Notice the Fountain 3-footers in the pic...:p

Jeff got your VM
was working/sleeping for a few days
I will call you

among 17 other projects I'm actually still messing around with this, bunch of cool/functional little mods that I wanted to get done for next season.
I know once I touch the boat (this week) the sled will go in the corner and be forgotten

mostly aimed at reducing overall underhood heat and clutch temps
Revs really benefit from this program
installing additional vents, removing underhood foam, swiss-cheesing what's left of the belt guard, ceramic coating the entire exhaust (I gotta a ceramic coating "guy")
some appearance mods including '05 440 "X" decals
upgrading to the brass/oilite A-arm bushings and while I'm at it gonna send the arms/spindles down to Ian at Monster Perf. for powdercoat either matching yellow or (most likely) wet aluminum
Idooski riser set
some additional 440 chassis reinforcements
Redline in the chaincase (simultaneous to the gearing change :D)
Castrol synthetic in the brake
floated the secondary
t-stat deleted (proven 20* lower coolant temps all the time)
RAVE exhaust valves pulled and cleaned
ect.
ect.
ect.
and a serious detailing
I'll wait till fall to send my shocks down to Ian for oil changes, nitrogen, and some very slight valving changes...don't want to chance them leaking down, or nitrogen contaminating the oil over the next 6 months.
I ran this thing hard and it was a suprisingly strong runner and predictable/comfortable to ride insanely.
Just trying to give a little something back...
If you don't ride you wouldn't understand...:evilb:

:Whatever: The picture was at the new launch in Waddington which is off the river up in the mouth of Sucker Brook. You've been around long enough to know what yesterdays east wind, blowing up current, does to the wide open sections of the river. We had a lot of fun, this one loves to fly over this wind chop. Sits right there, flat and level. It's a little looser feel than the last one, but very solid, and directionaly stable. I guess if you're not into this level of performance boating you might not understand, but I am having more fun with this one than I've had in a boat for some time now. :p

Thats cool Pete!! Rides?????:D

Having lots of fun so far, we were stuck below the dam yesterday cause the gates were all down. But it worked, I'm just learning what makes this one tick, and every time I run it I learn something else. So far all is good.

Rides? You betcha, any time. Samantha will let you have her seat anytime. ;)



"Seat" as in bolster Bird.:p

gotcha.:D

I know how that mind of yours works! :evilb:

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Snowmobiles???????? :Whatever:Let it go dude, it's over........... Me, on the other hand, am getting closer to the boat season....spent some quality time cursing the Silent Thunder box in the garage a couple days ago. Think I'll pull the boat from storage later this week. Basically add a little bling here and there and get it splashed on or about 5/30. No guidos offering me the big $$$$$ so I guess I'll keep her another season. See what we can add to the 112 hours currently on her.........How many hours does Bob have on the 31SS?

Snowmobiles are somewhat better than snowblowers and lawn tractors, although properly detailed they can be quite spiffy to look at too.


And why were you cursing at the useless appendage?

Thoughts of removal dancing in your head? If you are and need mufflers check with M.L. @HBW, I believe there are some there he might give you a good deal on.

mines in the garage not on the boat, no thoughts of putting it on.
I've got Corsa Q&Q for around the docks

Oh, I thought it was on the boat. So why would you be cursing at it?

I'm in the process of Nascarizing my garage and it takes up too much freakin' room.............

You could cut it up and make a yard planter out of it. Kinda the Formula guy version a redneck painting old tires for the wifey to plant flowers in. Or put legs on it and turn it into a bar. :D

That bar idea has promise............

Some neon palm trees, a slushie machine, topless bar wench, and you're in biz. :D

Hey Randy,

Sorry I haven'y responded sooner been busy at work .... don't forget I have some luggage and the tunnel bag for you and some extra windshields ..... you mentioned clutch cover mod ..... I drilled out the rivets that hold that black cover and removed the whole dam thing and just left the top shield.... big difference.
The riser I used was called a Isovibe riser .... reduced any vibration through the handle bars ..... worked awesome.

Talk to you soon .....

Jeff

Quit yappin' about these Idooskis, :signs069:and buff out that black biotch, and splash it.


GD I love this being in before the 4th of July!!! :p

You got me on that ......with regards to the " in before July 4th" .....

If it wasn't for the little swimplatform issue I just had fixed ... I too would have been in the water. The good news is it is all done and looks great.
I am hopefully getting my boat this friday evening from "my canvas guy". Just stepped up and purchased a full bimini/convertible top for the ole 311.

And I am good to go .......

What's up for Memorial day weekend? I am off starting friday going back to work tuesday. Lets all get a plan together and do some boating.
Talked to Thirdbird and he is up for something .....

Any ideas ????

Let me know whoose interested and we will figure it out.

Talk to you later .....

Jeff

I lost the black plastic enclosure before I ever rode it.
Taking it one step further, check the relief holes in the remaining guard and the shock tower vents.
I did strike up an interesting conversation with a hottie while shopping for black nylons ...

I've got another metal guard blank I'm going to strip of decals, take it to Syracuse to get it forward facing louvered the full length of the top.

The red ripper has been fully restored
and the boat is spotless and ready to run...

waiting on some real weather
60*'s and rainy on/off for the next week.

Dave got your VM.
I sold those 28's last year.

Thanks. A friend of mine wanted to try them on his 28' Warlock with 377 Scorpions.

Dave

Well three weekends in a row and it ain't even Memorial Day yet! :D Tried out some 5b Maximus props on saturday, not so good, these things plain sucked. But then that's the way the whole day was going, the significant other dropped the truck, and all my other important, keys in the St Lawrence River. Maybe at the launch dock, maybe somewhere else as she was bringing in the fenders and such, half an hour into a cruise she says to me "You do have the truck keys?", sort of went downhill from there. In that she was the last one to have them :mad:. Hard to explain why they put zippers on them pockets, oh well, it is good to have a little brother with a Chevy dealership, couple hours later we had truck keys. Now if I can just remember what the other dozen or so went to I'll be all set.

Now this was saturday, such as it was. :(

Sunday all is well with the key deal. Still trying to remember what the he11 was on the key ring, but it will come with time. So it's off to try the second set of 5 blades that Brett at BBlades sent. The Maxes sucked but I have high hopes for these "Experimental" ones he wants me to give a spin. So we hook her up and head off for the River on a wonderful day in the north country. Well a half a mile down the road something does not seem quite right, and in my mind I say to myself "Self, what the fock is not quite right here?". Well boys and girls you tell me.

If I'm seeing that right, looks like a cracked wheel. If so, how strange is that???? Never saw such a thing before. Maybe I'm just seeing something that isn't there though.

Sucks about the keys. You'll find out what was on that ring at just the wrong moment,,,,,,,,,,,,,, like when you need that certain key!!:evilb:

So, what does "sucked" mean regarding the the Maximus? Too much, too little?

Very observant Bird, you're warm, but not quite there yet. I'll give you a clue here, call upon your depth perception skills to solve the mystery. I have more pics, but I'd hate to spoil the fun of Stump The Bird.

As it turns out the keys were the least of the Trailer Boating Sucks Weekend issues.

Now "sucks'' in propeller terms ranges from breaking loose and vibrating comming on plane, to so much tail lift at speed that the boat like it was on ice with bald tires and would go into a cat like tail hop on the high end. The loose didn't bother me, old Velocity guy here, and the hop could be dialed out with the tabs. Top speed very was close to the Bravos for the glass calm water. The only plus I can see so far is the 3500 rpm cruise was at 60 mph, up from 54 with the Bravos. These were standard issue Maxes, maybe lab versions would be different, a phone discussion today will tell me that. Most running these on this hull rave about the on plane and hooked up handling over the Bravos, I'm just not seeing it. I've checked the CL and X dimensions and they are spot on to what Fountain says they are. Just don't understand this, unless I just ended up with a poor pair.

It looks like a crack in the wheel or is it grease out of the wheel bearing? I notice that the bearing buddy cap is missing? Did the axle shift too? Sorry to hear about the issues. NG on the props....Maybe back to the bravos.

Dave

Ragged,

Try Chris at Sterndrive Specialists, he runs the 5's on the profile, ran like crap stock, labbed gained mid and top both!

Hey Ragged,

I know what I am getting you for Xmas .....

A key chain with a floater on it a (Formula one of coarse).

LOL ..... LOL .......

See what this early boating has done to you, it has accelerated your alzheimers with regards to you loosing your mind trying to find those keys.
Wasn't it your "trailer guy" who owns performance trailers or was it your "Boat guy" who recommended Performance Trailers.
Man did they ever look after you .....
Of coarse if you would have spent a little more money on the trailer you could of bought a big boy trailer with three axles.

Once again I am just kidding ...... I just spent over 2k from my last trailer episode.

Where you able to get home with the trailer like that?

Jeff

If any of you guys need any canvas work done, I just checked in on my boat at "Steve's Custom Canvas" in Webster, NY.
What an awesome job they did I am very pleased with their work. I had a convertible/bimini top made. The full mooring cover I purchased from Carver covers last fall got a little tune up. I had them make it fit a little tighter ...... Still cheaper to buy through iboats.com and have them alter it as opposed to a "custom" one through Steve's.

Jeff

Well Axa is the closest with the wheel bearing grease.

Left the garage sunday to head over to test the second set of 5blades from Brett about noon. Saturdays key fiasco nicely behind me thanks to the calming effects of some Kentucky Burbon and the passing of time. Optimisticaly looking foreward to a whole new day, and high hopes for these experimental props. Pull out of the driveway and hear a little snap from the trailer, think to myself "Self, that's odd, must just be the springs moving around, but odd". About a 1/4 mile down the road the package is just not comming up to speed, so I say to myself "Self, something here just ain't feeling quite right". S I take a look see in the side rear view, and the rear tire appears to be showing out past the front at the top, so I look to the bottom view, and it's showing to the inside. Now my mind tells me this just ain't right, maybe that snap was a wheel stud, or a few of them. So I pull over and get out to look, wheel is not missing any lugs but is sitting there cockletated. I say to myself "Self, you're focked!" However we are right in front of the DOT garage so I start to very carefully back it into the driveway to gett it off the side of the road, and the wheel starts to exit the spindle. Jockey things around to get it to shift back on, somewhat, and park it. I can see the garage from where we are, and Samanthas car so down the road I go to get the car. Into town to my friends wrecker service for help and some HD assorted chit. Back out to the DOT, jack the f'n thing up and pull the wheel off, and the brake drum falls right off in the driveway. This is real sweet, so we chain the axle up and limp the thing back down the shoulder of the road at 2 mph to the garage. All is somewhat well, at least the f'n wheel didn't exit the spindle at 50 mph.

Had my trusty engine guy, master of all things mechanical, out there tonight to survey the damages. And he says he is pretty sure he can save the axle so things are looking up. Basically the outer bearing chit out and then the inner followed shortly thereafter. The inner bearing race stayed in place, the outer is somewhere between the garage and the DOT building a mile down the road. The spindle is welded to the axle so if we can't save it it means changing out the entire axle assembly. Lucky for me Al is one he!! of a machinist as well as his vast other talents. A few parts, little time and we'll be on the road again, right after we tear the other three apart and check them all out as well.

Not a Performance Trailer problem, just one of them things. I was just starting to get into this trailer boating deal, this trailer is a real sweet thing in terms of how it goes down the road, and it is sooooooo simple to load the boat back on, a line on the bow cleat and just pull it to the stop, hook the strap, a crank or so, and drive out. Sunday I figured out why I spend the money for that slip in Marks boathouse. This trailer chit can be a real PIA.

New trailer boater rule................Floaters, never leave home without one.



Especially if SHE is comming as well. :D

If it makes you feel any better Pete, you're not alone. That day Pachanga Mike and I took our girls for a ride, one of my rear brakes locked up hard. Got it from Mike's house to my house, about 3 miles, and that brake was screamin' hot. So, I adjusted the brake to loosen it right up for then and off we went to the dock. Dunked the trailer and it steamed!!!

We pulled it apart this weekend and found the wheel cylinder seized, seized in the fully extended postition. Probably froze up after backing it in the storage barn (surge brakes, you back up, they hook up). Got so hot it cooked my inner seal, just started showing signs of grease spew.

So, gotta get some new parts and fix it up. Eagle's site is pretty awsome, every part of every trailer they make is listed with part numbers. That means no f'n around trying to find the correct wheel cylinder and whatnot.

Pete,

I'm glad to see it didn't turn into something catistrophic .... I realize you like your trailer .... the only reason I am bust'in your chops about the axles is about 4 years ago I had a wheel completely come off and pass me on route 590 and 60mph in rush hour traffic.
You know when your are having fun when that chit happens.
Ever since then ..... I don't care how easy it is to back in or turn the trailer with 2 axles ..... I have 3 axles under the boat because when chit happens at least I have 2 axles still holding the stupid thing up.

Jeff

Good luck !!! Hope you are back in business soon.....

Memorial Day Weekend ????
 

What's up for the weekend ???? Anyone have any plans or ideas besides putting engines back in their boat and replacing axles on their trailers and louvering their clutch cover for their sled or working on their house finishing some drywall ......

I was just wondering ..... :D:D:D

Jeff

:D:D
My new exhaust is still not here yet dammit!!!! I want to have it on by the holiday.

Man Jeff....You called it! Looks like they might go back in Thursday and testing on the weekend if all goes well!

Number two is on the dyno and was run Saturday and Monday with VERY good results. Things are progressing rather nicely! Hope to finish (#2) up today and have it ready for Thursday to be installed.

Dave

I was thinking I might take up diving.



But likely be same old, same old......................Wax on, Wax off. :D

....Fix the trailer...Test props....


Dave