bertram31.com

Kevin

Dry weight on my 28 was advertised at 12,060 lbs. It has a platform and has been on a forklift at least 25 times. Contact points for the forks are only a couple of feet under the engines. I have never seen the area of the rudder posts touching the forks, it was always several inches up above the for...

Kevin

Sounds like a fun trip. You are covering some serious ground. Bimini is about 120nm from Marathon. That is the only place I have been on my boat. I am aiming for a July 15th crossing. With the price of fuel I do not think I can go much past Bimini. I recently heard many marinas did not even have fue...

Kevin

I had mine trailered once. Floated it right on with no problems. Shafts are 4 feet on center so figure about 5 to 5 1/2 feet spread for the bunks. Get it wide enough so the bunks are on the hull and not the lifting strake. The lifting strake terminates too far forward and will it will create a bulge...

Kevin

No need to remove them. Another good thing about it compared to others that I have used is there are no nuts or bolts to drop. If you are diving that is priceless. The crank levers are like the kind on a bench vice. Easy to use.

Kevin

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/MP81124478.htm?utm_medium=productsearch&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=product_ads&utm_content=%7Badtype%7D&gclid=CN-z8MX_uqkCFQLs7QodXDXL4w Go to this link to see the one I used this week. Liked it a lot. I just borrowed this style puller from a buddy and took my...

Kevin

That boat looks great. So is the bridge normally contoured like that under the helm or did you build it like that to accomodate laying on your back under the helm chasing gremlins? Liking the exhaust look also.

Kevin

JR, They look like the same ones on my 28. When I took mine out it did require a bit of muscle since they were siliconed in. They will flex quite a bit but when you install them again and put the screws back in they are fine. They are two seperate peices so you sandwich the glass between the frames ...

Kevin

This only cleans the air in side right? Or does it clean the exhaust side too? Noticable difference with econmy or performance or is it a preventative maintenance thing?

Kevin

That looks great. When I saw the air intakes I thought of Bob. Some day I will do air intakes like that. I might start with lowering my filters! Great job and keep the pictures coming. It is always amazing to see these old boats looking so much better than anything off the production line.

Kevin

Peter, I would reccomend 10% rule here. if you have 185 gallon tank assume that you can safely burn about about 165 gallons or so. Remeber your pick ups may not get the last bit of fuel while pitching and rolling. I think you would find that 60 miles one way would not be unreasonable depeding on how...

Kevin

You still have ethanol up there? You can not find a marina around here selling ethanol fuel. Most of them have banners proudly stating NO Ethanol!

Kevin

That is some smooth looking work down there.

I have the seals the Capt. is speaking of. He is right. 5 years and no problems.

Kevin

I have 7 snaps on aluminum frame. 3 on each side and a single snap in the center at the base. It survided Huricane Wilma and I estimated the boat took blows well over 75. They said we had gusts around 100 if I recall corectly. After about a year just wash with soapy water and re-apply water proofing...

Kevin

Bob,
I bet you are feeling pretty good. All that work and then you get to see the light at the end of the tunnel when they come to life.
Is that and underwater LED on the transom?

Kevin

I just noticed your step around the emblem. I think I need a pair like that. Not in the way and they look good. Where do I find them?

Kevin

That is smooth. Does it provid lift!

Kevin

I usually plan ahead but at this point I could never sell the boat. I have way too much into it. I will not have a need to leave it in the water anymnore, unless I do a trip to Bimini or the Tortugas in which case it would be run daily for less than a week. Bob is helping me with the prop side of th...

Kevin

Those sure are some nice bottoms!

Do I need to do the epoxy barrier or am I good with VC performance since it will always be on the lift?

I already know there will be a lot of repair work!

Kevin

John, That is sounding good. White and slick is what I am looking for. My yard said 5 gallons of gelcoat would be needed if I went that route. Although the price I got for the product came to about 155 bucks for all of it. "Friends in the business" Labor will be a different story but I am going to s...

Kevin

Just got back in town. Boat has been at yard for two weeks and I need to check on it in the morning and see the progress if any.

Need to pull the props.
Bob I will PM you shortly, I would like to hear your thoughts on tweaking them.

I still have not decided what to do about the bottom.

Kevin

Sounds like there are several options to choose from. I thought I read somewhere that wax actually increases drag. I am going to look into that again. I can not picture myself regularly going under the boat to wax it, but that is just a hunch. Having a tough time with any other color than black or w...

Kevin

Tony,
Never heard of it. Is it an antifouling bottom paint or a paint designed for lowest drag coefficiant? If it has teflon in it is the prep work any different for applying it? Are barrier coats and teflon paint sprayable? I have much to learn on this topic.

Kevin

Bob, Loads of fun. It was a double whammy for me. It was actually the first time I even shot a fifty. The bird is loud, but when the fifty rings the heart really feels it. The shockwave rips right through you. Did not shoot a real target. Just dropped green dye in water. I am a boat guy that got to ...

Kevin

OK sounds good......not really. I know that there are a couple spots visible where gelcoat has popped off. I usually have about 6 every 1.5-2 years when I have the bottom painted. My glass guys will go in and sand them and fill and finish off with gelcoat, then the new bottom paint. I would anticipa...

Kevin

Boat is at the yard. Removing the bottom paint since I bought an elavator lift. So should I have them gel coat it or is there a better alternative that is smoother?

Kevin

I am fairly confident that despite those engines running they were probably due for repower. Outboards are disposable and 2 years of use 7 days a week..........you guys get it. A 12 gauge slug is the best way and the cheapest. You have to be up close and personal though. .50cal rifle and people end ...

Kevin

That is one clean looking install. Curious how much those batteries set you back.

Kevin

Although I am a few feet short of a 31, it doen't matter. Everything I learned about the breed I learned here. My boat would still be on blocks if it were not for all the knowlwdge jammed into the site. It's also the laughs. Coming here and reading is like going to your favorite hardware store. You ...

Kevin

Music to my ears! I always like to hear you say don't bother.

Kevin

Major computer problems caused me to drop off the grid for while. I ended up going farther with the project. While the endcaps were off I pushed a core with one finger and voila, the core slid out. I went ahead and flushed both engines with distiled water twice and then added new coolant. The freshw...

Kevin

You guys are as usual so correct. If I took the time to pull it all apart and and put it back together I would be that much better for the next time. But like Walter said it seems so soon to be doing that. 4 and a half years already. Embarassing to say only 400 hours though. I am going to be honest ...

Kevin

Bruce,

Thanks for clarifications. It makes complete sense. I was looking at the motors today and I am still thinking that the whole procedure may be a bit out of my comfort level. If I break or damage something during dis assembly, what is left of my warranty would be voided, right?

Kevin

Thanks for the input guys.

20 knots, must have been a fun ride. Things have been well down here. Been 80ish for as long as I can remember and it just seems kind of warm for this time of year. Just trying to get all the maintenance done while it is not africa hot.

Kevin

really cool. So how much would one expect to pay for a box of money?

Kevin

Rawleigh, Yes that is on the Steyr engines. I knew that the aluminum would be a pain to paint. Local dealer is contacting Steyr to see what can be done. Hoping it is covered under warranty but not sure how that works. Not even sure what a stock replacement costs. I have seen some pictures of the fab...

Kevin

I hear you guys on doing it right. My engines are only 4.5 years and just about to roll 400 hours. I expected to see a mess when I pulled off the end caps but it looks pretty good. To be honest I only pulled end caps off heat exchanger to get a zinc out...it broke off inside. Now I am having to deal...

Kevin

That is a scary thought. I can not get the cores out unless I pull the computer and remove the whole bundle which is incorporated into the exhaust manifold with the pressure tank. That would mean turbo has got to come off also. Its got to be half of the mass of the motor! I have no temperature probl...

Kevin

I am going to clean the raw water side of the cooling system and wanted to know what the best solution to use. So many different acids to choose from and I am not sure of the right one. I am not removing heat exchanger or aftercooler. I am planning on the using bilge pump and bucket to circulate the...

Kevin

So I am not the only one that uses a chainsaw for fine tuning and finish work!
Pretty cool project.

Kevin

Faro Blanco shut down in 2005 Hurricane Wilma. I have heard good things about Chica Lodge but never been there myself. Hawks Cay is nice but a bit pricey in my opinion. There are great charters in just about any location in the keys. Pennecamp state park is neat....but no beach. Sombrero Beach is a ...

Kevin

I know nothing about it. Always wanted to get into it though. I have the space to do it now. Visiting sister and just found a whole bunch of G model stuff. LGB 2119d locomotive and tons of cars with track just piled into boxes. Her husband got it from grandfather. He is trying to clean up the track....

Kevin

Congrats! I'll drink to that.

Kevin

JP, You do not come across as a guy that would have rabbits! Can you train them to hunt?

Kevin

Sounds like you guys are having fun. Just after midnight and still 57 degrees here. Thought it would have been colder by now. I will admit that UV had me thinkin' about having a fire on the tile. As I walk through the front door with a clay pot with red hot charcoal......the look on my wifes face wo...

Kevin

You guys be sure to take some pictures. They are saying it should get down to about 40 tonight here in Marathon. Elevated home with tile floor and no insulation. Just portable heaters to boot! Should be fun.

Kevin

Wow, things are getting low in here. Thanks for posting the pics, at least that clarifies how it happened for all the d bags.

Kevin

Andy,

Are you going to be driving/cruising through the Marathon area? I am off on the 26 and 27th. Pretty jammed up at work right now and I am getting ready to move.

Kevin

Kevin

Send me a PM with your email. Files are ready to go.

Kevin

If anyone wants to see the log files I am now able to email them to anyone interested. It basically gives all the engine sensor readings on a sliding graph. Cool if you are into that stuff.

Kevin

Rich,

I think that worked. I was able to retrieve files and I sent them to your email.

Kevin

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