January 1, 2020 - A Major Change
We re-tested the boat in early November with the engine tuned; the carburetor cleaned out and readjusted. The engine ran way better but it still stalled out at 2100 RPM. The Flyer flattened out a bit but still would not break plane. We discussed downsizing the prop to help increase the RPM, but the math wouldn’t work out for a reasonable top speed. We are convinced the Phantom 4-45 does not provide enough power to get the boat up on plane.
So we are in a re-powering mode. We came up with only two reasonable options (three really if one includes a big bonfire).
Option one is to try and utilize a modern 4 cylinder marine engine, and the other is to track down a more powerful Gray Marine engine.
Van Ness Engineering in New Jersey who helped me in building the 4-45, can build a ready to go 90 HP four cylinder engine for me, but it’s pretty pricy, and wouldn’t be available until mid-springtime. So we decided to look into utilizing a modern 4 cylinder Mercruiser engine.
We found a $300 “doner” boat for sale 150 miles away in Henderson Nevada that had a 120HP Mercruiser four. I found that a standard GM –Borg Warner bell housing and “Velvet Drive” transmission would bolt right up to this engine. We needed to get our hands on one of these engines to see its exact dimensions, and if it would fit in our engine compartment.
So we are in a re-powering mode. We came up with only two reasonable options (three really if one includes a big bonfire).
Option one is to try and utilize a modern 4 cylinder marine engine, and the other is to track down a more powerful Gray Marine engine.
Van Ness Engineering in New Jersey who helped me in building the 4-45, can build a ready to go 90 HP four cylinder engine for me, but it’s pretty pricy, and wouldn’t be available until mid-springtime. So we decided to look into utilizing a modern 4 cylinder Mercruiser engine.
We found a $300 “doner” boat for sale 150 miles away in Henderson Nevada that had a 120HP Mercruiser four. I found that a standard GM –Borg Warner bell housing and “Velvet Drive” transmission would bolt right up to this engine. We needed to get our hands on one of these engines to see its exact dimensions, and if it would fit in our engine compartment.