1972 18' Greavette Sunflash IV psudo-blog

Sean

Well-Known Member
Friday 4PM...notice a puddle forming under the stern of my boat. A closer inspection uncovers a leak from one of the trim cylinder braided lines. I race down to the marine shop to arrive just before close...and they find me a replacement on a spare cylinder in the used parts van (big pile-o-junk). I have it replaced in less than an hour! Disaster averted, Phew...still going boatin'

A great day of boating Saturday on Lake Muskoka...
dropped in at Gravenhurst and went to the top of the lake at Acton Island...then up the Indian river to Port Carling for lunch where I parked beside a beautifuul 1967 RIVA 27'er. Back down the lake to slide her back on the trailer... then our Annual Anniversary dinner aboard the 1887 steamship RMS Seguin.

Perfect weather. Perfect boat. Perfect day on the water.
 
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Sean

Well-Known Member
continued... Saturday was test#2 day. 3+ hours of flawless performance. There was a bit of a chop on the lake but, the Greavette handled it well. needless to say I didn't go for the high speed record.

I did notce soe water in the bilge...this concerns me as wood boats do not have a drain plug. so where is this water coming in????

It's clean water and I checked all the engine hose and manifold fittings to no avail.
I fear some sort of leak through the gimble housing. At this point it's not really a BIG deal...it just p*sses me off and makes my bilge dirty. I'll be concerned if the leak gets worse. Eventually, I'll have to find the leak in case water is getting to a place where the wood is vulnerable. I already replaced a lot the wood once.
 

nathan

Active Member
when you installed the out drive did you check the bellows? they could be cracked. happens a lot on the one that the gear cable goes through.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
Out on the water all day today... The boat runs b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l-l-y,,,
However, it still leaks. I found 2 spots tonight and neither are to do with the gimble housing or mechanical... I called the restoration guy to see what, if anything he'll do about it.

One spot is a seam at the base of the transom. The other is a repair at the keel. NOT cheap or easy to fix.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
To add insult to injury....

Someone on our street has complained to the town of 'boat trailers" parked in driveways. There are 4 boat trailers on our street. None of which are non-operational, all of which are covered. A by-law (originating in the 1970's) says a trailer can occupy a driveway for 72 hours maximum in any month. So i have to move my baby to some storage yard somewhere!

As I drive through my subdivision (in Newmarket, Ontario) I see all manners of trailers... camping, boat, atv, snowmobile, construction, commercial, dump, car and tent trailers as well as project cars and other "driveway' by-law infractions so numerous it isn't funny. Some of these have been parked in these driveways for over 10 years.

But, our small crescent was singled out by the complaintant... so I have 2 weeks to find a safe and secure home for my newly restored wooden boat. I hardly believe my $40,000 boat is an eyesore to the area, nor is it a factor which would reduce the property value of any neighbours. Some people are just full of themselves and want to act like total d*ck-heads at times. Really, If it bothered a neighbour, why wouldnt they just ring the bell and talk to me about it..... I've always been a good neighbour and I keep my house looking very nice, neat and tidy.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
Okay, so I'm cleaning my boat before i put it up at the new yard and I look at my brand new SEI sterndrive...

there's spider cracks all around the top 4 attachment bolts and the gear housing at the sides. Does not look cool.

I call SEI, they feel it is cosmetic only and will replace the upper housing at the end of the boating season. They pay for shipping but, I have to pay for Re & Re of the drive... I suppose it's still better than a $ 4000 Mercruiser but, I doubt Mercury eve had this problem.
 

Peels

Active Member
To add insult to injury....

Someone on our street has complained to the town of 'boat trailers" parked in driveways. There are 4 boat trailers on our street. None of which are non-operational, all of which are covered. A by-law (originating in the 1970's) says a trailer can occupy a driveway for 72 hours maximum in any month. So i have to move my baby to some storage yard somewhere!

As I drive through my subdivision (in Newmarket, Ontario) I see all manners of trailers... camping, boat, atv, snowmobile, construction, commercial, dump, car and tent trailers as well as project cars and other "driveway' by-law infractions so numerous it isn't funny. Some of these have been parked in these driveways for over 10 years.

But, our small crescent was singled out by the complaintant... so I have 2 weeks to find a safe and secure home for my newly restored wooden boat. I hardly believe my $40,000 boat is an eyesore to the area, nor is it a factor which would reduce the property value of any neighbours. Some people are just full of themselves and want to act like total d*ck-heads at times. Really, If it bothered a neighbour, why wouldnt they just ring the bell and talk to me about it..... I've always been a good neighbour and I keep my house looking very nice, neat and tidy.

thats ridiculous.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
Well, The boat is in the new yard.

I'm sure the by-law officer will be around the street over the next few days so, I'll leave the boat there until our ACBS fall colours run in Lake Muskoka. then I'll put it back in the driveway and see if they complain again.

Then repeat next spring!
 

nathan

Active Member
something about anyone saying what I can and cannot but in my driveway annoys the crude out of me. as long as it does not look like a salvage yard then I should be able to keep it there. we can keep anything in our driveway that is covered and not looking like trash.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
Well, This is "Canada the good"... not "America the free"
We're somewhat socialist...and not always so "good".
 

nathan

Active Member
there are housing developments that have home owner associations that say you cannot have anything in you driveway or one the curb but a vehicle. they also say that if you have a boat or other things in your backyard it cannot be visible from the road. I call any development with HOAs is a no live zone for me.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
This is not a HOA. It's a town by-law.

I don't disagree that standards have to be kept to stop junk piles and derelict vehicles etc... however,whatever is in operational condition, duely licensed and insured, mobile and in current use should be allowed on ones own property.
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
The Greavette came out for winterizing. At this time I pulled the upper drive off and sent it back to SEI under warranty for bad powdercoating. Unfortunately it cost me the shipping (about $220) and the re&Re of the drive itseld.... but, she'll be like new again!
 

Sean

Well-Known Member
Picked the Greavette up yesterday. Installed a complete bellows so the exhaust really is through the prop. The old system discoloured the drive in just a few hours.

The drive looks new again but, I would say SEI powdercoating is still suspect. This time... to brittle. As the drive was torqued down you could hear the (and eventually see) the paint chip around the washers. Also under the access lip at the gear plate there is no paint whatsoever.

I suppose I'll deal with these as I'm not sending it all the way back to Florida, paying re & re as well as shipping for just that. If I lived in the USA shipping would have been free.

Will clean out the bilge today, put the rear seat back in and get ready to park her for the winter. Trailer bearings greased, cover cleaned etc...
 
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