Schiaward

[Backlash]

Stevel,

Thank you for taking the time to post up that information, I really do appreciate it. Maybe someone else will chime in later with more information on this 19'.

I had a few minutes this weekend to "Tinker" around on this boat and am pleasently surprised with most of what I found.

The stringers look really good for a boat of this age. There are numerous small holes in the tops of the stringers from different passenger seat bases and the small floor boars but nothing serious. Majority of these smaller holes can easily be filled.

The glass on the inside of this hull is in really nice shape as well. The interior of the transom looks good too with evidence of only two small repairs where additional fiberglass was added to help support the teak swim steps.

As we all know, with anything of this age, there are always surprises...........

So, I took off the cowling to see how the engine looked..........

 

[Backlash]

 

[Backlash]

Good thing the previous owner didn't fire it up to show me how well this engine ran! When I purchased this gem, I knew there was a little bit of straw inside the cowl but I didn't think there would be THIS much! It almost filled an entired 30 gallon trash bag! After about a half hour and some quality time with a Shop-vac, it cleaned up nicely. The next stop will be the local self-service car wash with some Simple Green to scrub off some grime. Overall, the engine looks fairly clean on the outside.

I removed the interior to allow everything to dry out from the weekend rainstorms and pulled the fuel tank to drain all of the old gas.

Since the fuel tank was out, I could see the support brackets for the outboard and the ski pole. The brackets appears to have been fairly well built. There are some issues with the way the ski pole is attached to the lower portion of the transom as evidenced by a small crack above the drain plug hole. This issue will be addressed and corrected before any use.

 

[Backlash]

 

[Backlash]

This is one of only two damaged areas that I have found. This is from a run-in with a dock and is located near the tip of the bow.




This is the damage to the transom from the leverage placed on the lower ski pole mount near the drain plug in the bilge. The previous owner stated he had repaired this mount several times during the 27 years of ownership.




This picture shows some of the wiring beneath the dash and helm. I located several wires and tubes throughout this boat and engine that have either been cut or have deteriorated due to age/wear. Note how the deck support has been cut to allow the wires/cables to be replaced.




This swim step itself may be level, but the swim step support itself is a little low....

 

[Backlash]

AzGeo,

Thank you for your input! I appreciate everyone's ideas and opinions about this boat and it's history. As far as the pad goes, everything is hinging on how well this motor "Looks" once it arrives at John's in Stanton. If the compression on this engine is too low and the cost outweighs the benefits, my project will start sooner than later. If the compression is at a "Usable" level and the cost to make this boat functional (And more importantly SAFE!), then I am willing to play around with the boat the way it's currently set up. So please bear with me as we get over that engine hurdle.

Once again, thank you for chiming in and keeping the thread alive as they say....




Henry

 

[Backlash]

I had a little free time to spend with Schiaward this past week and here are some update photos....

Removed the tank and dumped all of the old fuel and wiped down the bilge area. When I tried to remove the fuel/water seperator filter, it wouldn't budge. So, I took it out and had Dad stand on it with some massive pliers and we still couldn't move it. So, out came the hammer to gently "Tap" on the edge of the filter to convince it to release. That did the trick and off she came. So, a new fuel delivery system is in the works.....

As we typically do, we start looking around at what needs to be cleaned up. So, I started cutting back wire ties to clean up the wire loom along the gunnel. That turned into another project which turned into another project.

I started tugging on wires and I found a total of five wires that were clipped at both ends and were not attached to anything. There was a "Spare" throttle cable in the loom which was also removed. There are two fuel gauges in the dash and neither one was wired to anything. It looks like the gauges were installed there to simply fill a hole left in the dash from the hour meter which is now tucked up underneath the dash.

The ignition switch needs to be replaced along with all of the switches on the dash and the non-functioning gauges.

Underneath the dash, spaghetti everywhere. So, not only does the fuel delivery system need to be redone, now the wiring needs to be addressed.

And I will save the best picture for last. You have to see it to believe it. And no, I did not install this type of connector. This is exactly how I found it while crawling around underneath the dash. Solid is all I can say!

:rolleyes

 

[Backlash]

And my favorite...........





:yikes

 

[alohajeff]

^^^^^

Easy to daisy chain off that one. In an emergency that kind of wiring is pushing it. To leave it that way is borderline criminal. Wow.

Aloha

 

[Froggystyle]

And my favorite...........

View attachment 285758



:yikes

You know... Seeing this its tough to tell why Schiada gets so much money for their rigging...

 

[BamBam]

You know... Seeing this its tough to tell why Schiada gets so much money for their rigging...

It's NOT a Schiada...

 

[Crazyhippy]

You know... Seeing this its tough to tell why Schiada gets so much money for their rigging...

Had Trident emulated this level of craftsmanship...

 

[Backlash]

Aloha thank you for chiming in. The level of attention to detail and the level of quality rigging on this vessel is unmatched. There will be no "Daisy chaining" going on here once everything is removed.

Froggystyle thanks for the laughs! (We all know Schiada didn't rig this sucker!) For me, little "Nuggetts" of ingenuity like this is what keeps it entertaining. You never know what you're going to find just around the next corner. I am sure a lot of people are thinking "No way! He did that just to post a picture...." Nope. Honestly, that is EXACTLY how I found that connector. It's one of those things that people just wouldn't believe unless they saw it with their own eyes. Thanks for chiming in and please keep the laughs coming FS!

Bam Bam, thank you for hopping on board. No, you're absolutely correct, it isn't a Schiada according to the HIN. But I still have one question that hasn't been answered.... Who built it? Gene said they didn't, so.......

The blue gel coat stripe around the deck and hull seam is raised as though it was added later. It was either done when the deck and hull were capped or when the owner decided he no longer liked the red and white color scheme. I haven't started to "Fiddle" with the exterior yet. There are enough other areas to donate my attention. Bam Bam, if you happen to stumble into anyone with ski racing history from the early 80's who may have information to share, please point them this way. I would greatly appreciate it!

Crazyhippy, Trident would be waves ahead of the rest of the game had they taken notes of this type of creativity. j/k I was thinking more along the lines of some of the older classics such as Hawaiian......

Thanks again guys for following along but there is nothing much to share at this point. Last weekend I was down in Parker for four days and we will be heading back Friday morning for some more R&R. Schiaward will have to wait a few more days for some attention.

All kidding aside, I DID take some notes last weekend on the proper way to tie up a boat in a marina..........

 

[Backlash]

Good morning!

We had a wonderful weekend in Parker and LHC!

Friday night Amy and I went out for her birthday and enjoyed some oysters and shrimp at Havasu Landing. The food was fantastic and the midnight swim was even better!

Stumbled out of bed the next morning and enjoyed some great skiing and wakeboarding. Amy popped up on her brand new skiis on her second try and rode from Echo Lodge all the way back to Castle Rock Shores. After she was worn out, my nephew hopped on her skiis and rode for a few minutes. Shortly thereafter, he graduated from a pair of double skiis to a slalom ski! He dropped the second ski and rode a slalom ski all the way from Castle Rock Shores up to the dam. When he got to the dam, he let go and was able to deep-water start on his first try! He rode the slalom ski all the way back to Castle Rock Shores! What a great morning! My older son got some great GoPro video footage of all of the kids skiing and wakeboarding too.

[video=youtube;f4pvp4it294]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4pvp4it294[/video]

We spent the rest of the morning with some friends and their beautiful blue and orange Hallett GN. Dave took the kids for several boat rides and even gave Mom a slow gentle ride to the dam and back (At 65mph!). Everyone had a great time and as always, Dave and Denise were fantastic to hang out with!

At some point during the weekend, we took a boat ride and stumbled into a lost European boat driver. Some idiot boat driver was southbound on the river from the dam and cut directly across the river in front of us and passed us going southbound on the east side of the river! :eek We kindly turned around, chased him down and reminded him that he should have stayed on HIS right side of the waterway, not OUR right side of the waterway.... Sir, if you are on this site and happen to be reading this, YOU'RE A TERRIBLE DRIVER! Luckily, we were only going about 35mph and "Saw this coming a mile away." I know I know, it's the Parker Strip.... Moving on.....

Spent Sunday up on Lake Havasu and went to a little spot to let the kids jump from some cliffs. After cooling down, we took a leisurely drive from Takeoff Point up to LHC for some ice cream where Dad dropped $60! Once his wallet was emptied, we cruised through the channel then headed back to the launch ramp.

Overall, it was one of the best weekends we have had at the river!

Once back in SoCal, I found a few minutes to tinker with the Schiaward. I never recevied any keys from the previous owen so a new ignition switch was in order. Pulled the old Cole Hersee and found a Sierra switch that was a very close match.








I know the wiring is not up to ABYC standards and I know it needs to be replaced. Not one of the terminals is correct for a marine application and I found several wires that were cut about a foot away from the ignition switch terminals (Including one red wire with an inline fuse!). Believe me, re-wiring this boat is one of my many upcoming winter-time projects....

 

[Backlash]

It must be early..... Realized we had dinner at Havasu Springs not Havasu Landing.....

Carry on.........

 

[Backlash]

Good morning folks just a little update with the Schiaward.

I picked up a new ignition switch and got it wired in. Unfortunately, Cole Hersee no longer makes this ignition switch so we went with the second best thing. I didn't change any of the wiring coming off of the back of the ignition switch because the previous owner said it ran "Just fine." So, even though it is a complete mess, I took the previous owner's word and wired everything "As is." (Deep breath and cross your fingers here!)

I picked up a new Optima blue-top battery from Interstate All Battery Center in San Bernardino and set that in the boat. Suprisingly, just enough "Juice" made it through the worn out battery cables to turn the motor over! (No fuel yet as the tank, lines, pump and filters have all been removed....)

A new set of cables was already on the shopping list so off we went. After shopping all of the local parts houses with no luck, I went back to Interstate All Battery Center and had a set of new battery cables made. A pair of 8' 2 guage PVC covered battery cables with "Hex-crimped" terminals and heat-shrink on both ends............$60. Thanks Chris! If any of you guys are in need of a set of cables, I would definitely consider stopping by. The staff here provides great service and the pricing is more than reasonable.

Regarding the engine, I found out this outboard is not an Evinrude but most likely a Johnson. There is no serial number tag on the transom bracket but there is a number stamped on the plug in the block. I'm still researching this information but as of now, it looks as though this engine could be a 1982 Johnson 235. Just waiting to hear back from Bombardier on this one.... I talked to several outboard "Guru's" and have had the serial number run through their databases. Each person I've spoken to says they can't locate any information by this serial number. Great. Not only do I have a red-headed step-child of a boat, I now have an unknown outboard to go along with it!









It was a productive weekend and slowly we're making progress towards getting this up and running......

Thanks for looking!

Henry

 

[RiverReality]

And so it begins....



After showing Gene some of the pictures of this 19' Howard, he responded with the same statement I just heard from Mike..... "Nope, doesn't look familiar. I only built maybe 1 or 2 of those 19's as an outboard."

Interesting boat you have there Backlash. I purchased my 19' Howard about 6 months ago and have been curious about it origins, how many were built, etc. According to the paper work it was sold new as a 1995 model but the HIN and outboard serial numbers show it was built in 1994. Mine is powered with a 2.5 XRi 150 Mercury. Could mine be one of the one or two built as an outboard Gene mentioned to you?

 

[vdcruiser]

Nice looking boat, is that the original gelcoat?

 

[RiverReality]

Thanks. Yes that's the original gel coat. It's in amazing shape for it's age, nearly flawless. The upholstery is orignal as well. It's showing some age now but still a couple of seasons left in it.

 

[Backlash]

Gyxer that is a beautiful Howard!! The gelcoat looks fantastic ESPECIALLY for a 1995! Are you attending the Howard Regatta in September?? If so, were you planning on bringing your boat with you?? The interior looks great in the pictures you posted. If you wouldn't mind sharing, I would love to hear all of the details of your boat and the way it performs as you currently have it set up. Additional pictures of your engine, rigging and interior would be greatly appreciated.

I spent a little bit of time with Schiaward this weekend and will post some pictures up this evening.

Thanks for checking in!

Henry

 

[RiverReality]

Gyxer that is a beautiful Howard!! The gelcoat looks fantastic ESPECIALLY for a 1995! Are you attending the Howard Regatta in September?? If so, were you planning on bringing your boat with you?? The interior looks great in the pictures you posted. If you wouldn't mind sharing, I would love to hear all of the details of your boat and the way it performs as you currently have it set up. Additional pictures of your engine, rigging and interior would be greatly appreciated.

I spent a little bit of time with Schiaward this weekend and will post some pictures up this evening.

Thanks for checking in!

Henry

I looked at a number of boats in this size and era, most of them were pretty worn, faded, chipped etc. Seeing this one in person I knew this was the one after about 30 seconds, lol. I'm still learning how to trim it. Top speed is 53mph (gps verified) so far, there was definately speed left. I'll get some detailed pics of the rigging and interior this weekend. I would like to attend the Howard Regatta, not sure the schedule is going to work out this year. From pics of previous events looks like it is geared more toward the bigger and newer Howards.

Good luck with the Schiaward. I'll be following your progress.

 

[Backlash]

Just a few pictures from this weekend. Got the Optima mounted and "Mocked up." Believe it or not, this Eddie Marine billet battery tray is probably 14 years old and was recycled from another one of my projects. A quick wipe down with some windex and then some Mother's polish rubbed on for good luck. With only a few minutes of polishing, it was brought back to life.





The old fuel pump was toast and I have a new fuel pump on the way. Removed the existing fuel pump from the boat and after taking some pictures, threw it in the trash. I have to say, there wasn't much left of the mounting screws that held this one up against the transom. The existing pump was mounted inside the transom in close proximity to a teak swim step. This swim step was through-bolted through the transom and the transom wasn't sealed properly. Obviously, after a number of years of use, the transom core developed some moisture. The mounting screws holding this fuel pump in had completely rusted away due to the water intrusion. This will no be a problem with the new fuel pump and hardware.

Majority of this boat's transom and stringers are in good shape but there are some soft spots in the transom that will have to be addressed at a later date. :rolleyes



I have one more ski pylon weak link to remove from inside the bottom of the transom along with the loose transom tie down bolts and the swim step backing plates. Once all of those items are removed, the interior of the transom will be empty and clean.

 

[Backlash]

Good evening Folks! We spent this past weekend down in Parker relaxing so not much of an update here. The nice man in the little brown truck stopped by and dropped off a goodie though.

Out with the old, in with the new......




Spent a little bit of time polishing some AN fittings and got a few additional parts mocked up.

As always, thank you for looking!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Hello Folks!

Not much progress to share regarding the Schiaward.

The little lady and I spent this last weekend down in Parker and Havabrew attending the Howard Regatta. Since the Schiaward is still on the chopping block, we went boatless and spent the days lounging around the pool at the Nautical Inn. Thank you Gene for a great time and for the goodies you supplied during the dinner and the raffle Saturday evening.

I knew from the beginning that the electircal system on this boat would be problematic. That being said, we spent Tuesday pulling everything apart. I found incorrect wire, dried and cracked wire, incorrect terminals, butt-style connectors, spliced wire, tape-wrapped connections, cut wires, etc. etc. All of these features on such a simple system. So instead of trying to put 400 bandaids on everything, it will be easier to rip it all out and do it correctly.



Another example of fantastic wiring! Sorry, the picture is blurry but it shows three wires taped together. The third wire is simply cut and left exposed.... :rolleyes





This is the entire wiring loom laid out on the garage floor. This loom does not include the tilt/trim system which I have temporarily left in the boat.



















After pulling myself out from underneath the dash, I grabbed a little sandpaper just to see what I could do to clean up some of the the gelcoat. The deck of the boat isn't in terrible shape but it does show some oxidation. Majority of the cap and sides of the boat are covered in nicks and scratches and gouges from years of abuse as a dedicated ski boat. There is only so much I can do with some sandpaper and a buffer, but bear with me. (My long-term goal is to have the entire boat re-gelled but for now, this will do.)

Test area before sanding:



Test area after sanding:



Again, I did this purely out of boredom and curiosity and I only focused on a small area. The blue gelcoat covering the cap was sprayed on really thick when the boat was originally capped so I wasn't worried about "Burning through" the color. There also isn't any clear over the blue so there are no worries there either....

I've also removed the steering system from the dash. The boat was originally designed as a "Center-steer" boat but this will not be practical for our use. There was more than enough cable in the system to allow me to move the helm towards the left side of the dash. So this little project obviously leads to other areas that need attention. For now, the helm and cables are left attached to the motor but are lying in the floor of the boat.

Now we are just waiting on additional parts, pieces and hardware to start putting some of the Schiaward back together.

Anyways, thank you for following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks!

Not much to report regarding forward progress with the Schiaward.

I spent a little bit of time sanding some of the nasty nicks and scratches out of the finish on this hull. Luckily for me, when the cap was done on this boat, the blue gelcoat was sprayed on fairly thick in areas. I have been able to get a LOT of scratches out that I thought wouldn't have been able to be removed.

One thing I did find suprising.......there is no clear gelcoat covering the blue color. Typically, in my experience, anytime color was laid down on a hull, it would have been covered with a light layer of clear. That is not the case here. Anyways, here are some photos....

Before wet sanding.......





After wet sanding with 320 and then 600 grit......






Obviously, there is a long ways to go but I am very happy with the results. I will finish the boat with 320 and 600 grit as I've started and then go over it with 1000 and then 1500 grit for the final cuts. After that, the buffing process begins and she will start to shine.

Thanks for checking in!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks!

Not much of an update but a few new pictures nontheless.

The friendly man in the brown uniform continues to stop by randomly dropping off little packages which is nice. So the stockpile keeps on growing.

Craigslist continues to be helpful as I was able to locate a used fuel tank in near-new condition that will work out perfectly (Larger capacity, AND it has the manufacturer's USCG rating plaque still attached). 1/6th the cost of a brand-new Imco tank.

Craigslist also provided a great deal on a new, unused, still in the original box variable speed Milwaukee Polisher. 1/4th the cost of a brand-new unit!

So, I spent some more time sanding and had to try out the new polisher to see how the progress is looking.

This finish isn't a professional "Islander Marine" finish but for gelcoat that is 30 years old, I am very happy. There are a lot of nicks and gouges that are not able to be sanded out but for now, this will work just fine.

I was unable to purchase the "Rolite" cutting compound I am used to so I resorted to buying some 3M product and a product that I was unfamiliar with ("Presta"). I figured I would try them both and see what worked. To my surprise, the 3M product did not perform as well as the "Presta" did. The 3M worked but it did not cut the 1500 grit sand marks nearly as well as the Presta. Presta it is!

The below photographs were taken after sanding with 300, 600, 1000 and finally 1500 grit. I hand sanded the first two courses and then block sanded with the 1000 and 1500 grits. After that, I used the buffer on the lowest speed setting with the Presta polishing compound. I still have two more cuts to make with the polisher but need to finish up sanding first.

Here you go!

 

[Backlash]

I forgot to say "Thank you for checking in and following along!"

Henry

 

[RiverDave]

I forgot to say "Thank you for checking in and following along!"

Henry

Watching it come together!! How are you planning on addressing the "soft spots" in the transom?

RD

 

[jayteetrotter]

All I can say are these boats are RAD! I had the best time running the piss out of mine all weekend at pirates cove last month. Can't beleive has taken so long to get a lot of wheel time like that. Again, I LOVE THESE BOATS! I would romp the river in my schiada over my eliminator any day of the week. Its just that cool and so much fun hauling gas. My ears rang for 2 days after that weekend...

Anyway, super glad to see your beginnings. Are you planning to convert from center steer or what? Key the momentum and I look forward to see the outcome.

 

[Backlash]

RD, the "Soft spots" in the transom do not appear to be in the kill zone. From what I have found with my limited explorations, it isn't too bad. I shouldn't say that though because we ALL know how it really is and what really happens once we start digging. Once I unbolt the swim steps (With the incorrect mounting brackets!), and I remove the transom tie-down bolts, I am SURE I will find more issues with the core. Again, I haven't jumped into this part of the project yet so who knows. Once I install the rail kit and tie the weight of the outboard and the bracket into the stringers, it should transfer a lot of the weight to the rest of the boat and take some of the pressure off of the transom. That is my plan anyways.....

But to answer your question RD, I will eventually have to unbolt the motor and manual jackplate and replace the core. (It wont be plywood the next time around though). At that time, I will most likely toss the old manual jackplate in the recycle bin and replace it with a hydraulic unit. That is the plan anyhow....

Jayteetrotter, thank you for chiming in! Your project was an inspiration to me and is what convinced me to actually pull the trigger on this little gem. Obviously, I wish this boat would have started out as a v-drive but this setup has proven to be entertaining and intriguing at the same time. I've enjoyed spending a few hours working on this project as time has permitted.

Once I get everything all back together, she may run surprisingly well. Who knows! Regardless, she will remain an outboard until this motor gives up the ghost. Once that happens, we shall see what direction to take.

And yes, I will be moving the steering to the left side of the dash. I have already removed the helm and there is enough cable to allow me to install the helm on the left side of the dash. Dana Marine has a few goodies for the helm that should be here in the next week or two.

The FedEx driver stumbled up the driveway and tripped and fell. Out from his little hands flew a little box with a few more Aeromotive parts for the fuel system. When I get back to work on Thursday, I will upload some pictures. Nothing major, but every little bit helps!

Again, thank you all for checking in!!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Here are some update pictures of some of the goodies I've stockpiled for the Schiaward. (Sorry for the low quality cell-phone pictures.)

The first picture is of the fuel tank scored on CL. The tank is the perfect size and is clean and almost ready to be polished. I cut off the original tabs and am in the process of fabricating a new cradle to secure the tank.





The second picture is of the Aeromotive fuel filters and the billet brackets. One filter will be mounted in front of the fuel pump and the second filter will be mounted after the pump. While both filters appear identical from the outside, they actually have different elements inside.





The third picture is of the billet Aeromotive fuel pump bracket.





Again, not much to share at this time but I thought I would give you an update. This coming week, more sanding..........

Thanks for following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Happy New Year!

Hello Folks! I just wanted to share a few pictures of some progress with the Schiaward. I'm about halfway finished with sanding and buffing the deck and sides of the boat. I've focused on the areas above the chine and I am working my way from the transom to the bow and back to the transom on the opposite side of the hull. There are some areas that still have spider cracks, nicks and some deep gouges but for now, those areas will be "Overlooked." I am mainly trying to sand out some of the marks and bring some luster back to the gelcoat.









Like I said, not much to report. For now, I will continue with this process to see how things turn out. Thank you for checking in and following along with this slow-going restoration.

Have a nice evening and as always, please feel free to comment!

Henry

 

[Crazyhippy]

What happened with your old fuel tank? I am on need of one similar to that one if it is for sale...

 

[Backlash]

Thank you for following along!

Crazyhippie, I still have the original fuel tank and I dont have any use for it. It isn't a tank that was "Mass produced" or a tank that appears to have been manufactured by a tank company as there are no markings on it. I know for a fact that it holds fluid though because there was fuel in the tank when I purchased this little gem. There isn't any pitting on the tank and there are no cracks anywhere that I could see, so it should be good to go. If it is something you would like, I can send you the measurements and additional pictures if need be. Just let me know Sir and we can work out some logistics regarding pick-up.

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks,

First of all, I'm sorry Crazyhippy for mis-spelling your username. Let me know if you are still interested in the old tank and we will figure out the details.

As far as an update for the the Schiaward, I only have a little bit of progress to share.

I'm still in the "Mock-up" stages for the fuel system and the associated delivery system. If you recall, I purchased a fuel tank that has the USCG markings and one that would better suit my needs for this particular install. Unfortunately, the tank had a very narrow fill neck that was also angled at 45 degrees. The diameter of the fill neck was only 1.25" which was too small for my liking. I also didn't want to run a fill-hose from the top of the tank to the gunnel of the Schiaward.

While the tank had a small vent tube bung welded in and a pick-up bung welded in, the welds were not that great and there was a slight crack forming around one of the bungs. There was also no way for me to get inside the tank to see what was going on unless using the sending unit opening. So, I decided to cut out the existing fittings and decided to cover the opening with a "Fuel Safe" fill plate. This allowed me to also gain access to the interior of the tank which was dirty but in good shape. I cleaned the tank and all of the openings were filed and sanded smooth. The new gaskets and supplied grade 8 hardware was then installed. Voila! An updated tank with access for the future and included AN fittings for the delivery system.

If you are unfamiliar with "Fuel Safe" products, take a look at them. Their products are very well made and they have different products available for different applications. ("Cheap ain't good, and good ain't cheap!")

While the tank isn't finished and the sending unit still needs to be replaced, I wanted to share the before and after pictures.


Tank Before............




Tank After.............




I am still waiting to order one last Aeromotive part and then I will start plumbing the fuel system. So until then, I will try and continue working on the finish of the gelcoat (As much fun as THAT is!)

Thank you for following along and as always, please provide feedback and feel free to ask questions or share your concerns.

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks,

There isn't much to share at this time but here are a few pictures. I was limited on time during the last week so the only thing I did on the boat was re-install the helm. If you remember, the helm was originally installed in the center of the dash as this boat was set up as a "Center steer" ski-racing boat. The little lady and I agreed to re-arrange things and make this boat more practical and user friendly. The second picture shows how thick the fiberglass was originally laid up and what condition the core of the dashboard is in.










I re-installed the helm with new stainless hardware and tightened everything down. Once the dashboard area is cleaned up, some "Dana Marine" and "Eddie Marine" goodies will liven things up.

As always, thank you for checking in and following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks,

Not much of an update this week with regards to the "Schiaward." The FedEx driver stopped by and delivered a small package (A day early too!). I put a few fittings in and picked up some stainless braided hose....... Slowly but surely, the stockpile gets larger.



I also got the new pick-up tube installed in the fuel tank and wrapped that portion of the project up.

As if I didn't have enough projects to spend my "Spare" time on, I found a wonderful deal too good to pass up. Thanks for the treasured family heirloom Adam!



Two cylinders of historic fury!

Thanks for checking in and stay safe!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Guys and Happy Valentine's Day!

I just have a few pictures to share but they aren't terribly interesting. Any forward progress is just that......progress.

I spent time drilling out all of the holes the previous owners made in the stringers. Once the soft wood was removed from each of the holes, I opened them up slightly and inserted dowels into the holes (With the proper glue of course). After the glue had dried, I ground the dowels down to about 1/4" below the surface of the surrounding fiberglass. I bevelled the edges of each of the holes then filled them with epoxy. In total, I would say I overbored and filled about 30 holes and have three or four left to finish up.









Majority of these holes were formed when the original interior was installed and from a small piece of carpted plywood that was screwed down over a portion of the old fuel tank to secure it between the stringers. (Crazyhippy, you still want the old tank??) Overall, for the year of the hull everything looks pretty good.

Once this epoxy cures I will grind down any high spots and continue moving forward. (I might also address the previously-mentioned transom issue sooner than later.) :thumbsdown

Thank you for checking in folks and as always, please feel free to comment and provide feedback.

Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully I can provide some new pictures next week!

Henry

 

[Wheeler]

Looking good! :thumbsup

 

[Backlash]

Thank you Wheeler I really appreciate it.

I removed the Fuel Safe plate and finished installing the new stainless steel pick-up tube.

The previous pick-up tube in this tank was "Made" out of a combination of mild steel, a brass fitting and a section of rubber hose with steel screen inserted in the end of the rubber hose. Well, the steel screen in the end of the rubber hose was a mediocre idea but it was clogged and didn't appear as though much fuel would pass through it. The rubber hose that was installed on the bottom of the pickup tube was deteriorated and beginning to break down. The rubber hose was held on to the end of the pick-up tube with a small spring clamp. No bueno. The steel tube and brass fitting weren't in bad condition but I didn't re-use either of those parts.

Instead, I simply flared a piece of 1/2" stainless steel tubing and connected it to the AN-08 bulkhead fitting on the bottom side of the Fuel Safe plate. The tubing extends towards the bottom of the fuel tank and ended up @ 1/8" above the tank bottom. I didn't install any form of screen-type filter on the pick-up tube because there are two Aeromotive filters in the fuel delivery system (Plus the fuel/water seperator for a total of three filters.). I dont plan on throwing any chunks of wood or metal into the fuel tank and even if something DID find its way into this tank, the filters will no doubt do their job. No debris will be finding its way to the engine.

As this process was simple and boring, I didn't take any pictures. The tank is pretty much finished and just needs to be polished. The new tank cradle should hopefully be finished in the next week or two as well. (A friend is Tig welding this together for me so I am at his mercy.)

Again, not much to share at this time.

Thank you for checking in!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Well Folks, here we go.

In one of my earlier posts, I had previously mentioned a part of this "Rejuvination process" that I was going to try and postpone til next winter.

After much debate, hours of lost sleep and moments of "Pushing down" on certain points of interest on the transom, I made the decision.

Out came the engine hoist and straps...........

A few hours later, the engine and transom bracket were pulled, both swim steps removed and the transom eye bolts cut off and pulled out.










The below picture shows the inside of the transom after everything was removed. (Note the discolored portion of the transom in the corners where the transom eye bolts and swim steps had been through-bolted.)





The next three photographs are looking into the transom from the exterior of the boat. Do you see ANY coring material? Yeah, me neither. :eek
































It may be hard to tell in the above photographs but there were two layers of plywood in this transom. The plywood chunks I removed didn't look like they were 3/4" in thickness. The plywood used in the original build looked to be closer to 5/8" thick but it's hard to tell. Between each of the layers of plywood was a layer of fiberglass. The transom was finished off on the inside in typical fashion.

Needless to say, I filled up one-half of a 30 gallon trashcan with stinky, wet chunks of plywood. I would say this saturated transom easily held a gallon of water. It was a complete mess. And remember, this boat has been parked covered for the past year and hasn't seen water during that time. The previous owner lived in the middle of the Mojave desert and kept the boat on a private lake. He said he hadn't used this boat since he purchased a new boat which was about two years. Anyways........

Obviously there is a LOT more work to do but I am happy I pulled this transom apart when I did. It was an accident waiting to happen as the support was minimal at best.

I haven't poked around the inside of the stringers where they meet with the transom to check for moisture. As soon as I finish grinding down all of the remaining fiberglass and clean things up, I will look and see if the stringers received any water damage. It wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Anyways, thank you for following along and for for checking in! As always, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

Henry

 

[CycloneRacing]

I had to do the same thing to my 10' Schiada. The transom on that turned out to be rotten so the pics you put up brought back fond memories. HAHA!

 

[Backlash]

Thank you for posting up CR! Yes Sir they are good times that's for sure!

 

[Backlash]

Hello Folks,

From the very beginning, this boat and engine combination has been at the least, somewhat intriguing to me. (Or as Gene phrased it, "Bastardized!")

Anyways, not much of an update with the hull but I DID receive some interesting information from "Bombardier."

The engine on this Howard had the engine placard removed at some point by one of the previous owners. Why, I'm not sure but I'm scared to ask.

On the transom bracket of the engine, all that remains where the original I.D. placard was are the two small studs protruding from the bracket. :eek No make, model or serial numbers with which to reference.

So, I was left looking for other ways of identifying what I thought was an Evinrude or a Johnson outboard.

So, after talking to several shops in Southern California and Arizona, I was given the e-mail address for "Bombardier." Bombardier now holds many of the original records for Evinrude, Johnson and OMC.

After chit-chatting with their record-keepers, they were able to pin this engine down using a block plug on top of the engine.

This V-6 engine is a 1982 "OMC Sea Drive" that has a 2.6 liter displacement and is reportedly rated at 235 horsepower.

On top of providing me with the above information, the staff at "Bombardier" also sent me a PDF file with all of the part numbers and schematics for the engine, tilt and trim system and electrical schematics. They sent this information to me without being asked and replied promptly with my initial inquiry. Needless to say, I was very impressed with their customer service.

As this engine had been stripped of all of its markings and lineage (Maybe to avoid embarassment!), I am now trying to hunt down some of the original name plates for the engine cowling. While this engine isn't one of the more "Desirable" engines every produced (Most recommend using it as an anchor!), I have heard SOME good things about them. Regardless of what people may think or say, it's mine, it's paid for and we will rock it as long as we can.

One of the positive things I have read about these engines is that the earlier 1980's OMC "Sea Drive" outboards were more reliable than the later model "Sea Drive" outboards. Some of the older "Salts" may recall an OMC catasrophe developed in the marine industry that incorporated a huge transom bracket and ugly transom cowling. This is NOT that engine! Hahahaa! This engine is the earlier model without the integrated transom bracket and ugly cowling that was so loved by mid-80's Boston Whaler customers. (And that particular look came at a larger expense to these new boat customers!) Unbelievable.

I later read somewhere that one of the other prominent outboard engine companies used a similar eingine design with great success throughout the 1980's. And no, it's not Mercury.

So, the mystery of the "Schiaward" continues!

Does anyone out there remember a white and red 19' Howard that was rigged with an OMC "Sea Drive" outboard?? LMAO

Thanks for checking in and for following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Hello Folks,

Thank you for checking in. Progress on the Schiward will be on "Pause" for the next few weeks due to "Work requirements."

With that being said, this past week I was able to get a few things accomplished. A template was made of the transom and we got two layers of 3/4" plywood cut and prepped for installation. As my time was limited and I was feeling somewhat "Lazy," I didn't feel like getting "Suited up" in the Tyvek tuxedo and making a mess. So, I held off on grinding all of the existing tabs back.

I did start cleaning and disassembling the transom bracket we removed from the boat. While the jackplate assembly is manually adjusted, it seems to be made very well. I am unsure of who manufactured the unit but everything is machined, drilled, tapped, bolted and welded together. It is stout to say the least. I wondered if this could be a "Rex Marine" product?? There are no markings or stamps on the bracket so my guess is merely a ransom shot in the dark.

Anyways, it would be interesting to know if someone recognizes it.












Thank you for following along and feel free to chime in!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks!

Not much to update at this point, but an update nonetheless!

I am about halfway finished with grinding out the rest of the old transom and chunks of fiberlass that remained around the perimeter and along the stringers. Once this is finished, I will remove several bulkheads along the gunnels and one of the outboard stringers that is cracked. I figure I have a few more hours of "Work" left and then I will begin replacing these components in the next week or two.

The outboard bracket has been an entertaining obstacle at best. Majority of the fasteners had embedded themselves in the aluminum and refusted to come out. Several of the fittings would not budge due to the "Bonding" process known as corrosion. So, some were drilled out and re-tapped. Some of the bracket and hardware has been taken to the polisher and the remaining pieces should go over this week.

I ordered a set of gauges on "Ebay" and those should arrive in the next week. I've looked at every different type of gauge from every manufacturer and I kept going back to the same gauge style. I really liked the looks of these as they seem to be "Period correct" and I think will complement the boat. Hopefully they look as good in person as they do online. We shall see!!

Anyways, not a lot to update but I will add pictures of the madness once the computer wakes up.

As always, thank you for following along and please feel free to comment!

Henry

 

[RiverDave]

I'm really liking that manual jack plate.. Looks a lot nicer then the other ones I have seen that are manual or hydraulic. Most of them try to slide on flat pieces of metal, and they just look terrible to me.

RD

 

[Backlash]

Good morning RD, thank you for the compliment!

The plate looks absolutely horrific in the state you saw it in..... All I can say is you should see it now. It makes the rest of this project pretty bad!

All kidding aside, the plate actually is a nice piece even though I am unsure of its origins. I would venture to say someone like Rex Marine or another one of the OG hardware companies assembled it. I dont know this for a fact but in all honesty, they did a nice job. It cleaned up well considering it is 31 years old!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Here are a few update pictures to share. Nothing terribly exciting but progress nonetheless.

 

[Backlash]

The above pictures are just some of the grinding progress on the transom and two picture of part of the jackplate bracket.

The following pictures are of the lazy leg foot pedal as it was removed, a jackplate support rod before cleaning and some fun with the router. I am just cutting out new supports for the fuel cell and batteries and new gunnel supports for the hull. Once all of the grinding is completed and we essentially have a "Blank canvas," it will be time to glass the new pieces in.











I wasn't able to get a lot accomplished as I was unexpectedly called in to work. So, the fiberglass grinding will continue again next week.

As always, thank you for following along!

Henry