Very happy to be here after years lurking! Bought my first Grady this week, a 1986 Overnighter 205 I/O. It's actually the 10th boat I've owned, and the 3rd I currently own, so I'm not new to boats. I've been a fan of Grady's for a long time, having lived in Greenville for years and going through the factory a couple of times. However, there are some things with this boat that I don't understand and so I need to reach out to some experts...
First I checked the transom and floors. All solid except the port side corner near the stern is soft in the floor, and the starboard side is slightly soft. Will deal with that later. Plan to get the tank pressure tested later too. The outdrive is off the gimbal, so I've got to get that reinstalled. However, my big "to do or not to do" question on whether to tackle this project lies in the engine compartment.
Looks like the original engine may have been swapped out for another 3.0L Mercruiser, and the Alpha One Gen 1 gimbal housing and outdrive looks to possibly have been swapped for a newer one also. However, I'm thinking this is all the same type of stuff it was equipped with originally, so it hasn't been too heavily modified I don't think... I don't have much backstory, but it appears to have been mid-project when someone ran out of time or money. The oil in the engine looks brand new as do some parts. I'm thinking it was in the process of re-assembly, and I plan to pick up there with a new gimbal bearing, bellows, impeller, and so on as it's re-assembled. However, I noticed something strange and disturbing...
The engine isn't sitting on the original mounts. It appears there are two large studs on either side of the block mounted to pillars down in the hull to support the weight, but these are just sitting there not being used. Instead, the engine is bolted to an A-frame looking contraption that is resting on a stringer and not even bolted to it. It would seem that instead of using whatever type of frame that would have been required to couple this engine to the original studs, this frame idea was implemented. So here are my questions:
Does anyone have a pics of what the original setup would have looked like?
Would using this setup be an issue? (I worry that stringer isn't designed to hold the weight, and the frame bolts holding it up look a bit sketchy. Moreover I don't like drilling into stringers.)
If I look aft toward the gimbal housing from inside, under the engine, I can see the exposed flywheel. Is this normal? (Seems like there should be a cover, or maybe this is some sort of unholy marriage of engine and outdrive.)
Any help at all would be appreciated! Now to try and post some pics, both some obligatory "New boat, first Grady" pics out of excitement, then some pics of the areas in question. Thanks again!
First I checked the transom and floors. All solid except the port side corner near the stern is soft in the floor, and the starboard side is slightly soft. Will deal with that later. Plan to get the tank pressure tested later too. The outdrive is off the gimbal, so I've got to get that reinstalled. However, my big "to do or not to do" question on whether to tackle this project lies in the engine compartment.
Looks like the original engine may have been swapped out for another 3.0L Mercruiser, and the Alpha One Gen 1 gimbal housing and outdrive looks to possibly have been swapped for a newer one also. However, I'm thinking this is all the same type of stuff it was equipped with originally, so it hasn't been too heavily modified I don't think... I don't have much backstory, but it appears to have been mid-project when someone ran out of time or money. The oil in the engine looks brand new as do some parts. I'm thinking it was in the process of re-assembly, and I plan to pick up there with a new gimbal bearing, bellows, impeller, and so on as it's re-assembled. However, I noticed something strange and disturbing...
The engine isn't sitting on the original mounts. It appears there are two large studs on either side of the block mounted to pillars down in the hull to support the weight, but these are just sitting there not being used. Instead, the engine is bolted to an A-frame looking contraption that is resting on a stringer and not even bolted to it. It would seem that instead of using whatever type of frame that would have been required to couple this engine to the original studs, this frame idea was implemented. So here are my questions:
Does anyone have a pics of what the original setup would have looked like?
Would using this setup be an issue? (I worry that stringer isn't designed to hold the weight, and the frame bolts holding it up look a bit sketchy. Moreover I don't like drilling into stringers.)
If I look aft toward the gimbal housing from inside, under the engine, I can see the exposed flywheel. Is this normal? (Seems like there should be a cover, or maybe this is some sort of unholy marriage of engine and outdrive.)
Any help at all would be appreciated! Now to try and post some pics, both some obligatory "New boat, first Grady" pics out of excitement, then some pics of the areas in question. Thanks again!
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