Trap Jaw

Did you check the U-joint?

cleaning the big chunks with a pressure washer is a good start. Then you need to wipe down any areas that need work with acetone.

If I might add my two cents... Being an owner of a 22' Chris Craft Scorpion with a godforesaken 3.7L Mercruiser.

The only reason our boat even gets on plane is because of the trim tabs someone mounted on it years ago. After 30 years I'm sure the engine has lost some uhmph so that is part of the problem. But with just 2 people in the boat, and not putting the tabs down, the boat will just stand on it's stern forever. I know our boat is prop'd just fine. At WOT it tachs between 3900-4000 depending on weight.

Now add the tabs into the mix. Night and day. Will get on plane in no time and man are they nice for leveling the load. Nice on rough days too.

As far as foam. I don't think our model has any more foam then just a little around the gas tank. Even saturated I don't think it would hold more than a few gallons.

My opinion is that our boats just shouldn't have been sold with anything less than a V6 with options for larger and nothing smaller. They may have been sufficient from the factory, but unlike wine they don't get better with age.

Now my buddy's boat(same exact hull with the outboard option) has never had a problem... Except when you throw 5 people on it. His is only powered by a 115 Merc and no tabs. Probably helps when you loose half a ton from the stern of the boat. My uncle has the Scorpion CC(again same hull) with the 305 I/O and no tabs. I have been on that boat being 1 of 6 people and it doesn't even hesitate. Food for thought.

Ah, I remember that day... 25 years ago.

When a new one is $20k, you'd think there would

be a least something they could do.

And that is why I have sworn off(and at) outboards on my fishing boats. I/O's all the way from now on. If I need to repower, like I had to do on one outboard already, at least it'll only run 4-5 grand instead of 20. The since the 90's, outboards just aren't built like the old ones.

I hate to tell you all, but every manufacturer is like that now. Just go back and see the post from earlier this summer about Yamaha. They all want it out the door and never have to deal with it again. Customer service is a thing of the past.

Similar sentiment, I sold my '71 Mercs(4 & 80hp) to a friend of mine to get his duck boat going. We just did a compression test on the 80 last year and it still has 130psi on all 4 cylinders. I told him this summer that if he ever upgrades boats I want my motors back. After 40 years that thing will still start within 5 seconds of cranking.

I did it on our old boat. Definitely a P.I.T.A.

If you are mechanicly inclined and have tools, there are a few specialty tools that help, and an extra set of hands, then there is no reason you can't do it yourself.

We had the same problem with our old 4Winns. It was the prop. I'm not sure how you have your boat set up, but with ours we had too much crap on the back. Between cooler, kicker and just misc gear there was too much weight to let the motor wind up. Found out that that set up was fine for an unloaded boat, but throw all that and 3 people in and the only way we could plane out was for everyone to move to the windshield. Another thing to consider is the age of your motor. 21 pitch may have been fine when it was new, but engines loose power over time.

Ray, I sent you a PM, don't want to hijack the thread.

I have a similar setup to Ray's. I won't go anywhere without an aux. motor. My buddy just had his main puke on him 5 miles out. Got back on his kicker. Took an hour, but a lot cheaper than a tow.

So lets start from the beginning. We have been having nothing but problems with this motor since day one. Replaced just about everything with the ignition and fuel. Finally starting to run halfway decent. We decided to install an electronic ignition to rule out problems with the points(even though they're new). Started 10 times better after installation, but it backfires now and then. Talked to a few motor heads at work and they said that the timing would have to be advanced with the new ignition. So now to the problem.

Started the motor and warmed it up and hooked the timing light up. It wasn't till then that I realized there were no marks on the flywheel(ok not really the flywheel). So does anyone have any idea how I should go about timing this thing.

If you want to save on gas... Get a dock.

We tow our boat with a Chevy 1/2 ton with the 5.3(?). On the road it gets around 13.

Problem is, between the weight and the aerodynamics like a sheet of plywood you just won't get very good mileage. It's more a question of not getting horrid mileage.

Most important part of the whole article...

"All they need to do is let the subsidy lapse on Dec. 31."

Time to start writing legislators!

Then come New Years Eve this will really mean something.

I powered a 16' fiberglass for 10 years with an old one lunger 4hp Merc. I had the same thoughts as above, don't want to underpower it. I started out with a 9.9 Merc that topped out at 7mph. When it started giving me problems I borrowed my buddies 4 horse, just to try. At WOT it topped out around 5.5mph. The other thing that was nice switching to that motor, less weight. After my boat my dad had to outfit his boat, knowing what I know now, we put an F8 Yamaha on a 22' Chris Craft. Haven't had a problem with speed.

BTW, don't make your pick on brand based on the other post. Any company out there now has lousy CS, and will stick you if they can. I love my Yamaha and would buy another. Warranties now are like rebates, you might get it you might not. Ha, look at Craftsman, lifetime warranty, but they try to give you used tools if you return something.

PM sent

Hey Chance, that's my primary water as well.

We have a pair of Cannon Unitroll 10's on our boat and don't notice any problems with them. I have a Sub-troll rigged up on one of them and use 12# weights.

The one thing I noticed last year, the few times I used the probe, we don't have the currents here that you run into on lake O. Never found more then 1 or 2 tenths difference.

Hey buck. I don't want to rain on the parade, but I don't think an EZ Steer will work on your boat. Reason is I have almost the same boat. I'm guessing your's is either a Wellcraft or Chris Craft. I have a Chris Craft 212 Scorpion with the same set up, I/O and swim platform.

We installed a Yamaha F8 on it when we bought it, motor works fine(will push the boat 6MPH at WOT), we just can't rig up any kind of steering to the outdrive. Reason is, there isn't enough clearance between the outdrive and the platform when you tilt. We had an EZ Steer from our old boat and I tried every permutation I could think of to use it. Before next season I will be ordering a Panther T4 remote steer, that is my last option. If that doesn't work I'll be going back to the old days when I used the outdrive as a rudder.

As for mounting it. I made a stainless bracket that went right on the platform and had two vertical sections, one for the motor the other to bolt through the transom. I would check how the platform is mounted before you just did something like this. A 4-stroke is an awful lot of weight hanging back there. Our boat has 4 massive cast brackets holding it on. At this point though, if the kicker comes off and sinks I've got bigger problems to worry about. If I get a chance I'll take some pics tomorrow.

I put Lucas addatives in anything that I don't put synthetic in.

I had one experience with the newer Mercs. That was enough for me. 125ELPTO, biggest piece of junk on the face of the planet. Merc should offer mega rebates for repowering them. It was easier for us to justify selling and getting another boat then repowering. Last Merc I'll ever own...

Well, unless they're 30+ years old. Still nothing that is better then the old Kiekhaefer outboards. I sold the '71 80hp off my boat to a friend, still fires in less then 5 seconds. I told him he had to baby it through duck season so that when he fired it up next summer he could officially say he was running a 40 year old motor.

I'll just chime in my vote for Yamaha's.

We have an F8 on our 22' Chris Craft I/O. No reason to have any bigger or pay for the HT. If a standard will push our heavy fiberglass, it should have no problem on your aluminum.

As far as mounting it, I have always backed the Garlick brackets. We had one on our last boat, same F8, and it was a dream to get out of the water. Actually had to use more force getting it down. Up was mostly just unlock it and stand back. Not to mention if you mount it right you don't have to worry about tilting the motor. Ours was up and down no more.

You're killin' me.

I don't even get to pick up a gun till Saturday.

I love hearing all these people gripe about genetically engineered species.

Uh, if I'm not mistaken we've been genetically engineering plants and animals for centuries. Granted now it's by gene splicing, where it was selective breeding in the past. No different, other then one is slower then the other.

If people don't want genetically manipulated food, eat dirt, it's the only thing that hasn't been altered

Take one of the most recognized crops on this continent, corn. Just a few centuries ago the maize plant looked more like a weed. With selective breeding we ended up with what we have today.

If it weren't for the fact that I cannot even stand to get salmon close to my mouth, I'd eat the frankenfish.

Please, don't go there. I love catching them, hate eating them. I'd rather chew on my boot.

IMO, you may be able to get a bit more out of the boat, but with an I/O you're probably close to max.

Reason I say that. We just bought an old Chris Craft this spring. Almost the same boat as my buddy's, which we love. The only difference between the two is ours is an I/O and my buddy's is an outboard. He had his powerhead rebuilt last year and after that the 115 Merc. lost some power. Our boat has the 185hp 3.7 in it. His boat has a better hole shot and more top end, even after being rebuilt. Our boat came to us with trim tabs, but those do almost nothing for the hole shot. The I/O just doesn't have the RPM's to shoot out of the water. We went through the same thoughts you mentioned, and we had to deal with it and accept it, it's just the nature of the beast.

The other thing you should look at with regards to the other boats that "blow by" you is what kind of drive they have. Another buddy has the same boat you have, 19' Islander ~85-86 with a 115 Johnson, I know his boat shoots out of the water with 4 people and has a top speed around 35.

Just remember 2 things. One, that I/O puts a lot more weight in the back of your boat, and the more weight that's back there the harder it is to get on plane. Two, don't compare your I/O to an outboard. 2 strokes, by design, are better at producing power, why do you think anything that needed speed in a light package always had a 2 stroke, outboards, chainsaws, dirt bikes, snowmobiles. Keep in mind that while your WOT should be maxed out at 4500, a 2 stroke outboard should be 5000-5500. Heck, the last sled I owned had a WOT something like 7000-8000rpm, I just can't remember, other then it got squirely at about 100mph. I was usually too busy looking where I was going then to look at the tach.

Probably the same as what happens with cars... The people that got ones and had problems had nothing but problems. Then the other people that never had a problem or very little. Guess who does the most talking.

My other view on boats like this, if it was one of the junky ones it would have been cut up long ago.

I don't know how bringley did his, but my buddy made one for his boat that looked kind of similar. He just used PVC for the frame and covered it with grass mats. I would venture a guess that he didn't spend more then $50, with the mats, since he was boarderline poor at the time.

One thing I always do before pulling the lower unit to replace the impeller is to use a blow gun and give it a shot of compressed air in the discharge tube. Sometime things get stuck in there, bugs block it up, I've also seen where there is nothing in there but giving it a shot cleared something. Just something I was told long ago, after I spent a couple hours removing and reinstalling a lower unit just to find out the impeller was like brand new. Did the trick then and has saved me numerous times from un-needed repairs.