Got a 'new' 1986 Invader 17' I/O- The Journey to Refresh

I always disconnect the trailer harness from the truck before I back it into the water. The heat from some of the older style bulbs can cause a blowout if water gets to it. You just need to remember to reconnect the wiring for the drive home.

 

exactly...…..……….

also don't forget to remove the rear straps from the boat to the trailer...………………..

want to do nt=nothing for an hour and have a blast?

a few drinks of your choice, watch folks launch and trailer boats!

 

That should be the norm for most. Luckily I went full LED so shouldn't be any blowouts

 

Did some digging into the wiring today. Previous "mechanic" was an absolute hack. 5 non weather proof butt connectors in a 3 foot span of wire, the wires are looped, and tangled excess wires were just tied around things. The person is also ground happy, which I also saw on the trailer. The boats factory wiring works Perfect. Fused power to the toggle switches (fuses were blown) and the. The power and ground runs back to the blower and bilge pump... The dude three way spliced wires to the fuel filler neck, the battery, and back to the switch. No wonder nothing worked.

The bilge pump was still functional and moves water quickly. The blower motor is done for, so I got a new one coming. The wiring to it was also all screwed up. I forsee a winter project where I remove the side panels of the boat and completely rewire the entire deal. I was torn between attempting to use the factory switches in the dash or using the whole new switch gang I got. I think the switch gang will remain for auxillary things, I like the look and idea of the factory toggles. Very 1980s.

This picture is a section of the wiring mess....

 

I am willing to bet the previous owner had just watched
Back to the Future but couldn't find a DeLorean or a Flux Capacitor, so he tried to build said Flux Capacitor in a boat.

IMHO

 

Probably a solid explanation... I don't understand why they went ground happy... It seriously works just fine with the factory harness lol

 

I am willing to bet he had some sort of issue, as shown by the blown fuses, and some internet wiring guru said......


"I think you have a bad ground "



Bad grounds are blamed for everything, from electrical issues on boats to global warming......

 

Well.. I had plans this winter to do a lot more work to the boat... But I just got tasked for deployment. Soo that'll put that on hold. Guess I better get it in the water sooner than later lol.

 

Finish it up quickly

Register it completely

Bring it to me

I shall watch it for my brother in arms......

 

Fixed more wiring woes, has a new blower. Did a complete wipedown of interior again... I think it's time for the water.

 

I want video of it being launched and trailered.........and it floating.

 

Sorry no vids of the launch... I did it solo lol.

But no issues on the launch. Started right up, etc. It is a good thing I fixed the bilge pump though... The exhaust/water thing leaks at the rubber couplings. So I had to run the bilge often.

Also, holy crap was it a bad day to be on the lake... Windy and choppy.. I have literally been on oceans that were smoother. One wave hit me so hard it knocked the storage panel in the floor out of place, and made the anchor bounce. At idle speed, a few waves broke OVER my bow... That was when I decided I had enough and had to slowly make.my way back.

The throttle doesn't like fast movements. Smooth and slow and I can get onto plane. If I mash it it'll choke out. The boat will cruise at 30mph, I trimmed it out to hit 37-38. But it's only hitting 3800 RPMs at WOT. So I think the prop on it is too big, as evidenced by them cutting the trim tab off to accommodate it. It also favors left sided steering and the steering wheel is hard to move and will fight you... May need to grease something up. Temperature gauge isn't reading either. So I'm either not getting up to temp (thermostat) or the sending unit/gauge is bad. I think I'll just replace all 3.

Annnd the belt started to squeal at the end.

But overall, a good day. Just wish it wasn't 2+ foot swells on a damn lake.

 

Choppy

 

Sorry for the cruddy picture quality... It's a screen shop from snap chat.. and it was tossing and turning. I've never gotten sea sick on a lake before.... But I was close.

 

Read this on my lunch break.. pretty cool seeing it all unfold! I have always had a soft spot for boats, luckily my wife's family has one that we can takeout whenever.

Good luck with the rebuild, I will be following!

 

Thanks! I'm glad some people are interested, I want sure how much traffic it'd get here. I contemplated doing some diy write up stuff but I haven't done anything too out of the norm yet.

Hope lunch was good!

 

Anytime I can eat leftover Enchiladas and read a cool thread on TW, it's good!

 

Love that you got the boat wet on the underside.

SAS to hear firstvday out was choppy but you know it floats, runs and what your next items to fix or investigate are.



Looks great!

 

The 4 hose clamps were pretty loose. Well see how that works next time lol.