Thanks for the compliments guys
Doug, I have a 1992 4.0L 300 that's a 25" shaft, but I've collected 95% of the parts to convert it to a 20". I also have a parts-bin 3.6L 300 but it has an early-90s 20" mid and clamp, plus I also have a mildly ported 4.0L drop-on. So none of the V8s are ready to go, and are a project by themselves. I went with Teleflex front-mount SeaStarPRO. A Latham or IMCO would be nice but not really necessary based on speed/anticipated use nor in the budget. I have 2 OMC power steering setups collecting dust too ha ha !
Wideopen, yeah, I remember talking about this boat. Yes, it was from Corunna, previous owner had a 2.4BP that blew the top bearing. We should see about getting a group together to raft up to watch the St. Clair OPA races - hopefully Jay's driving again !
Ok, so I've run out of pics of the wiring. In September 2014 I moved to Caledonia (near Hamilton), and the new-to-me house has a 2-car attached garage. Typical suburb neighbourhood of cul-de-sacs, and there are lots of regular ski-type rigs parked in driveways. I wanted my boat parked inside for the winter however, in order to carry on the overhaul. Of course, a 21 foot boat (+ setback + motor + trailer tongue) does not fit in a regular 20-ish foot garage. So what do you do if you're too cheap to pay $400+ bucks a month for heated indoor storage ? You get creative......
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Just open up the door, back 'er in, and build your own custom "door" ! I framed this one day in late November with 2x4s, some 2x3's, 5/8" plywood, and exterior screws. For security there's a bit of cold-weather PL dapped on so you can't just unscrew a panel. 2x3s ripped down slightly fit perfectly between the bottom of the overhead door and the framed opening. And likewise, 2x3s fit between the tracks and wall brackets on the sides, and I took advantage of some holes already in the tracks to lag-bolt my framing to the door. Everywhere that framing/plywood touches boat is protected from scratches with foam sill-gasket. The "gasket" that seals the "door" to the boat is 1/2" foam pipe insulation. I used a pair of carpenter's dividers and a jig-saw to scribe the plywood to the V and strakes. The trailer frame openings are just sealed with Tuck Tape. The bottom plate is Tap-Conned to the concrete floor. I tucked the framing into the door's seal lips as well so it's actually reasonably well sealed. I'll be able to take this all apart in a couple hours in the summer, with no harm to the door at all.
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It's insulated with regular r-12 fiberglass batts. I ran a new 30-amp 220V circuit for a 5 kW forced-air heater, and it works great. It held the garage around 15C when it was -15 (even lower with windchill) several weeks ago. I have another heater to use as well if I need it.
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