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New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:54 pm
by RIMFIRE 2.0
Hello all, i am now the pround new owner of a 1974 F30 model 302 by the HIN. I have ran many boats from offshore to flats fishing. First boat over 18' that i have owned. A li%ld history on the dream. Purchased from a boatyard in Baltimore today. Looked at the boat ten times in a month checking different systems. No power ( battery or generator on board), boat has been on stands for 3 yrs. Motors are small block Ford, I havent measured head width or looked for casting numbers yet to know what displacement. Both motors clean as a whistle on inside(flashlight in a couple cylinders and oil dirty but clean)Aft deck is a little spongy, not worried to much about that. She hasn't moved in three years. I know drain the fuel, new pumps, impellers, new ignition parts and batteries. Any other hints from anybody on how to get her ready by spring, mechanically and floatability??

All help and knowledge is welcome,
I have a fairly strong background on the mechanical/electrical end if anyone needs some assistance on that end

Pat

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 9:51 pm
by prowlersfish
Welcome to the forum . Most likely you have 302 or 351W fords . can you post a photo ? I recommend turning over by hand before cranking with the starter

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:48 am
by Allen Sr
prowlersfish wrote:Welcome to the forum . I recommend turning over by hand before cranking with the starter
+1 on the turning over by hand.

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:33 am
by K4282
replace packing before launch, although easy enough to do in the water I can just about guarantee it needs to be changed anyway

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:54 am
by K4282
replace packing before launch, although easy enough to do in the water I can just about guarantee it needs to be changed anyway

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:32 pm
by RIMFIRE 2.0
Thank you all who replied. Did some literal walkinv all over the boat today. Found a couple small soft spots in the forward deck. Put together interior as best as possible. Everything is severly dirty but my wife is a clean freak and ready for it! Sunday will be engine teard down day. Manifolds, risers, plugs, wires, water pumps so on an so on. Going to put some marvel mystery oil in all cylinders. As well as spray some pb blaster in the open valves. Ill take some pics of her and her engines then.

Keep the list coming,
Pat

Ps repacking stuffing boxes are in bold on the list.

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 9:25 am
by thelast322
Hello Pat,
Welcome to the forum. Congradulations on buying a Trojan. Yeah, look at anything that will sink, catch you on fire, or explode. Look over all your through hull fittings, hoses, clamps and strainers. If there are any issues with the components, replace them with new. Look at your fasteners for your struts, rudder posts and packing glands. Look at the caulking around those components and replace as needed. Even give your trim tabs some attention. You probably have boat leveler system. If you do, look at the hoses and hydraulic actuators for leaks and deterioration. Then focus on your 12 volt system. Look at the basics rules. No more than 4 wires on each connection. Batteries need no to move in 1" in any direction and need to be secured to hold its own wait. Make sure the wires are are secured every 18" during there run. Also, make sure your bilge pumps are up to snuff. Look at the tubing and the floats. Make sure there is no debris that will prevent the float from lifting up. Make sure the pumps come on manually as well. In addition, make sure the floats work even when the battery switch is turned off "if you have one". After the 12VDC system, then pay attention to your fuel system. Look over your tanks for any signs of leakage, corrosion, and looseness from the tank supports. Look over your fuel fill, supply and vent system. Your fuel fill needs to be bonded from your fill to the tank. USCG Mandates less than 100 ohms- Abyc states less than 1 ohm. This is important. It seems like older boats always have this system compromised. The best way to check is take a VOM meter and check continuity at the two points. Between the engines and that main systems, this should keep you busy. Best of luck and keep up the good work.

Best Regards
Butch Immediato

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:22 pm
by RIMFIRE 2.0
Hello all,
Started working on the boat today. The wife took care of the inside, wiped down all surfaces and removed all old flooring. I went to work on the motors. Starboard engine turns freely with no spark plugs. Port engine wont turn. All spark plugs removed but one, previously snapped off by other. Port engine right manifold has two snapped bolts, and will not come off. Going to get a bigger pry bar for Wednesday. I started to remove right cylinder head from port motor. Found external lower middle headbolt "head" severely corroded and rotting away. Ended my day pouring 32oz of marvel mystery oil down all intake ports and squirting 2 cans PB blaster into all spark plug holes
But one"broken off" im not discouraged, now its a competition. I will succeed in making this motor turn freely. Heres the question... WHERE IS MY GENERATOR? I looked beside fuel tanks, behind fuel tanks, with no avail. Found no moumting place nor wiring fir generator. However, there is a switch panel on the port inside gunnel that has breaker and a swithch that goes from off to batteries or generator. WHERE COULD IT BE???

please help. Keep recommendations coming.
Pat

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:43 pm
by prowlersfish
I suspect you have no generator , Most F30s did not

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:49 pm
by RIMFIRE 2.0
That makes sence dince i could not find a home for one. Could a deep cycle bank be installed for engine off power, but be charged by the alternators. Possibly larger higher amperage alternators. But at the same time stand alone from the starting batteries. Im thinking 4 group 31 deep cycle batteries with very high reserve capacities.

Thoughts are welcome,

Pat

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 7:06 pm
by prowlersfish
RIMFIRE 2.0 wrote:That makes sence dince i could not find a home for one. Could a deep cycle bank be installed for engine off power, but be charged by the alternators. Possibly larger higher amperage alternators. But at the same time stand alone from the starting batteries. Im thinking 4 group 31 deep cycle batteries with very high reserve capacities.

Thoughts are welcome,

Pat
Yes you could do that . Use a Battery Isolator so your alternator can charge the batteries

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:25 am
by P-Dogg
Congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the forum! Glad to see that the boat renovation is a team effort! That solves one problem often neglected. And I like the "It's now a competition" attitude. I tell everyone that buys a new old boat to get a copy of Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Handbook. It is full of great stuff. Only problem with that book is it can make your "to-do" list longer....

I have Crusader 270s. For starting batteries, I use the biggest deep cycle (not hybrid) batteries that fit in my box. For my generator, I do use a starting battery. Four years, zero battery problems. But I do always start them with the battery parallel switch on.

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:19 am
by prowlersfish
One thing to consider before what battery size type etc is what your need for power is . Days on the hook with high loads like inverter refrige and so forth . And how your going to recharge them . Or are you just going to have light loads . Makes a big difference on what you need . I use very little 12 volts so I get away with just my cranking batteries . My heavy loads are carried by my genset . Now if I relied on a inverter then a large house bank ( deep cycle ) would be in order . On my F30 I also got away with just the Engine batteries BUT my only 12 volt use was a few lights and no 120v . I would run the engines daily also .


So take a realistic look at your needs . Better to have to much power available the fall short .

Re: New (to me) 1974Trojan F30 Model 302

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:00 am
by Mr4bbls
Hi...I am new to the forum myself this evening 9/7...our first boat was an F-30 (many years back) one thing you will want to do is take down the ceiling inside the boat...I will be the first to say that this is a major struggle...however it will be worth it in the end...especially if you plan to stay overnight on your boat when it is pouring rain out...all of your grab rails above go all the way through the gelcoat / balsa coring in between and then the fiberglass matting inside of the upper hull...and they all leak over the years as the sealant drys out...this water gets into the balsa coring and rots it out and then proceeds to travel through the glass matting on the inside...and then onto your face in the V-berth at night...! all of the T-nuts that these bolts bolt to are unfortunately NOT stainless steel ha, ha...the bolts are but the T-nuts are not...and they will all be rusted away...and the the plywood slats that the before mention T-nuts were pounded into...will all be rotted also...this is a major project but I would highly recommend replacing all plywood...all T-nuts, and all of the stainless steel bolts that hold any and everything down from the outside...we completely restored our F-30...it took us 4 years...a total restoration and total repower...it became one of the most admired boats in the Marina after everyone at first laughed at us for buying it...we sold it 2 years after that for a much larger boat because we aqiored a fuzzy yellow lab who was in the process of being crate trained...and the crate would not fit downstairs...did not want to leave her out on the deck at night either while we were inside with the AC...she was roasting away outside and that was not fair...but aside from that we learned everything the hardway...you will want to take out the side windows also and replace the tracking and reseal all through screws from framing for the same reasons mentioned above...again...much hard work but it will be worth it in the end...and last but not least...the keel is hollow...and they all leak and fill up with awful smelling sludge...we had to have ours torn out and replaced...it was again worth it...it made the boat smell awful and we could not locate the source of foul smell until we realized this.