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16' EBKO Monte Carlo boat rebuild

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Wolvenar:
I know this isn't exactly alt power, but maybe you guys will have ideas what and where alt energies can get incorporated.

Ok about a year ago I picked up a 14' rowboat that was, well , way past what normally is considered repairable.
http://www.anotherpower.com/board/index.php/topic,18.0.html



After that I had the bug

I picked up this boat


But as good as it looks here, it is really in need of a LOT of work, its missing all of its trimming, lights, consoles, controls, and has all the seats CUT out as well as the consoles, and a few mounts for different things. They also just cut into it to get to cables to remove them.
SO these are holes to repair, and ALL mechanical workings are missing.

Besides, I am not much of a bass boat fan.

So while searching out parts, I came across a boat where initially I was thinking about using for parts, as it had a lot to offer.
But as I was driving home to get a trailer ( that in itself is a rather long messy story) I was going through trying to work out how much work it would be to salvage the parts, and how to use them, if they would work.

The entire time I had a time crunch while I initially looked it over, but on the 45 min trip home for the trailer, I started thinking about how nice that boat really was, and how I liked it MUCH better than a bass boat.
I was in fact astounded that I didn't realize earlier that this was the boat I had been searching for for years!

Well I didnt/dont have a boat trailer large enough to handle hauling this down the road, so I started hooking up the cars trailer, only to find it had 2 of 4 tires slashed, and someone had been trying to take an axle OFF the trailer it appears. Of course no cameras where its parked, a problem that has now been rectified.  So I start calling around to friends, most were not home, and others have similar issues of disrepair. Well this means extra cost, and a trip to the rental shop. :(

$37 in trailer rental, and $30 in gas later I have this home.


Yeah Ill get better pics of it soon I promise.

Continues soon..

Wolvenar:
On  a temp trailer.



All vinyl is in need of replacement, but should make it for this year.
It will give me a small project for next year.





ALL wood in this boat needs replacing





Basically everything in this boat is in bad shape.
Back of fuel tank


Someones idea of a repair, putting a piece of plywood over the rotten floor and access panel, over carpet and all.

Wolvenar:
Picked up an inboard-outboard setup from a donor boat (20' Mark Twain)


The stern drive, a 1976 mc-1 (pre-alpha)


The motor 1976 Mercruiser 888
Which is basically a Ford 302, with 351w heads, and 351w cam from a truck or rv
Rochester 2-GC carb
Customized  for Marine distributer, cooling systems and manifolds
(Sorry messy shop as always)

Having a hard time with this motor though. It's caused me all sorts of hell.
The starter was stuck, the carb was corroded and all butterflys were stuck/frozen.
The centripical advanced distributer was stuck and points corroded.
The block was cracked, but I had a replacement. which afterword I dropped the one I replaced on my foot.  :-\.
Now working through timing issues, been trying to put it off, but I might need to take it partically back apart. It looks like I might not have the cam timing right.

In IRC we started talking about possibly setting this up as a propane powered boat.
Working out the numbers, it would not have a great run time per 40lb tank, but for my needs it would work fine.

The properties of propane in this application are.
There is no trouble of varnishing tank and parts in the long winters we have.
The fuel stores essentially as long as I would ever need it to.
The oil would likely last much longer.
Oil changes are never to much fun in this kind of boat.
Simplicity in carberation, with nearly the gains of EFI, without the complexity and troubles.

Predicted drawbacks are:
A minimal loss of power. This setup is overpowered in this boat so maybe not a noticed drawback.
Cost of fuel is a bit higher
tank options and space are limited, as well as fuel capacity.
Loss of Coast Guard certification, but not enforced to any real degree where I live.


Anyone have any other pros/cons to propane conversion?
Also i would like to document here what that conversion would take.

oztules:
The only real problem with bottle gas and boats.... is that the gas is heavier than air, and tends to lay in the sump..... having been blown out of a boat with that kind of build up of petrol was enough for me to take this seriously.


This can be overcome by using hydrogen i suppose, but that brings about a whole new raft of problems... like keeping it in the bottle and expense.

Getting your propane out of the bottle may be a problem for you folk that live in the frozen wastes of America ;D


.......................oztules

MadScientist267:

--- Quote from: Wolvenar ---


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'Da *hell* you doing with my van, son? LOL  :o

I'm gonna be watching this one closely... not because I think you're gonna do anything to that Astro, but because if you do end up doing a propane conversion, I'm gonna want some details... You got the gears turning, you see, and now its almost as if there's some kind of sign or something... ;)

Steve

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