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Random Quote: Manatee..... Its what for dinner!!!!
Are you guys talking about that little bitty inline filter in the oil line next to the main tank?
In the process of checking stuff out, I am getting all kinds of things fixed. Got the baitwell pump working yesterday. That was a thru hull fitting totally clogged with pieces of shells etc.
Last night playing with the tabs, I noticed a small problem. Like, the motor runs and one tab moved a little bit, sluggishly. So this morning I crawled up under the console and am learning the Bennett trim tab system. I was familiar with Lenco from my other boat. Anyhow, got it all apart, and that resovoir that is suppose to have about 22 oz of ATF in it has aprox. zero ounces of oil in it. Y'all reckon that could account for the fact that the tabs don't work?
I had wondered about them, they seemed not to do much. now I know why. I'll fill it up, and find the leak. I assume there MUST be a leak.
Yes the little white filter under your 3 gallon main oil tank.
You more than likely have a bad seal on one of the actuators. We had one go bad on our 2000 Contender about 5 years ago. One of the dual actuators on the Starboard tab leaked and you could visually see the fluid running down the tab if the boat set on the trailer for more than a week.
The good new is, Bennett has great customer service. Ours was replaced under warranty, no questions asked. If it continues to leak down, look up "tabman", he works for Bennett and will get you fixed up.
Cool. Thats good to know. I would imagine these tabs have been on there since 94. Haven't seen any oil leak yet, but I am sure I will find it eventually.
I keep finding things to fix on this boat, but it's actually getting in pretty good condition. I have fixed hinges, latches, three pumps, added fuel filters, a swim ladder, now the tabs work. Almost everything works on it now! Still have to free up one sticky thru hull valve, and the stereo and speakers need to be replaced....leaning post recovered... needs cushions for the seat in front of the console...
We should spend most of the day on it tomorrow...so I should have a real good idea about the Yamaha.
Well, dang it. We woke up to completely overcast skies and it looks like the rain is about to start. Why Saturday?? Seven foot seas forecast for outside the reef, but that wouldn't bother the Contender. We typically don't bother going fishing if it's cloudy and raining. No reason to. We get over 300 good days a year to pick from.
Gonna give it a couple hours and make a go/no-go on that.
Getting those trim tabs to work should help keep that powerhead out of the wash when you go from idle speed to up on plane. If you set the tabs half way down or so, it will lift the stern and help keep that motor higher out of the water until you plane off. Same for coming off plane.
I think addressing that motor-dunking-issue with the tabs and the motor height adjustment you did will help keep it drier.
__________________ "Lickety Split" 31 Fountain with 250 efi's
Getting those trim tabs to work should help keep that powerhead out of the wash when you go from idle speed to up on plane. If you set the tabs half way down or so, it will lift the stern and help keep that motor higher out of the water until you plane off. Same for coming off plane.
I think addressing that motor-dunking-issue with the tabs and the motor height adjustment you did will help keep it drier.
I assume that the one 300 weighs less than 2 200 hpdi's that are considered standard, so I wonder why this flooding the colwing is such a problem. Is it because the twin cowlings sit higher out of the water, with their props placed higher on each side of the deeper keel than a single?
I assume that the one 300 weighs less than 2 200 hpdi's that are considered standard, so I wonder why this flooding the colwing is such a problem. Is it because the twin cowlings sit higher out of the water, with their props placed higher on each side of the deeper keel than a single?
Yes.
And.......if it was me setting that rig up, I would have raised the bracket 5 inches and gone with a 30" shaft length engine.
But.........hindsight is a wonderful thing. Even I can sound like I know what I'm talking about.
__________________ Andy Munao Our new parts site: www.simyamaha.com Yamaha Outboard Sales, Parts and Service 1-800-213-3323 parts@shipyardisland.com Click the logo to see our THT Vendor Forum
We did take it out today. Pretty exciting, it was an honest 6 feet outside the reef with a good 8 footer coming through from time to time. and blowing like snot. rain off and on. We trolled all the way to Pine Cay, then had enough. Went in to visit some friends there, and by the time we headed home it was blowing even harder. solid eight feet on the reef side, breaking all the way to shore. No way to avoid it.
This is the story of a fairly interesting day:
I have to admit, being a couple miles offshore in this weather, with only a single outboard motor that I repaired myself, the pucker factor was getting up there. I kept wondering what I might have left loose, disconnected, etc. Motor never missed a beat.
SO, we took the boat over the Banks home. First time ever taking this boat that route in the year we have had it. It's shallow and choppe. I cranked the tabs down, tilted motor bow-down, and the stern of that thing raised up what felt and looked like several inches. I wish I had taken a photo of the wake right behind the boat, it was so evident what was happening. I kept thinking we were going to hit the bottom, but it didn't happen.
Total trip was about 40 miles. I ran around 3500 to 4000 RPM for a lot of it. No overheat alarm.
No fish either. But I am not sure I would have wanted an excited wahoo on the boat today. We had our hands full hanging on most of the time.
You don't know what you've been missing not having your tabs working correctly. They make all the difference in the world with this hull. Tabs down and straight into a head sea is were this hull really excels.
Glad everything is working correctly. Looking forward to seeing some pictures with bloody decks or at least some lobster or conch.
We picked up sixteen nice conch last Sunday. Wife has a nice conch chili/gumbo type recipe and we make up a big batch and freeze it in portions. It tastes great and lasts a long time being cooked first and then frozen, unlike frozen raw seafood.
I'm gaining confidence in the motor, finally. We'll be back out when this weather clears up. We're getting pinched between two storms or something. I should have the water pump re-hab kit from SIM this week, too.
On the tabs, well, one of them worked a little, the other barely moved before. I didn 't realize it because the boat has been in the water until this summer when we pulled it and started keeping it at the house. and I DID get some reaction when I ran the hydraulic pump before. But nothing like now, with a full resovoir full of oil. They were working excellent today. more like I am accustomed to, after getting used to the Lencos on our Andros panga.
No fresh broken motor photos. Ran about 42 miles without a miss. Went out into forecast 6-8, actually was more like 7 with two feet of chop on top. Ugly. on the way back, I cranked the tabs down and we booked it through about three feet of water on the protected banks side. Awesome. there was a good two foot chop running there, but it was easy beans.
This is how Saturday morning looked, in the protected part on the Caicos Bank. Before we went through the cut outside the reef into open ocean and it got ugly:
I just wouldn't go out in 6-8 when it's blowing. Heck, I wish I hadn't gone out Saturday in it. Spent a hundred or so bucks on fuel, and Didn't catch anything.
At least with a smaller boat I would take one look at the ocean breaking on the reef and say "we ain't going out there today", instead of "yeah, the boat can take it."
I just wouldn't go out in 6-8 when it's blowing. Heck, I wish I hadn't gone out Saturday in it. Spent a hundred or so bucks on fuel, and Didn't catch anything.
At least with a smaller boat I would take one look at the ocean breaking on the reef and say "we ain't going out there today", instead of "yeah, the boat can take it."
I hear that, however it seems like you boat in area that is isolated and you never know when a storm will come up. With regard to fuel, it is a small part of the cost of boat ownership, in 5 years how much fuel are you going to burn?
Glad to hear the engine is running better. You sure live in a beautiful part of the world.
Took an hour and 45 minutes to completely rebuild the water pump and get it all back together. I am hoping that fixed the overheat situation...ready for another sea trial/fishing trip.
What does it take to drop the lower unit and get to the pump?
Much easier than I had anticipated. Basically:
Remove the prop. You could do it with the prop on, but it will be easier if you don't have to deal with it. lighter, too.
Pull up the rubber stopper over the bolt that holds the trim zinc on, and remove that. ( mark it so you can return it to same position)
Remove the other two bolts in that area. Both from the bottom.
Remove the six bolts that hold the foot on. So that's nine bolts, easy to get to. 8 of them are the same length, one is longer. It's obvious.
The foot pulls right off. nothing else to disconnect. It has a little weight to it, but still one-man portable. I am guessing 30-40 lbs? Something like that. Not a strain. I would suggest you have a Workmate or bench or something nearby so that when you pull it off you just swivel and set it right back down. I used a Sears copy of a Workmate.
Putting it back together is only slightly trickier, and that has to do with lining the shifter rod up with the linkage. It's not a problem, the linkage is wobbly and easy to push around with one finger while you lift the foot into place. Its kinda like lining up the little rod in a house door mechanism, if you have ever removed a door knob/lock and replaced it.
This was the first time I ever rebuilt one of these. next time I suspect I could do it in less than an hour total. If you just replaced the impeller, that would take about 20 minutes.
oil micro filter 
