Weldbilt 1448MV

[Earlo]

Good find on the motor.
Sounds like the low speed jet needs to be adjusted and or cleaned & a lower unit seal kit installed.
Parts are cheap for that motor!
Hope it treats you right.

Thanks TX. That's what I'm hoping too. I'm still waiting to hear back from the mechanic that has it. Meanwhile, I've got new decals for the cowling (it was painted cammo), as well as decals for the cowlings of my other two Johnsons. Will post pics as soon as I have something to photograph.

 

[TxTightLiner]

Sounds good Earlo.

 

[Earlo]

Still waiting on the 20 hp to be repaired, seal kit for lower unit had to be ordered. Meanwhile, I redid the cowling graphics on all three of my outboards and added logo to the boat. I drew all the stuff in illustrator and took it to Fast Signs, where they gave me a pretty good deal on the decals.

 

[TxTightLiner]

Nice job on the cowlings!
I saw the 20 on CL with the camo, it's starting to look like a brand new motor.

 

[Earlo]

Six weeks later had a weird weekend with the 73 20 hp. Once a week I called the guy, who said it still would not idle. He rebuilt the carb, and even tried two other carbs on it, checked all the firing system with no luck. I'd had enough, and just went and got it. At home, put it in the trash can and fired it up, same thing as before – coughing, spitting, would not idle. Tried adjusting the low speed needle, still no good. Then I noticed it was not pumping water. Shut it down, dropped the lower unit, the impeller looked fine. Put it back together, tested again in the trash can and it purred like a kitten. WTF???? The only thing I can figure is that I jarred something loose when checking the lower unit. Any issue with the impeller would not affect the way it would idle, would it?

 

[Earlo]

On the canal in galveston:

 

[Earlo]

A month ago, I found a crack in the front deck around the back of the factory seat mount. I have only had the boat 7 months, so emailed the dealer in East Texas to ask about the warranty. He emailed that he'd check on it. After 3 weeks, 5 more emails from me and 3 calls, he finally said he talked to the factory and they said I should "weld it up". They'd reimburse me up to $100. I'd already told the dealer that re-welding it was a bandaid repair, and that it was certain to crack again. To me, the fix was to remove and replace the factory seat mount and create a broader base to redistribute the weight and stress.

First, I don't weld, and did not feel like running around town to find someone to do the dealers warranty work. Second, the dealer is 200 miles away, and since it took 3 weeks to get an answer it might take 3 months to get my boat back. Third, by doing it myself, I kept the labor costs down to $2 per hour. I'm sending him material receipts and an invoice for $99.99. Will see if I get any of it back.

 

[Earlo]

The carpet on the Suzie Too had gotten pretty nasty. I use the boat about 75 times a year, so even while keeping it inside, the floor was in need of a redo. I wanted to get something that was washable but tough enough to stand up to a lot of use. I found this "paint" at Lowe's called Restore that comes in a bunch of colors and was about $25 a gallon. Water-based, thick as a milkshake and dries pretty quickly. I did not weigh the panels before and after painting them, but they were not appreciably heavier, even though I slathered it on pretty thick.

I coated both sides of every piece on the boat, with one medium coat followed by a really thick coat. The surface looks meaner than it actually is, I was barefoot in the boat last week and it feels great and does not get too hot. We'll see how it holds up. Crappie are spawning right now in TX and my time on the water is about to go up to level orange.