390 EC complete restoration thread

OK, so does anyone out there actually know what the name of this Sunbrella product is? We have been told here that it is not the same material as what is used for tops ... I guess that I will have to Google Sunbrella and get back with the answer. :huh:
 
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AKBASSKING said:
Cool, you just made my Admiral very happy!

Now she want to get rid of the carpet in our boat and put in flexiteak......:smt009

Is there a way to lock her computer so she can't read this site. I told her it was a secret club, but she didn't believe me...:grin:

Merry Christmas everyone!!
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So much for the "secret club" eh? I always thought that CSR was "the last frontier". The sacred portal has obviously been breached. :smt100 We now defer to Jim's almighty wisdom for a hi-tech solution to keep these unauthorized prying eyes out. :wow:
 
:grin:
AKBASSKING said:
Cool, you just made my Admiral very happy!

Now she want to get rid of the carpet in our boat and put in flexiteak......:smt009

Is there a way to lock her computer so she can't read this site. I told her it was a secret club, but she didn't believe me..

Merry Christmas everyone!!
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Tom, you make me feel guilty...and even more so when I will post the pics someday...:smt089:smt089:smt089 ...:grin:

Let's make a deal: if you pay for my flexiteek I will say that flexiteek+sumbrella in the cockpit is no good!! :grin:
 
Just a quick update: "moonchild" is now under cover and we are redoing the interior starting from the bow. We also removed all the trimming and seats in the cockpit. All the plywood panels will be substituted by starboard. I also want to use all the space inside the seats. I will probably put there the fridge batteries and I'll try to create some bins for my guest's shoes or lifejackets... what's really incredible is how huge the cockpit is!!
In the meanwhile I have ordered new windshield and side windows gaskets from Taylor and we will remove the entire frames for re-spraying them.
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Thank you for your support...it's much needed!!! ...Did you notice the little step I made to climb on the bed from the left side???
 
Not a great photo, sorry, but it shows how now there are 2 new closets under the bed! Now I'm looking for the right place for the speakers...

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What a great thread, Pietro! I'm enjoying seeing the progress!

Just a couple thoughts as I was reading through. We are planning on re-doing our cockpit vinyl this year. The Sunbrella fabric is an interesting option. What do you think about keeping it clean? We have little kids, so I'd be worried about that aspect. As good as Sunbrella is, it's still more porous than vinyl so I would assume it would hold onto more dirt? What's your take on the "cleanability" of it compared to vinyl?

Also, more of a side note than anything else... I read you were replacing various plywood parts with Starboard. Nothing wrong with that, just wanted to offer a suggestion. Both Starboard and Taco Marine (less money than Starboard) also offer a "light" version of their products. Depending on what your expectations are, these products may actually serve you better.

http://www.kingplastic.com/Products/StarLite.aspx

http://tacomarine.com/item--Marine-Lumber-Lite--Marine+Lumber+Lite.html
 
Thanks for the updates! Fun (most of the time) isn't it?? I've been kinda like a lost soul now that mine's done...

I noticed that your master berth is a bit different than mine. It's an "island" style, with a tiny bit of room to "scooch" around each side.

Since you're going to use Starboard...I've posted several times that I used Seaboard for the cockpit panels (same as the Starboard) and I need to pass along a VERY important point. It's well explained in their literature, but I didn't heed the warning well enough. These HDPE plastics expand and contract pretty significantly with temperature changes. We just had some crazy cold here in FL and one of my corners snapped off at the screw hole. Especially on longer pieces (the dimensional changes are per lineal foot of material) BE SURE to overdrill both the hole for the screw and the countersink, and I'd leave the screws slightly loose. I'd cut the material to size at room temp as well, to minimize this problem. When it "moves", it moves! Snapped one ss screw clean off, and bent another one 90 degrees...

Please keep the pics coming!
 
tobnp said:
These HDPE plastics expand and contract pretty significantly with temperature changes. Snapped one ss screw clean off, and bent another one 90 degrees...
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Wow? I did not know it would move that much with that much power.
 
Hello all,
This is my first post so sorry if i do not make much sense...


the updates look to be the same that I am taking on with my 1988 390. Couple of quesrtions as far as your seat boxes on the back deck, were they in good condition or do you have to replace them? Mine were competely rotted and it was necessary to have them redone? I plan i using the same material to duplicate unless someone knows a better route.

Also quick question for everone. I had both props returned and a prop shaft replaced by marina service center and when they returned the boat the service center told me that I had props that are to big for my engines. They said i have 21 in diameter on it right now and I should have 18 in diameter props......? They stated that if i continue to run it with the 21 in diameter i could blow the engine. So with that said does anyone know what i shold have? I have twim 7.4 mercs with 1"1/2 prop shaft.

Thanks and cant wait to see more pictures.
 

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I thought SR had gone to fiberglass seat bases before 1989?

As to your props...

Propping a boat correctly is a function of pitch (how much each prop revolution moves the boat through the water) and it's diameter. Increasing or decreasing either of these will affect the maximum rpm's the engines will reach under load.

Here's the bottom line- I would go with whatever diameter and pitch SR propped the boat with "factory" with your power package. That "should" get you close- from there, you need to fine tune- adding or removing pitch and/or cup at the recommendation of the prop shop- to get the engines to reach at or above the maximum rated rpms specified by the manufacturer at full throttle under load.

Overloading the engines- which means they're not able to reach maximum rpms- is due to too much dia, pitch, or both. This causes many problems including detonation- not a good thing for your engines.
 
Yes, they went to the all fiberglass in 89, so i missed it by one year. As far as the prop they said the exact same thing you said with a little variation. They told me that i could try and change the pitch on the current ones that I have to get more RPM. or downsize. I am getting a max RPM at 3400-3600 and that is wide open.

What size motors do you have and what RPM do you cruise at?

I am trying to see if i can either have them shaved down at a prop shop to 18 in diameter or trade with a prop shop hopeing that they know they could get more money for the 21 diameter props if they re-sell them.

So more or less I am on the hunt.....

Also thanks for the info.
 
You should turn at least 4200 on your 7.4s at wot.
 
If 4200 is what you need, I'm pretty sure you're going to need a new set of props. 600-800 rpms is too much for "tweaking". As a really rough guideline, an inch of pitch or diameter is equated to around 200 rpms- so it sounds like your service manager is in the right ballpark with reducing diameter by 3". My boat's diesel so my prop size is irrelevant (they're 20 x 25 tho), there's several members here that have the big blocks so you should pm them and see what they're running.

For the seat bases, I built new ones from Okoume plywood- there's some pics (I think) in the gallery and also in the 390 EC thread. No reason to bore everyone here with the details, but feel free to pm me with any questions.
 
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The Factory props are 18" Pitch x 19" Diameter. With a clean bottom and tuned props your max Rpm should be 4400~4600. Sounds to me like you are running props designed for the diesel version whitch also has a longer gear in the transmission. You are slugging your engines and need to replace those props. The OEM pitch is readily available as that pitch was used on many different boats.
 
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