OL40SVX

Told you the Sutphen would give you the best ride!! It looks great in the water! Glad you enjoy it. It is really a cool boat. Id put a newer big single on it and have fun. It has the better balance with the single for the rough water running.

sixmassive

yes you were correct!

that V8 has some torque though.
a new yamaha 300 is around 20k with all the controls.

i think i am just going to run it like it is for a while, change the steering and put a more modern bracket.
later, get the motor bored out and build to 380ish hp on pump gas for 4k and still have 16k for fuel

30ctsutphen

I have NEVER EVER heard anyone say, after a ride in a SUTPHEN, that they didnt like the ride or werent happy with the boat.

Not once in my life and you guys know how ppular sutphens are in my area.

We have tons of sutphens in this area.

sixmassive

Turns out the bolts that hold the bracket to the transom leak water. . . the survey said there was moisture around the mounting bolts and bilge plug. so i'm guessing the silicone they used is shot. also you can see signs that the bolts were over tightened to stop leaks. the washers are sucked into the glass about 2mm.
going to get it probed to see the extent of the moisture, and upgrade the bracket.

are there any Knees in the twin OB models?

HIGH LIFE

sixmassive, Try a STAINLESS MARINE bracket...and a pair of Merc 300X's. "HIGH LIFE"

30ctsutphen

You know six to be totally honest every OB 26 I have ever seen had the washers somewhat crushed into the transom glass. Even my old one was like that.

My boat was super dry in that area too. I wouldnt sweat it too much if there doesnt seem to be rot in that area. let face it if there a hole in it theres gonna be some moisture at some point. Question is how much.

My boat had a little moisture around the thru hull fitting for the pump out toilet. I was going to have it glassed over at some point. To get rid of the hole altogether but wanna make sure its done right so doing lots of research first. I ended up changing it from plastic to a brass and re caulked with marine 4100 because its flexible for long periods where the 5100 gets hard and can crack and leak water.

as for drying the holes I have been told that a little acetone can dry the area quite well. I didnt do that I just left it open with no fitting for a week in the hot summer heat and lots of air flowing before replacing the fitting. Havent rechecked the moisture content but it wasnt very high to start with and was well within acceptable limits and in a small area.

most boats I have seen surveyed show some moisture around bolt holes and/or thru hull fittings.

sixmassive

i have pics of a moisture meter on them. got a survey done on the boat.
when it was in the water, it was leaking from the starboard lower backing plate (it has the gil bracket). i might take the bolts out today from the bottom two plates, and let it dry out til the weekend, then 5200 the crap out of them and put them back in. Should hold enough until i get a new bracket.

30ctsutphen

Is 5200 better or is 4100 better since its stays more flexible and wont crack?

wasnt that a trailered boat? also what were the moisture amounts?

sixmassive

ive never seen 5200 crack. 4200 is the same except fast cure. dont know what 4100 is.
here are some pics

the surveyer said they werent bad readings and if i stopped it leaks not it would be fine.










the outside reading were dry

ps the bilge is alot cleaner and has new bilge pump and fuel lines now

JamesGang

Hey Six, beautiful new boat. If I knew Ken was selling it I may have grabbed it. Great luck with it. I was just reading your thread and decided to put in my 2 cents. First of all pull your main jets ( inside bottom front drains in carb bowels. Use a jet tool - cheap from an Evinrude dealer) and soak them in acetone for a few minutes blow them out and reinstall. If that engine has been sitting & this isn't done you may pop it even if fuel conditioner was used. I would run that set up as is for a while, that V8 may surprise you how well it can push that boat. The moisture meter for the most part seems to be reading under 18% moisture content so the transom should not be rotted. Over 18% for long periods of time would be a problem. Re seal all transom bolts ASAP till the end of the season then remove them and the drain plug assembly and dry out using a dehumidifier as follows. Use a plastic tape over the outside of bolt holes. Place a refrigerant dehumidifier in bilge put a hose on the pan and run it out the drain hole. Plastic tape the hose to the hull so it can't breathe through that point. Then set the dehumidifier to run on constant so that it can achieve bringing the RH down to about 18 to 20%. Tent & seal the dehumidifier in to the back area with 4 mill plastic to create a small dry area and let it run like that for a month. That will dry your transom. I use a desiccant dehumidifier which brings the humidity down to 2% & it dries out in about 10 days. Good luck.
Jim