you tube is your friend..I understand now. Will get into it this weekend. Thanks for the tip.

 

WOT report.....1/2 fuel and water, 2 people on board, 4400 rpm at 30mph....didn't play with the trim much but I think it could do better. Fresh bottom paint, new 4 blade props. New prop pitch is as follows, 20X18 with medium cup 1.5. The engines are 7.4 MPI 340 horse, raw water cooled mercruisers.

I took the old props to a local prop house. They were Nibral, 3 blade 20X21 1.5. two blades dinged on one prop. $370 to repair, refinish, clean and balance. They look like new. I guess I will keep them for spares.

Jon

I'm not sure where you were before with the old props, so how does this compare in performance? I'm running my original props and wonder if I'd see speed/efficiency difference with newer props.

 

Wasn't Looking for more speed but I was looking for better hole shot and idle maneuvering. The 4 blade moves more water for sure and at idle its a big improvement. Mid range and plain ing time are much improved. Will know more today when I get out for the WOT test. Looking for 30MPH. The dealer that supplied the props suggested I document the performance and if I needed a bit more pitch, they would adjust the props as needed. I will pull the props and send to them for final tuning, if needed. So far I am very satisfied if for nothing else, the increased maneuverability at idle. 4400 rpm is the goal....we shall see.

 

Thanks for the info. I don't have any issues for improving slow speed maneuverability, but I would love "more speed" so that I can cruise the same speed at a lower rpm (efficiency). I would assume that with a four blade I could stay on plane a slightly slower speed as well. Just not sure if it's worth the investment.

 

Speed and rpm are not the only factors that determine efficiency. If over propped you would need to advance the throttles more in order to maintain rpm. The increase in throttle would then lower manifold pressure and increase fuel flow. As they say there is no free lunch. Prop the boat so it will achieve rated rpm whether you have 3 or 4 blade props. As you have suspected 4 blades will usually improve dock manners and 3 blades will give higher top speed.

 

Love the idle response..moves water now. Stops on a dime. Investment...not hardly on these old girls...it's fun playing around tweaking them...efficiency is a long play at best...I just enjoy this thing...

 

Good Morning,

I had the chance to spend a day on the boat finishing some projects this week. Made a ton of progress but also added a few things to my punch list. I'm hoping to get some help from some of you that have already completed these projects.

1. Masthead/Anchor Light Replacement - My OEM pole is worn out and unreliable. It has to be replaced. I would like to relocate it from the windshield to the Radar arch. Has anyone done this? I know I will need a 3 wire unit. How long should it be? Is 12" enough? I don't have much up there other than an old TV antenna and a GPS antenna, the GPS antenna is 8-9" tall. I would probably leave the old socket in place and just run new wires to the switches, does that make sense?
2. CO detector - The 2 wires going to the wall mounted detector in the Salon seem to be dead. The wires to the detector in the master bedroom showed ~12Vdc. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this?
3. Shower Sump - My sump looked to have quite a bit of water in it. I would guess it was 1/2 full. Is there a way to manually turn on the bilge pumps located in the sump?

As always thanks for any help you can give me.

 

Search this thread as I have relocated my anchor light to the radar arch. I have posted some pictures of the finished product as well.

As for the CO Detector, check the breakers in the breaker panel and make sure they are not tripped. Check for power at the breaker also to rule that out as well.

The shower sump usually has standing water in it. I do not know of any switch to manually activate it. You can always remove the top of the shower sump and manually lift the float switch to run the pump.

 

Relocated the light to the arch. Much better.
Replaced CO detectors with new sealed battery type with 10 year life.

Next items on the punch list:

1. Open up the shower sump and clean and evaluate condition.
2. Re-plumb ice maker cabinet. New sink faucet and drain.
3. Do something about the open side compartments in the rear of the cockpit. The original carpet is no longer attached so they look terrible.

 

So, it has happened. After 5 seasons of owning my 400 Express, it is time for a repower. Unfortunately, it is not by choice. Three days into a family vacation, a coolant hose burst on my port motor and it lost all of the antifreeze causing an overheat. End result being I either blew a head gasket, craked a head or cracked the block. All of the replacement antifreeze and water ended up in the crankcase.

The fact that all of this happened 200 miles from home really made the experience wonderful.

Since both motors were up to 1600 hours I am going to repower both engines at the same time ( I really don't want to go through that experience twice).

I am waiting for the insurance companies ruling on covering it as part of my mechanical breakdown coverage.

I will post pictures of my progress once I get started. Stay tuned.

 

So, it has happened. After 5 seasons of owning my 400 Express, it is time for a repower. Unfortunately, it is not by choice. Three days into a family vacation, a coolant hose burst on my port motor and it lost all of the antifreeze causing an overheat. End result being I either blew a head gasket, craked a head or cracked the block. All of the replacement antifreeze and water ended up in the crankcase.

The fact that all of this happened 200 miles from home really made the experience wonderful.

Since both motors were up to 1600 hours I am going to repower both engines at the same time ( I really don't want to go through that experience twice).

I am waiting for the insurance companies ruling on covering it as part of my mechanical breakdown coverage.

I will post pictures of my progress once I get started. Stay tuned.

Sorry to hear this. I hope your insurance will be able to help you out. Regardless, not a fun process. And all because of a coolant hose.

 

Dang that sucks. What kind of quotes are you getting for a full repower?

 

Trans leak. No doubt front seal...gonna remove, on port side. anyone ever do this before? Velvet drive trans 5000 series. Any advice appreciated. Planning on bilge flush and dry and paper below engine and run it a bit and pinpoint leak. Thanks

 

is a rear seal...scheduled for repair

 

Who are you having do the repair? I have a leak on the starboard side and need to have it fixed.

 

I'm at LOTO too. That's why I asked.

will keep ya in the loop.....no word yet.

 

My repower project is underway!
I have remanufactured long blocks enroute to the boat. Parts are on order. Friends are being solicited to help. Stay tuned for pictures.........
Wish me luck......

 

View attachment 64871 View attachment 64872 View attachment 64873 View attachment 64874 View attachment 64875 View attachment 64876 View attachment 64877 View attachment 64878 View attachment 64879 So, phase one is done. The old motors have been removed from the boat and the remanufactured long blocks have arrived.
Next step, strip the old engines, clean up the parts and start installation on the new engines. Oh yeah, the engine room needs a good cleaning and a coat of paint.

 

Good Morning! I'm planning to pay a visit to my boat this weekend, and wanted to solicit some advice from this group on some projects I'm considering:

1. I'm going to replace the shorepower inlets with "SmartPlug". The old inlets are tired and worn. I removed the valence above the cabinets on the starboard side to get access to the backs of the inlets and I'm thinking this will be a pretty straight forward project. I have the combo kits which include a new inlet and new matching cord end.
2. My portlights need some TLC. The screens are gone, and the rubber gaskets are hard and cracked. The stainless needs to be polished and the lexan is full of surface cracks. Have any of you removed, rebuilt and rebedded these? I'm considering taking them out of the boat so that I can do a good polish on the SS and also replace the gaskets and screens, then rebedding them with Butyl tape? Is there any trick to removing them? It looks like there are 10 screws holding them in place, do those screws connect to the outer piece? Can the Lexan be polished or replaced? View attachment 65281
3. I have a pair of "Boatsafe" heaters that i want to install. Does anyone else have Bilge heaters? The "Boatsafe" heaters are ignition protected but the electrical connection is not so it has to be routed out of the bilge. If you have installed these how and where did you connect to your electrical system?
4. Does anyone know a source for replacement reading lights like these: View attachment 65282

Regards
Mike

 

Has anyone replaced the cabin carpet with Luxury Vinyl Plank or similar? If so, how did you handle around the outside where the carpet runs part way up the wall, and the stairs?

 

View attachment 65374 View attachment 65375 View attachment 65376 View attachment 65377 Making some progress on my repower. Got the "bad" motor stripped. Now to clean up the parts and start assembly.

 

View attachment 65924 View attachment 65925 View attachment 65926

Has anyone replaced the cabin carpet with Luxury Vinyl Plank or similar? If so, how did you handle around the outside where the carpet runs part way up the wall, and the stairs?

Ours was done while we were in the process of buying the boat. They left the original carpet on the walls and stairs. I thought it came out well and was a great update to the boat.

 

View attachment 65924 View attachment 65925 View attachment 65926

Ours was done while we were in the process of buying the boat. They left the original carpet on the walls and stairs. I thought it came out well and was a great update to the boat.

That looks great, and I agree it is a great update. Did they do anything special to finish the edges around the hatches? I've looked at some products to finish those edges but after seeing yours I realize that I might be over thinking it.

 

Made some custom walnut steps and material where carpet was

 

Made some custom walnut steps and material where carpet was

Those steps look awesome!

 

I really like what you did with the refrigerator. Seems like the smaller cabinet lets in a lot of light.

 

I made a custom cabinet for smaller fridge, which right now is only an ac unit. This spring I'm buying an ac/dc unit. Made counter top with clear epoxy then trimmed it out. I like it more because it opens the galley more. I really did not need a large fridge. To me the original Sea Ray larger fridge looked like it was out of place with design.

 

Love the new fridge. I need to replace my fridge as well and wondering if I can use the AC only unit. Will be on shore power or generator most of the time. How is your AC unit working out?

 

How it looked when I bought it....LOL

 

Great updates. That old upholstery looks similar to what I'm pulling out of my boat. I have the setee out of the boat and I bought some scrap material to do some practice sewing. I'm just waiting on samples so that I can order my vinyl and get sewing.

 

Well folks, I just joined the club. Just bought a 1992 400 EC and I already love it. Will be pulling it out of the water shortly for a bottom job and to transfer to my home lake. Plan on having the engines and generators serviced as well. Any other maintenance you would suggest?

 

Welcome Eluther3! Sounds like you made a similar jump to me. I went from a Chaparral 280 to the 400EC. I loved the Chap but haven't regretted it for one minute. With the twin straight drives the 400 is just as easy to handle around the docks (maybe a little easier) and on busy weekends at The Lake of the Ozarks I can go anywhere and still have a comfortable ride.

 

I agree. I've only driven the EC one day and I already feel more comfortable. With the single i/o setup in the Chap, I had no steering without power. Two engines and a rudder are a definite improvement!

 

You can use an AC only but they don't keep things cold if your off AC power out and about all day and not running generator.