SCORPIO
Well-Known Member
Well I finally got the boat in the water on Tuesday. The weather has been aweful everytime I have time to work on the boat. I did all the mechanical work on the two or three decent days this month and I finally got down to the boat (3 hours away) Sunday to do the scrub and shine routine. Then the forecast tanked. There I was washing and scrubbing the bottom paint dust from somebody elses' bottom job, in a light rain and fog. People in the boat yard were laughing at me out there in the rain. I said if the boats going to be wet, it may as well get clean. It took me from noon Sun. til dark to get everything nice and clean. I had do use hull cleaner on the entire foredeck due to rust spots from screws I used builing my winter frame. Monday and the weather was the same only no real rain, only light mist and heavy fog. I was going to wait til Tue. as the forecast was improving but then I see a truck load of sand and an air compressor show up at the 34 Mainship about 50' to my starboard. I asked the mechanic working on her when that job was to start and he said tomorrow morning! No way was I going to stay there and have an entire days work erased in seconds and have to repeat it. SO, I worked all day in the fog and mist polishing up the boat below the rubrail. Tue, AM I told the yard owner I have to be in the water BEFORE the air compressor starts on that bottom job. Right on cue, a dense fog rolled in to the point you couldn't see 100'! I said I'm going at 10 o'clock and had a friend show up to help me. At 9:45 fog starts to lift and in we went. Couldn't wait to get away from all that black dust to come.
On another note, I think I have fixed my low speed heating problem on my port engine. Last year, had both drive completely gone thru professionally as well as gimbal brgs, shift cables, bellows and hoses. FYI for all you Alpha I owners, after changing the waterpump in that drive, (a waste of time I think since it looked fine) I decided to change the hose that runs from the lower unit to the transom. It was new last year but had a slight kink where it bends. I asked the tech and he said no prob. it will inflate when engine is running. It worked first half of season, then heating started. I decided to replace it with 3/4" wet exhaust hose as its wire reinforced. Didn't see any overheating in the 30 or so minutes of idling I did yesterday, both engines ran 145 just like they used to. So if any Alpha I owners have low speed only heating issues, check that hose and see if its kinked.
On another note, I think I have fixed my low speed heating problem on my port engine. Last year, had both drive completely gone thru professionally as well as gimbal brgs, shift cables, bellows and hoses. FYI for all you Alpha I owners, after changing the waterpump in that drive, (a waste of time I think since it looked fine) I decided to change the hose that runs from the lower unit to the transom. It was new last year but had a slight kink where it bends. I asked the tech and he said no prob. it will inflate when engine is running. It worked first half of season, then heating started. I decided to replace it with 3/4" wet exhaust hose as its wire reinforced. Didn't see any overheating in the 30 or so minutes of idling I did yesterday, both engines ran 145 just like they used to. So if any Alpha I owners have low speed only heating issues, check that hose and see if its kinked.
