daytime highs.

 

[stihl023/5]

Morning guys.

 

[stihl023/5]

Nice all day today. Low humidity and upper 70's

 

[Cantdog]

Nice all day today. Low humidity and upper 70's

LOL.....That's my today...thanks for sending it this way!!!! I'll pass it on to Dan and Jerry tomorrow.....

 

[pioneerguy600]

We have had very stiff breezes here last couple days, keeps the flies away and the temps n humidity don`t seem bad at all. The breeze was playing heck with the exterior doors I was working with yesterday.

 

[Cantdog]

We have had very stiff breezes here last couple days, keeps the flies away and the temps n humidity don`t seem bad at all. The breeze was playing heck with the exterior doors I was working with yesterday.

Been windy here too.....blowing muh free dirt around/away....at least some of it.....not much really...dry and dusty.....haven't had much rain to pack it down....