20 years later

So after 20 years out of the water and a bunch of work today was splash day.

Congrats. Heck of a lot of work but now for the fun part.

20 years!!! OMG - Have BIG Fun!!

Nice job, I’m sure you’ll keep us updated!

wow... you must be happy and excited...

We need details of what you did, back story and such....oh... and pics or it didn't happen! lol

Sailor of Fortune said:

We need details of what you did, back story and such....oh... and pics or it didn't happen! lol

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20 yrs at 6 threads per year to explain items = 120 threads. Enjoy!!

Sailor of Fortune said:

We need details of what you did, back story and such....oh... and pics or it didn't happen! lol

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Absolutely agree, pics and history needed!

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Its maiden voyage and i had success docking so it was a good day!

Sailor of Fortune said:

We need details of what you did, back story and such....oh... and pics or it didn't happen! lol

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Well a bit if the story is this Mark 1 has been at a club in shrink wrap since 2002 Its had to believe that the wrap lasted this long but the former owner did a very good job with the support and protection of the shrink wrap so it lasted till about 2020 without a hole in it. I noticed this boat at least 6-7 years ago then the boat yard where my dad had his boat it was at the back and it was usually within site of my dad's boat during winter storage.
may dad sold his boat and the day he sold it we were told this Mainship was for sale at a pretty low price so i asked many people about it. That when I was told it was there for more than 10 years, I found out the owner and asked to view under the ripped shrinkwrap. The bridge was quite a mess but the interior is in very good condition other that a bit of boat funk smell. I worked out a deal that I did not think i could loose money on figuring i needed to do major work on it. I moved the boat from the boat yard to my residence to fix it up and I must say I am extremely impressed with the condition on everything. I started with the engine and generator figuring those are the big $$ items and the diesel fuel was extremely clean. it looks like it was treated before storage and i treated it again before the on road to my house. I removed the raw water pump and rebuilt it. Changed all the fuel filters. Its a Cat 3208NA and a friend that is a marine Diesel mechanic told me to put a battery on it and start it... I was truly amazed when it cranked about 1 rev and started and ran smooth... I did similar to the Onan gen and it too started (not as well as the Cat) but both ran... I proceeded to check the electrical system on the boat and its in very functional condition.
The plumbing was not quite as pristine condition so i changed out about 90% of the drain pipes, septic tubing and several fresh water items. Fortunate for me the long time under wrap preserved it so in numbers its a 1979 boat thats 42 years old but really its a 22 year old Mark 1 with a 1988 Cat 3208 that's really 14 years old. It moved back to the boat yard in early June where I reinstalled the Bridge. The big splash was last week and the first day i drove it was yesterday. It's the first boat this big i have driven with one propeller... I did well.

As everyone has said - Congratulations!!!! A while back I viewed a boat that had been on the hard for 18-years... I was dumbfounded that folks were willing to pay storage for that long. (I believe it had 2 owners over those 18 years. Last I heard owner three was making progress!) Peace, Prayers, and Fair Winds! Pete

Need more pictures, from the beginning.

tpfbdf said:

As everyone has said - Congratulations!!!! A while back I viewed a boat that had been on the hard for 18-years... I was dumbfounded that folks were willing to pay storage for that long. (I believe it had 2 owners over those 18 years. Last I heard owner three was making progress!) Peace, Prayers, and Fair Winds! Pete

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Today I was told a 20 or so foot boat inside a boathouse on the hard has sat in there for some 20 years and may never see water in the owners lifetime.
Also today a boat next stall to mine on the hard was hauled away after the owner said enough.
I met a guy who has his boat under cover for the past two years while reno work progresses.
If I had the time to wander the yard what stories there may be.

Soo-Valley said:

.... what stories there may be.

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Sounds like there might be a book (or podcast) in there somewhere! LOL!

You are a patient man, nice job.

The 3208 is a workhorse and used in many applications besides boats as you probably know. I have dealt with many of them in industrial buildings where they are the driver for the fire pump. They get a lot of abuse/neglect in those environments and still work.

Congrats.

Doodie99 said:

Its a Cat 3208NA and a friend that is a marine Diesel mechanic told me to put a battery on it and start it... I was truly amazed when it cranked about 1 rev and started and ran smooth... I did similar to the Onan gen and it too started (not as well as the Cat) but both ran... I proceeded to check the electrical system on the boat and its in very functional condition.

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Did you squirt Mystery Oil, or the like, into the cylinders to ensure the rings weren't cold welded to the cylinders after 20 years? Or did you just fire it up and hope for the best??

I'm not sure I would fire up an engine cold after so much time.

If it was a gas engine i would have put MMO in the spark plug holes but it is my first diesel I wanted to make sure before i bought it the engine was not seized so i turned it over. After purchase and a bunch of checks of the fuel i wanted to see if the old fuel would fire up so the generator was my test. I figured if a 1 cyl engine needed the injectors cleaned it would not be bad. It cranked for a little before it stared but it smoothed out. The big cat 3208 was amazing... never owned an engine that started so well. I don't even think it spun a full revolution before if fired up after 20 years.