Deeps Friday Rant... Machinery

[Deep C]

For those who followed and continue to follow Chubathon 2007 you know that my boat took a wound that shut me down yesterday... Lets talk about machinery in general or more specifically boats...
With the kind of green we lay out for these baby battleships, and the amount of up keep we have to do, how the hell is it that not on single %^&*$#@ manufacturer since man walked upright ever thought about building a boat that could actually be worked on???
Take my problem... I spend months getting that boat right as humanly possible then something about as common as having the whole front end of a car falling off happens. Lets examine an oil cooler... Its a tube that water rushes through a series of tubes. Then we have another part where the oil rushes through next to those tubes to get cool... We use mother mother ocean to cool the oil...
For the better part of a century we have been running cars with just a radiator to do that job... No salt water coming in or out. We use air to cool water. Now these engines breathe air so air can get in there... Not like we can't get that right... So why complicate the ever living dog shit out of things by adding all thses after coolers, oil coolers, transmission coolers, complicated plumbing and pump systems???

Now lets move on to the sons of spider crabs that design this crap. They sdesign it to build it easy up on some big rack or hoist where people can work on making it from all sides. Then they shove it into a space where sliding a sheet of paper between it and some other obstruction is tough. Take it a step further. That oil cooler on just about every boat I have ever seen is mounted down between engine and enge bed where its almost impossible to get it out short of pulling the entire engine out of a boat... There are two water hose connections and two oil hose connections involved. Should be 15 minutes to change out in the hands of someone who can turn a wrench with any degree of skill... But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! They shove it in a spot where I'm gonna have to get some very limber guy who can work upside down spend six hours of hell just to get it on hooked...

Instead of being something people can actually fix like they should be able to, we have a nightmare...
Parts- $160
Airfaire RT- $525
Rental Car- $100
Four extra nights dockage- $480
Mechanic- $500
Unless I have to fly one in then its $1500

Somebody stands to make a mint from guys like me if they actually build something that can get worked on... Screw all manufacturers of boats and motors until further notice... There I feel better...

[matey8941]

amen to that brother.....i feel ya deep...sorry about all the problems

[Bluewater Sportfishing]

Blame the people not the boat manufacture...we all want heads and washer/dryer tons of storage, a bed, shower, a place to walk the dog on those long three hour toursetc..etc...all on a 25 foot walkaround. somthings gotta give. When I worked at a local marina up the parkway a bit I had to change out a starter in a 21 foot bayliner. had a 351 windsor in it (ford engine) well I was upside down for most of the 5 hrs it took to get the damn thing out and back in. I thought my eyeballs were gonna pop out of my head at anytime. the best part was the last bolt I could only get a 1/3rd of a turn on it, oh it was also the bolt that had the most corrosion on it.
What you need ol' deepie son is a nice downeast boat with a keel cooler, simple....very simple.

[FASTWATER]

Yeah I hear you Deep that Bertram I was just looking at had me just shivering with excitement++++ untill I opened the engine compartments WTF I couldn't even squeeeze my hand down either side of the block so I'm still lookin!!!!!PEACE

[Deep C]

Simple important crap could so easily be put in accessible places. When we did the rebuild on that one side we moved crap around and that oil cooler, tranny cooler, starter, alternator, water pump etc could all be swapped out in fifteen minutes. Just some common sense is all I'm looking for... The other is set in like they do at factories. It would add about five or six hours in the whole build time to do it right yet they do it the easy way FOR THEM not us...
Now not every manufacturer is like that... My post I could get all the way around the entire engines (6-71TI)and that was only a 42... I could work sitting upright on the ac, water system, constavolt, shafts, stuffing boxes, ruddwers, steering etc... That Luhrs I play with is really pretty accessible...
This albie though I think they get a couple guys hold the shafts. Nail on a couple engines then pour and encase it in fiberglass... Whats really bad is that the new one that I ran before I bough this one actually had WORSE access and those engines were gas!

[Ravens16]

Deep, I hear ya!
Had to replace the impellor in my raw water intake pump located under the left front of the motor. About 6" all around to get a damn wrench in.
3 bolts, 2 hoses, 1 pulley
3.5 hours to complete, would have taken at the longest an hour, if it was placed just 3 inches higher on the motor
Getting my boat ready now an noticed a black spot in the grass under my prop. Fluid dripping out of my prop.
Smells like gear lube, F#$%&^&**(&*))_)_*()&^%^!
That's all I have to say about that!
That's my Saturday rant

[Ozimo2]

Yada, yada, yada -

Reefhunters law:

a) If it's mechanical it won't break down without a good reason;
b) If it's electronic, it doesn't need a good reason - it just breaks down;
c) If it floats, eventually it will sink;
d) If it has a turbo on it, it won't last;
e) If it is naturally aspirated it will handed down to your grandchildren;

We sold the Keys house last month, and moved back to the North country, so we can appreciate simple living again - without the insects, snakes, lizards, hurricanes, storms and crime. All we have is our pre-electronic ignition vehicles, solar powered cabin and wind generators for the water pump. My flats boat I sold for a canoe and paddle and upstream I now travel in search of peace and quiet.

[Cowboy]

I hear you Deep, how about the simple changing of the raw water impellar on the port engine $#$#^&)%^*^%#%())%$$ bitchin unbelieveble!

[captcl]

Sorry to hear about your about the mechanical problems Deep. I worked on adjusting up the bunks on my new trailer a week ago then took a run out and down the beach. I got back, loaded up and drove the 2 blocks to the boat yard where i store it ready to splash. Fooling around with it in the yard i noticed the steering to be a little sticky ( teleflex outboard) i cranked it over to starboard hard and POP! Broke the teeth right out of the steering station.
i started to get po'd then stopped and thought..... it could have happened out on the atlantic with nooooooooobdy around! i had a sprare station put it on got ready to re -assemble and it's still sticky! Now just to change the cable the 200 hp outboard has to come off! Dammit!!! It could have been worse so don't give up on your rig to quick. Good luck, have a safe run home.

[fishskipper]

B-Bring
O-Out
A-Another
T-Thousand