DAD(39)S DREAM - maiden voyage of 1998 Avanti 3685 flopped . . . dang it!-gctid816375

[Dadrock33]

Yeah, you read it right. The maiden voyage of our NTU (new-to-us) 1998 Avanti 3685 ended up in a bust. Sometimes it's just the way that things happen and you have to make lemonade with the lemons you get. Admiral and I and her sister and hubby planned on taking the boat down the Delaware, across the C&D canal and into the Chesapeake Bay on our vacation and, hopefully, meet up with some other BOCers in the Bay area once we were a bit more accustomed to how she handles and the new electronics, etc. (Added new Flo-scans (one each) for the engines, a Garmin 1042xsv and a Vesper AIS XB-8000 on the first go-round. . . . . may have to wait awhile for the second) . . . anyway, slight electrical issue at cast-off but resolved and then down the River we went . . . hmmm, no Vesper . . . ok, she can still run. Hit some pretty good head winds with accompanying waves so slowed down a bit as the river got wider . . . made the turn into the C&D canal and just kept motoring along . . . no big issues (still don't like the steering though) . . . . got reservations at Summit North marina, so decided to pump her up a bit since the water was nice and smooth . . . . ouch . . . lost oil pressure on the port engine pretty darn quick . . . . limped in . . . started port engine to assist in docking and she ran fine so I know she's not locked up. Long story short - apparently, one of the cylinders (hope it's only one!) rings are maybe too loose or gone or whatever with the final result being that she "upchucked" most of the oil out of the breather . . . . wow, what a mess . . . ok, so called the dealer marina and they came down with a truck or two and removed the arch and took her back "home" to start the repair . . . . . hope I don't lose out on the whole summer but don't think so. They're pretty good and know what they're doing . . . guess I should've held out for the compression tests and the boroscope exam . . . . lessons learned. . . . . . . . . . still smiling though . . . it is what it is; deal with it and go on . . . . we'll be back out there . . . just a little later than expected.

[HUSKEY_BAY]

Hey Skipper,

Tough luck on a maiden voyage. That's our world in boating...highs and lows....hopefully more of the highs!

On the bright side you kept everyone safe. You limited your loss/ damage...and made a lasting memory.

Hopefully it will be speedy fix and you'll be back on the water for another adventure,

Have a great summer.

Be safe.

[Jeffw]

Hope it all works out well Jim, you've waited a long time for this...

[Pcpete]

Sorry about your trip. Our last boat had a pair of Mercruiser 470's in it when we bought it. Despite maintaining the crap out of them one or the other had a major failure on half of our vacations. Then one had a total failure, a cracked block. I repowered with a pair of 4.3's and was trouble free for the last 15 years we owned the boat.

[Ruffryder]

What James?

I remember us discussing about your oil sampling, but no compression test was done?

Blow by due to bad rings most likely...

[Dadrock33]

"Ruffryder" post=816433 wrote:
What James?

I remember us discussing about your oil sampling, but no compression test was done?

Blow by due to bad rings most likely...

Yep, I remember the talk quite well and was told that they were GOING TO DO a compression test . . . . don't think one was ever done or they would've caught that . . . one of the disadvantages of not being close to the boat and not being kept in close contact. Live and learn . . . . going to insist on a compression check and thinking a boroscope might be a good second check on them puppies. At least this one isn't on my dime - it's all theirs. Bad rings is my guess too. I cleaned up the engine compartment as best I could before the mechanics showed up . . . kept looking for a "rubbed" hose or a fitting leak or blown gasket . . something but never found anything. After he checked her over and we started and restarted the engine a number of times, even he was miffed. I told him it wasn't under load and that a little trip out on the canal would probably show it . . . so out we went into the C&D canal - engines were warmed up, pumped the throttles up a little bit and sure 'nuff - thaar she blows!!! Checked the oil and added a couple of quarts to her and then we limped back to the marina and started to make the arrangements to have her trucked out of there . . . . hey, she's almost a 19 year old boat . . things are gonna fail . . . just wish they would've checked a little further.

[Pcpete]

I had an engine do a very similar thing except it was coolant. It turned out to be a very small crack in the head that would open up under load. At below planing rpms everything was fine. Run it up to 3000 to get the boat out of the hole and the coolant went directly to the bilge. However, it would run all day at 2500. I replaced the head, it was a four banger, and had no problems after that on that subject.

The only check that would have caught it would have been a sea trial putting the boat through all of its paces.

[mister_larry]

Wow - what a shake-down cruise. Sorry you had to bring her back on wheels.

Just a thought - while they are working on the engine you might have time to work on her "attitude". On this old, beamy hull I'm guessing that the trim tabs are the flat-tab style typical of Bennett's design for wider boats. The science behind drop-fins can help the speed at which planing occurs and it's easy to get to the trim system now. Check out Capn Crunchies meaningful research of a few weeks ago on this subject. Better fuel efficiency, and handling with minimal expense.

Not saying that the Admiral will see much better, but more dow down at slower speeds makes it easier for her to make sandwiches (kidding).

[Dadrock33]

Yep, she already has the drop fins on her . . . . the boat, that is . . . :whistle:

. . .just heard - broken piston . . . she's out being rebuilt right now. :S