Cruise Craft Reef Raider with origianl 87 6 cylinder 115 Mariner? Thoughts/input??

[malby]

Could you please send me a name and number and cost for these 20 litre drums. I'll be keen.

[Jarrah Jack]

You've done Malby. Very hard to find such a good rig. Hope it lasts you for many years. I've got a 14 ft fishabout and the're a great and very cheap bit of kit too. You shouldn't have trouble selling it at that price.

[sleepygreg]

Isnt it amazing how much info a personal chat can yield. Thanks for the call tonight Mal. From our discussion it sounds like you have landed an absolute perfect buy. The model you bought was the year prior to mine, with some slight differences - but the same hull config - just a few internal changes. I cant wait to see the rig. Will let you know who did the re-stitching on my bro in laws canopy as soon as I can. That trailer sounds like a cracker. The trailers that were sold as part of the 'package deals' when these were new, were way under spec for the boat (which has a much heavier dry weight than most other glass boats of that length), so that trailer contributes to the value of your purchase.

Greg

[malby]

Thanks for the chat Greg. Very encouraging to talk to someone who has actually owned one of these rigs and can give me the low down. Speaking to an older fibergass guy at a repairs place at Caboolture last week he raved about CCrafts and esp the 80's models saying they did an excellent/solid job on the build. Just had to watch out for holes etc in the glass as they used Berni Board on the transom and floor...no probs though on this baby. Anyone out there with thoughts on a good Merc Mechanic close to Morayfield?? I was thinking of Cunninghams as they (the workshop manager) were very helpful on the phone in the lead up and gave me some solid advice etc.

Also if anyone knows anything about Koden colour sounders and what they are like this one is a CVS-106 and originally cost $1657 and was the bees knees. Apparently it works fine.

[Dan5]

Well done on your purchase Malby sounds like you got a ripper,Proberbly nothing wrong with using the Koden sounder...colour video is still acceptable you don't have to have HD structure scan 100000watts of power wizz bang to catch a fish....

Your trailer will be hot dipped galvanised mate they all are......it's the only way to go.....spray some Lanolin in and on it to keep it rust free
.
Good luck with it mate

Dan

[ozscott]

Great stuff mate! Now the fun starts with lights and wiring and accessories. I really enjoyed this thread. It reminded me of the hunt then the find of my Vagabond. The trepedation and excitement there at the same time. Mate you will love her. Cheers

[malby]

Thanks guys for all of the encouragement. I've really appreciated the input both positive and negative. Helped me way it all up sensibly. Re my Fishabout, there is some old pics of her minus the new Bimini and not really cleaned up available if you click on view malby's photo's.

[PADDLES]

good on ya malby, that's one nice boat. there's a number of good mobile techos in our area but there is one that i'd personally avoid, i'll pm you his name. alternatively, if you are happy to take it to a dealer i think you'll find any of the long term businesses in our area are real good ie. cunningham's and northside.

[finga]

So here's the run down on the engine which is the only real issue I can see tus far.

The PSI readings were: about 135 for the bottom 4 cylinders and 125 for the top 2. Hopefully within the ok range??
This was 'after' running it for about 5 mins which we did to just check out the tell tale again and put her in forward and reverse gear etc as could not do a water test due to ill health of the owner. Not sure if having run her for 5 mins would have made a difference to the PSI on the top 2???
Compressions are not too bad. less then 10% difference between the cylinders isn't too bad at all.
All ours are 135
The compressions might get closer together as it's used a bit more but it might be an idea to check the mixture of the top carb out. Were all the plug colours the same?

It did have rust on the outside of the bottom plug but the inside was 'sweet as' with no little beads of water etc. My mate who was a mechanic for many years said the bottom 4 plugs looked the best when we removed them. ie clean etc.
No worries there as that plug can get briney water on it from water splashing up the motor when in reverse or rough seas
There was also rust on some of the bolts at the bottom of the (I guess) head. If you stand at the back of the motor and look at the boat they were on the left side closest to the back and closest to the bottom and were more rusty as you went down. Only 4 of them were rusty (progressively worse as you went down the line) and I cleaned them up today and it was all surface rust though I could not really get to the bottom one properly.
If your looking at the long plate on the left hand side then that's the water jacket.
Again, they'll be rustier as you go down.
When I first saw that bottom bolt I thought....good time for new top and bottom seals...and took the power head off.
Once it was off I made a funny looking spanner that would fit into that recess and undo the bolt when the power head is on.
The big thing will be when you take the water jackets off. If there's no pitting or corrosion your home and hosed.
If the bottom bolts have only surface rust then they should be OK to remove

I have removed the outer shell that sits on top of the motor and runs down the back of her protecting the plugs etc to get to these bolts and clean them up which I did with Inox and a tooth brush and they all look pretty good now. I have also Inoxed all bolts in prep for the big seals and gaskets job I am anticipating??

Are any outboard mechanics on here? If so should I try to remove the head bolts myself (photo's would be good here?? in the lead up to having them strip it down) and if so where are they? Also, what prep should I do more than spraying them with Inox?? I have already sprayed all the bolts I could see. The shell bolts were all pretty dam tight I'll tell you.
I wouldn't worry about undoing them until your ready to do the job. A spray is always good though
The old guy started the engine at nearly full revs and with the choke on full and then pulls it off and down asap.
We only have to open the neutral throttle a bit to start ours...but they're all different I suppose
Has yours got the "press the button three times" for the choke or is it a butterfly? We just have to hit the choke button three times on our Merc.

The trailer is a Dunbier full roller trailer and is worth $4000 replacement and it looks like new! Only some surface rust on the wheel nuts. Amazing as its an 04 model. They must have hot dipped it??
Spray with Lanox. It's like Inox but when some Lanolin in it. It seems be a bit thicker and it seems to stick better and for longer

Mate. I'd be changing the impeller and then using her a bit to see if the compressions get any better and then if they stay down I'd be considering a new set of rings in her when the power head came off.
If you want to have a gander in the bore to see if there's any marks or scores I have a flash bore camera you can borrow and if you want a manual I can loan you one.
A very nice member from here (Dignity...thanks again matey) gave me a manual which I'd be more then happy to lend you.
About the only thing I'd be worrying about at the moment is the top two plugs. I'd be checking the mixture out. Were the plugs showing signs of burning lean or rich?

There is also a spot on those motors where you can put a water temperature and/or water pressure sender units.
I have a water temperature gauge but I have not got a clue of the top of my head what normal operating temperature is. I have marked a line on the gauge. That way every body knows what normal is (and my brain cannot remember things like that)
From that point we also another another tell tale running from about an 1/8 of an inch OD plastic tube. It runs into the engine well. It's easier to see then the one running out the right side.

[oldie]

Great upgrade from the Old Tinny mate you wont know yourself thru the choppy bay!! if you can sell it and get the 4k makes that Cruise Craft a cheap up grade thats for sure, i'd run that koden till it craps itself then get into a n ice new HD Lowrance or similar. You got yourself perfect boat for the summer mackerel season too. I reckon you'll be getting plenty of comments at your local ramp mate. Good work

[Scott Ashe]

All the best with the new rig mate, it's a credit to the previous owner, hopefully you'll bring some fish aboard soon.
Cheers

[BM]

Malby, that engine does not have a cylinder head that you can remove. They are a blind cast bore so it's all one piece. To do the sideplates it's easier to remove the powerhead and work on it on the bench. Only about 8 bolts and a few wires and cables to get it off.

The inner sideplate is the important one to reseal or replace as this is the one that will leak water into the cylinders.

The compression difference I would not even worry about.

Knock the timing back a couple of degrees and definitely should be run on premium fuel. You can also change the main jets in the carbs up 1 size for added protection.

Cheers

[finga]

Malby, that engine does not have a cylinder head that you can remove.

Cheers

There's a water jacket thingo and gasket there though. Looks a bit like a headcover

Here's an exploded diagram of one
http://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury...rts/278_15.cfm

[BM]

Yep, there's a water jacket cover plate with a gasket beneath. Not really worth pulling it off unless it's leaking. Very likely to break bolts getting it off and same goes for the outer sideplate bolts too. Inners also can break and need heli coiling also.

[Steeler]

2 strokes gain compression as they are running,as previously stated no greater than 10% difference across all 6 and your sweet.

As BM says, get that timing knocked back a couple of degrees or you will have detonation issues.