Last year we purchased a boat. It was our first, so we wanted something cheap which if it sank we could leave it where it lay. We found a Bomber off of Craigslist that fit the bill. Bomber is a real type of boat, one that was made back in the 80s. I think they do bass boats now. If you google it, you will find 3… all of them torn up hulks. This one had a little rot damage, but not too bad.
This year, the engine had been giving us issues. We have a Mercruiser 3.7/LX which I am told is an engine that was made for about 2 years. It was the only 2 years that Mercruiser actually made the engine instead of contracting it out. So.. we have a unique boat, with a very unique engine. I don’t much about engines, but I know having a unique one is not great.
We tracked down the issue we were having to the to the shift interrupt switch. This is what it looks like:
The issue is that little switch which acts like a clutch on a car. It seemed to fail whenever we ran the boat and then stopped it. Since the engine is water cooled, the hottest the engine will get is after you stop running it. We guessed the heat was causing it to fail. We assumed it would be a cheap part, but soon learned that the entire plate had to be replaced. So much for cheap.
Here is the new part which I ordered from ebasic power, a good NC company:
It arrived in one day, which was great. The fix is that little grey piece right in the middle. The rest is what I needed to mount it to the engine block. I set out early Saturday morning to put it back on. It actually slid into place nicely. I disconnected the cables put them off to the side, unbolted the old piece, put the new piece back in, and added back the cables. I tested it with the muffs, and it seemed to work. My wiring was a bit messy, but all and all it looked good:
I read you needed to test this in the water, but saturday around noon it looked good. On Sunday, we headed out to the lake. And.. the boat worked like the champ. Here we are drying off towels and shirts after a good afternoon of skiing:
So, my first solo repair job on the boat.. and it seems to be a success!
