Ranger 375v Restoration

[TOXIC]

There is usually an art to filling.  Every boat is different.  Some can take the nozzle straight in and full blast.  Others need the fill nozzle upside down and a lot won't take full blast withought belching fuel.  When I fill, it's upside down and about 1/2 speed.  I keep my ear close to the nozzle because as it gets close to full, it will gurgle to tell me it's getting ready to spew like a baby eating peas.  I always try to fill at high traffic stations (manuvering can be a problem) because marina gas is usually a lot more expensive.  When we go to Michigan and are on the island with no stations, I use this:

 

 

[Further North]

On 3/28/2018 at 3:40 PM, th365thli said:

I have a reciprocating saw but i'm not comfortable using it to make straight cuts. 

On 3/28/2018 at 2:26 PM, WRB said:

That's a good call.

[th365thli]

UPDATE #6

 

Well boys, it's finally time. I finished all the critical areas. All these were done over the course of past couple days. 

 

 

Cleaned the compartments the best I could. 

 

 

 

 

Put in a new minn kota 3 bank charger (10 amps per bank)

 

 

 

Put in new locking latches for the bilge and the two compartments. Also gas struts. It felt good being able to put my tackle and other doo-dads in there. When I had the kayak I had to load and unload constantly. 

 

The back area is done. Yeah it's messy, the bilge compartment I screwed up, it's not completely flat. I got some careless glue spots and rough edges. But whatever, it's carpeted. I've been busting butt over the past two weeks on this boat and I'm okay with it not being perfect or spotless. 

 

 

 

The area between the two seats I purposely left especially rough. Those two seats are pretty beat, but I'm budgeted out and don't want to drop another $400 on bench seats. I'm going to ride these seats out as long as I can before I get new seats. 

 

Have not carpeted the middle deck yet. I'm all carpeted out lol. But I did vacuum and install my Garmin 73sv

 

 

 

Finally, the best part. The area where I'll be fishing off of. Carpeting flat deck is so much easier than carpeting compartments. Hinges are such a PITA. I used builder paper and a sharpie to make a template of the front area. Then it's as simple as tracing the template on the carpet, cutting, and gluing. I also completely finished installing the Ultrex. Screwed the pedal down, and found a spot for the heading sensor.  I'm sorry iabass8, no recessed tray this time, but this boat isn't done and I've got big plans down the line. 

 

 

 

 

Some other things/notes:

 

Put marintex on screw holes

 

Installed transducer on a stern saver. Love these things, hope they hold up. 

 

The Garmin power cable was too short to reach the battery. I used the power to the cigarette lighter. I don't smoke, so the power is being better used. Freaked out a little when my fish finder didn't turn on. No worries, just blew a fuse. Fish finders use more amps than lighting cigarettes lol. Switched to a 30amp fuse per Garmin spec. 

 

I will never own a boat without gas struts. For the price, ease of install, and convenience, they are a no-brainer. 

 

Filled her up. 10 gallons each side. Hey, turns out the port fuel gauge was working after all. I just screwed the leads back on the gas tank. I had the screws this whole time, which maybe explains why the mechanic couldn't get a read. Fueling was interesting. Definitely gotta ease up on the flow and find the right angle. 

 

Actually, speaking of gauges and wiring, nearly everything still works. I'm very very impressed. Even the light on the bow panel (where you plug the trolling motor in) works. I re-purposed the light's switch for the Ultrex heading sensor (the sensor doesn't have a power off, weird choice minn kota). But yeah, every place where I checked for voltage, I got a healthy reading. Very impressed with this Ranger build quality (knock on wood). I can't believe the wiring survived with the boat in the state I got it. I swear if the speedo works....

 

The big day is tmrw (Saturday). I fired up the motor for a final check, looks good. I probably need to put more gear oil in. I put an entire quart in with some spillage, so maybe 25 ounces or slightly above? Nothing came out of the vent hole. I'm not going to be running her hard tmrw, just making sure everything works. It's a small reservoir. But before I take it out on the delta I want to be extra sure........I will say, I hate this step, it's so messy, filling the lower unit from the bottom. 

*Edit* just read the manual and says capacity is 33 ounces. So I'm a little under. I feel like for a short run tmrw this shouldn't be an issue. Someone please correct me if I'm completely off

 

The screw for the trim anode is missing. Gotta order it. One trip without it should be fine. 

 

 

[Tim Kelly]

Well done. I would double check on that fuse for the Garmin. 3amp would be more usual. 30 amps is a lot of draw! Hope the first launch goes well and you get to slime the boat.

[slonezp]

You picked that carpet color on purpose?   Looks like it's coming along well

[iabass8]

30a seems crazy for a garmin but then again I've never used them. I have 3 Lowrances on mine and they all have as 3-5a fuse. My Ultrex uses a 60a breaker. If you have power issues with your Garmin, do yourself a favor and extend the power cord /w 10-12a marine grade wire back to the starter battery and put the required fuse on the + wire of the unit right at the battery. I use all my electronics be it from the bow or the console on their own wiring straight back to the battery and fuse them there. That or use a dedicated blueseas fuse box for your electronics down the road. 

 

LU fill is generally 33oz which is annoying because most bottles come as 32oz. Completely drain yours and fill it up /w fresh oil. Don't mix and match. 

 

20g fuel capacity sounds low. I'm thinking you should have 24-28. 

 

My heading sensor for my Ultrex is behind me on the back deck. It's almost useless for me. I can count on 1 hand how many time's I've used the remote. I always use the foot pedal. 

 

Your seats actually look pretty good for how old they are. Good thing they are the same color as duct tape. Seats are indeed expensive. Only change them when you change out the carpet which will hopefully be next year.

 

Your boat looks to be coming along great....except for that carpet. Good god that is awful. BUT...if she floats and runs that's all that matters at the end of the day. 

[th365thli]

The only thing I can say is I hope I got all the mistakes out today. Because I made a huge one.

 

Remember when everyone and their grandma was telling me to not forget the drain plug? Will I forgot to plug it up. I knew something was wrong when the aft was sitting really low. I frantically turned on the bilge pump and I brought it up. Crisis solved right?

 

That's what I thought. But turns out water got into the starboard gas tank. (it must have come in from the vent hole on the side).  I knew something was screwed when I tried starting the motor and it sputtered. So I switched to the port tank. Same thing but eventually it got some fuel in. Crisis solved right?

 

Well I guess some water got into the port tank too because the engine started sputtering. I managed to make it to the dock and head home. 

 

So I need to drain the fuel tanks and dump the water separator filter. I hope I didn't do any lasting damage to the engine but my mechanic said I should be okay. I definitely need to get the water out asap.

 

Is there anything else I should do? Will seafoam help flush the remaining water in the engine? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[iabass8]

Ha you must have really left that thing in the water if it got to the vents. As long as you didn’t run it for more than a few minutes, you’re probably fine. You can disconnect the fuel line and just pump the bulb or do it through the intake. Water will be on the bottom. Shops will do it for you quicker than you can unless you have a battery powered pump.

 

 

Drain the tanks, dry them, change the separator and fuel filter, fill with fresh gas and put a full can if seafoam in each tank and mix in some startron in each tank too and go run it easy for a 1/4 tank on each tank.

 

make sure you jack that boat up as high as it goes when you get home. Theres more water stuck in there than you think. 

 

Leaving the plug out is a right of passage. 

[th365thli]

I definitely ran if for more than a few minutes. What happened was the port side was running well until it didn’t. I had to get back to the ramp so I idled all the way back. If I tried to open it up it started backfiring and making undesirable noises.

 

mechanic pretty much told me the same, run clean fuel through it with some additives for a little bit to flush out the water. I also found this thing called mechanic in a bottle that claims to help get rid of water.

[Hez]

[frosty]

8 hours ago, iabass8 said:

Leaving the plug out is a right of passage. 

First time me and dad put the boat in when I was a kid, dad why is there water up here???

[WRB]

Your new bilge pump should have started automatically when a few inches of water enter the bilge! Better revisit the installation procedure.

Tom

[th365thli]

Well I drained out all the gas. They say you only have to drain the bottom where the water sits, but I drained everything out to be safe. What a waste of gas, 20 gallons and ~70-80 bucks down the drain (not literally, I have an appointment with San Jose Hazardous Waste Disposal). 

 

I refilled and put some mechanic in a bottle inside. I idled for a bit, then put some seafoam in, and idled again. Finally, I put some startron in. In the end the engine started up robustly and the backfires stopped. 

 

I might take it out again tmrw and see if it's problem free. One of my biggest flaws is lack of patience. When an issue takes my mind I hate waiting. 

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Hopefully I'll have a much better update next time. 

 

I started having an issue with spotlock on the water. The motor would turn all the way and then spotlock would shutoff. Anyone have this issue? 

[Hez]

On 4/2/2018 at 12:26 AM, th365thli said:

One of my biggest flaws is lack of patience. When an issue takes my mind I hate waiting. 

Mine too...

I always say I am proactive to a fault at times....better than being lazy, I suppose.

 

Enjoying your restoration bud...I have a 374v, so if you have any questions I might be able to help you out...unless it is related to your passenger console...I don't have one of those.  

[th365thli]

14 hours ago, Hez said:

Mine too...

I always say I am proactive to a fault at times....better than being lazy, I suppose.

 

Enjoying your restoration bud...I have a 374v, so if you have any questions I might be able to help you out...unless it is related to your passenger console...I don't have one of those.  

Thank you!

The bulk of it's done. There was one last expensive issue and it was a spun prop. I've got some carpeting I've been putting off but it's more than fishable. Very impressed with it. Already "broke it in".

 

The next thing on the list is extending the casting deck. Have you done it for your 373? People online have done it, been trying to research how they do it. 

 

Also, people have drilled holes at the front of the rod lockers for modern rods. Right now they only fit 6 foot rods. I think i'll do that when I recess my foot pedal. 

Been putting these things off. Gotta get the fishing in!

 

 

[Hez]

I do have a deck extension.  It was already installed on my boat when I got it.  It extends all of the way back to the drivers console.  I could not imagine not having it. 

 

I have not drilled holes in my rod locker.  I put my rods longer than 7' on the deck and leave them there.  But...I don't have a passenger console so they just barely fit.  

[TheRodFather]

As far as drilling the holes for the longer rods, my plan was to drill the holes and install those tubes that you see in golf bags, that way the guides are not getting beat up on the way in and out.  They are black plastic, maybe 1 1/4in diameter, and have a rolled lip on them so they would sit flush with the surface you drilled the hole in.

 

 

[frosty]

1 hour ago, TheRodFather said:

As far as drilling the holes for the longer rods, my plan was to drill the holes and install those tubes that you see in golf bags, that way the guides are not getting beat up on the way in and out.  They are black plastic, maybe 1 1/4in diameter, and have a rolled lip on them so they would sit flush with the surface you drilled the hole in.

 

 

PVC pipe and a 1/8” round over bit in a router... on second thought that might be a little dangerous... 

[th365thli]

Or I can just keep them in the rod sleeves, people say that works.

 

I'll have to look into the golf tube thing. 

[TheRodFather]

Last year I made a rod carrier out of PVC and some wood, the concept was functional but I never really ended up using it.  Picture a golf bag with those retractable legs so you can set it down without laying it down.  The idea was to make a carrier that could transport 3 or 4 rods in an orderly fashion for walking the bank.

 

https://www.cabelas.com/product/ROD-RUNNER/2194874.uts?productVariantId=4500688&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04365222&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqsHWBRDsARIsALPWMEMoCZvcWvegK10T_s2MkyLNLcoktTnngPigu2twkC3uCKE2PWfDQSwaAgOHEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Anywho, to get the chamfer on the pipe, I glued them flush with the top board, then the router had a flat surface to reference when shaping the inside of the pipe.  

 

[webertime]

I have a 374v.  Definitely put a recessed TM tray in then you can easily access the foam you need to dig out in order to extend your rod locker. 

Once that is dug out, go in rod locker, remove the carpet at the front of the bulkhead.

Use a drill bit that you use to drive a hole for a doorknob with and drill one hole on the upper right corner of the bulkhead. 

Use a hacksaw blade with a clothe around the blade as a handle to expand that hole as needed and not accidentally hurt the hull or anything.

 

[th365thli]

14 hours ago, webertime said:

I have a 374v.  Definitely put a recessed TM tray in then you can easily access the foam you need to dig out in order to extend your rod locker. 

Once that is dug out, go in rod locker, remove the carpet at the front of the bulkhead.

Use a drill bit that you use to drive a hole for a doorknob with and drill one hole on the upper right corner of the bulkhead. 

Use a hacksaw blade with a clothe around the blade as a handle to expand that hole as needed and not accidentally hurt the hull or anything.

 

This doesn’t sound too bad! Would it be too much trouble for a picture of the holes in the rod locker?

[Redlinerobert]

Wow.  Great job! 

[th365thli]

Well it's been a little while. I believe the last step I did was re-carpeting the boat. Since then I've fished several times.

 

 

I mean, I'm not some bass boat expert but the boat rides very well. People have told me the 300 series have stable hulls and I believe them. This helps in dealing with the ******* wakeboarders and jet skiers on my lake. I've also been on the Delta a few times and it's rock solid. 

 

Theoretically, the motor can push this boat to around 55 mph depending on weight at WOT (5500-5800rpm). To be quite honest with you I've maybe opened it all the way once, and that was to test the motor. I simply just don't need or want to go that fast, and I usually cruise around 30-35mph. 

 

 

Livewell works great. The timer still works too, to my pleasant surprise. d**n this boat has held up. I haven't found the need for recirculate. I just hit auto, let the livewell periodically fill and overflow. I suspect recirculate is for those tourney guys that are on plane for 30 minutes or more. 

 

I had a spun prop that I re-proped to a lower pitch. I don't really care about the top speed and I do believe hole shot is quicker. 

 

Building an extended casting deck. Right now applying spar urethane for water resistance. Got some hinges. Just need to get some latches. 

 

 

Ordered a recessed foot pedal tray. When installing that I'm going to be drilling holes for the rod locker. This makes me nervous as hell, drilling 2 inch holes in the boat. I took a screenshot of the area that needs to be drilled.

 

The project is almost done. Boats man. I've stopped updating my cost spreadsheet. I can throw money at this thing my entire life. However, I do believe the spreadsheet is still valuable because I've always said, it was to document cost to get it "fishable". 

 

Extended casting deck. Recessed tray. Extend rod lockers. Finish line. 

 

Just some random thoughts, coming from a kayak to a boat. The freedom it allows me is insane. I sort of equate it to getting your drivers license and/or your first car. I just feel...unbound. It would take me 15 minutes to paddle from one end of the reservoir to the other. I can traverse that in an absurd fraction of that time now. Planning my fishing "route" isn't a thing anymore. I can jump spots until I run out of gas. I remember fishing the Delta, I was restricted to a small radius, not anymore. I ran from Discovery bay, to Frank's Tract, to the Mildred Island area one day. I mean, I burned so much gas and money, but the point still stands. 

 

This isn't a total pro though. I've realized that I was turning into an impatient angler. If I didn't catch a fish within an x amount of time, I would jump spots. On a kayak I didn't do that because it's impossible. I would really really break down spots. I used to think kayakers claiming they caught more fish on a kayak were exaggerating, but I can really see it now. If you're not disciplined you can spend all day running and not fishing. I think kayak fishing and bass boats teach you different disciplines. 

 

Nothing beats fishing off a trolling motor. Not having to constantly pedal/paddle against wind is just so....nice. Course corrections with my foot while casting is just intuitive. The Ultrex is a game changer, spot lock is just so useful. That being said, there is value in catching a fish on a kayak, where you're right at the water. It's more intimate, I understand that. Do I regret selling my kayaks and getting the boat? Well of course not, but kayaking still has a lot of value. 

[th365thli]

Casting deck finished. Recessed tray finished. Removed oxidation and polished. Can't get the original color shine because of sun damage, but I got close.

 

 

It's not perfect. But it works.

 

 

 

 

Next:

Extend rod lockers. Got a hole saw bit stuck in there when trying to do it. Need to get it out. Add some latches. Replace rub rail rope. Get a bow fish finder. Seastar steering seal leaks, need to fix that. Capped off drain and overflow in front livewell, but water still gets in there. It must be coming from the inflow pump. Need to cap it off. 

 

And on it goes. Love the boat.