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Random Quote: LIFE IS SHORT FISH HARRRDDDDD.......
The contender is sooo much more capable than the SL1 it isn't funny,
By "more capable" I assume you mean that the contender can go offshore in rougher water. I guess if that was important to us, I could see it.
But it's not important to us. The problem with the Contender is that the list of places it can go is a very small list compared to the list of places where it cannot go.
The panga was way more capable than the Contender. Both could fish offshore on nice days, but the panga could go just about anywhere. We could choose which route to take to another island depending on the wind direction on rough days. We don't have a choice with the Contender. We have to stay in deeper water, whether we want to be there or not.
It's kinda like have a great big smooth supercar for the Autobahn, with the stipulation that you cannot drive it on two lane roads..
In capable I refer to the contenders:
weight carrying capacity
higher free board
much more storage
much stronger hull
speed
more rail space thats really usable
resale.
There are 26' mexican pangas that can be had for $4500 new like the 26' with the center consol in this link. This hull will probaby do 25 mph with a single 85 and drafts nuttin. Sit in the back for a so so ride and watch the bow bounce breaking the chop for your transom.
A charter captain friend has a W22PC with a 50 hp merc bigfoot. Load it down with a bunch of gear and it will still do about 24 mph. Burns about 5 gal a day, trolling fast for blue marlin. Think he has close to 6000 hrs on that engine, and the hull is waterlogged. Give the bilge pump something to do once or twice a day. Fitted out fit 4 seats, center isle. Too practical.
All stuff to think about, while I concentrate on this 300 HPDI. But my next boat is going to be a catamaran. My next TWO boats, actually. But one of them will be sail.
Driveway is supposed to be compacted this morning, should have the boat out of the water, on the trailer, and parked with the Yamaha about ten feet from my workbench by tomorrow afternoon. Yee ha.
Aren't the old 3 cyclinder 2 stroke Yamahas between 70 and 90 or 115 the same engine? What is so special about the 85?
If it could hand the weight, a panga with twin 85's would give you redundancy, local parts supply, etc. Though trolling a carb'd 2s with $4+ gal gas could get expensive.
__________________
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good
of its victim may be the most oppressive." ~ C.S.Lewis
The only thing special about the 85's is that there are a lot of them around and all the local mechanics know them well. And stock parts for them. Everything. The conch boat guys use them.
I do see some 115's around too. Not as many as the 85's but probably the second more popular.
Oh there are tons of 200's, 225's, 250's, but then I am back to a bigger boat. I am thinking in the other direction.
Hey maybe when I get the HPDI running again and the boat the way I like it I might change my mind.
I can't imagine that trolling on one 85 or 115 would use more fuel than trolling on this 300. Its real thirsty.
We got our trailer to the house tonight, backed up the new driveway. That was an adventure. Had to do a little work on the trailer. It had been sitting in the yard at the marina since November.
That reminds me..do any of you guys know anything about the hydraulic brakes on the Rolls Axle trailers" ? When I was backing it up the driveway, the front wheels with the disc brakes locked up. Even though I did not hook them up to anything on the Land Rover. Is there something about backing up a steep angle that would make the hydraulics lock up? It towed home fine, but those wheels were skidding when I backed it up a hill.
I am wondering if I shouldn't just drain the fluid out of the master cylinder on the trailer before going to pick up the boat tomorrow. Any ideas?
The brakes locking up when in reverse means they're working. There should be a place on the hydraulic coupler where you can install a pin, or a bolt, to prevent the coupler from compressing. For some couplers you can tie-wrap a piece of 4x4 between two parts of the coupler to accomplish this, or even use a c-clamp. All these methods are more reliable than a backup solenoid typically used on trailers on the mainland.
If you just drain the brake fluid out you'll still have the coupler loosely banging back and forth when you accelerate or decelerate. Better off to disable it with a bolt, drilling through the coupler if need be.
Bill
The Cats are heavy and use lots of power, unless you go to the Spartain I suggested thats real light and has a foil that will let you see 40 mph on the 85's.
The sl1 with 90's (max power) will only do about 32 mph wot
The SL5 and sl3 need 150's do do 40 mph comfortably.
The new americat 27 claims 53 on 150's but I am real leary of a cat with no frames underdecks.
The seatcat 22 is a great planning cat but you will need more than 85's if you want to break 35.
But if I was only going 14 mph and had coral heads around I would rethink breakneck speeds, unless it takes that to move your spirit.
14 mph at 28 mph is 30 minutes, and the boat stays in the water.
Its 9 minutes faster at 40 mph and you are in the air, negating the soft ride you are looking for in a cat.
I guess I think like an old bull.
But you can buy a 36x 18 macgregor sailing cat that breaks down to trailer, leave the sail on it and see +20 knots on wind for around $20K. Put a pair of twin 85's and youll see close to 30 mph.
Of COURSE I need a mechanic. All god's chillun needs a mechanic sooner or later.
However, that's just not really an option. I pick this stuff up pretty quickly. It's a mystery to me until I learn or figure out what each piece does and how it works, I am generally okay with electromechanical stuff and motors. I fix a whole lot of stuff.
Well, yesterday morning bright and early a small platoon of workers showed up with a grader, a water truck, and a big vibrating roller:
And things got real busy with the grader establishing the grade I wanted,
and the water truck dumping thousands of gallons of water on it, and then the guy with the roller went over and over it, after filling the roller with water. The vibrations of this thing packing the dirt rattled stuff off the walls in the garage. Felt just like a small earthquake.
The languages involved were Creole, Spanish, and some English. So I resorted to the universal language of engineering....drawing smiley faces:
And they had it done by late afternoon. So La Gringa and I hopped in the truck and hauled A off to the boatyard to locate and pick up our boat trailer, that we had not seen since November. We wrestled it to where we could hook up, and got it out of the yard just before the gate got closed and locked for the day. Got about a hundred yards, and realized something wasn't right. Stopped on side of the road and looked it over, and realized the last trailer I had hauled was for a friend with a 2" ball, and this one needs a 2 5/16", which I did have with me. It was still in the truck from then.. But all I had for tools was a big crescent wrench and a pair of channel locks. And the nut was rusted onto the threads. Big time. I did have some spray lube and a piece of line, so I made a home-made vise grip to keep the ball from turning while I torqed on the nut with the adjustable wrench ( nicknamed Knuckle busters where I come from)...
I had those channel lock handles flexed pretty well, and left enough line to secure it to the trailer to hold it if I needed it, but the plan was for it to wedge itself and all La Gringa had to do was keep it from blipping off. But it worked like a charm. We got the trailer home, and did that first backing up hill thing... just to check for fit..logistics, where to turn, etc.
looks kinda like the drawing, huh? Gonna be even longer with the boat on it.
So, plan now is to get the boat at high tide today, take it up a canal, to one of those cut-into-the -imestone ramps and get it out of there.
Man, this is a lot of hassle for a damned poopit valve..
The new driveway looks great. Hopefully you'll get the boat back up and running in no time. It should be a lot easier to work on it form the comfort of your home.
I've enjoyed following this post and reading your blog, especially since we have the same boat.
thanks. We got the boat out, using a local limestone cut ramp today. I spent a lot of time this morning looking up how surge brakes work. Backing up a driveway is one of the ways they like to work. Looks just like the vehicle slowing down, to a surge brake.
Boat actually went up to 5,000 RPM for a few minutes once I got out of the marina. But my hallelujahs and praise-Jesus phase was short lived. It started running rough, and the rpms dropped to 4400.
Timed the rendezvous (La Gringa towed the trailer to meet me in the boat in the canal) for high tide, worked great.
Backed the trailer down in the cut..
And didn't even have to start the motor again. Pulled her over on the bow line and one spring line.
Shoved Landy down into 4L and backed that sucker around two corners and up the new driveway. I had cut a piece of two by four to defeat the surge brakes. Now, I grew up looking over my right shoulder, over the seat back, at the trailer I was always backing. This no longer works. I am driving on the right side of the truck. I have to twist and look over my left shoulder to back up. Its downright unnatural, is what it is. Seems bizarre. And shoving 35 feet of boat and trailer up THAT hill in reverse steering with my right hand while looking back over my left shoulder....with a 90" wheelbase was kinda A little mini-adventure, to be sure. I didn't doze off.
But it's here. Yamma right up next to a garage door.
I can back it on inside if it gets TOO intense. I am hoping I am close to finding this one. Injectors, filters, pump diaphrams, something like that I am thinking..
Your backup lights send a signal to an elec solenoid to release pressure. Backing up causes your surge brakes to come on - especially up hill.
Thanks for the info, but that doesn't apply here. I didn't hook up any lights to the trailer and won't be doing that. An electrical connection hanging down in this environment is temporary at best. Nobody has trailer lights or even license plates on the trailers here.
I cut a piece of 2x4 and it fits perfectly in the hitch to keep the surge actuator from moving forward. Works fine.
for those who thought the outboard was too low, the raising of the HPDI has now been accomplished. We lifted it all the way yesterday, about 2.5 inches. roughly.
I am in the process of trying to find a VST filter and strainer ( the canister filter thing) here on the island. Found out it's the same as for the 250 HPDI.
for those who thought the outboard was too low, the raising of the HPDI has now been accomplished. We lifted it all the way yesterday, about 2.5 inches. roughly.
I am in the process of trying to find a VST filter and strainer ( the canister filter thing) here on the island. Found out it's the same as for the 250 HPDI.
Look how much of the leg and even part of the transom bracket that you have to drag through the water as the boat tries to come up on step. You would really benefit from more flotation and a fairing that would direct the water away from everything above your anti-ventilation plate. A better design bracket would do all of that and would make a substantial difference in the way the boat accelerated. It's no small wonder that you have a lot of water on your engine. The photo shows the bolts in the top holes so I'm thinking it was taken before you raised the engine, the angle of the photo doesn't make it easy to see but I think your engine was already pretty high. Could you post a photo with the camera at the same elevation as the bottom of the V and the engine trimmed most of the way down?
