FINALLY found an 84' 255 AJ to buy!

I think the black dash is going to look very dirty often. I like my gray. Always looks nice and clean.



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Big Island Lifer said:
I think the black dash is going to look very dirty often. I like my gray. Always looks nice and clean.



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I agree, I have more plexiglas so I'll make one in silver. Just a cleaner look.
 
Today I replaced the float switch in the engine compartment, replaced the breaker on the drive trim pump and installed a new blower fan. I purchased the new exhaust ducts but will put them in tomorrow. I also re-wired the dash panel and all of the accessories so that every single thing electrical on the boat operates as it should. Also loomed all the wires so that the engine compartment doesn't look like a bowl of spaghetti. Next up is servicing the outdrive, repairing the small hole in the step down bilge area, then putting her in for a test run to see what's needed. I've still got teak, buffing and bottom paint to do too.

Progressing right along...it's great to flip a switch and whatever that switch is supposed to do actually happens.:grin:
 
Big Island Lifer said:
Keep at it! You're almost there!



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Thanks! I ran the duct work today, I found that the "air box" in the transom that the ducts go into (right before the fan exhaust goes out the vents) was somewhat deteriorated. I didn't see any rot but the edges of the holes that the ducts mount to were wallowed out too badly to mount the hoses to them. I'm going to add two vents to the transom to get the fumes out, these two vent will mount where two rod holders were previously. Once I get around to fixing the factory air box, I'll replace the vents with rod holders and fix the holes.

I also fixed the hole in the step down area.

I think I'm going to clean the boat, paint the bottom, service the outdrive and put it in the water to run it. The admiral thought that might be a good idea before doing the interior to see if it needs anything major first...I like this idea too.
 
If you put it in the water running you might not pull it till fall.

There will always be something to fix. It is a boat after all.


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True, but I know I want to do the interior so it'll have to come out for that....yeah, there's no such thing as a "done" boat.
 
Well, I put the muffs on it today to crank it only to find that the starter is shot. I also found that the starter wire was corroded and very brittle. I fabricated and new one. I've also discovered that the inner bolt on the starter is nearly impossible to get to....for me anyway. Anyone know any tricks of the trade? I've already talked to a mechanic that can do it for $230 including the new starter so it's not a really expensive fix. But if there's a good way to do it myself I'd rather get it done...like, tomorrow. :)

I also hit the bottom paint with the pressure washer, it took the old paint off pretty well, it also left the epoxy barrier coat that was underneath. I didn't finish as the going was slow. I'm going to have to postpone the interior shop until the boat is running and the bottom paint and detailing done.
 
I re attached the new bilge fan exhaust ducts to the outlets and closed up the transom yesterday. I also started to remove the lower unit on the Alpha to replace the impeller. All the gear lube that came out looked good, no evidence of water or metallic contamination. I did run into one issue though, all of the bolts came free no problem, but the two bolts under the cavitation plate right above the prop are of odd size. I tried 9/16, too small, 5/8 is too big to go into the recessed area where the nuts are, I tried 14mm and that's too small but 15mm is not working either. Is there a special socket for these? I've never ran into anything like this working on my previous Alpha drives.
 
I was trying to use an impact grade socket, my thin walled 5/8 socket did the trick. The old impeller wasn't badly worn at all, but it was old and in need of replacement. The splines look to be in excellent shape and it's obvious that at some point not too many hours (but perhaps several years) ago someone replaced at least the lower. I did make a mistake in pulling the lower unit, I didn't put the darn thing in forward so now I'm having issues with getting it to go back correctly. In thinking about it now, I'm probably going to pull the upper as well and recheck alignment, seals, splines and gears...If for nothing else for the peace of mind in doing it. Matter of fact, since it's going in Monday for the starter, I may just have those guys go over the maintenance items on the drive. Just one less thing for me to tackle.
 
Well, it's at the mechanic's shop. I'm also going to have them paint the bottom while they have it...one less big job for me to do. I'm figuring I can make more money concentrating on work for the next 10 days then I would save by scraping and painting the bottom myself. I've already got them looking for a 454/Bravo setup for this winter.

They asked me, Bravo 2 or Bravo 1? Any thoughts???
I think I've eliminated a Bravo3 just because they're so darn expensive to acquire...even though I know it would be one sweet setup. I'm thinking carbureted 454/330hp engine.
 
I think our boat would really benefit by a bravo 3 around the dock. My dream is a 454 with a bravo 3. Good luck.



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Big Island Lifer said:
I think our boat would really benefit by a bravo 3 around the dock. My dream is a 454 with a bravo 3. Good luck.



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Don't the B3's have some weakness issues with slow trolling speeds?
 
I'm a little behind on catching up on this thread.
Looks like your getting alot done and unfortunately finding other things to get done that you didnt know needed fixing. Like the starter. Didnt you test run it before purchase?
I hope you dont find any other problems.

When I bought mine, It was on land and I test ran the engines and even had them hook a computer up to the engine to show the exact hours of the engine and how many hours were ran in what RPM's and if there was ever any alarm codes. But I didnt give it a sea trial and not doing that cost me close to $5,000 in repairs. The transom assembly was corroded and had holes the size of dimes inside allowing water to get in. Also had the transom re-done while everything was apart due to some soft wood around the outdrive opening due to the leak. It was an expense I wasnt expecting and was nearly what I paid for the boat to start with but I do now have peace of mind that it should last a long time.

As for the starter, when I hydro-locked my 350 MAG I blew the starter and the mechanic at my marina said they needed to pull the engine to remove it....lol. Its definitely tight down there and your right, That one bolt is a real PITA. When I pulled my 350 and put in the 496 I cut a wedge shape out of the back part of the stringer area behind the front motor mount where the starter is, and re-fiber glassed it. It should make replacing a starter much easier now if I ever have to.

Back to some of your other topics.
As far as dash mounting the lowrance, I would think you could come up with something to reinforce that area or maybe even brace it from behind some way. I havent had my dash panel out before so really dont know whats back there. I plan on doing my dash in black since I re-did my switch panel and ignition panel in black but mine are a matte finish so will probably do the dash the same. Not sure if mine is the lexan or not like you said yours was. If it is, Its been painted a flat grey on the outside. I believe you said yours was painted on the inside? Right now, thats the ugliest part of my boat and cant wait to change that. Hopefully next year when I can afford the new lowrance HDS and the smartcraft mercmonitor and guages.

The other posters are right! You cant do it all at once and I've made the mistake of trying to do to much each season and have missed alot of good boating & fishing hours do to that. The last 2 years I havent gotten my boat in the water till july in 2010 & august in 2011 but I wasnt going that route this year and I splashed yesterday and have her on a nice lift slip this year. Rockfish season opens next saturday and I'm finally in before it opens for a change. :grin:

Sounds like you dont like sanding teak very much .... lol. I know the feeling. Mine wasnt to bad and I did the major part but my fiancee sanded most of it and also put on the cetol natural teak. Buy the way, this is my 3rd season after putting the cetol on and I havent touched the teak since. Next year it will probably get a light sanding and another coat to freshen it up but so far its the best thing I've done cosmetically to my boat. Teak oil would only last about 2 weeks before turning grey on me and I hated that look. The cetol isnt a varnish (like you found was so hard to remove) so just giving it a light sanding every few years and another coat is all thats needed. Even my swim platform inserts look fantastic and they are in saltwater all the time.

By the way......... My fiancee also has done the bottom paint for me each year and has waxed the boat for me each year. You gotta love a women that will crawl under a boat on the trailer and paint the bottom ... lol. But she does tell me each year she's not waxing it again ... lol. She's done so much work on the boat I told her I would name the boat after her but she didnt want it named with her name. Her name is sandy and i told her we could name it SANDY'S BOTTOM :grin:. But she did finally come up with a name we both liked. We've been trying to name the boat for the last 4 years now. The boats name is now "NOTHING ELSE MATTERS". Not your typical boat name but we like it! Hey, it beats DAMIFINO. I told her we were naming it that if we didnt come up with something this year .... lol

Now wheres all the pics of your restoration??? :grin:
 
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270win said:
Well, it's at the mechanic's shop. I'm also going to have them paint the bottom while they have it...one less big job for me to do. I'm figuring I can make more money concentrating on work for the next 10 days then I would save by scraping and painting the bottom myself. I've already got them looking for a 454/Bravo setup for this winter.

They asked me, Bravo 2 or Bravo 1? Any thoughts???
I think I've eliminated a Bravo3 just because they're so darn expensive to acquire...even though I know it would be one sweet setup. I'm thinking carbureted 454/330hp engine.
Click to expand...

I've thought about changing out my Bravo1 when its time for a new drive but I have no idea what benefits, if any, would be gained. I know a bravo 2 can carry a larger diameter prop but is actually rated for slower speeds than a bravo 1. I doubt I would go for a bravo 3 unless I would be gaining alot of performance. I've also heard of alot of corrosion problems with bravo 3's. It would be hard to change away from the bravo 1. I love the performance i'm getting and have no control problems at all around the dock. I've had some pretty tight slips in the past and have had no problems either backing it into a wet slip or pulling into a lift slip. The one I'm in now has only 6 inches clearance on both sides of the boat and it was a piece of cake. I'm still planning on adding some well placed dock guards on the pilings though .... lol.
 
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CAGE RATTLER said:
I'm a little behind on catching up on this thread.
Looks like your getting alot done and unfortunately finding other things to get done that you didnt know needed fixing. Like the starter. Didnt you test run it before purchase?
I hope you dont find any other problems.
Click to expand...
I did test run it both on the hard and sea trial, the starter was fine. But it seems like all the switches were working fine too, until I got the boat to my shop. Eh, it's a boat, and an old one at that so I'm still pretty pleased with what I've found so far. I'm hoping not to find anything else though just in the interest of getting her in the water.

CAGE RATTLER said:
Back to some of your other topics.
As far as dash mounting the lowrance, I would think you could come up with something to reinforce that area or maybe even brace it from behind some way. I havent had my dash panel out before so really dont know whats back there. I plan on doing my dash in black since I re-did my switch panel and ignition panel in black but mine are a matte finish so will probably do the dash the same. Not sure if mine is the lexan or not like you said yours was. If it is, Its been painted a flat grey on the outside. I believe you said yours was painted on the inside? Right now, thats the ugliest part of my boat and cant wait to change that. Hopefully next year when I can afford the new lowrance HDS and the smartcraft mercmonitor and guages.
Click to expand...
Yes, mine is painted on the inside to give a shiny finish. The black is growing on me, even with my old gauges in it so I'm probably going to stay with it. I still haven't picked up my Lowrance, but I'm looking forward to it. For now I'm going to mount it on a swivel mount. I'm also thinking about adding an in dash depth finder so unless we're going fishing I'll probably keep the Lowrance in the case. We're mainly boating on a lake that I've been on since I was 9 years old (1979) so getting lost is not a problem. BUT, I'm sure you're right about there being a way to secure it, and when I have more time (next winter's list) I'll probably mount it in dash.

CAGE RATTLER said:
The other posters are right! You cant do it all at once and I've made the mistake of trying to do to much each season and have missed alot of good boating & fishing hours do to that. The last 2 years I havent gotten my boat in the water till july in 2010 & august in 2011 but I wasnt going that route this year and I splashed yesterday and have her on a nice lift slip this year. Rockfish season opens next saturday and I'm finally in before it opens for a change. :grin:
Click to expand...
Yeah, my list continues to grow, but everything that I'm seeing is going on the next winter list...if I waited until August the Admiral would lose her mind...and consequently so would I. :)

CAGE RATTLER said:
Sounds like you dont like sanding teak very much .... lol. I know the feeling. Mine wasnt to bad and I did the major part but my fiancee sanded most of it and also put on the cetol natural teak. Buy the way, this is my 3rd season after putting the cetol on and I havent touched the teak since. Next year it will probably get a light sanding and another coat to freshen it up but so far its the best thing I've done cosmetically to my boat. Teak oil would only last about 2 weeks before turning grey on me and I hated that look. The cetol isnt a varnish (like you found was so hard to remove) so just giving it a light sanding every few years and another coat is all thats needed. Even my swim platform inserts look fantastic and they are in saltwater all the time.
Click to expand...
I don't like removing varnish, but light sanding, cleaning or even pressure washing is not that bad...but varnish is a PITA! This is another item that I decided to leave for winter or some time that I'm just hanging out at the dock this summer. For now I'm going to stick with oil and see how well that lasts, but I'm already seeing some dry spots and it's been inside since I first did it. So I'm sure that's a sign of what's to come this summer, lots of oily teak rags. :D

CAGE RATTLER said:
By the way......... My fiancee also has done the bottom paint for me each year and has waxed the boat for me each year. You gotta love a women that will crawl under a boat on the trailer and paint the bottom ... lol. But she does tell me each year she's not waxing it again ... lol. She's done so much work on the boat I told her I would name the boat after her but she didnt want it named with her name. Her name is sandy and i told her we could name it SANDY'S BOTTOM :grin:. But she did finally come up with a name we both liked. We've been trying to name the boat for the last 4 years now. The boats name is now "NOTHING ELSE MATTERS". Not your typical boat name but we like it! Hey, it beats DAMIFINO. I told her we were naming it that if we didnt come up with something this year .... lol

Now wheres all the pics of your restoration??? :grin:
Click to expand...

Our boat doesn't have a name right now, we were kicking around naming it "Other plans" but haven't landed on anything yet. Sandy's bottom would be a good one! Yeah, a woman that'll work on the boat like that is priceless! My wife loves the boat and doesn't care about me spending money on it, but she isn't even about to do work on it.

Oh, and about those pics...I've been a slacker in that department. But some of the items haven't been exactly picture material, wiring, blower fan, new batteries, impeller replaced, shot out starter. :D
 
CAGE RATTLER said:
I've thought about changing out my Bravo1 when its time for a new drive but I have no idea what benefits, if any, would be gained. I know a bravo 2 can carry a larger diameter prop but is actually rated for slower speeds than a bravo 1. I doubt I would go for a bravo 3 unless I would be gaining alot of performance. I've also heard of alot of corrosion problems with bravo 3's. It would be hard to change away from the bravo 1. I love the performance i'm getting and have no control problems at all around the dock. I've had some pretty tight slips in the past and have had no problems either backing it into a wet slip or pulling into a lift slip. The one I'm in now has only 6 inches clearance on both sides of the boat and it was a piece of cake. I'm still planning on adding some well placed dock guards on the pilings though .... lol.
Click to expand...

My thought on the Bravo 2 is that the boat is still going to be slow anyway, even with a 330hp 454, I'm wondering if the bigger prop would put her on plane more solidly. I would also think the bigger prop would move the boat better with a heavy load. I'm not sure what the speed rating on the B2 is, but they seem to be much less expensive than the B1 or the B3. I'd imagine that the B3 would pop the boat on plane and hold plane at lower rpms. Also, I've driven boats with the B3 around the dock. There is no torque steering or funny backing issues to deal with. But I've never really had any issue around the dock with other boats so I wouldn't spend the added money for docking, mainly for cruising performance.

For your case, I don't think I'd trade a B1 for a 2 or 3 if I already had the B1 in the boat! :D
 
Max speed on the B2 is 55mph...doubt that'll be a limitation on any 255AJ. The B2 will also take up to a 20" diameter prop! Holy cow! But what I read did seem to indicate it was more for houseboats or large cruisers. Idk, I think it might be the right choice given the beam and weight of these boats. It also takes a special prop because the prop shafts are "humongus". Sounds like a really stout drive, though.
 
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