bertram31.com

Kevin

Good to be back! I did not get anymore work on the boat done last week. But I know where to find it when I have some time........

Kevin

Rick I made a run down there yesterday and saw a 31 that was on the east side of the icw in the water. Light blue color in the water. Sharp looking boat. Is that you?

Kevin

I will do better at staying in touch. Guilty as charged! I have the new couplers in place with the shafts fitted to them. The new tubes are measured and about ready for final install. Not glassed in yet that will be next week hopefully. This weekend is a no go for boat stuff. Son has MX race so pit ...

Kevin

Hello Faithful. I hope everyone is doing well. I sure have missed the recreational boating life and the company on this forum. My son and I started working on the boat after a long hiatus. He said he really missed following me around while I was free diving trying to shoot hogs and grouper. The last...

Kevin

I should elaborate on No internet. We have to operate from our phones as my neighborhood does not have cable internet unless you get a dish. Neighbors told us it's terrible so we didn't bother. Even cell service is poor so I have antennas to get signal into the house. I'm on the list for starlink bu...

Kevin

Happy new year everyone. Hope you are all well. Been away and out of the game for some time now. Got the old computer up and running off the hotspot. Have not had internet at house in over two years, just cell phones! I have not been boating since I left the keys. I thought about selling the 28 back...

Kevin

They are good. In moth ball fleet per say. Not sure when she will see water again.

Kevin

Yannis,
After pumping out through dipstick I wanted to see how much was left in the pan. I pulled the plug to get out that last couple cups of oil. What I actually got was was maybe a teaspoon. Not worth the effort by any means. But it was a good peice of mind to know.

Kevin

I just had to cut mine off this weekend. One of them came apart no problem and the other required cutting.

Kevin

That's busy season so call sooner than later. Lots of weekly vacation rentals. Not sure about prices since I lived there I never checked. Marathon does have a large amount of weekly vacation rentals so I would think you could find one that fits your time frame.

Kevin

Steve, You can also use the plastic 15 gallon barrels like the ones the smugglers use. Not to big so you can move them on deck or out of the boat if needed. Simple jiggler syphon for transfer into tank. It's how I have done it when needed. It's the poor man's method but highly effective. I have 5 th...

Kevin

Too far out.......could go north, maybe even south who knows. They all go north at some point. On a serious note the new place am living has a sweet home generator. Runs like a champ but does not produce juice. Auto start works but I don't think the generator is exciting if that is the right termino...

Kevin

We moved up to Palm City. I should have done it a long time ago!

Kevin

Vacation rentals are out of control. Always new crowd of drunks on vacation being loud. Like being surrounded by night clubs when you have to sleep and go to work in morning. Family based neighborhoods disappearing. Tired of driving through South Florida to see friends and family. Getting raped by w...

Kevin

Yes they are a great contact. When I told him what I needed, he new exactly what I was talking about. Even made some recommendations. Between that and the new mixing elbows everything is perfect. Burned maybe half a tank of diesel this summer so busy with move. At least it will be perfect when I put...

Kevin

Carl, I'm with Pete and Bob on this one. I read the instructions about 6 months ago for the dripless. It said change this and that after so many years. Mine have done about three times there life expectancy. Borrowed time, I know. I saw the hinges that Pete gave me when I was packing up all my stuff...

Kevin

Cam,
I installed mini splits at my last house. My AC guy did the final vacuum prior to releasing the gas into the lines. His words were at least 45 minutes to an hour on the pump. He has seen them fail without doing so. Just passing along what I have experienced.

Kevin

Don't forget about aluminum foil for masking things like cables and other oddities you don't want painted. Wrap around hoses etc it's fast and effective. I just finished my annual which included paint touch up I do less painting every year since the hatches are sealed up and don't leak. Stay on top ...

Kevin

Glad to hear you are back in the game........sort of. Always hard to tell with you.

Kevin

KTM,
Is your screen name reference to the dirt bike?

Kevin

Looks sharp.
I think you have met the definition of project creep.
In the end it's all worth it.

Kevin

I have not seen the latest generation furuno. I am used to the navnet and don't care for it that much. That's what, 10 to 12 years old now? I bet the new stuff is pretty slick.

Kevin

I only use the ac if I am on the boat. I have never run into a full tank due to condensation drip. If I did I would just turn on a faucet to lower tank level.

Kevin

I plumbed mine to drain into the fresh water tank. Not common practice but it works for me.

Kevin

5200? How do you replace it when it stops working?

Kevin

Tropical boat rentals had a nice clean fleet last time I was in there. That is Marathon though.......a bit to the South.

Kevin

Thanks for the options guys. If all fails locally I feel better knowing there are alternative options. I broke a sensor in the elbow so I will be calling the other places to see if they can get other parts. Keeping fingers crossed!

Kevin

Does anyone know a fabricator that can make wet exhaust elbows? I would like to ship one of my existing cast aluminum showers to someone who can duplicate it out of stainless steel. The paint on these things always peels off and looks terrible. I called Mack Boring to order replacements. They ordere...

Kevin

Yannis, In a gas application the other other noise you may be referring to is the blow off valve. In between shifts when the throttle plate closes the boost pressure has to be released from the system prior to the throttle plate. Diesel engine does not have a throttle plate which is why you don't he...

Kevin

I like hearing about the new stuff. I went off the beaten path with Steyr. Very pleased with them. Keep us posted.

Kevin

Just write the check. Thank us later.

Kevin

Bruce could have been mean, but he wasn't. Must be suffering from heat exuastion!
Thanks for all you guys do!

Kevin

Tony,
I'm pretty sure you need to look at the back of the transmission on the top of the case. Two wires go to it on mine but it's a zf45. I thought the 63 was similar.

Kevin

I forgot all about the socket trick! I have a one inch spacer between the flange and coupler. After that it's pretty much sliding the bellows another half inch or so aft. I think to get me by for mini season I will afix a plastic jug to stop the salt mist from getting everywhere. I will need to orde...

Kevin

Good one! I think I may just order up some new seal kits. Either way, I will have to make a press that will assist with getting couplers off the shaft. This is one downfall to an extreme aft engine placement.

Kevin

Thanks Bruce I will check it out. The big issue is real estate. There is no space between the stainless collar and the coupler. I can pull the one inch spacer between the flange and the coupler and that's assuming I can break coupler free of the shaft. 12 years is a long time for corrosion to get a ...

Kevin

Did a little more poking around with the shaft seals. I called the seal graphite but realized it's carbon. One of the mating surfaces must be warped but not sure which one. Visible that when shaft is turning something is not right and a bit of leakage. Engine may need realignment but not sure yet. S...

Kevin

Rob, I don't have any more pictures. I don't think I have posted a picture since Photobucket. Might be time for me to re-train. If you have not done any patch work or repairs with fiberglass I would not recommend starting with hatch cover project. It's a significant project. Structurally and aesthet...

Kevin

Welcome to the sand box. I have never looked back once purchased and installed around 2006. I'm only at about 1100 hours but the only parts I have replaced are a starter and motor mounts. That was due to leaky hatches. I did replace mixing elbows, I think around 7 years in. I need to inspect them ag...

Kevin

I think I would use the existing hatches again. I would be tempted to make my own with foam core but you need a big flat surface for lay up. Existing hatches are heavier than modern foam core so that is a draw back. Yannis brings some points that are not a factor for me. I can still get on bridge as...

Kevin

I was doing some maintenance and noticed corrosion on the nipples that are on the fuel coolers that supply cooling water to the shaft seals. Replaced them but learned one of them was totally blocked. Does anyone know if the graphite/stainless collar is compromised due to heat? Not sure how long it h...

Kevin

I'm pretty sure Lonestar used a Winnebago for space travel.

Kevin

Nuetral safety switch should only take you about 10 minutes to replace. Way better than a sharp stick in the eye! Then go burn some diesel.

Kevin

Thanks Mike! I should be good.

Kevin

I believe it was Teflon tape. Hopefully someone can advise if that is the wrong way to do it. I will keep eye on it as I just did it two days ago.

Kevin

I just swapped mine. Cleaned threads and appeared to be old tape or sealant on them. Put a wrap of tape on them and reinstalled. No leaks.
Make sure wire connections and or harness connection point are not corroded.

Kevin

The hatch over the v berth right?
Order up some half round weather seal and replace the old worn out seals. The stuff I have used is the peel and stick kind. Not expensive and great for sealing up against water and and leaks. Acetone surface so it's clean and stick the new stuff on.

Kevin

Hey Troy, I don't have an answer for you but good to see you in the sandbox. I would have to wonder, if your engines are not aftercooled is it possible to run more boost with out exceeding the maximum air intake temperature? I would also wonder if there is some sort of trade off with spool speed ver...

Kevin

I think Danny at High Tide would have em.

Kevin

Yannis, Removed antifouling paint and replaced with VC performance epoxy. Store it on elevator lift. Rounded leading and trailing edges of rudders. They were squared at first. Turbos are up against back of engine compartment so aft most engine install. This was not by design but because I did not wa...

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