3607 Carver 1989 18,500Lbs - how far driving on one engine?

[stutting]

I wanted to start another subject as I am considering getting the boat to a marina that can do my repair. I need to do a 50 mile up the Mississippi run from Kaskaskia River to Hoppies. The current runs between 6-8 MPH against the boat. My plan would be to check transmission temperature (by hand?) and fluid every 3 hours. Then I would need to do a 44 mile run to Alton IL - current may reduce some - for sure by end. Then a 22 mile run to Port Charles Harbor. 116 miles total - plan on running 2000 RPMs. What would you do? Holding no one responsible of my choice:).

[km1125]

I'm trying to remember how fast 2000 RPM would have been if I was on one engine, but can't recall. How much headway will you make against that kind of current? Did you consider getting a tow for at least the part with the worst current? Even though it might cost a few $$, it might pay back in time and frustration (and nerves).

You want to put some fluid back in that starboard transmission, as the shaft will be turning as the boat moves due to the force on the propeller. You can overheat a transmission like that, although I'm not sure if it would happen at a slower speed like you might be limited to. (side story... my great great uncle was an 'oiler' for his first job on the Great Lakes back in the early 1900's and was on the maiden voyage for the railroad ferry/icebreaker SS Chief Wawatam. The boat had two propellers in the stern and one in the bow and his primary job was to make sure the bow shaft was lubed as it was turning with just the force of the water)

Anyways... back to your issue. You might want to grab an low-cost IR temp gun to do your transmission checks and check the temp more often than 3 hrs. They're pretty cheap and will come in PLENTY handy for all kinds of things. I would definitely keep an eye on that transmission as it's going to have a lot of load and at the lower RPMs will not have as much fluid pressure to keep the clutches locked up as it normally would if the boat was on plane.

[g36]

i can say on my 405 (heavier boat) with crusader xli's 2000 rpm with both engines is about 10mph, going against a current will make for a slow journey for sure , i think if its velvet drives there shouldnt be a problem if things are looked after during the journey

[bud37]

Have to say I agree about checking out the tow option. Considering you already had problems and your SOG thru that current even if you could make 10MPH best case would just be 4 mph ahead.....that turns that 40 miles into around 10 hours or much worse in restricted areas with no back up except the anchor.
The cost of issues on your trip may possibly out strip any tow cost. Sorry that is just how it appears if it were me.

Did you fill the trans with fluid and check.....for sure get a new cooler with your new trans.......good luck man and stay safe.....

[Viper]

Ya keep an eye on tranny temps and ensure it's lubricated. You should also shut off the raw water seacock to the engine and leave a note at the helm reminding you that it's closed.

[stutting]

Heat gun is an awesome Idea! I use one in the world of tech to keep eyes on crypto miners temperatures. What do you the a heat gun reading on transmission areas should read? 160 like engines?
I think we're going to pull the transmission and a replace where she sits.
My SOG one one motor against the current at mm118 to the first lock would be about 4mph. I planned it to be 10hr runs with checks every hour or so and a cool down half way.

Tow isn't an option down there easily. I have US Boat, no towing service or independent towing. I can get Port Charles to come out I believe. A bit unnerving to have US Boat tell you to call 911 for assistance. I radio US coast guard south of Cape Girardeau. Since I was safely tied to a tree they would not tow me either. Thank the Lord for wonderful people on the Mississippi.

[km1125]

At some point you'll have to elaborate more on the details of your venture. I'm surprised there are not a LOT of towing options around, as it seems like they'd have plenty of options with all the barges around there up and down the Mississippi.

The critical temperatures for the transmissions would be over 200 degrees... say 225 or so. You shouldn't see anything near there though. The "official" Crusader temperature alarm is at 235 degrees, and that means SHUT DOWN NOW!!!

If you were below 190 I would feel comfortable. There are way too many variables to determine the expected temperature... the raw water temperature, the actual load on the gears, the lubricating properties of the actual fluid inside, and restrictions in the line (there is a debris screen in the circuit), and the condition of the trans fluid cooler. If it's still stock then the raw water flows first to the trans temp cooler, then the engine oil cooler then to the engine, so the trans cooler gets the coldest raw water.

Did you contact Carver directly? They would have MUCH better records than any of their dealers, and if you have your hull number they can provide a lot of info on how the boat was originally equipped. That said, there's some recent changes in their customer support due to the sale, so you might want to try there before it's too late.

[stutting]

What an adventure it was/is! I did the south bound trip from Mississippi mm503. So on the return trip I had a motor cut out and not want to start, I expected a fuel flow issue. I nursed the boat quickly to a river island and called us boat, I'm a member. I'm at mm39. About 10 miles from Cape Girardeau. They had no towing service in the area nor independent towing service. Informed me to call 911. I got the text the canceled my tow request. I radio on 16 for assistance. Coast guard verified I was safely tied to a tree. Called me on my cell. The person asked a supervisor what to do. The supervisor instructed me to find someone in Cape as there is a boating community there. I found parts I suspected I needed, switch to electric fuel pump (did this on port engine) and lined up a mechanic to meet me. I pushed on next day on one engine. Fast forward to after fuel pump about 3 hours in motor cut out again. Asked us boat for tow, call 911. Hmmm been here before, pushed on with one engine. Had to now go 30 miles. 18 miles short of destination no forward or reverse. Threw anchor, dove into fuel problem motor. Switched fuel lines from now bad transmission engine to bad fuel engine. Rested for the night. Woke up and primed fuel in filter and carbourarter, it started. Back to one motor and it made it to Chester il. During the second stall I radioed a lone tow and he kindly pushed me closer to a sand bar. Carver website pushed me to call my local dealer which is 300 miles away in Milwaukee. The person stated they called Carver and Carver has no records..

[km1125]

If the fuel system is still "factory", then I'd recommend a couple changes. The factory configuration has two independent feeds from each tank going to the two fuel selector switches. Then from each switch the line goes through the main engine fuel filter and then to the fuel pump. This allows each engine to run from either tank, which is great for balancing tank levels or in emergencies if one tank is contaminated you can switch both engines to the other tank. Switching to the other tank also switches that engine to a different anti-siphon valve, so if you have a stuck or faulty one it gets around that. However, if the fuel filter is clogged you have to change it, as it is the only one to each engine. If you install a different filter on each line coming from each tank before the fuel selector switches, then switching from one tank to the other would also put you on a "fresh" filter. I would either do that, or install two filters next to each other with a selector switch on the output. That way it's quick and easy to switch to the alternate filter and continue your voyage.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of doing the electric fuel pump conversion on those engines, but in a pinch you have to do what you have to do. Did you also install a oil pressure cut-off switch for the pump? (safety issue). The mechanical pumps are very reliable and the Sierra ones are not very expensive but the mechanical pumps have much better suction capability than the electric ones.

[km1125]

Just did some poking around on some sites to check on the towing situation down there. I'm surprised neither SeaTow or Boat/US doesn't have any options south of St Louis. Looks like a couple sites north of there though. I was poking around a couple Great Loop sites to see if they had any comments about towing resources but didn't run into anything yet.