Bell Boy 404 Express Restoration

[TheBronze]

Thanks, guys! Couldn't have done it without help here.

[TheBronze]

As if putting the 404 in the water wasn't exciting enough last weekend, tomorrow I will be hauling her up to Port Angeles to get the new Suzuki mounted. I chatted with the shop yesterday and everything is lined up for a 9 AM installation. From the sound of things, I should be able to get them to wire up a few extras as part of the install. Mainly my ACR circuit ignition cut out.

Woohoo!

[Skagitguy]

Having the ACR circuit ignition cut out will be exciting to have installed.

[Karl]

Having the ACR circuit ignition cut out will be exciting to have installed.

What is an ACR?

[Skagitguy]

Karl, I don't know. Just posted that for the heck of it. Chuck

[TheBronze]

Haha! A couple of wise guys!

ACR is an Automatic Charging Relay. I'm running a dual battery set up with a main 4 way power switch (1, 2, 1+2, off) to control power to the primary (charging/starting) and secondary (everything else) electrical systems on the boat. The ACR will regulate charging between both batteries so that during operation they will both receive charges from the engine. The cut out portion interrupts the connection between the two circuits in the unit, preventing overloading.

With this setup, I'll be able to select battery 1 or 2 for operation and electronics. Both should be charging at all times, but if there is an issue with one battery, I can switch to the other one and not be left in a lurch. I'll be running sonar, GPS and electric downriggers so I thought this would be good to have.

[Skagitguy]

John, Is that like a Perko dual switch . Like 1-2-All -Off ? With the Perko i have always put two batteries in my boats for just that reason if one battery fails the other will get me home. Quite a few of member have that in the club.

[TheBronze]

Chuck, yes, it is the exact same set up. The addition of the ACR just insures that both batteries are receiving a charging voltage.

[TheBronze]

Back from the shop. Engine is mounted and looks great back there! We ran it at the shop and it sounds fantastic. With open exhaust it is quieter than my 2 stroke in the water for sure. And it certainly smells better! Should make the wife and kids happy! Heck, my dog might even want to ride with us now.

Gauges are all wired up with the exception of fuel, but they all need to be properly mounted. The thickness of the helm means that the factory brackets will need to be tweaked to work. I'll be tackling that this week.

There were two snags. The tech wouldn't tap the ACR wire, so I'll have to identify that myself and wire it up.

The other issue was the steering. The tech coupled it up nice and tidy at the engine. But it was backwards! Looks like I installed the rack upside down. I got it sorted last night (not easy in that limited space helm!) and she will now turn in the correct direction...

I've determined that pulling the boat out from the side of the house is fairly easy. Putting it back, however, is very difficult. The approach is angled and visibility isn't that great. To remedy this I ordered up a trailer dolly. With this I should be able to get her close and then walk/shove her the last 10 feet or so. If it turns out that I can't do it easily I will probably rig up an electric drive for it. I got this one here from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll give some feedback once I've used it a few times.

[Kelly]

That's one sexy outboard! I'm excited for your first run...you should have your kids video the launch and take off...then come back and get them

[Karl]

Back from the shop. Engine is mounted and looks great back there! We ran it at the shop and it sounds fantastic. With open exhaust it is quieter than my 2 stroke in the water for sure. And it certainly smells better! Should make the wife and kids happy! Heck, my dog might even want to ride with us now.

Gauges are all wired up with the exception of fuel, but they all need to be properly mounted. The thickness of the helm means that the factory brackets will need to be tweaked to work. I'll be tackling that this week.

There were two snags. The tech wouldn't tap the ACR wire, so I'll have to identify that myself and wire it up.

The other issue was the steering. The tech coupled it up nice and tidy at the engine. But it was backwards! Looks like I installed the rack upside down. I got it sorted last night (not easy in that limited space helm!) and she will now turn in the correct direction...

I've determined that pulling the boat out from the side of the house is fairly easy. Putting it back, however, is very difficult. The approach is angled and visibility isn't that great. To remedy this I ordered up a trailer dolly. With this I should be able to get her close and then walk/shove her the last 10 feet or so. If it turns out that I can't do it easily I will probably rig up an electric drive for it. I got this one here from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll give some feedback once I've used it a few times.

That is a great engine. I have the same one that I use for waterskiing and towing tubes behind a 19' bow rider.
It is so very quiet. I love it.

[TheBronze]

Kelly,

Once the shakedowns are finished I think I'll do that! Gotta make it safe first and make sure there are no running or safety issues before I put the kids on. Those trials will be happening in the next month or so. Just need to get seats in so I can mount my arm rest so I can mount my controls... down the rabbit hole we go!

Karl,

Good to hear that it is quiet for you. I was so impressed with my friends 90 for that and other reasons, that I knew that I'd be getting a zuke.

Stickers! I hate stickers. Well, not all stickers, just warning labels. Last night I started on the Warning sticker on the top of the engine. Got the clear protective film off then started with the thumb nail scraping. It is going to take a while, but if I do a little each night I should have it clear in a week. The rest of them can stay since I can't see them from inside the boat.

[TheBronze]

"Call Wefco as you will be happy with their product. Never a problem. Attn: Peter"

Chuck, you were right on. Got my insert yesterday. It took about 30 minutes to put it on. Nice and soft and easily fit. Now it just needs to stiffen up a bit!

[TheBronze]

Getting closer to launching. In the last week or so I've plumbed the tanks to the fuel filter, and the main line to the engine. The filter is mounted and looks good. I've also ran electrical in the stern for bilge and down riggers. That will all get buttoned up tonight and I'll start on rigging the controls.

I've also been working on getting seat boxes built. These things are taking a long time to get right, but will be great in the end when they are complete. Hopefully the stbd side box will be finished this weekend. I'm hoping that is the case so I can launch on Sunday and start breaking the engine in. If not, there is plenty of other electrical and rigging work that I can do before next Saturday. I'll take some pics tonight and post soon.

[Kelly]

man you're sooo close! Looking forward to the pics!