New to boating

will_curt · 07-06-2012, 10:19 PM

Hi guys, new here. I have a Marshan 19 with a mercury XR2 200hp which currently isn't in the best of shape but I'm in the process of getting her sorted out. I ran it once and it was horrific. It has been nothing but trouble so far but hopefully that will change soon.
Now, I have 0 experience with boats, this is my first and infact the only reason I have it was because I got drunk and bought it on ebay one night, however, the guy I bought it off must be a compleat and utter dumb ass (he was a member on here) and should not be allowed near anything more tecnical than a hammer and nail. After going over it with a fine tooth comb I've found many many fueling and ignition problems and the best one is the fact that the engine has been moved off centre to cure the boat from leaning... not only was it moved off centre.... he moved it the wrong way which made the inital lean, worse haha. It turned out to be the wheelie board was set wrong (one side was alot weaker than the other)
The compression test on the engine was bang on though so thats a good thing.

I've got lots of questions for you guys but the main one at the moment is....
I'm planing a group trip for a special occasion and would like to go somewhere where we can use my boat and 3 ribs. Obviously theres plenty of costal places but I was wondering if there are any (UK) Lakes which allow the use of motor boats above 10 mph?

Failing that, where are good costal places to go July/August?

Paul E · 07-06-2012, 10:39 PM

What do you mean by wheelie board?

will_curt · 07-06-2012, 10:56 PM

sorry, im not up on tech names for things at the moment but its got 2 paddle or flaps on gas struts bolted to the rear end either side of the outboard. The one on the left was slack as hell and the right hand one was really stiff. The boat leaned to the left. Also the guy had moved the engine towards the right hand side by about 1-2 inches in a some what ridiculas attempt to conter balance it. The prop (now off centre) rotates clockwise which i imagen will be in effect, lifting the boat up on the right hand side and making it lean to the left even more! does that make sense?

Paul E · 07-06-2012, 11:10 PM

They're called trim tabs, usually controllable by switches on the dash. Have you got any pictures? Sound like they could be Bennett style rams as opposed to gas struts

Single prop boats naturally want to lean left because of the prop torque, offsetting the motor to the right is a very common way of 'curing' this, although most performance boats nowadays mount the motor dead centre and run the heavy ancillaries such as batteries, pumps and oil tanks on the righthand side instead.

Trimming the engine up when up on the plane will reduce the amount the boat wants to lean, learning to use the trim properly is vital to be able to drive quickly and safely

maz928 · 07-06-2012, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will_curt

sorry, im not up on tech names for things at the moment but its got 2 paddle or flaps on gas struts bolted to the rear end either side of the outboard. The one on the left was slack as hell and the right hand one was really stiff. The boat leaned to the left. Also the guy had moved the engine towards the right hand side by about 1-2 inches in a some what ridiculas attempt to conter balance it. The prop (now off centre) rotates clockwise which i imagen will be in effect, lifting the boat up on the right hand side and making it lean to the left even more! does that make sense?

I think you find the engine has been moved (correctly) to the right hand side by an inch or so to counter act torque.This is normal for a very narrow boat with big horse power.The engine tries to go around the prop when leaving the water.

As for the flaps they are trim tabs also to help with the torque problem.

will_curt · 07-06-2012, 11:50 PM

Just read a thread about the offseting... I stand corrected on that one then!
I've come from historic motor car racing so have quite a bit of experience with mechanicing but not on boats.
If the boat leans left and the trim tab is loose on the left then is that not part of the problem? Does that not allow the rear end of the boat to sit down further than the right hand side! Also how does the engine being further to the right make it better if prop turns clockwise? Is it not pushing down through the water on the right and up on the left? if its not in the centre then does that not create an imbalance. I.e there is now less weight for the right hand side to be lifted or is the idea that there is less leverage to push it down on the left hand side as there is a bigger surface area to stop it leaning left?? If it was designed to run in the middle, why move it off centre? surely there are other (more effective ways) to dial out the lean?

Anyway the lean is the least of its worrys at the moment to be fair. I imagen that that can be solved with setting it up properly.

Problems uncovered so far:
Mechanical fuel pump - nakered (split diaphrams)

Carbs - full of shit, corroded splash plates, blocked jets. I have yet to have a look at what jets it is running

throttle linkage -incorrectly set up

coil packs - all 3 compleatly fallen to pieces (we cranked it at night and it was like a scene from flash gorden)

The brand new stator - not earthed correctly (the screw head bold used had been rounded off about 3 mm away clamping the earth wire to the block)

general wiring - dangerous

The repositioning on the engine has been done really badly in terms of how the plate it mounts to looks like its been hacked apart with a pick axe and a number of the bolts are going in at angles so that the heads don't bolt up flush.

and finally the gearbox casing has cracked.

Maybe not the best purchase i have made to date but its a cool boat and hopefully with a few pointers we'll have her back on the water soon

will_curt · 08-06-2012, 12:07 AM

Paul.. these trim tabs have no switches for adjustment. They are "mechanical" and when you slide the rubber boots off they look like gas struts. Obviously they are more like a damper than a "gas strut" though.

Tony Davis · 08-06-2012, 08:28 AM

http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs.htm

mark.saunders · 08-06-2012, 09:00 AM

get them off.... useless things!!

Big Dutch · 08-06-2012, 12:25 PM

The power trim setting on the engine should be enough to set the boat level BUT only if the tabs are up or neutral position.
If it was rough sea conditions you might be inclined to drive with the engine trimmed in which would throw the boat down on left side.
Trim it out a little at a time until the boat runs level and make a note of that setting.
Usually try and run it at that setting.As you get more and more confident you might want to experiment by trimming it out further which should make it go a little quicker.Be careful though because too much trim might see the boat rock from side to side or chine walk as its called.
Brush up on your driving and then bring it over to Guernsey for a basic race !

will_curt · 08-06-2012, 12:54 PM

So the best thing to do is take the trim tabs off and reposition the engine in the centre, put all the ancileries and equipment on the right hand side and play around with the power trim.
I tested the boat out on a calm river. It rises out of the water perfectly and rides across the water nicely apart from the constant lean to the left and the horrific engine running. I couldnt play about with the power trim properly because someone had bodged in the pump and it didn't work all that well when its in the water.

Another question... the ballast tank in the front end. Whats the crack with this? We played about with it but im unsure what you are ment to do with it.
We ran it empty and as i said, the boat ran nice and level at speed.
I want to make sure its been instaled properly.

I have one pipe going into the side of the tank at the top (filler?)
theres another pipe that runs into the top of the tank (breather?)
and another pipe at the base that runs to the back of the boat (drain?).
(this pipe is open so if you were to fill the tank with the boat out of the water it would imediatly come out of the back). Is this correct?

The guy said that it automaticaly "pumps" water into the tank? I can't see how this happens? or does it fill by way of water level. i.e when the boat is stationary in the water the water level fills the tank throught the pipe that runs to the base of the tank and then when you get up to speed it runs back out?

Cookee · 08-06-2012, 01:08 PM

There will be a lever operated pickup at the transom that when lowered will fill the tank - the drain may either be part of the "fill and dump" pickup or be operated by a separate valve. fill when heading into the waves and the bow is getting thrown in the air and dump for going downwind.

Big Dutch · 08-06-2012, 03:57 PM

No no no ! The tabs can stay on the boat just make sure they are at least level with the bottom of boat.
The motor can stay offset it's only a inch and it should help.
It's crucial to have the power trim working clean the connectors,fill the oil reservoir and make sure trim gauge works.
Next to throttle and wheel the trim is the third most important driving aid on the Marshan.
It's a narrow boat built for speed
The bow tank should only be used in the rough and is a racing application normally,so run it dry for time being until you learn how to throttle,steer and trim the boat.
You just need seat time !
What prop are you swinging ?

Ringmaster · 08-06-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dutch

No no no ! The tabs can stay on the boat just make sure they are at least level with the bottom of boat.
The motor can stay offset it's only a inch and it should help.
It's crucial to have the power trim working clean the connectors,fill the oil reservoir and make sure trim gauge works.
Next to throttle and wheel the trim is the third most important driving aid on the Marshan.
It's a narrow boat built for speed
The bow tank should only be used in the rough and is a racing application normally,so run it dry for time being until you learn how to throttle,steer and trim the boat.
You just need seat time !
What prop are you swinging ?

They are not the proper trim tabs. As far as I can guess there are the sprung loaded thingys!

Paul E · 08-06-2012, 06:31 PM

Is there anyone near you that could show you the basics of driving a boat like this? Reading and learning is all well and good but there's no substitute for hands on experience with people that know what they're doing

Ciao · 08-06-2012, 08:10 PM

"I got drunk and bought it on ebay one night"

All on here happy to help.

mark.saunders · 08-06-2012, 10:33 PM

this type of tab cant stay on the boat as they are useless... they are not adjustable when your running so you cant compensate for tide, wind, weight distribution or prop torque. you ever seen a race boat, sports boat or cruiser run this type of tab!!!!

Ringmaster · 08-06-2012, 11:19 PM

Where are you using it?!?

baj666 · 09-06-2012, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will_curt

Hi guys, new here. I have a Marshan 19 with a mercury XR2 200hp which currently isn't in the best of shape but I'm in the process of getting her sorted out. I ran it once and it was horrific. It has been nothing but trouble so far but hopefully that will change soon.
Now, I have 0 experience with boats, this is my first and infact the only reason I have it was because I got drunk and bought it on ebay one night, however, the guy I bought it off must be a compleat and utter dumb ass (he was a member on here) and should not be allowed near anything more tecnical than a hammer and nail. After going over it with a fine tooth comb I've found many many fueling and ignition problems and the best one is the fact that the engine has been moved off centre to cure the boat from leaning... not only was it moved off centre.... he moved it the wrong way which made the inital lean, worse haha. It turned out to be the wheelie board was set wrong (one side was alot weaker than the other)
The compression test on the engine was bang on though so thats a good thing.

I've got lots of questions for you guys but the main one at the moment is....
I'm planing a group trip for a special occasion and would like to go somewhere where we can use my boat and 3 ribs. Obviously theres plenty of costal places but I was wondering if there are any (UK) Lakes which allow the use of motor boats above 10 mph?

Failing that, where are good costal places to go July/August?

With the greatest repect you can not buy an old Marshan with the added bonus of an equally old XR2 pissed up and blind via ebay and expect a minter

You also cant start slagging the last owner for faults you have found given your apparent lack of experience yourself...What and how an owner does with the boat is down to them and unless its been sold as a perfect boat with no problems then the sh1t comes to your door as the buyer who bought without seeing the boat and more so full of white lighting

1 sold my old Marshan a year ago and prior to the sale it was a decision to spend silly money on the hull and rigging which i would'nt get back or just use it as a long range fisher/dik about boat for me and the lads on a warm afternoon..it was rigged with anything i had left under my garage bench, it wieghed about 10 tonn and would'nt win a beauty contest but it done us lot for a mess about and when i sold it the new owner knew this and was priced to suit..I hope you get your marshan sorted but you just cant come on here with the above 1st post and start crying into your soup and saying it was the past owners fault. Incidently why your Marshan 19 has tabs ile never know as they were a pig to obtain bow lift the best of times or the 3 ive owned were