The Official 450 Express Bridge Owners Club

[Shoyrtt]

I got the new splitter installed last night hoping everything would work so that we could take the boat out this weekend and sure enough the cold water Pex fitting leaks. At least here in SoCal, Lowe’s/Home Depot don’t carry any metric Pex fittings, only standard. All of the WM stores here are out of stock. I ordered 3 of these Whale 15mm to 1/2” female fittings on Amazon which should be here in about a week. There is one mom and pop marine supply store that might have the parts that I’m going to call when they open later this morning.

 

[Forrestkk]

Hi All,

Finally took delivery mid-day. Made it up to Clearwater with no incident.

Had a starboard transmission leak at the reverso, was able to tighten the fitting underway.

The salon AC that was fine this morning, is now shutting down for hi pressure. Previous seller think it might be the seawater strainer, but the other two acs are working fine. Thoughts?

Also, checked transmission fluid two minutes after shutdown, and it was dark with a white flash light, but both port and starboard didn't register. Check them both cold this morning and they were registering but slightly low. Assuming I am headed to an autoparts store for SAE 30 tomorrow?

 

[LMBoat]

Good luck on the trip. My trans use SAE 30, but double check yours.

As for the AC, check the sea strainer. Easy to do. The salon AC is much bigger then the other 2, so if the seawater flow is marginal, it may shut the big one down and the other 2 still work. Check to be sure you don't have any leaks.

Keep us posted on how you do.

 

[Shoyrtt]

The ZF transmission uses any SAE 30W oil that would be used in a diesel engine. Examples: Shell Rotella T, Mobil Delvac, Delo 400 etc.
I agree with Larry, check the sea strainer first with your ac issue. Also check the air filter on the inlet that is under the stairs that go from the salon to the cockpit. Another easy thing to try is to swap the salon control pad with your midship or master control pad. The original Cruisair SMX II control pad is one of the items that your will probably end up replacing from Flight Systems at some point.
Good luck on your big trip! It will be fun to hear about how the boat performs and how much fuel you used. And of course don’t forget to start your log book and post a few pictures!

 

[Shoyrtt]

A quick update on my shower leak. While I wait on the fittings to arrive, I spent some time trying to cure the trapped water. Luckily all of the water that I have been able to get out has been clear so I'm hoping no wood has been damaged. The relief holes have worked well in getting the water out. I used my wet vac to first suck the water out but today flipped the hose on it to blow air and I was able to get a little more.

I also picked up this Danby dehumidifier a couple of months ago. My plan was to use it in the engine room to keep things dry. I put it to use in the center compartment and was a bit surprised on how much water it collected. SoCal is fairly dry even at the ocean, so I was hoping this might be helping remove moisture out of this area.

(water collected in 24 hours)

The Danby has an auto shutoff if the water level in the catch bin gets too high. I'll keep running it until my parts arrive next week, but so far the compartment is really dry.

 

[Forrestkk]

Hi All,

Thx for all the info. Got some SAE 30 at the fuel dock in Clearwater (no uber to auto store ), and the the salon A/C wont even power on anymore. It was noted bad on the survey as end if life, and I negotiated on that point, but a bummer for this trip.

Update to the boat delivery from south Florida to Northwest Florida. I am excited to say we made the jump across the Gulf from Clearwater, but had to pull up short at Carabelle (had intended to get to Port St Joe). We cruised into the marina with 1/8 tank port and starboard, but we only took on 294 gallons (135 starboard 164 port).

A few more fun surprises, the master head waste discharge pump runs a long time and pumps sewage out of the top of the pump, guest head only for now until I can figure that out.

Tied up in Carabelle, ready to head out early

 

[LMBoat]

Nice pic, congrats on the miles traveled thus far. When you say "master head waste discharge pump" I'm assuming you mean the vacuum pump? You do have a discharge pump, but there is only one (one pump pulls from both tanks. Find that pump and be sure both valves from each tank are open. If open, both tanks will fill evenly, if you have one closed, you might overfill the guest head thinking you are empty. The holding tank gauge only works on the master tank.

With either pump, they are both the same in function. It sounds like the bellow has cracked/failed. Time to over haul that pump, and the guest one too while you are at it. Bellows are about $90 each, and do the duckbill valves while you have it apart. About $15 each, you will need 4 per pump.

Good luck today

 

[Shoyrtt]

Hi All,

Thx for all the info. Got some SAE 30 at the fuel dock in Clearwater (no uber to auto store ), and the the salon A/C wont even power on anymore. It was noted bad on the survey as end if life, and I negotiated on that point, but a bummer for this trip.

Update to the boat delivery from south Florida to Northwest Florida. I am excited to say we made the jump across the Gulf from Clearwater, but had to pull up short at Carabelle (had intended to get to Port St Joe). We cruised into the marina with 1/8 tank port and starboard, but we only took on 294 gallons (135 starboard 164 port).

A few more fun surprises, the master head waste discharge pump runs a long time and pumps sewage out of the top of the pump, guest head only for now until I can figure that out.

Tied up in Carabelle, ready to head out early

View attachment 106716

Kevin,
Great to hear to are getting closer to home! How many knots were you running when you made the jump across the Gulf? It is interesting to hear that your port engine burned close to 30 gallons more than the starboard. Were you able to get the engine sync repaired before the trip? Where is your final destination? Destin FL?

BTW: I recall you stated you were a USAF pilot? "Plane to Sea" seems to be a good name for your boat. I was an enlisted SP in the Air Force from 87-90.

Jim

 

[Forrestkk]

@LMBoat yes, the vacuum pump. Good to know it is fixable. Previous owner had the valves configured correctly, so that is a plus.

@Shoyrtt thank you for your service, I was a flight engineer on MH-53Js and CV-22s from 1997-2017.

In the gulf we were averaging 16 knots, but our range was 13 to 19. We had aft quartering seas and we were going faster than the waves. When you caught a wave you would run uphill and then down the other side, so big fluctuations. Using NAV on the autopilot was a no-go because it was chasing the course. I ended up selecting AUTO and managed the course line myself. Not the most fun day. LOTS of water came in through the ER vent when we got heavy spray on the port side (none came in today in the ICW).

No engine sync repair, which has moved WAY up my list after this trip. The previous owner said the helm tacs were off with the port being low, but it was hard to find a sweet spot. I decided to match the tachs and looks like the previous owner was right, the fuel burn confirms I was running the port harder

Final destination is Boggy Bayou which is just north of Destin in Niceville, FL. Here she is at our dock after three long days.

Also, if you like riddles; what do you get when you get bounced around in the Gulf for 10 hours? Well, if you have my boat you get port Racors with bowls like this. They never went above 5 on the vacuum guage which was congruent with the starboard filters which were clean.

 

[Shoyrtt]

Kevin,
Glad to see you made it home. Our three day relocation trip was a lot fun and I got a chance to start to learn about the boat. It must be nice to have the boat on a dock close to your house to work on it. Just take one project on at a time and before you know it will be "bristol" for you and your family to enjoy.
And thank you for your service as well! My time was fairly uneventful, cold war service. I got out four months early on 8-1-90, just a few days before Iraq invaded Kuwait to go back to school. I'm guessing you transported Airmen with green feet tattoos all around the world. Very cool!

 

[Forrestkk]

Kevin,
Glad to see you made it home. Our three day relocation trip was a lot fun and I got a chance to start to learn about the boat. It must be nice to have the boat on a dock close to your house to work on it. Just take one project on at a time and before you know it will be "bristol" for you and your family to enjoy.
And thank you for your service as well! My time was fairly uneventful, cold war service. I got out four months early on 8-1-90, just a few days before Iraq invaded Kuwait to go back to school. I'm guessing you transported Airmen with green feet tattoos all around the world. Very cool!

I did fly around a few PJs, for sure.

The trip was fun, but rushed. I certainly learned a lot about the boat. I'll be honest, going pretty far offshore on the second day of owning the boat was a bit nerve racking, but it helped me build a lot of confidence!

Looking forward to making it our own!

 

[Forrestkk]

Project number one, clean the A/C strainer...well, the basket and bowl are soaking in a bucket right now...

Thinking a flush of the sea water circuit may be in order.

 

[Shoyrtt]

That looks pretty rough. I wonder if it was somewhat clean when the surveyor ran your AC and called it out? Maybe after a throughout cleaning and flush of the sea water circuit, try the AC again.

 

[Forrestkk]

That looks pretty rough. I wonder if it was somewhat clean when the surveyor ran your AC and called it out? Maybe after a throughout cleaning and flush of the sea water circuit, try the AC again.

Yeah, I was surprised, but the owner had an open checkbook with his mechanic and had all the invoices...but I am beginning to think his mechanic might not be as honestbas the owner thought . The strainers for the mains are very clean as I can see the internals clearly. A few fish got sucked up last weekend. Haven't done those particular Grocos...certainly no easy wing nuts on them, hoping I don't jave to completely remove them....

After an overnight soak and a quick shot of barnacle buster these will go back on tonight.

 

[Forrestkk]

Hi All,

Cleaning the bilges after the recovery and changing out the pig mats and find a through hull under the port drive shaft...does anyone else have this, and if so do you know what it is? Assuming depth transponder???

 

[keithmo]

I replaced both of my fresh water pumps this weekend. I posted this in the General section and received a comment about the “tubing” mounts. I thought they were original to the boat, probably for noise purposes. My macerator/discharge pump is mounted the same way in the bilge. Any other 450 EB owners out there with the same or different set up?
View attachment 100840

Hey Jim,

It looks like I am having similar issues with my fresh water pumps. We use shore water and only use the fresh water system when underway for both heads. During our last outing on Memorial Day, Pump #1 would not turn on at all, and Pump #2 ran continuously without providing any water pressure. Throwing switches on/off and opening the faucets did not have any effect. We had drained the water tank and partially refilled, so there might be air in the system, but I'm not sure how to fix that. It may be that both pumps are ready for replacement (20 years old).

Below is a pic of my setup. I read your original CSR post and noted the replacement pump part number. I'm headed back to the boat next week and will do some more checking before ordering new pumps. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on diagnosing the problem(s) and installing the new pumps. Thanks!

 

[keithmo]

So lets talk about bimini tops for the cockpit. Of course Sea Ray did not offer a bimini top as an option for the 450 EB, so every one I have seen online or in person have all been a little different. The bimini top on my 21' ski boat is easily raised and lowered but the tops I have seen on the 450 all seem to be fairly permanent. For us, sometimes it is nice to get a little sun back there, while at other times the heat can get intense.
So while I'm on the fence about having a custom bimini top made, I decided to improvise a bit this past weekend using the rod holders on the port and starboard sides of the cockpit. I picked up two rectangular patio umbrellas with 1.5" poles that tilt. Now while the center of the cockpit still gets sun, the sides are shaded very well.
If you have the full bimini top, can you show me your set up and let me know if you like it or if you would make any changes. I'm guessing I will probably keep the umbrellas going for the rest of this season and if we decide on having a bimini top made, wait until the winter to start the process. Here they are in the packed Memorial Day weekend crowd in Avalon harbor. Thanks
View attachment 106441

View attachment 106442

I have a full cockpit bimini with an eisenglass enclosure. The previous owner stuck a portable AC unit in the cockpit for his grandkids to spread out and sleep in. It actually holds temperature quite well. I'm headed back to the boat next week and will post some pictures of the setup.

 

[Shoyrtt]

Hi All,

Cleaning the bilges after the recovery and changing out the pig mats and find a through hull under the port drive shaft...does anyone else have this, and if so do you know what it is? Assuming depth transponder???

View attachment 106889

I don't remember if it is on the port or starboard side, but yes I have a through hull under one of the drive shafts. I haven't explored where the wire leads to, but my guess was when I saw it that it was a depth transponder.

 

[Shoyrtt]

Hey Jim,

It looks like I am having similar issues with my fresh water pumps. We use shore water and only use the fresh water system when underway for both heads. During our last outing on Memorial Day, Pump #1 would not turn on at all, and Pump #2 ran continuously without providing any water pressure. Throwing switches on/off and opening the faucets did not have any effect. We had drained the water tank and partially refilled, so there might be air in the system, but I'm not sure how to fix that. It may be that both pumps are ready for replacement (20 years old).

Below is a pic of my setup. I read your original CSR post and noted the replacement pump part number. I'm headed back to the boat next week and will do some more checking before ordering new pumps. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on diagnosing the problem(s) and installing the new pumps. Thanks!

View attachment 106890

Keith,
I would probably break it down into two projects. Starting with pump #1 you should check to see if there is power to the pump when the switch is on. If there is no power, check the switch. If there is power, you can remove the pump to bench test it but the cost of a new pump is a better option than trying to rebuild the old one, in my opinion. For pump #2, I would start by removing the output line and run the pump to see and gauge how much water it produces. It could be a bad pump. Another thought is your water filters. My filters are at the firewall of the engine room (where our pumps are) but up towards the ceiling, both port and starboard. I believe the filters are between the two 50 gallon water tanks and the two pumps in the water line. Your restricted flow could be a product of a clogged filter. I don't think it would be caused by air in the line between the tanks and the pumps. I won't be at my boat until next week to wrap up my plumbing issue, but when I get there I'll take a look to confirm the filter orientation as a possible cause of your problem.
Keith I know you have this, but here is the link to the water pump replacement thread in the general section for reference: http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/dual-fresh-water-pump-advise.103058/#post-1205465

Edit: I will say that the thought has crossed my mind that after replacing my pumps I have now had two problems down stream from the pumps with fittings failing. First was my water heater, but I think that was bad for a long time based on some of the rust I found on the box. But now I have a pex line fitting fail in the master head. I wonder if the increased PSI of the pumps (from 40 to 50 psi) may have at least contributed the failure. Or has my pressure switch already died on the new pump(s) which is a common complaint with the new and improved pumps? If you make the switch, make sure to follow Larry's advice and pick up a few Watchdog water alarms.

 

[Forrestkk]

Hopefully you take delivery this weekend! I don't think there is a picture limit if you are a site sponsor, otherwise I would have been in trouble a long time ago. When you get the boat, I'm interested in how that top deals with the stairs to the flybridge. Maybe try posting a picture again.

View attachment 106448

Okay, got the bimini cleaned up thanks to my wife helping me clean and install the top which was a little moldy on the underside.

Does not impede the stairs at all.