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Thread: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

  1. #1

    2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Purchased the boat around a year ago and while it was in fair condition for its age it still wasn't really up to the standard I like.
    I knew the Gen 1 ETec 130HP was getting a bit long in the tooth at 700 hrs and while it still ran ok it had a couple of small gremlins, just enough to keep me from venturing too far offshore.

    So, first step was a repower to the new Gen 2 150HP 3 cylinder:
    97879C00-798A-417E-8778-2ACCD21D4F5D.jpg

    With the engine concerns out of the way my attention was drawn to the electrical system.
    I noticed one day that the bilge pump stopped working. With a new unit sourced a simple swap should have fixed the issue however this only opened my eyes to an absolute poo-show of a wiring job.
    Stray earths, old wires to nowhere and different gauges joined together... it was actually quite scary to see what some people are willing to accept as 'safe'.

    This was essentially the beginning of the full rebuild as it 'seemed' easier to strip everything and start from scratch. This was also a chance to fix any other faults I found along the way including a pretty lucky find in the fuel system.

    FYI, it wasn't easier but after 8 weeks of blood, sweat, tears and many, many expletives the hard work all came together.

    I tried to document most of the work along the way and threw together a bit of a video which can be found here:

    And the finished product here:


    I learned many lessons along the way and likely did a few things the hard way but in the end I now know the boat inside out and have full confidence in it to head as wide as the petrol tank will allow.

    Before
    IMG_3422.jpg

    After
    IMG_1696.jpg

  2. #2

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Congratulations! Job well done Sea Unit. I wish that I had your broad skill set. Just knowing the fuel system and wiring is all up to a high standard must be a great feeling when offshore. Cheers SS

  3. #3

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    I would like to hear the comparisons between the G1 and G2 and some performance figures.

    what prop you are running? WOT RPM

    there will be naysayers - I am rapt with my G2 115HO

  4. #4

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Awesome job well done i have a nit pick question tho u went to all that trouble to install a supermarket food lunch box u could have bought a proper plastic electrical box for about $60

    Is that u welding if so can u tell me how u ran that first weld? Did u use a slow pulse? I have never tig'ed using pulse but i find the weld pool runs away on my my feed rate is pretty fast and i panic to try feed the filler

    Seeing how slow u tig welded man i could run perfection welds at that pace i was just taught to run basic settings but if thats pulse setting that would have made me tig alloy like a professional

    Sent from my SM-G900I using Ausfish mobile app

  5. #5

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Kudos, looking very Schmick.
    Congrats on the end result, hope you get many hours of use out of her now...


    Col

  6. #6

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Great job, you should feel more comfortable going offshore now. I like the use of "lunch boxes" as so easy to open when needed.
    Just one thing I would add is some silver paint over the cold gal. I don't know why, maybe because it's soft but easily chipped by stones etc and won't take long before you're fixing it again. I've found ay cheap paint over it will last a lot longer.

  7. #7

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    well done stella job boat came up smick looks good in the stealth mode nice decals with the boat name broad brush strokes , the wiring looked scary but looked like you got it soughted cheers

  8. #8

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Very neat job, and done rather quickly.

  9. #9

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Quote Originally Posted by stevet View Post
    I would like to hear the comparisons between the G1 and G2 and some performance figures.

    what prop you are running? WOT RPM

    there will be naysayers - I am rapt with my G2 115HO
    Hey mate,
    Unfortunately I can't really compare the two as the Gen 1 (while reliable) was never allowed to reach its true potential due to a kink in the fuel line. Just prior to the repower I found the exhaust valve actuator had seized.

    The new 150 however is a beast! I'm running a 14.5 x 17 RX3 stainless prop. WOT sees 5800rpm.

    There will always be haters of the Etec. I personally love it. It's not as quiet as a new 4 stroke but my its amazing on fuel economy and has power all the way through the rev range.

  10. #10

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Quote Originally Posted by gazza2006au View Post
    Awesome job well done i have a nit pick question tho u went to all that trouble to install a supermarket food lunch box u could have bought a proper plastic electrical box for about $60

    Is that u welding if so can u tell me how u ran that first weld? Did u use a slow pulse? I have never tig'ed using pulse but i find the weld pool runs away on my my feed rate is pretty fast and i panic to try feed the filler

    Seeing how slow u tig welded man i could run perfection welds at that pace i was just taught to run basic settings but if thats pulse setting that would have made me tig alloy like a professional

    Sent from my SM-G900I using Ausfish mobile app
    Hey mate,
    Feel free to nitpick all you like! I trailled 2 seperate dedicated electrical boxes and couldn't find one to fit and also allow me to acess the fuse panel as well as the cheap tupperware container does.
    I agree, it looks a bit cheap but it's hidden out of sight and does the job very well.

    That wasn't me welding the console but if your machine has the capability, start with a 70 / 30 square wave.

  11. #11

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Quote Originally Posted by Dignity View Post
    Great job, you should feel more comfortable going offshore now. I like the use of "lunch boxes" as so easy to open when needed.
    Just one thing I would add is some silver paint over the cold gal. I don't know why, maybe because it's soft but easily chipped by stones etc and won't take long before you're fixing it again. I've found ay cheap paint over it will last a lot longer.
    Cheers for the tip mate!
    Yes I've already noticed the cold gal slowly being worn away after a few long trips up the highway. I'd have done a better job on the trailer however I was reluctant to throw too much money at it as it really is getting close to the end of its servicable life. 10 years of nelect by the previous owners has taken its toll so I'm currently planning to build a new one.

  12. #12

    Re: 2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

    Thanks Sea Unit

    Sent from my SM-G900I using Ausfish mobile app

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