Hi All,
Took my Southwind SR565 (w/original Yamaha 130) out yesterday for it's first run & overall pretty happy with how it performed. I had some concerns about the potential unknowns, mainly with the hull as I'm more of a mechanical guy and don't have experience with glass boats. Given the boat had been sitting with the previous owner for some time, I thought the tank was mainly empty however it was actually 80% full so unfortunately it consumed quite a bit of old fuel - top up with 20% of premium wouldn't have done much at all. In advance, I had replaced the disgusting fuel/water filter so hopefully that helped in some way. Also did the plugs, all electrical and other gear appears to be in great condition.
So... a few little niggles - you may have some insight to help me out, it might be normal, or you may even have a laugh
* Low rpm misfiring up to ~1500rpm, fine once you go above it
* Power seems to surge a little bit, thinking fuel did not help in either of these situations although this felt like it might been a touchy throttle? Seemed to need a bit of a 'reset' of throttle at times to get the revs up. Power delivery and engine ran smooth otherwise.
* Drank the juice pretty hard. Definitely not worried here but it was more than would be expected so will wait until I run it next w/e with fresh fuel.
* Winch strap snapped in the last few inches when recovering (oversight on my part for not checking when I was prepping it). Thankfully I saw it was half ripped and managed to get the safety chain on.
* Trailer roller configuration is a bit of a mess, rubber rollers leave dirty marks on the hull. Looking to fix the setup first & then replace rollers once it's working well. Considering how far out they are, it pulled up nicely.
* Fuel smell. This was a bit concerning so I'll be starting with replacing all fuel lines & if it remains, I'll pull the underfloor tank to check for leaks. Currently have the bilge soaking with some cleaner to try and minimise any build up smell over time.
* Generally needed to re-prime with a few squeezes to get it started if stopped for 15min or more.
* A bit of flame out of the exhaust when starting to flush, probably just over primed or something I assume.
One last question re: Southwind or maybe a general one. Do they run some sort of overflow in the bilge to where the pump sits? I've filled up under the floor and it was probably a foot deep before only a little started to find it's way to the bilge pump. Otherwise I'm wondering if there's a bit of channel it follows and therefore is quite likely blocked up. I'm letting it sit for an hour or so and then I'll let it all out. I'd flushed it out a bit before yesterday but when running, I found a heap of filthy water which I push out so it had been sitting somewhere up front trapped I guess.
All this aside... it handles chop and small swell with ease. Can be a little rocky when stationary but that was expected. Cruises beautifully around 40km/h and WOT on the way back saw 75km/h @ 5700rpm into a decent current. Pretty happy with it.
A couple of things seem just a bit funny, flames out of the exhaust? it will continue to drink fuel the same as it is now, adding new fuel to old does NOT make the old fuel fresh again, fuel smell? find and fix this NOW, shouldn't need to reprime after 15mins, replace the rollers now, and adjust them properly, makes little sense to get it right, then pull it to bits to fit new rollers, and have to adjust it all again?
Yeah it was just a small backfire, nothing more mate. Well aware of the fuel, I would have drained the lot if I realised there was so much old but generally took it easy so as to not ping the engine. Have worked on cars for some 15 years or so but not boats so well aware of that and the fuel reason. I'll also check the timing over the next week to ensure it's still right. I'm a little bit anal about engines but lack of outboard experience means I'll ask dumb questions for some things rather than making assumptions.Originally Posted by Noelm
Regarding the rollers, I completely agree also. I've a friend who has a much better idea of the ideal roller setup however when I picked the boat up, it wasn't sitting well on them and that made it harder to diagnose where the problems might be. With a bit of luck he'll have time to take a look next weekend with the boat off it & then I'll sort out a plan to get it sorted out.
strange co-incidence but I purchased the same set up in December as well from an owner who had not put his boat in the water for two years - it is a 2003 model with the saltwater series yammi 130. I had the same fuel issue and the motor would stall at low revs making docking a problem, and sometimes on a hot start is would not accellerate properly - trying to address these issues so the boss lady will be happy to come fishing . I also had issues with getting the boat square on the trailer with the flexi roller set up - it it doesn't go on square its a real issue. I found the only way to square it up was to winch it right up - then refloat and align the rollers while taking the trailer out of the water slowly. Can someone also advise how you can get the old fuel out the inboard tank I was told it was a 99 litre tank.
I would say that a strip and clean of the carbies would be high on the agenda. Old fuel, boat sitting for a long time, 2 stroke, all leads to likely goop and dirt in the carbies. All of which would contribute to the surging, poor idling and fuel use issues that you mentioned.
They are great motors those 130's, but you don't want a blocked jet to lean out one cylinder and burn a piston. Seen that happen or nearly happen a few times on those engines. But get them right and they are a very solid reliable engine.
And yes, replace all fuel lines from the tank, breathers to the engine. Use best quality lines you can find. maybe consider the fuel primer bulb, if it is not nice and flexible or any signs of rubber getting hard, new one. Again, a genuine Yamaha bulb is far better than an aftermarket one, and make sure it is facing the right direction, and is facing upwards.
I agree with Noel, get all new rollers for the trailer, and use the red ones designed for glass boats, not the old black rubber ones.
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
And those old 2 strokes don't need premium fuel. No Ethanol though....
They will always use more fuel than you want, they love the stuff. If you are getting 1km per litre then that is about right on average, however when in rougher conditions it will use more obviously.
When you replace the fuel lines get ones that are fuel rated. Some people seem to think that food grade lines are good enough for fuel, they aren't. They can be used for breather lines but not fuel.
Remember to always log on before heading offshore.
Boat was probably not stored bow up so stale water caught in the hull compartments, not 100% sure about this model but other SW have holes in the ribs to let water flow out to the bilge and they are not overly big, only about inch diameter. Always store bow up raised to allow any water to drain out, I wind my jockey wheel right out to full height and put a log under the draw bar for extra support.
Saw the activity in this thread and thought I'll post an update as I've moved on quite a bit since the original post!
So, I replaced all fuel lines with proper marine hose - no way would I skimp on thatIn my travels I also found one of the fuel pump's outer plates was warped about 2.5mm on one end - yes it was also spitting fuel out on idle, I don't even want to know how much when running. Thankfully we got onto this and replaced the bastard immediately, only to find the Y-splitter thereafter broke in half just by touching it. Quality stuff eh? Anyway, this was swapped out for a brass T piece which does the job but will get the Yammy one soon enough as it will fit slightly better.
The bilge cleaned up nicely, eventually.... however it just happens that the fuel sender in the top of the tank (should be 90L Magicbola) was not sealed properly. Yep, you guessed it, water in the tank. When this was found, a friend and I drained about 1.5L from there by decanting with the boat up on an angle, sender opening sealed with Coppermax - no more fuel or water leaks. The fuel/water filter was quite obviously overwhelmed which led to having to empty the carb bowls many times to get the bastard to fire up. I managed to get it out last Sunday in the flat conditions on the Hawkesbury, took it very easy with the engine and chewed up half the tank. Not ideal, but it was worthwhile all the same. This weekend I'll drain it completely, possibly with an automotive fuel pump I have and then through the filter - keep it drained and repeat a few times. Generally speaking the worst is definitely over.
As for the trailer, I found it winches on relatively straight. A handful of the wobble rollers popped off during a retrieve a few weeks back due to stuffed split pins and replacing all rollers is on the agenda but in the meantime I've made some slight adjustments which has it working fairly well. Not too worried if I can't drive it on - main thing is that it's not laid up for the moment and I will get to it sooner than later. The engine & reliability issues were the first priority for obvious reasons.
Out of this little exercise, I've quickly schooled myself on the engine and that's usually the way I learn, hands on, work it out and fix it. So despite being somewhat frustrating, I'd know less than half as much as I do now if I had no problems - then would be potentially stuck on the water if I did. Happy days
Crunchy - yes the same hull setup with these ones also. There's 3 compartments with a pair of inch wide holes... She's nice and clean now!! My jockey wheel had issues so I have the nose up on a fully extended axle stand - another under the rear of the trailer so it doesn't overbalance when I jump in for various things.
thanks Lon on the tank size - I read in the yamaha manual that you can use premium but as you say they recommend just unleaded - I had the engine serviced after I bought it - they said they started it (with earplugs) out of the water - but should the service have included a check of the carbies, fuel lines etc - not sure what a normal service includes - I'm not cluey enough to do it myself???
Did they give you any sort of a checklist of what was done? I assume it would be like most mechanics however - a general once over of a handful of things & note anything obvious. Other than that, did they discuss anything with you? I would've thought your first visit to a place would warrant some form of feedback rather than 'thanks for your money'... I'm a bit adverse to anyone working on mechanical things I own, so it's a bit of a learning curve but just the way I do things I guess.
You're not from Sydney at all are you?
There is one other thing that you learned about that motor through all this mate. Just how reliable they are. It was running on old fuel and water and still ran. try that with a new tech motor.
Remember to always log on before heading offshore.
Isn't that the truth... believe me that it hasn't gone unnoticed either
hey Lon, sorry mate been busy working - I'm from the Central Coast NSW and have had the boat into Lake Macquarie, rather than Tuggerah (too much weed and only 2-3 metres under the keel) and the boat ran beautifully after I had the carbs done - the techo said it took 4 hours (well thats what they charged me) to clean - but your right about the fuel use - I gave it a good work out at around 45 - 50 kph - and I could see the fuel gauge going down in front of my eyes. Anyway - hope you have fun
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