FS17 build in central Texas

[Prarie Dog]

Wadeg, you are clipping right along on your build, looks real nice. Two questions, what do they call that color and, where are you buying your motor?

[Steven]

Hey Wade,

Great info and looking great. I have that same compressor and like it a lot. Bought it because It seemed up to the task of spraying. What is the CFM requirement of the gun you used for the topcoat.

Regards,
Steven

[wadeg]

Hey Wade,

Great info and looking great. I have that same compressor and like it a lot. Bought it because It seemed up to the task of spraying. What is the CFM requirement of the gun you used for the topcoat.

Regards,
Steven

I don't remember exactly what the CFM requirements are for this gun, but I think it is somewhere around 4 CFM at 30 PSI. The Dewalt compressor pushes it really well. I am really liking this LVLP gun. I have now sprayed three coats with it and it is doing great. It takes me less than 15 minutes to spay a full coat on the outside and I use about 15 to 16 ounces of material (this is thinned, so about 13 to 14 really). With the thin coats I am laying on, I am going with 5 total coats. Don't get me wrong, I do have some drip, but those are my own fault for not being careful enough and over spraying some areas. You need to move fast with this gun.

[wadeg]

Wadeg, you are clipping right along on your build, looks real nice. Two questions, what do they call that color and, where are you buying your motor?

That color is Mercer Green and I am buying my motor from Rodney at San Marcos Marine. I actually already purchased the motor. It is a 50hp Tohatsu TLDI with binnacle controls. This is a direct injected two stroke motor. What I really like about the package is that the wiring harness, binnacle controls, prop, and steering arm all come with the standard Tohatsu package and the price is still right. This one cost me $5550 plus installation and rigging which was quoted at $400, but I am having him install some extra stuff, so it will be a little more than that.

[Prarie Dog]

Wadeg, that's pretty cool, exactly the same motor I put on my boat. So far we like it very much, hoping they're as reliable as everybody says they are. Runs about 30 on my GF18, got a Powertech prop on order that I hope improves the top end and the hole shot. We'll see.

[whosmatt]

That color is Mercer Green and I am buying my motor from Rodney at San Marcos Marine. I actually already purchased the motor. It is a 50hp Tohatsu TLDI with binnacle controls. This is a direct injected two stroke motor. What I really like about the package is that the wiring harness, binnacle controls, prop, and steering arm all come with the standard Tohatsu package and the price is still right. This one cost me $5550 plus installation and rigging which was quoted at $400, but I am having him install some extra stuff, so it will be a little more than that.

That's a good price for that motor; I'm thinking of the same one for my FS17. Is that with or without sales tax? My quote was close to that if I subtract sales tax. The dealer offered for me to do a self-install as long as they get to inspect it to validate the warranty. Certainly beats the 8k they quoted me for the 50hp Honda. I've never owned a Honda outboard, but I have owned a couple of Honda cars and they are easily the best made cars I've ever had... Not sure if the extra 2.5k is worth it though. Your build is looking great.
-Matt

[sitandfish]

...The dealer offered for me to do a self-install as long as they get to inspect it to validate the warranty...
-Matt

Man, that sounds like a great deal to me. You get a "professional" inspection for free and a second set of eyes to make sure you didn't do something....um.... "not exactly smart".

[whosmatt]

...The dealer offered for me to do a self-install as long as they get to inspect it to validate the warranty...
-Matt

Man, that sounds like a great deal to me. You get a "professional" inspection for free and a second set of eyes to make sure you didn't do something....um.... "not exactly smart".

Actually that' not quite accurate... he offered the self-install for the 4 stroke I was originally considering. The TLDI might be a different story, I haven't verified.

[wadeg]

If anyone buys that lvlp gun I used to spray the outside of my fs17, be careful cleaning it. Even though the material feed tube has a hex head on it, you are not supposed to remove it and clean it. There is a seal under it that is made of something like plumbers putty that prevents the air from mixing with the material before it exits the gun. If you destroy this seal, the air pressure will force the material out with much greater force and make a big mess. I know as now I have a log of drip to clean up.

I purchased another gun today though and should have the rest of my fs17 painted by the end of this weekend.

[wadeg]

She has finally hit the water. Here are some pics of her in action.






I still have to work out the kinks in performance. The first prop I used was a 13x11.1 which gave me a top of 32 at 5600 RPM. That was with 2 guys and a full tank of gas. At 3000 RPMS, she will start to plane and hit a speed of 12MPH. I traded that one for a 12x11.4 just for grins and I was amazed at the hole shot. With just me in the boat, she will jump up on plane in about a boat length ( I am sure it is longer than this, but this is what it feels like). At 4500RPM with the 12x11.4 prop and a whole lot of weight in the boat (3 guys, full fuel, bait well full, ice chest full), I can cruise at 22MPH. With the same load, I can hit 30MPH at 5700RPM and plenty of throttle to go. Neither of these props had any cup in them so I have had to run the motor lower than I would like also.

I think I will order a 13x11 or so stainless with cupping. This should allow me to run the motor a little higher and use up the rest of my throttle stroke. I am hoping to pick the cruise up to 25mph at 4500RPM with 3 guys, full fuel and bait. My confidence is high that I can hit this number as a 13pitch prop would have to slip by over 15 percent to get a number that low.