New member - 1981 Trojan 290

[cptdragn]

New to the forum and trojan boats. Bought this boat from a bank sale for next to nothing. she's been out of the water in a boat cradle for about 4 years. As i understand it, last capt died and the owner either abandoned it or let it go back to the bank. in either case the bank didn't want it and I bought it. know next to nothing about the boat. ordered the manuals from here but as it turns out, the engine manuals for this boat are for gas and she now has 8.2L detroit diesels. EDIT Turns out this is in error, engines are 6.2 GM. While it is in rough shape from sitting up outside in the south alabama weather, it is starting to clean up well. looking at trying to fix her back up over time and hopefully have a fun boat to play/fish with. I have a question. I have heard that it can be bad to have a boat on rail storage for such a long time being her engines are outside the boards she was sitting on. the comment was that it can warp the hull and thereby warp the shafts. anyone have any comments or experience in this area? hate to put her back into the water and destroy something that could have been taken care of while I have her on a trailer.

[prowlersfish]

Welcome to the forum . I will give quick reply as I am getting ready for leave for work will update later . Yes bad blocking can cause issues . Can the shafts turn pretty easy ? if not try losing the shafts and see if it helps .

[P-Dogg]

Welcome. How about some pics of what you got?

[prowlersfish]

Welcome to the forum . I will give quick reply as I am getting ready for leave for work will update later . Yes bad blocking can cause issues . Can the shafts turn pretty easy ? if not try losing the shafts and see if it helps .

With the above said Many( Most) boats that have been blocked and sat for years with out issues ,including my last Trojan (F30) . Would not hurt to check shaft alignment after its in the water for a few days .

[cptdragn]

found out I was incorrectly informed about the engines. I had taken photos of the motors and showed them to a detroit mechanic. he stated they were 8.2L engines. we knew the starters were bad as the boat had fresh water in the bilge and they have been covered for some time and are very rusty. got a closer look at the motors while trying to remove the starters and found out these are not detroit's but GM 6.2 diesels. Got a lot of cleanup to do.

[cptdragn]

Welcome. How about some pics of what you got?

As I found her, and after a bit of power washing

[prowlersfish]

While to do have some work to do , that is a good looking boat with nice lines . The model # 290 means the boat is a F29 Sportman . I agree the engines are not 8.2 liter DD and most likely 6.2 L could possibly be 6.5 as the are the same basic engine . They used the same parts that bolt on . Only difference would be noticed inside . I always liked the 6.2/6.5 .

[Big D]

There are a lot of variables affecting whether a hull will warp from being blocked. After four years, I wouldn't leave it to chance. Don't know about down your way but up here, it's a pretty penny to haul a boat out of the water and block on land to be worked on if one were to find an issue after launch. If it were me, I'd do a visual of the strut alignment to the shaft tube now, then remove the shafts and props and send them in to a prop shop for assessment. After confirming they are okay and re-installing them, I'd let her sit in the water for several days before checking alignment and coupling the shaft to the tranny. Normally one would only wait about a day after launching to give the hull a chance to settle back into shape before checking alignment but when they've been sitting on land for a few years, I like letting them sit a few days more. Because of the length of time she's been out, I'd uncouple and check alignment again at the end of the season prior to haul out in case an adjustment needs to be made to the strut which is difficult to tell once she's on land again (we get hauled out for the winter up here).

Before launching, you may want to check other items that would have to be repaired out of the water such as all thru-hull fittings above and below the water line, seacocks, shaft tube hoses, strut bearings, shaft and rudder packing, etc. You'll also want to check trim tab operation if applicable in case there are any leaks that need to be dealt with. You should also take a close look at her bottom for any signs of osmosis that should be taken care of now. If you're in an area that is prone to fouling, now would be the time to prep and anti-foul the bottom. Oh, and don't forget about anodes.

PS, before doing anything, did you get a survey done? Do you know what condition the stringers are in?

Hope to see some pics of her in the water soon.

[cptdragn]

Welcome to the forum . I will give quick reply as I am getting ready for leave for work will update later . Yes bad blocking can cause issues . Can the shafts turn pretty easy ? if not try losing the shafts and see if it helps .

Thanks for the welcome.

Shafts turned very easy. She was towed in choppy water ( 2-4 sea state ) and rode well. The shafts were turning the entire time she was under tow ( about 7 hours ) both engines have been bared over by hand and seem to be free. There was some pink in the starboard transmission ( water ) but not the port. Both starters were under fresh water ( rain water ) for a unknown amount of time. Both are shot as are the batteries. Batteries have already been replaced but finding the starters is turning out to be a challenge. Do to the location of the starboard starter, we are trying to find one that can be installed on the velvet drive housing but so far no joy.

[cptdragn]

Don't know about down your way but up here, it's a pretty penny to haul a boat out of the water and block on land to be worked on if one were to find an issue after launch.

Thankfully, I have a freind that will pull the boat out with the " trailer " we built from a semi truck frame so that cost is a non issue. I intend to pull her out in the winter time but that may change. Winters here are mild and most people leave a boat of this size in the water.

If it were me, I'd do a visual of the strut alignment to the shaft tube now, then remove the shafts and props and send them in to a prop shop for assessment. After confirming they are okay and re-installing them, I'd let her sit in the water for several days before checking alignment and coupling the shaft to the tranny. Normally one would only wait about a day after launching to give the hull a chance to settle back into shape before checking alignment but when they've been sitting on land for a few years, I like letting them sit a few days more.

Can you explain just what I would be looking at and for? Or, given my inexperience in this area, would I've be better off having it done by a professional? As for settling, I had already thought about leaving it in the water a few extra days before starting her up and pulling a load on the shafts. You just confirmed that I was on the right track.

Because of the length of time she's been out, I'd uncouple and check alignment again at the end of the season prior to haul out in case an adjustment needs to be made to the strut which is difficult to tell once she's on land again (we get hauled out for the winter up here).

again, something I can do or leave it to the professionals?

Before launching, you may want to check other items that would have to be repaired out of the water such as all thru-hull fittings above and below the water line, seacocks, shaft tube hoses, strut bearings, shaft and rudder packing, etc. You'll also want to check trim tab operation if applicable in case there are any leaks that need to be dealt with. You should also take a close look at her bottom for any signs of osmosis that should be taken care of now. If you're in an area that is prone to fouling, now would be the time to prep and anti-foul the bottom. Oh, and don't forget about anodes.

That's why we wanted her out of the water so every thing on the bottom could be looked over and repaired if needed. Trim tabs are gone but I intend to replace the before she is relaunched. Anodes are just about gone and will be replaced while its out of the water.

PS, before doing anything, did you get a survey done? Do you know what condition the stringers are in?

I had to look up just what a survey was so the short answer is no, no survey done. For now, my friends and I are doing this ourselves. One of us does seem to have a good idea of what's going on and it was he that found the boat and told me about it. He also bought a 29ft proline from the same sale that is also in need of some care. As for the stringers, I haven't gotten that far yet but that same Freind has been all over the boat and seems the think we are ok as far as the hull is concerned. Getting those engines running again is at the top of the list for now.

Hope to see some pics of her in the water soon.

Photos will be forth coming, I hope soon.

[Big D]

If it were me, I'd do a visual of the strut alignment to the shaft tube now, then remove the shafts and props and send them in to a prop shop for assessment. After confirming they are okay and re-installing them, I'd let her sit in the water for several days before checking alignment and coupling the shaft to the tranny. Normally one would only wait about a day after launching to give the hull a chance to settle back into shape before checking alignment but when they've been sitting on land for a few years, I like letting them sit a few days more.

Can you explain just what I would be looking at and for? Or, given my inexperience in this area, would I've be better off having it done by a professional? As for settling, I had already thought about leaving it in the water a few extra days before starting her up and pulling a load on the shafts. You just confirmed that I was on the right track.

Because of the length of time she's been out, I'd uncouple and check alignment again at the end of the season prior to haul out in case an adjustment needs to be made to the strut which is difficult to tell once she's on land again (we get hauled out for the winter up here).

again, something I can do or leave it to the professionals?

Basically you're looking to see that everything (the running gear) is lined up from the strut, shaft through tube, and engine to shaft. After checking exterior hardware, disconnect the coupler from the tranny flange and check alignment. You have .003" to work with. From here, if done right and one knows what they're looking for, you can tell if alignment is off, shaft is bent, coupler and flange are warped etc. Whether you think you can do it or not depends on your skill level. Only you know that. There are some pretty good videos on-line that will explain the process.

While she's out, if you don't want to go as far as removing the shafts and sending them in to get checked, at the very least dial them while they're in place. Removing the props yourself and sending them in to get checked shouldn't cost you anything, but you might find out if they need to be tuned. It's one thing to be towed and not feel a vibration, it's entirely different when she spools up under her own steam. At least if you get the shafts and props checked and she does vibrate underway, you'll be able to eliminate the shafts and props as the culprits and look elsewhere.

Going purely from what I can see in the picture, the tranny looks like it's been submerged for a while. Personally I don't know how comfortable I would feel with putting it back into service without assessing it first. Again, remember that all this hardware could be spinning at a few thousand rpm.

[prowlersfish]

I agree with Big D it looks like the water did get well over the trans (and starters ) . All that needs to be looked at closely

[Barrie]

I've seen worse
I really like the layout of those 290s, cool boat!

Looks like you have a couple projects to do, but you'll know exactly what you have when you're finished.

Have fun!

[cptdragn]

just a short update. pulled both starters out. one was shot ( the one pictured in one of the above posts ) and one we actually were able to save. it wasn't as badly corroded as the first one and it cleaned up rather better than I had hoped. Tore it down and inspected and cleaned all parts. put it back together and hooked it up to a battery and it works great. it appears that it was a newer starter and a high torque one. the other was a direct drive. found a place to get a replacement for the starboard starter and have that on order. one of the 1 1/4 hoses felt a bit soft so I'm going to replace it just to be on the safe side. still working on cleaning up the engine room but it does look 100% better than the above engine photos.