2000 Maristar 210VRS project...

[LJN]

Originally Posted by jsturvey

That's a clever engine stand you built. I like how the engine sits on the stand / motor mounts the same way it would sit inside the boat on the stringers. Nice! Going for a total rebuild?

Thank you, I makes working on it pretty easy as everything is accessable. Yes, it is going to go for a full rebuild. I also found a few other concerns today.

Does anyone know where to find these motor mounts?

Thanks,
Luke

[Greenster]

It looks great. Just a heads up. I have the same boat and my rub rail leaks. If you are doing that much work on it, you might as well redo the rub rail.

[46Chief]

Originally Posted by hig

Very nice project!!! I've been going thru my Maristar I bought this spring and my one big piece of advice for you is label, bag and take pics of EVERYTHING that you take apart. I've done a pretty good job recording things with mine but I could have taking more pics, the nice thing with a digital camera are pics are free but for reference they are priceless!!

Good luck and keep the pics coming!!

This, and make sure you shoot several more angles of things you are pulling apart. Especially wiring, I have too many pics i can see all the red wires but not the color of the stripe.

Nice to see that finish come to life.

[LJN]

Originally Posted by Greenster

It looks great. Just a heads up. I have the same boat and my rub rail leaks. If you are doing that much work on it, you might as well redo the rub rail.

Thanks for the heads up. Where does it leak at? & where did you buy the replacement?

Originally Posted by 46Chief

This, and make sure you shoot several more angles of things you are pulling apart. Especially wiring, I have too many pics i can see all the red wires but not the color of the stripe.

Nice to see that finish come to life.

I have been taking quite a few pictures, but I think I may take the time to draw a complete diagram before I break it down any further.

Thanks,
Luke

[LJN]

I haven’t had a whole lot of time to work on the motor, but here are a few mid-progress pictures.

I pulled the valve covers to find this…. (Remember that old Muppet song… “One of these things is not like the others”??):
[IMG][/IMG]

I have also been trying to clean all the grime & corrosion away from around the transmission coupling allen-head bolts. They have been soaking in penetrating oil for a few days; hopefully they will come out without stripping. Otherwise I was thinking about welding a bolt to the head of each one & see if that works. Any other ideas?
[IMG][/IMG]

I decided to hit the case with a wire-wheel to take off the peeling paint & corrosion.
Starting to look a bit better.
[IMG][/IMG]

[LJN]

I have found the amount of rusted bolts I have had to deal with on this is a pain, but it is to be expected with an unmaintained saltwater boat. The trans flange gave me the most trouble with stripped out allen head bolts. They finally came out with 5 days of soaking in penetrating oil, heat, & EZ-outs.

[IMG][/IMG]

I finally picked up a blasting cabinet, as everything will be blasted & painted or powder coated before reassembly.

Which is better for a saltwater environment?

[IMG][/IMG]

The other times I have spent on odds & ends cleaning the bilge, interior, and other little parts here & there.

[IMG][/IMG]

[FrankSchwab]

Lot of work you've got into this. I'd love to be able to make suggestions, but saltwater is out of my league.

[jsturvey]

Where do you plan on running...places like clear lake (which is half freshwater from what I remember), Galveston bay or somewhere else...just curious?

For a saltwater boat, a good coat of paint is good, powder coating is always better. Definitely need to keep a heat exchanger set up on the engine cooling system. I'd also add a freshwater flush kit before the raw water pump, and flush the engine after every use. A seawater strainer wouldn't be a bad idea either if you don't already have one. This may be a bit overkill, but if it was mine, I'd consider bonding (grounding) all metal components (rudder, strut, etc) together and installing sacrificials (zink anode) on the prop shaft and rudder. The key thing to remember, especially on a saltwater boat, is to stay on top of the maintenance, and take nothing for granted.

[LJN]

I’ll be running out of Houston Yacht Club in Shoreacres (between Seabrook & La Porte) headed up the San Jacinto of into Clear Lake tributaries to do a little boarding. The boat will be cleaned & stored in the garage while not in use. Our plan is to move up to Austin area in the next 4-5 years (looking at Lakeway area, or maybe north side of the lake), depending on development, lake levels, & when I decide to change career paths. I really miss the fresh water!

I will be keeping the heat exchanger setup, & it already has a flush point (though it looks like it was never used….). My neighbor also has a powder coating set-up, so everything will be powder coated then if it is best.

I have been looking into the sacrificial anodes, is there one that can be added to the heat exchanger interior? I would think it would be beneficial inside the area with saltwater. Also you suggest bonding all parts together; how is this done? Any links to info on this?

I ride skis primarily in the ocean, so it seems like more time is spent cleaning & wrenching than actual riding!

Thanks for the tips!
Luke

[jsturvey]

I'm not really sure if there is a sacrificial anode for the heat exchanger - my guess is it depends on who manufactured it. A good friend of mine has a full time salt water boat, and I'm trying to remember how the bonding system ran, but if you do use sacrificial anodes, everything metal needs to be bonded together, or else the zincs are useless. Basically, it's just a copper ground wire that runs from one of the rudder bolts, strut bolts, shaft log (if it's metal), and any other metal thru hull fitting that you may have and connect to the same post on the engine bell housing as the negative battery cable. As I said before, totally overkill, but helpful if the boat is going to be in salt water for an extended period of time. That and I am just paranoid about the corrosion that salt water can do.

Lakeway is nice, but lake Travis is way down right now. There is lake Austin in that area which is constant level. I live about a hour south of there on the NE corner of San Antonio and frequent Canyon Lake. Good luck on the future career endeavors.

The boat is going to be great! 12 years of dreaming and I finally got into mine 3 years ago, and I love it! You will to!

Joe