402 Kaama
 

I bought the boat that there was a post about here 2 weeks ago. Boat was on www.traderonline, in Portland, Or. area. Was asking $43,900. http://www.boattraderonline.com/adde....html?46649664 .

This my first performance boat. I got a great deal on it! However I had to gamble a bit. The seller had never put the boat in the water in the 3 years that they had owned the boat. They were selling due to a divorce, I bought it from the wife. I did get to run it on the trailer. Seller had $18,000 in rebuild reciepts, work 10hrs ago(done in 1998). It's running 454s, twindisc MG-502 trans 1.54:1 gears, KAAMA Drives and Cleaver Props(22"pitch I think, they're stamped "K722" or does that mean 27"pX22"d). Overall the boat is in good condition. A few scraches in the gel coat. Vinyl is starting to come apart at the seams in a few places.

Trialed the boat after I bought it. Portside trans is no good. It gave up after just 10 minutes @ 4000-4500rpm. I have already found a replacement for $1,000. WOT was over 5000rpm, had to back off. The engines never missed a beat.

Was told by one mechanic that the engine/trans needs to be realigned after I swap-out the trans. Is this true?

Thanks,
Andrew

Man, that's jumping into performance boating with both feet!! Did you get my email? Good luck with her, and post some pics and numbers!:D

What does it say on the side of the boat?

Welcome! Keep us updated on that wave smasher. Love to see more pics if you have a camara.

I have posted a few pics of the boat that I took before I bought it. Check them out at http://photos.yahoo.com/ajd0421 . I have only made one trial run so far and did not have GPS on board that day, if I had to guess I would say we were around the 60+mph mark.

The side of the boat says "WAVEWALKER". I don't much care for the graphics. I will probably heat gun them off before too long.

I really appreciate all the replies and a special thanks to those who have offered to share manuals and info. Those KAAMA's are an odd item. I hope I don't have to find out what the inside of one looks like, any time soon. Pleanty of little stuff needs attention first.

I plan to swap out the tranny Wed. and get her back in the water for another run. Will Let you know how it goes.

I am sure to have some more questions, like how to trim this thing out. I messed with it a little, but didn't figure it out in the short time I had on the first run. The boat seemed to take a long time to plane out. I had the drives down but not the tabs. I am not new to powerboating. For the past 6 yr. I have had a 30' Flybridge that cruises about 30mph. It doesn't require much trimming though.

See ya on the water,
Andrew

ajd.

If you blow a kaama drive I'd be really suprised. (even w/1000hp). The only drive out there built that well is a SSM#6 or an Arneson. (there's nothing small or cheap inside the thing). Only item you really hear folks talk about is the boot, but, im going on 4yrs with no problems. I keep the boot clean and keep a good rubber protectand on it.............

I the trim. I run mine down to #5 (which is not at the max), hold it at 3000, wait............cook an egg.........when I'm on plane take it up to #2. (but mine is a cat, so get some input from cuda on his also).


And BTW.........I love the boat. (Always thought the 402 and 357's were excellent!).


Bob

Andrew, definitely set the trim tabs down. While out of the water visually confirm they are responding correctly to switch input. That will make a major difference. Russell

I plane off with the tabs down and the drives at -1.

Oops...........forgot..........tabs....yep....(min e has no room for them, I forgot all about em')..........sorry.




Bob

I haven't experienced it yet, but I was warned about tabbing too low and trimming too high at the same time. Some of the water to the props could be sheilded from the props.

I find my F-402 doesn't need the tabs to get on plane (with TRS), but lowering them slightly (to just a little below parallel with the bottom) ill keep it on plane to much lower speeds. Mine had 3-blade cleavers on when I got it and also was very slow to plane. Switching to 4-blades (non-cleaver for the TRS) made a world of difference, but it still takes a few seconds to get up and going (big heavy boat).

-Greg

Andrew-
Nice boat at what was probably an excellent price. Did it come with the trailer as well? Interior (cabin) looks to be updated too! Except for the burlwood. Formula must have gotten a deal on that stuff. I've been in the process of repowering my 1985 F402 Kaama and nothing is cooperating. But, I'm anxious to try out the rebuilt 540's next month.......Nice boat!

It did come with a nice trailer. It recently had new brakes, master cylinder, and bearings.

Yesterday I pulled the port engine/tranny, to find some scary stuff... White Marine of Portland, Or. had worked on the boat last. They left out more than half of the motor mount to stringer bolts! only 1 bolt( should be 3) holding the shared inboard motor mount to stringer bracket! On the port outboard side, only one bolt(should be 2) and no backing plate. so the one sucked through the stringer under all the stress. Basically only one shared bolt holding the port engine in place!

Purposed fix: to install a 4"X6"X1/2" aluminum backing plate and squeeze the stringer, and of course reinstall ALL the bolts this time.

Also found that one of the two u-joints between the trans and transom had been improperly installed. I just can't imagine how a qualified shop could do such shoddy work! Definitely not a case of "you get what you pay for". I have copies of over $18,000 from that shop for work done only 10 running hrs ago. I hope I don't find anymore of their **** work!

Be sure to seal the backing plates so the stringers don't get waterlogged, if they aren't already.

Yeah, I thought I would slather it with plenty of 5200. Also considering drilling down through the top of the stringer and filling it with epoxy. the stringer is already water-logged and beginning to deteriorate.

When it's good, It's GREAT!!! only problem is that the good times don't last long enough... I have had the boat in the water 4 times and each time something else goes T.U.

R&R'ed the trans. Had about 30min of good times before I lost a raw water hose at full throttle. By the time I noticed the bilge was very wet. Fixed that, no prob. Restarted the boat and port engine barely starts, blows a ton of black smoke. Find that crap in the fuel line is caught in the secondary float bowl of the carb. Fix that. Trailer up.

Next day, 10 min of fun. Stop at one of our favorite hang-outs on the water, shut down the big noise maker to talk. Won't restart, I call Vessel Assist for a jump. Doesn't work. Both batteries are stone dead and one starter is too tired to turn it over one more time. Swap starter and new batteries, we're going again.

Next day, thinking we're good to go today. Half an hour out I feel a vibration then, no oil pressure. Shut her down can't figure what was going on. Got oil. I cracked a fitting at remote filter, had good oil pressure, figure the sending unit went. Fire up head back home. Still have vibration. Get 30' from the dock and I lose fwd/rev. What now? Gimble bearing is gone! I mean ruined the through shaft, bearing, seal in the trans(lost oil), and only God knows what else! I think I am going to need a new transom plate too.

Somebody tell me that one day I will go for a ride and not brake down.

It will get better, just a few "growing pains" that all used boats go through. I have been having problems with mine, and hadn't been out for a month and a half. Today it was all worth it. We had a boat club get together at an island, and it was the first time I've been able to take the boat to a function. It was great flying by with the roostertail spraying, and pulling in with the big boys.:) When we were leaving, I saw some boat coming up fast behind me. When he was about a fifty yards behind me, I let the big dog eat! I think I ruined his day. Here he was thinking he was going to pick on the old, slow Formula, and all he got for his efforts was a tail in the eye!:D Debbie was loving life!:)

ajd.........Did ya ever give the ram rebuild a try?





Bob

Cuda, sounded like you had fun at I guess was Egmont Key with the OPBA. If that's where you were maybe I'll get a chance to meet you Thursday night at Gatorz.

Were you one of the card boats at the last Opba poker run?

Cuda, yes, I've been a card boat for the OPBA's last 2 poker runs. The last one, July 5, we were anchored just inside the Venice Jetties. Good memory...I'm now an official member of OPBA along with being on the Board of Directors for SORA and am heavily involved with the new Sarastoa Offshore Showdown. Check in the general info forum for details on SOS. Hope to meet ya Thursday nite.

Hey Kaamacat,
Ram rebuild is on for another day. Ron's 302 has some used boat growing pains like Cuda described and we keep wetting his boat only to end up back on the trailer. Rebuilt the trans at Palmer-Johnson but this SOB keeps overheating. Got the cooler out last night to check it. Between his work, and his boat my poor buddy Ron had no time for a minor leak in a ram right now. With the short season here in Chicago, I can't blame him. Heck in a couple weeks he can take all the rams off and have all winter to play with them. Anyway, he keeps hinting that he knows where three good rams are sitting! (Ron, if you are reading this you better be aware that I stopped out at Farm & Fleet and picked up an electric fence charger to hook up to my Kaama drives- they are set to max pal) BTW guys- Ron and I are getting a real education in all things Kaama and Twin Disc. Hopefully we can share in some way. Ram rebuild to follow soon............ALJ

One more thing for all you KAAMA heads out there. AJD0421, did I see a post on another thread that you tried to call Team Archer and their phone was disconnected? Tell me it ain't so. Sounds ominous to me that Offshore only guy - Team Gary- is no longer with them and now???????? Anyone know whats up?.....ALJ