It's taken some time to get this posted here but happy to say that my 311 was back on the water last weekend. We put about an hour's worth of time on the new engines, and with exception of some small things that cropped up during her first outing, I can say that we had an overall great day out on the water.

The first attempt was a few weekend's ago. I couldn't get the idle right on either one and my steering was gone. I found that the carbs were full of ethanol powder left over from January's winterizing (the carbs also stank like old/wet gym clothes, really). A hydraulic line also split causing the lost steering. Extensive rebuilds of the carburetors and new hydraulic lines put her back in business.

Two days before, my buddy and I took the boat to down for a late-evening in-gear idle tuning session. It took a couple of hours of work but we got her pretty well dialed-in. End result:


During the idle configuration, we found that the batteries, even with being kept warm in the winter and on the boat's shore-power, were weak. Batteries and new guide poles for the trailer was the work for Saturday.

On Sunday, we set off to the ramp hoping the weather forecast would keep a lot of people off the water, but when we got there, the ramp was packed and almost out of room for parking. Great, an audience. We backed her in with no issues proving that all of the work we did to make the trailer right had paid off. Now the moment of truth - will she fire and idle like Friday night?? - two pumps each and both fired... a little cold complaining but within a minute they went right into a good strong idle.

Time to leave the dock... it was a really low tide so anything over 30 feet leaving the ramp was going to be tight getting out. I'll just say that it's nice to have engines that go in and out of gear nicely to be able to spin her out of a tight docking space. Oh, and steering helps, too! Idling to where we could get on plane took some time, but it also afforded us some time to really look over things before getting on it. One would think that the vast changes made to these engines (compared to their lives as 415 MPIs) would equate to some "nastiness" at low speeds. Not so the case at all... these are very smooth running and rather docile especially considering what they are. A lot of work was done to balance the bottom-ends. One of my buddies said they no longer sound like sewing machines (the MPIs had no-noticeable idle) - I beg to differ - they are much smoother with a noticeable (but not obnoxious) idle. Also, no move vibration in the boat. A nice plus.

Little clip from the no wake ride...


Finally, on plane. I was being overly cautious getting on plane. I really had no idea of what to expect being this was the first time they had any load applied to them. My buddy even asked if the drives were down (with the low tide we did drag the drives a couple of times so his question was valid... I guess... and yes, they were down, I was just being a chicken ****, lol). Sure enough she nosed-over without incident and we were off. We ran for a couple of miles at 3000 to get a feel for her and watch gauges. No issues at all! Temps and pressures good. Boat felt great!

Being overly gentle....


Coming off plane...


Bilge check all good but a fuel leak was found...


We found a leak in one of the aluminum gaskets that came with the Jeg's/Demon fuel line kit. On the beach I took it apart and flipped the gasket over to see if that would fix it - done - nor more leak. I also noticed that fuel pressure was a little low (really low actually). I cranked it up to 7 lbs but noticed that later the pressure was back down to 4.5-5 lbs. Does the Aeromotive pump have a predefined output pressure? I didn't think so but I'll have to double check. I would think I'd need more than 5 lbs to support 600 hp and these pumps are supposed to be more than adequate. Something to check.

By this time we were hungry and the sound system dumped our salsa all over the cockpit so we decided to head to my favorite on-the water-lunch stop, Chick's Oyster Bar. A little faster this time but but still taking it fairly easy. We kept speed between 50 and 55. Again, no issues.


All in all, a great day and very happy with the results.

I have some work to do. The port trans puked some fluid. My thinking is that I overfilled it. And I noticed at startup after lunch that fuel pressure was at zero for a few moments. The oil pressure switches came on a little late. They're Holley parts, but I'm not sure I trust them to keep the pumps running... I had a lot of trouble with them on my two hot rods. I have a water leak, too, but I'm pretty sure it's coming from a loose connection at my header drain. I also think the valves could use another 1/8 to 1/4 turn of adjustment.

I'm looking forward to having her out this weekend. September into October is some of the best boating weather around here so I'm hoping to take advantage of the late season as much as I can.

Lots of thanks to everyone here on OSO. As has always been the case here, there's a lot to know and to learn. We have the best community here for sharing knowhow on what works and what doesn't. I've been here for over twenty years... looking forward to the next twenty!

Just to think, i thought i’d be aboe to buy your boat for $1800 the other week. Lol.

Glad your feeling better over it.

You were close to owning it!! Lol

So everyone can follow along... lol

Ready to kick this pos down the road…

Is the gauge mounted on fuel line ? If yes, is it liquid filled ? If yes to both, that could be your issue. The heat makes the liquid expand and push against the gauges diaphragm thingy, which makes gauge read lower than actual fuel psi. Real experience, hundred (okay, msybe 60-80 ) or more times…not regurgitation.

Way cool dude.
Good job!

My project is the polar opposite of your yours but took 2 yrs of work/thrashing to stop planning on how to burn it down then use my backhoe to bury it!

BTW, gorgeous boat!

Couple wks ago, at Lake Erie a 311 Formula w/healthy motors came in.
Unfortunately he left before I got a chance to go drool on it.

Again, congrats on sticking to it.

Liquid filled, yep. I've ready (from you) that liquid filled could be an issue. I already had them so they went in. I guess I could start with a cool engine room and set then just forget about them. The a/f meter will tell me what I really need to know. Thanks for point that out.

Thanks! I try to keep her in good shape. With exception of the white on the front of the bench, the vinyl is original 1988. I've made some electrical updates, but for the most part she's as she was in 1988. Funny, out of all of the vinyl, it's the non-original piece that has issues - I'm going to have it redone over the winter.

311's... there are a few out there with some good power in them. Lou Perrone of A to Z Marine (NJ) has one in the mid 90s. It has a notched transom and raised X, 600 hp 540s. Plenty of others floating in 80 MPH range. Hope to get close but the TRS drives are a potential factor. I'm just happy to be back!

Man, that starts fast and idles smooth!!!
I am sure you will be one of the ~80 mph (probably 80+) F311 SR-1s!

Thanks! We shall see. I know yours is up there... setting the bar! I think you have one of the nicest 311s out there.