Official 390 E.C. Thread

electricaldoctor said:
My AC pump crapped out a few weeks ago and I will be replacing it this weekend. Then my boat will be perfect again. It has been way too hot this past week without air.
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My dear friend Ken, you folks north of the border do not know what HOT is. Come visit Florida in August for the true meaning of HOT. :smt101
 
I was at Disney all last week......
Very hot than sky turns black and massive thunderstorms for an two hours.

just standing outside your sweating and overheating
 
Saverio said:
I was at Disney all last week......
Very hot than sky turns black and massive thunderstorms for an two hours.

just standing outside your sweating and overheating
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And you didn't stop by St Augustine to see my boat and take the kids to the fort???
 
Dr MicroChip said:
My dear friend Ken, you folks north of the border do not know what HOT is. Come visit Florida in August for the true meaning of HOT. :smt101
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I believe you brother. Too bad you couldnt carry some of this HOT weather over into January down there. Whenever we go to the Cape Coral area every January, everyone is running around with their fur coats on. :)
 
electricaldoctor said:
I believe you brother. Too bad you couldnt carry some of this HOT weather over into January down there. Whenever we go to the Cape Coral area every January, everyone is running around with their fur coats on. :)
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OH! You mean those kinky fur bathing suits! Hardly fur coat weather that far south!
 
Could you describe a bit further what props you used. Looking at Michigan wheel they show a DQX, Dyna Quad, and a DQ49. With your boat running that good would like to make sure and get the same style props.
 
Dr MicroChip said:
And you didn't stop by St Augustine to see my boat and take the kids to the fort???
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Sorry Doc
my wife had this planned for months,

Fast passes for each day what resturants for dinner. she had us on an excel schedule lol

we just became DVC members so we will be back
thinking of Feb hopefully its cooler than
 
I figured this would be the place to ask since you 390 guys seem to all really know your stuff. Other than the fresh water tank issue, is there anything major to look out for when viewing a 390? Also, how hard is it to access the water tank to look for the problem, and is it readily apparent, or is there no good way to tell if there's been serious water infiltration? Also, what is everyone's opinion of the gas version of this boat? It seems like most here are gas powered.

Thanks!
 
nickdcj7 said:
I figured this would be the place to ask since you 390 guys seem to all really know your stuff. Other than the fresh water tank issue, is there anything major to look out for when viewing a 390? Also, how hard is it to access the water tank to look for the problem, and is it readily apparent, or is there no good way to tell if there's been serious water infiltration? Also, what is everyone's opinion of the gas version of this boat? It seems like most here are gas powered.

Thanks!
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See my restoration page and gallery for an eye opening insight on what kind off issues you can get into with a 390. My advice is get a top notch marine surveyor ($500) that YOU HIRE - not the seller. And HEED is advice and warnings. Fresh water leaks from a zillion places (windows, chain locker, windshield, water tank) can rot the stringers and lots of other stuff. You can get these boats really cheap but it may cost you big time in the long run. Diesel is great but 25 year old diesels need a lot of work if they were in a salt water environment. Gas too! My boat is like brand new but it took 5 years of labor and almost a hundred grand in parts.

Dr Microchip
 
Dr MicroChip said:
See my restoration page and gallery for an eye opening insight on what kind off issues you can get into with a 390. My advice is get a top notch marine surveyor ($500) that YOU HIRE - not the seller. And HEED is advice and warnings. Fresh water leaks from a zillion places (windows, chain locker, windshield, water tank) can rot the stringers and lots of other stuff. You can get these boats really cheap but it may cost you big time in the long run. Diesel is great but 25 year old diesels need a lot of work if they were in a salt water environment. Gas too! My boat is like brand new but it took 5 years of labor and almost a hundred grand in parts.

Dr Microchip
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Your resto page is the reason I even know to ask. I haven't been through all of it though, and a lot of it is just pics. I saw that you had cabinet and bulkhead rot. Was that all from window leaks?

The one I'm considering going to see appears to have no cabin leaks in the pictures, and it's been lift kept. The price has me wondering if there's more than desperation i need to look for, and obviously I'll need a good survey if i make an offer, but I'm hoping to avoid wasting the money if I can identify the problem areas on my own and know when to walk before investing in the survey.
 
I take it that this boat is diesel powered. What year is it and what is the asking price? A link to the web site showing pics may be a great if you are asking for us to spot any potential problem areas for you.

~Ken
 
You absolutely CANNOT tell from the photos! You have to open everything up. Pull the cushions, open cabinets, hatches. There is a lot of plywood covered in glass. The plywood rots and looks fine on the outside. All it takes is a pinhole leak for 25 years. Yes -the window leaks caused the cabinet rot. The drain in the chain locker gets plugged. Water leaks in to the bulkhead, then in to the compartment under the vberth, then in to the stringers. The shower drain leaks in to the stringers. The AC drain pan will rust out and leak in to the stringers. Look under the bunk in the stateroom. Look in all the floor hatches. Beware if everything looks like it was just wiped clean - to remove evidence of water! The stanction bases leak and rot the deck core. If you grab the rails and rock them there should be no movement at the base. The Fresh water is the enemy of plywood. Salt water pickles it. Google how to detect rotted stringers with a small hammer. The foam under the water tank floor may be saturated. The engine room bulkhead may have rot below the water tank floor. If it smells real musty when you stick your nose in places you have rotted wood.
 
I agree with you about the pics, but it is all that we can do from here. He will have to get in there and get his hands dirty if he wants to make a decicion on whether to cough up 1/2 of a boat buck on a surveyor or not. Just the same, it would be interesting to have a look at the listing.
 
electricaldoctor said:
I agree with you about the pics, but it is all that we can do from here. He will have to get in there and get his hands dirty if he wants to make a decicion on whether to cough up 1/2 of a boat buck on a surveyor or not. Just the same, it would be interesting to have a look at the listing.
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It appears the listing in question was just deleted by the author. Did we freak him out?
 
Everything I said holds true for any old boat. The leaks are just in different places. My previous boat - a 1973 28' Winner Flybridge Cruiser- was the best built boat ever. It had a fiberglass liner - no wood rot anywhere, solid oak stringers and one minor leak from the flybridge to the cabin. Ran back and forth to the Bahamas for 8 years. One engine only had 5 lbs oil pressure due to a cracked main bearing cap. Only had a compass for navigation.
43 years later it still sails the Miami river.
 
Do a compression test you can easily spen over ten k on new motors.

I looked at 89 390 diesel a while back. It was advertised in mint condition
the pics he posted looked ok. When I saw it in person I was shocked the shape it was in.

btw. Gas 454 in the boat will burn 20-25 gallon per hour at wot

good luck
Saverio
 

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