Official 390 E.C. Thread

leisure-lee said:
Gentle men: I need help. I managed to hit a rock Sunday and took out the Stbd running gear including shaft,shaft strut, prop rudder and rudder shaft. I have a new shaft and props coming in by Monday. I need to find the strut,and rudder
Click to expand...

OUCH! That hurts just thinking about it!!!!!

A good prop shop can straighten the strut. I had a Caterpillar shop straighten my rudder. Try these guys for new parts.

http://www.buckalgonquin.com/

Dr. Microchip
 
I have an update on our 390 that I'm very excited to share. I just got a call last night that our electronics guy finished our audio and deck lighting upgrade. New fusion 750 unit replaced the 1989 cassette stereo, JL MX650 speakers to replace the (OEM?) polyplaners + another set to go into the arch, and added a JL amplifier and a fusion subwoofer behind the starboard side step ladder. We also installed 2 sets of lumitec Rail2 lights in the dimmable white and red and blue model (one under each of the the side gunwale compartments and another under each of the rear facing seats). He says the additional power coming from the Fusion head unit has also resulted in the interior OEM Sony speakers sounding better, which is a huge score since those are the one thing we didn't replace.

Going to try to leave work early today to try and get up to the boat early enough to see (AND HEAR) it; can't wait to test out the bluetooth connectivity and lights!
 
Hey folks quick question. We did a shake down evening cruise around the harbor tonight to check on various night time equipment (Nav lights, spot light, gauge back lighting, etc.) While idling along I tried to start the generator to no avail. When we got back to the dock I tried again and there was nothing.

Just to make sure I wasn't doing anything dumb, I switched the line selection to Gen, held the preheat switch for a few seconds, and, while holding preheat on, switched the generator switch to run. I heard no sound at all.

I noticed the generator switch was already on "on" when I tried to start it... Did a battery bank get drained? Any other ideas?
 
Battery switch on? Emergency STOP switch on generator set correctly?

You have a diesel Westerbeke? Correct?

Wiring to the switches on the remote control panel switches were spade connectors on mine. They became loose and intermittently inoperative. This drove me crazy because the fault was intermittent. I replaced all my cheap generator remote switches with quality screw terminal types. (delcity.com) It required a lot of tight wiring behind the panel so I wired all the switches on the bench and then installed them and connected the assembly to the harness. The other problem is the long wire run to the remote control panel. This was dropping the voltage to the fuel solenoid on the gen set and it would not engage all the way and thus the gen either would not start or would run sluggish. I put a relay on the gen that connects B+ from the started motor directly to the fuel solenoid when the remote start switch is engaged. Now the current only has to go a few inches instead of 30 feet round trip. Sounds complicated but really simple and effective. Any marine electrician can do this for you. Now my generator starts first time, every time.

Dr. Microchip

DSC_0179.jpg

DSC_0182.jpg

DSC_0184.jpg

Automotive type relay for fuel solonoid
DSC_0186.jpg
 
Thanks for the advice everyone! This is very helpful and will help me troubleshoot this upcoming weekend. I also placed a call to the installation guy and asked if he may have done something to the battery connection and he said he would come out and test the power connection when he completes the last few steps of our audio install, so I should have more information soon.

Dr. MC - yes, we have a diesel Westerbeke; thank you very much for the pictures; I'll take a look and see what our connections look like to see if we may have an intermittent fault like you mentioned.
 
Dr MicroChip said:
OUCH! That hurts just thinking about it!!!!!

A good prop shop can straighten the strut. I had a Caterpillar shop straighten my rudder. Try these guys for new parts.

http://www.buckalgonquin.com/

Dr. Microchip
Click to expand...
Thanks Al: There are stress cracks in the strut so I do not think straightening will work.
I will check with BA re: the rudder ( the original is is still residing back around Hog's Island in Bristol, RI
After I remove the board holding the hot water heater and I can get at the hull interior side of the strut I think I will have a shot at being back in by July.
 
leisure-lee said:
Thanks Al: There are stress cracks in the strut so I do not think straightening will work.
I will check with BA re: the rudder ( the original is is still residing back around Hog's Island in Bristol, RI
After I remove the board holding the hot water heater and I can get at the hull interior side of the strut I think I will have a shot at being back in by July.
Click to expand...

I hope you will reply with a full report of what you were able to buy, where you got it and how much it cost. There are a lot of us out there that may be in a similar situation someday.

Dr Microchip
 
I came out last week did bottom job and had props redone went to cupped nibral. Also added second set of tabs and underwater lights I go back in next will let u know how it works out.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    96 KB · Views: 275
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    98.3 KB · Views: 264
I tried the boat today. Hit 24mph today. First time ever broke 20. It made a huge difference. Only ran it to 4k
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    87.5 KB · Views: 275
Awesome! Not familiar with those props - do you think those were the largest factor in your new top speed?

I can't help but think a new set of tabs would save me a ton of fuel efficiency by not having to run 75%+ of throttle to get on plane.
 
I was looking for new stripping and found this.

Dr MicroChip said:
I hope you will reply with a full report of what you were able to buy, where you got it and how much it cost. There are a lot of us out there that may be in a similar situation someday.

Dr Microchip
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    95.5 KB · Views: 256
I’m truly sympathetic on the prop/rudder/shaft strut issue. Seems we’ve been going through the same thing. We’re in the middle of a long term ICW trip that we’ve broken into increments. We grounded in the Pungo-Albemarle Canal back in November on the second leg of the trip. Picked up the boat from the shop in January and continued on. Things went smoothly down the ICW and out across to Bimini and Freeport, but unfortunately, she grounded again in Freeport in April. When my son grounded in November in the canal it was unfortunate. Even more unfortunate were my efforts to rock us loose. That cost us two rudders, two trim tabs, two shafts, one strut and lots of labor (not to mention rebuilding two props). The shafts cost $761.50 each plus another $950 each for labor to install with related seals and couplings. The strut cost $861.91 plus labor. I took advantage of the mess to change over from shaft packing to dripless (and that part is terrific). For what it’s worth, that entire ordeal cost us over $24,000 (not including towing… thank you TowBoatUS)!

Unfortunately, the young son was out partying with his gang off the coast of the Bahamas and missed the chart. Now she’s on the hard at a marina 1,200 miles from home awaiting yet another shaft, strut and rudder. We found a used prop for about $400 this time, as the other one was too far gone. Fortunately, this total job will be less than a third of the last one. I think my son learned from me not screw around once the boat grounds!

So… there are a couple lessons here (other than the one about not letting your young son drive your boat); one, keep some towing insurance and two, while you’re tearing everything up, switch over to the dripless packing!

Our boat will be ready in three more weeks, but hurricane season is underway so I guess we won’t be picking it up for a few months to start the journey back to the mainland. There’s nothing worse than planning your calendar around a boat!
 
Last edited:
While I’m rambling.

Just in case you guys have never seen this note here before:

There are no pump out stations in the Bahamas.

This was rude awakening for us. Our boat’s overboard discharge system had been “uncoupled” before we bought the boat. We couldn’t even find a marina in Bimini to help us. We drove out into the ocean and manually pumped the tank out. They told us about a shop in Freeport that would pump us out once we got there ($35 charge if you rent a slip).

So… if you’re planning a trip in that direction… realize you’d better be prepared or the lady in charge might kick your butt!

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,218
Messages
1,428,821
Members
61,115
Latest member
Gardnersf
Back
Top