Sea Sled madness. It’s in my brain.

Maybe everyone will be forced to adopt them soon.

 

And/or a rise in whale strikes.

 

Got my 16*17 SS prop at VicProp a few minutes ago. Quite heavy cup. Rick tells me if it's too much he can easily reduce it. But I'm hopeful. Also a bit frustrated, because this time of year low tide is at midnight. So it will wait until I'm done on Gilford Island for a bit and can get some yard space and a ride on the travel lift. But still I'm following @baeckmo 's advice, even if I'm a year behind.

 

Glad to see the new prop in hand. Hate about the tide.

 

Tides are a harsh reality.
That boat needs to be out of the water and opened up to dry and repair.
Bottom scraped and coated.
Save the prop sea trials for the early spring.

How much growth and water has it taken on?

 

Growth is massive. Rain penetrates the front compartments, and rain gets into the fuel tank enclosure. It's not enough weight to be really noticeable unless I'm measuring freeboard, like a freighter. Maybe 600# at the most. Three adults, when I regularly carry six to eight adults, their beer coolers.

 

What about the saturated wood though?
I thought you found a dozen compartments with standing water in them.
You are best to remove and replace those wooden structures, no?

 

Those compartments are all epoxy saturated and glassed, so the water doesn't matter, beyond the weight, and musty smell. It's three compartments forward, and two aft. Well, rain water in the cabin under the sole, and the OSB temporary flooring will need replacing, but it was always going to be replaced. I leave the doors open for ventilation, then we get a big rainstorm and water gets inside.

 

Rainwater has been a battle for me all year. My windows are all built with aluminum trim rings and I used 1" screws which bottomed out before the neoprene seals were squished fully. Leaks all around. So, I need to order 7/8 and 3/4" screws and redo everything. I also need to add an eyebrow over a side window. But been leak chasing all year....

BB not wrong. It is a serious matter. Can really wreck a boat if it finds homes you don't realize. My upholstery got wet even.

 

There's a local auction of outboard motors. A brand called Parsun. Literally never heard of them.

 

It’s an Asian brand. been out for a while but mainly smaller outboards.

 

Without local support, I hope they are going cheap.

 

Took her out yesterday. Since I'm away so much, she hasn't been in use. Gave her 50% power, and she overheated in about 15 seconds. Strong stream at the telltale. Maybe gunk somewhere inside. Or the high pressure bypass has failed.

 

Seems okay. Engine runs normal temp at low RPM, immediately overheats at higher RPM. Troubleshooting guide led me to the Pressure Relief Valve, but it seems fine. Maybe it's the impeller after all.

Well that's darn inconvenient. Low tide is at a couple in the morning this time of the year.

 

Painfully slowly, I make progress. Here's a design for the fin that will manage the massive blast of water coming straight up the extended OB leg at 32 knots. With a parabolic form parting the water so only the AV plate and down sees water, drag should also be reduced. It would have been nice to bolt the fin on directly, but some shortsighted fellow put a fuel tank there, so heavy steel plate bolted on just like an outboard bracket, with the fin bolted to that.