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One quick question to get me going on my replacement:

I need to enlarge the hole for the GX2150 radio. I've managed to avoid cutting fiberglass for many years, so I know little about how to do it. What is the best tool? Manual coping saw? (I have one, but it may be too wide to fit.) HarborFreight electric Multi-tool? (Just bought one under Ken's direction, but have never used it.) Sawzall reciprocating saw? (Don't have one, and think they're scary looking suckers.) Something else?

Thanks for all the advice. I may have never tried just pulling out the radio if I hadn't seen the suggestion here.

I went down to the boat yesterday and tried pulling on the radio and it wouldn't budge at first. Then I tried pulling on the adjacent stereo, and it came right out. I figured that if they didn't go behind the bulkhead for the radio, they probably didn't for the VHF either. So I reached under the radio bezel and felt around (couldn't see down there, and camera could not focus that close), and it seemed like there was some caulk down there. So I went at it with a putty knife to break the seal and gently start prying. After some effort, the combination of black adhesive pad and clear silicone caulk released all around the radio and it came out. (see pics below) I haven't pulled it all the way out because I want to understand the wiring first. But it looks like this project will be a lot easier than had I feared. I may have some additional questions about completing the install (RAM mic compatibility between different generations of radio, etc.) but I will start a new thread if/when I've exhausted other sources of info first.

In your photo, you have a piece of teak trim on the right side of the white panel. I can see a screw at the base of this trim. Have you tried removing the trim left and right to see if the panel just slides out?  (pull it toward you using the front of the VHF/stereo). This is what the wood panel does on the 2003 model.  If this was not removable as built by the factory in 2001, maybe the installer made it so?...

That is what I originally hoped to do, but close inspection showed that the fiberglass bulkhead there is part of one very large molded piece including the adjacent closet to aft, which extends all the way down to the floor under the nav station and also wraps around to the front of the closet. So if yours is removable, it was either a design change or a cut in the fiberglass was made by the installer.

Good points. If he's using a paddlewheel for STW, then growth on the paddlewheel could have an even greater effect on the observed speed than growth on the hull and prop.

As stated before, I don't know what prop specs apply for his particular engine/boat combination. But if a 15x10 is recommended, I still wonder why he had 15x9 before, and what issues caused him to increase pitch. Those issues could say more about the true root cause. Obviously, prop pitch is usually adjusted because of too high/low engine RPMs at full throttle, and miscalibrated tach could lead to an incorrect prop selection.

Are you using the same laser to measure your engine RPM? If not, and you're using your tachometer for the engine RPMs, the difference of 50 RPM is easily within the calibration error of the tach.

What does your manual say about gear reduction ratio of your transmission? (Please report back on that, since it it impossible to diagnose anything without this information.) 2:1 sounds reasonable based on what I posted before. It also explains why it will be VERY hard to turn over your motor using your prop. Do you have a compression release valve on your motor? Because I see NO WAY that you can use the prop to turn over your engine without releasing compression first. In fact, IMO not being able to turn your prop is a good sign that the transmission is not slipping.

Why did you raise the pitch of your prop? It sounds to me like that may be causing your problem. Even without the transmission slipping, an incorrectly pitched prop can cause other problems like water turbulence that could cause the prop blades to slip in the water, even without your transmission slipping. Just like wind separating from a poorly shaped sail, similar things happen to cause loss of laminar flow over the blades of an improperly pitched prop.

I'm not an expert at this at all, but it sounds like you need to provide more detail to get help here.

Been having trouble with my boat slowing down, I have put the transmission in forward or reverse on the hard and cannot move the prop,, my shaft rpm is a little less than half than the engine, i.e, engine rpm 2000 shaft rpm 950, (hand held laser)...

I am not sure I understand what you're saying here. (How can you have 950 shaft RPM if you can't move the prop?).

But do note that the transmission has a gear reduction. 2.1:1 sounds reasonable, but you need to check the specs for your model of transmission. It should be in your Universal manual. FWIW, my manual says:

HBW 50lZF 5M (2.05 : 1)
HBW 100lZF 10M (1.79: 1)
HBW 150VIZF 15MIV (2.13: 1)
HBW 150NZF 15MA (1.88: 1)

I'm no expert at this, but I've never put the motor in gear while on the hard because I assumed that the cutlass bearing would get burned up without the lubrication and cooling provided by water immersion. Could this be why you can't turn it any more?

I'm sure there are others here who know much more about this than I do.

Download the instructions and see how it's likely mounted?  Maybe there's a trick to the bracket, like a stereo bracket/faceplate?

There is no trick to the bracket. The included flush mount brackets, if they are used, screw in from the sides to prevent the radio from coming out. There is no faceplate, because the radio's face is larger than the body, so it's basically a built-in faceplate.

I'll have to re-check, but my locker aft of nav station is cedar lined, and I thought the forward cedar panel blocked access to that back area. So I would likely have to remove the cedar lining. Even if I can get to it, there's a stereo mounted right next to the VHF which prevents access to the aft side of the radio's bracket, so I'd have to remove the stereo to get to the VHF bracket, and that still does not solve the problem of how to get to the forward side of the radio. It gets messy real fast. My best hope is that the original installer bypassed this mess by just pressing the radio into the hole and maybe adhering it with caulk. Otherwise, it becomes a real hassle to rip out something that's basically working OK.

I just realized that this radio does have DSC, so I'll have to go check whether it's interfaced with GPS/chartplotter and whether the MMSI has been programmed. The radio allows changing the MMSI once, so I'll also have to figure out whether that's an option or I need to contact on of the previous owners to ask them to transfer their MMSI to me (if they even know how to do that).

T4 is regular multi-grade Dino oil. Not synthetic. Synthetics are T5 and T6.

Good idea. I know that Standard Horizon sells flush mount brackets that are screwed in from behind, but maybe they didn't use them. I'll try gently prying it out.

Hi all, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all of you. The timing of this message has more to do with my free time (off from work) than any urgency, so please don't interrupt your holiday time to respond immediately. It can wait.

This winter I would like to replace my outdated non-DSC VHF radio. I have a very nice GX2150 VHF/DSC/AIS receiver that I brought over from my previous boat. But when I look at my current radio, I don't even know where to start to remove it. You can see in the attached pic that it's installed in the fiberglass liner beneath the electrical panel at the nav station.

Do I go in through the electrical panel from above? (There's a shelf that's in the way - I couldn't see whether it's removable.) Do I somehow remove the nav table and try to get there from below? (All the surrounding fiberglass seems to be one piece.)

I know that someone figured out how to install it in the first place, so there must be a way. I'm hoping one of you has done the job before and can give me some hints.

Sometimes I'm just too dense. The Fastenal store that's 2 hours away is the only one with one single nut. I hadn't noticed that the website lists a pack of 3, and everyone has them in stock.

I only need one, but more than happy to carry a couple spares.

I had checked there too, and used them to buy 100 SS piano hinge screws a few years ago. They have the nuts, a little more expensive but not significantly so.

Fastenal has the advantage of more locations nearby (no shipping charge if I can pick up), but the closest location that has the nuts is 2+ hours away. Maybe I should call a nearby one and see if they can order it in for me to pick up. It's silly to pay a big shipping charge for one nut.

The hurth transmission in forward it use clutch pads. In reverse its a direct lockup no clutch pads. My boat lost its clutch pads and had to back it home. rebuilt the tranny good as new. That is why when you sail the transmission should be in neutral or reverse. Charlie

Would you be willing to elaborate on this a bit? I did a Google search for "clutch pads" and only found hits for "clutch plates." Are they the same? Can you point me to a reference for how they work and their expected lifetime?

The main reason for my question is that my transmission (which was rebuilt by previous owner about 2 years ago, so only about 60 hours on it) has a slight delay in engaging when shifting into forward (maybe 1/2 second), but goes into reverse immediately. I am wondering if this is a sign of an imminent problem that needs addressing, or a natural result of the fact that clutch pads (whatever they are?) are involved in forward, but not reverse.

Update: I have had no luck finding the required keel nuts at local brick-and-mortar stores. The closest thing I found was at a True Value store near my workplace, but it was 304 stainless, and I think an alloy mismatch between keel bolt and nut is asking for trouble.

I will probably end up going to McMaster-Carr via mail order. It's a shame to place such a small order, but that's all I need right now. I'm stalling on ordering because I know that the next day I'll think of some other $1 item that I need. 

On a related topic, I fumbled one of my battery nuts into who-knows-where when disconnecting my battery cables for the winter. My local hardware store, which is unfortunately rather poorly run, told me "we had them, but someone bought the whole box about a month ago" (...and why haven't you ordered them back in???). 3/8"x16 SS was too exotic for my nearby Home Depot store, which stocks nothing larger than 5/16" in SS. Another Home Depot store further away had them in little plastic packets, but they were so cheap (thin) that they had about 2 threads tapped into them, and I could easily imagine rounding off the corners, since on a battery you usually need to angle the wrench upward to avoid short-circuiting between the posts. I finally found a Lowes that had a bin full of 3/8"x16 SS with thickness and quality that was equal to the original battery nuts. I bought three in anticipation of my next fumble.

I really regret the loss of local mom and pop hardware stores, but the ones that are left seem like they're too shell-shocked and cash-strapped to even try to compete (won't even replace depleted stock). I am becoming disgusted with the way Home Depot is cutting back on their variety of low-profit items (like fasteners, where their display gets smaller and smaller each year), now that they've managed to kill off the mom and pop shops that used to carry these ordinary items.

Just to close the loop on this topic, my local retailers have started carrying quart size of Rotella T4. It now is available around here as gallons and quarts. Rotella T is scarce and becoming scarcer, and will completely disappear shortly.

Do not buy Rotella T1 (unless for some reason you want a single grade viscosity) -- the replacement product for Rotella T is Rotella T4.

For all y'all...

An alternate pressure cap on the M-25/XP/XPA is listed as the SeaKamp p/n SK3516.
I tracked this down to be a Stant cap, p/n 10229

13 psi; 2-21/64" diameter

Stu,
Is there a single wiki place that holds parts cross references - like Universal to mfrg's OEM to alternate/after market mfgrs and p/ns?
I've seen scattered lists like for filters and other parts in different locations, but I'm thinking one list in one place. 
if so, where?  If not -- worth creating such a heading/page?

Ken

I have reason to believe that I may need a new pressure cap for my M35B motor. However, the service manual specs a 15 psi cap for the M25xpb/M35B/M40B. It's hard to tell through the paint, but I think my cap is stamped with 14 psi.

Is the spec different for these motors than the M25XPA, or is 13 psi "close enough"?