Dad's 12' Springbok reborn - "Dad's Buoy"

[Yannie]

I feel your pain. I currently live in BFE Arkansas and literally EVERYTHING I need has to be ordered online and delivered.

 

[great white]

Well, had the boat out on the lake yesterday. It wasn't quite ready but I needed a search object for a training evolution. I'm search and rescue flying helicopters and a gent was doing an upgrade ride. We needed a scenario where they had to search and recover, so I took the boat out to give them a target.

First rookie move of the year: left the stern plug out. And I reminded myself several times to put the stern plug in. Still forgot it. No real tragedy, I launched and beached it right away to move the truck off the launch ramp. By the time I got back, there was about 1-2 inches in the stern and the boat was sitting flat on it's bottom. A quick bail fixed that. Shook my head at myself and figured that was my "one" for the first trip of the season.

Once up and ready, we crossed the lake (21 miles long and about 300 feet deep). The wind was up and there was about a 2 foot chop and just a threat of whitecaps, although none. There was me and another fellow in the boat and it couldn't get up on plane with the 8 HP. It was close, but just too much weight. It chopped though the waves like the champ I remembered it to be. Not pounding rough, just lots of bow splash.

We had another 14 with us that had a Honda 35 on it and the boys in that one were in absolute misery. It was either spine pounding and staring at sky or plowing slow as a snail. They couldn't get it on plane even with a guy sitting on the bow seat. I suspect it was that heavy 4 stroke hanging off the transom and maybe a bit of a trim issue.

Once I dropped off my passenger (part of the scenario) I headed further up the lake to beach the boat. As soon as I got into deep enough water to open it up the old 8 HP I remember came to life. I could feel it raise the bow out of the hole and after a little nose high plowing it leveled out and got on plane. It split the waves now rather than pushing them aside. The boys in the 14 were still miserable, but I was planing the tops and hardly pounding at all. I can feel the added weight of the decks, but it will still plane.

It was much smoother with the added weight of the decking, but I'm pretty close to the max for the 8 hp I think. I could feel it working hard. Once on plane I could back it off a little, but not much.

Couple times on the way back across the lake (much faster trip as the helo picked up my passenger and returned him to base), the Johnson changed pitch (almost like a muffler had blown out) and I dropped off plane just in case. Once off plane, it went back to normal and I could wick it back up again to run for another couple minutes before it would change pitch again.

Rookie move #2 and what could have been my end: Once on plane, I realized i didn't have my vest on. I reached out for the vest and as I stretched, my other hand came off the tiller. The motor instantly snapped to the right and the boat entered a skid spin/turn. I was thrown sideways and almost overboard. The gunwale stopped me but now I was pinned and the boat entering its second 360. The throttle kill wasn't working because I hadn't gone far enough to pull the kill clip, which was tethered to my belt loop. I also didn't want to go over because this water is about 5 degrees C and I likely wasn't going to be getting back in the boat. I manged to reach over and chop the throttle just as we finished the second 360. The boat dropped to below the chine in the water and stopped dead.

Lesson learned: don't do a damned thing on plane besides pilot. If I need to do anything else, dead in the water first.

The thing that ticks me off about rookie 1 and 2 is that I'm not inexperienced at this. I just had a couple really stupid moments that I know better of. One was embarrassing, the other could have been deadly. The boat is getting a small boarding ladder for the stern now too....

So I'm kind of at a crossroads with the decking. I'm half thinking of stripping out most of the deck out to just a floor, half leave it all in.

I like the way it handled rough water with the weight, but I miss the way it used to jump up out of the hole and plane right away.

There's also an issue with the tilt. It is very sticky to use and the auto tilt feature (in case it bottoms) doesn't work. I had the misfortune of dragging the skeg a couple times and nothing. It's an important feature where I am because almost every bottom everywhere in this province is rock. The bars that the tilt locks to are very, very VERY rusty from Dad using it almost exclusively in salt, so replacing those might fix it.

So, hopefully this post was entertaining and perhaps a few things were learned by others from my moment of stupidness....

 

[great white]

Well, I've gutted the boat down to the single bottom deck. While it would plan fine, I just wasn't happy with it's performance overall. I like it light and peppy, so the next evolution will be lighter. The front deck is gone, the wing boxes are gone.

Plan is a smaller cover for the gas tank area behind the rear deck that is still in place and perhaps a low, small deck up front just to give something to stand on instead of the hull.

Bilge pumps will stay, as well as a battery box. The little triangle bow seat will get a small AL cover to make it a storage locker area.

Probably add a little weight back with a Bimini top as well.

The rest will just be small holders and nook areas for loose bits.

I'm thinking AL for all of it, but that gets expensive really fast....

 

[great white]

When I took the boat from the cottage, I took dad's old 2 HP Evinrude also.

It's a 1980 model, although he always though it was a 77 since that's what the old guy up the road told him when he gave it to him (yup, it's been free twice now).

Dad used it a little bit, but wasn't much for routine maintenance so it ended up tucked in a corner of the cottage crawlspace. Used in the Atlantic and crammed into a damp dirt crawlspace. I'm pretty sure I remember him loosing it over the side once too.

So you know what it was like when I pulled it out: Locked solid.

I chucked it in the bottom of the boat, hauled it home and it's sat on the motor rack for couple years now.

I figure it would make a nice "backup" motor to hang off the transom since it only weights about 15-20lbs with a tank of gas. The bottoms are nearly all rock here and the 2 HP would beat rowing back to the launch any day! So I haul it over to the work bench and give it a look over.

Yup, hanging on the motor stand hadn't made it any better. Still locked solid.

I pull the motor cover off and there a tiny bit of movement in the flywheel. As I wiggle it back and forth I can see the prop move. So it's all good right down the leg.

Piston, gotta be the piston. Likely the rings are rusted.

So I try and pull the spark plug to soak it down with penetrating fluid.

Nope, spark plug it not coming out. A little heat and cold and I get it to turn, but it immediately drops a couple degrees off axis with the hole threads.

Not good.

I finish pulling it out and it's obvious the plug was either jammed back in until it grabbed or the threads has rotted away in the wet. Oh well, nothing new and an easy fix: thread insert will fix it up just fine.

After a week of soaking I try to turn it. Nope, locked as solid as day one.

Well, it's probably knackered, so I pull the head off to look. Not too bad in the bore actually. I drop more penetrating in the bore (piston is above the ports) and walk away for another week.

Try it again: nothing. Still locked as bad as day one.

I grab a wood block and give it a rap on the piston. Hard as stone. The wood actually splits.

Oh Boy, this is beginning to look like a rip it down only to throw it away job.....

So, time to get aggressive.

I figure the piston and bore are going to be junk, so I grab a piece of steel bar that's just a smidge less wide at the piston and then start whacking it with the hammer. Surely the rings will break, the piston will crack and the bore will scar I'm thinking.

After a half hour of this, I get a MM or so of movement. Keep the oil to it, keep pounding.

I eventually get the piston to bottom, but it's still solid.

Oh great, not it stuck at the bottom of the bore and no way to pound it back up without beating on the crank weights or the aluminum rod cap. That's not happening.

So I grab a great big rubber strap wrench and reef on the flywheel.

Creak!

A MM or so of movement.

And so it went. Creak up, hammer down.

After another hour of so, the piston finally gives up and turn sort of freely. I whip the con rod bolts out and drive the piston out of the bore.

Surprisingly, the bore looks great. Just a small stain of a rust ring where the rings had sat.

The piston tells a different story.

Aluminum corrosion had gotten a foot hold near the top of the ring lands and that was what was holding it fast in the bore. The piston rings had also been oxided into place an would come out with out breaking them.

Once apart though, it all cleaned up well and is in good shape. The rings snapped like dry twigs. A set of gaskets, a hone and new rings should fix it right up.

One depart from stock will be I'm going to paint it white and put the 1989 Johnson 2 HP Colt decals on it. This way, the color scheme will match the repop decals on the 8 HP Johnson.

Doesn't bother me changing it from Evinrude to Johnson, the 2 HP motors were the same across the board as they're all OMC so no big deal. I think the 2 HP was the same almost forever anyways. I've seen a 71 that looked just like my 80, and the 89's I've seen look the same also. Guess the 2 HP was low end market enough that it wasn't worth changing it until they changed hands Bombardier and different suppliers were sourced...

 

[great white]

Called my old boat shop, Whitewater marine, in Sackville today.

Talked to my counter guy and had him price up a list of bits to get the old 2 HP put back together. He comes back with 60 bucks. I ask for which part and he says all of it and he's got it all in stock.

I love that shop.

I tell him I'm in another province and he says no problem, they can drop it in the mail for about 13 bucks.

Done.

It's so nice working with a shop that knows what they are doing and goes that little bit extra to make sure you get what you need. I can honestly say I've never had a bad experience with those boys.

Great shop. Well done.

 

[great white]

All the goodies showed up today from Whitewater marine.

Next up is stripping the blue paint (evinrude) and bringing it back up Johnson white.

Then break the glaze with a light run of the hone and put 'er back together.

Last up will be the 89 Johnson Colt decals to make it match the style of my 1989 8 HP

Easiest build I've ever done.

Kinda nice for a change. Simple, easy, fun.

 

[great white]

Popped the new rings in, fresh gaskets and put the 2 hp back together. Also had to helicoil the spark plug hole. Just too far gone to save.

Into the pail of water and sure enough, it wouldn't run.

Off comes the carb, blow it apart and let the bits sit in the ultrasonic cleaner all afternoon.

Pop it back together and "zero" all the mixture screws.

Back in to the pail.

Nope, no go.

After frigging with it and partial runs here and there, I push the lever past start in to the "fast" setting on a blind hunch

Pull and off she goes!

So I have something funky going on with the points or condenser I'm thinking. It won't run on slow, but it does on start or fast. It will only start when past the start position in to fast.

Well, I'm only in to the little bugger for 60 bucks so I can spend a little more on it.

I'm thinking of gutting the bits out and going with an electronic module to run the spark.

I hate points....

 

[great white]

Ordered a nova ii ignition module today.

No more points for the little kicker.

 

[great white]

Module showed up and I popped it in iaw the instructions.

First pull on a cold engine and it fired right off. No choke at all. Settled into a nice smooth idle, best it ever has actually.

Then, about 45 seconds later......silence.

Troubleshooting revealed a no spark condition. Chased it around a bit and then swapped the points back on. Nice fat spark again and it runs fine.

Just to confirm, I reinstall the nova II. Yep. No spark.

Back on the points go. Runs again.

So, sent an email to the seller for a replacement and we'll see where that goes. No worries if its a bust, I've only got about 15-20 bucks in the module so far.

I will say this: for the short time it was running, the module made it run very smoothly and started super easy. I would still like to install one, but am only willing to put so much money in to a "back up" outboard.....

 

[Kismet]

You present a great narrative. Thank you.

I like them little-bitty motors. Add in to your equation that your skill in being able to pop things in and out on the engine sure makes them more economical.

Nicely done.

(sadly lacking in pictures, however.)

 

[great white]

Seller agreed to replacing the module, so I bought a second one and he's just going to throw the replacement in the same package.

I get a spare (planned to anyways) and he saves shipping on the replacement.

Everyone wins.

 

[jasper60103]

great white » Yesterday, 9:33 pm[/url]"]Seller agreed to replacing the module, so I bought a second one and he's just going to throw the replacement in the same package.

I get a spare (planned to anyways) and he saves shipping on the replacement.

Everyone wins.

Just an FYI. There's a few threads on this ignition conversion using Nova modules.
I thought it may be helpful...


https://www.aomci.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1388819965/0
https://www.aomci.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1384297172/0
https://www.aomci.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1384084400/0

 

[great white]

Interesting read. Here's a guy running one on a 2 HP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md-6H0rfEeI

He has a couple vids. Never mentions module death.

But that doesn't mean it won't happen to him too... :shock:

 

[Chance174]

For some reason not a single one of your pictures is showing up for me right now.

 

[great white]

My photo bucket account was "hacked" and most of it was deleted.

 

[great white]

Decided to hedge my bet and ordered a couple NOS atom red modules while they can still be found.

These are reported to be designed to run with the omc outboards and several users relate many years of trouble free use and still going.

I'll try the two new nova II modules and if they die ill just consider it one of the "100 ways to not make a light bulb" lessons.

:LOL2:

 

[great white]

Atom modules showed up today. I'll try em out on the 2 HP this weekend.

 

[great white]

Atom module is on. Dropped a new coil on the motor too. The old one was working, but it had several cracks and I already had a new one on hand so on it went.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqXSsgyMNA[/youtube]

Pretty good. Should make a good trolling motor and/or backup in case the 8 hp poops out on me. Seems to run forever on the smallest of drops of fuel left in the tank.

Needs to be warmed up though. It's a little fussy until then. It runs cold with the choke off, it's just not smooth. Takes 30 seconds to 1 minute to get nice and stable. Then it will idle right down to where you can count the individual firings.

The lid/rope starter is on the bench and painted white with the proper decals to match my 1989 Johnson. The lowers will also get a fresh coat of white. The 2hp is actually a 1980 Evinrude, but it's all OMC and it's pretty much all the same for the 2hp thorough it's production years so I don't mind changing the looks.

Besides, matching outboards look nice on the back of the boat.

So, if I think about it, I'm in to the 2 hp for about 200 bucks. The outboard was free but locked solid, had to buy rings (all broken) decals, paint and the atom module (points were fine, just wanted the module).

200 bucks for a solid little kicker is pretty good I think!

 

[great white]

Hmmm, video won't link on teh vofum, so here's the plain link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqXSsgyMNA

 

[great white]

Try again:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/QKqXSsgyMNA[/youtube]