Aluminum Chris Craft Roamer refit project

[NotaVegetarian]

Wow awesome Congratulations

[q240z]

Thanks!

I've been getting back into the groove with the refit. But I'm finding that in the time I was away from it, I forgot where I put a bunch of tools, parts, and supplies. I spent a half hour sifting through the boat three times, looking for a particular size of cable clamp. I found my stash of clamps, but there were only larger and smaller sizes, not the size I was looking for. It can be very frustrating since I KNOW I've got a bag of that size somewhere.

Anyway, I finally found the clamps and got busy installing my Magnum Energy 2000w inverter charger. That's one thing off the list that's a wrap.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Magnum Energy Inverter/Charger

Cheers,
Q

[Zimm]

Good on ya. I never saw the point of being a jerk as a boss. Always led to more trouble than you can get out of. Make sure you get all your missed pension credits and TSP contributions restored, not to mention back pay in full with all applicable increments. Go for legal fees as well.

Good luck.

[q240z]

That is absolutely the plan, Zimm. I posted an update to the page on my Roamer blog where I'm documenting my lawsuits and the ongoing negotiations.

Meanwhile, I'm back to wailing away on the Roamer refit, trying to get the boat ready to splash ASAP. Finishing the raw water system for the main engines is a high priority, and one of the things I needed to do was install thru-hulls for raw water tell-tales so I can confirm that the exhaust showerheads are getting good flow when the engines are running. I couldn't find exactly what I needed, so I made them instead using parts that were readily available: 3/4" mushroom thru-hulls in 316 stainless and 5/8" tubing to match what I welded to the showerhead. They turned out pretty good!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Making Raw Water Thru-hull Outlets

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I wrapped up the exhaust end of the main propulsion raw water system by making two pipes I used to connect the raw water outlet from the Cummins heat exchanger to the inlet on the exhaust riser showerhead. The problem was that the HEX outlet pointed directly at the riser and was only 3-1/2" away from it. When I made the risers, I figured I could either find a preformed hose that would route around the riser or I could take the HEXs to the radiator shop and have the outlets reoriented to point toward the showerheads. But I just decided it'd be best to use mandrel-bent stainless tubing and connect the pipes with short sections of 200-series no-wire marine exhaust hose and constant torque clamps.

I also connected the 5/8" raw water outlet at the top of the showerhead to the thru-hull I made recently. That'll divert excess water from having to go through the mufflers and it's nice to have tell-tales to confirm that raw water is flowing properly. All I'll have to do is take three steps from the helm and peek over the safety rail to see if water is squirting out of the thru-hull.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping up the Exhaust Showerhead Plumbing

Cheers,
Q

The problem


The solution

[q240z]

With this end of the raw water system for the mains done, I moved on to the fuel system.

The tanks are in and I roughed out some of the basic plumbing back in 2016, but getting the fuel system done is essential to splash the boat ASAP. While working on the fuel gauge senders, I discovered that rat bastard thieves had siphoned 180 gallons of diesel from one of my tanks. May they rot in hell. Oh, and I discovered that Sunpro sells Made in China junk...I'm sticking with NOS American-made gauges from now on.

Anyway, over the next little while I'll be bending a lot of stainless tubing, getting the aft tank connected to the forward tank, building a valved manifold to control which tanks feed which engine, connecting the mains and genset to the system, and wrapping up the tank connections.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Fuel System

Cheers,
Q

[jniolon]

Q
read your refit article and I got to say after building a '53 ford truck from ground up... there will always be
things you woulda , coulda, shoulda done differently...those things are for remembering on your next project !!!

and it made me think of this




john

[q240z]

HA! Ain't that the truth! lol

[q240z]

With the fuel gauge and senders working, I got to work on the fuel connections on the Cummins 6CTAs. They originally came with 1/2" 45° flare fittings on the supply side and 5/16" return lines. I swapped that out for 1/2" 37° AN fittings and 3/8 returns, and installed new Type A1 fuel hose as the flexible connection between the engines and the 1/2" and 3/8" stainless tubing I'll be using for supply and returns.

I realize that installing fuel hoses on the engines may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but this was a gas boat. It's never had diesel fuel lines. And once the fuel system is done, there's not a whole lot that needs to be done to get this boat floating.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: On-Engine Fuel Hoses

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

With the on-engine fuel connections and hoses done, next I assembled and installed the fuel supply distribution manifold. Under normal conditions, each engine will run on its respective tank (stbd-stbd, port-port, genset-fwd), but if I end up with bad fuel in a tank, the manifold will let me run the engines off of any of the three tanks on board.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fuel Supply Manifold

Cheers,
Q

[mrmikey]

Nice job. A few bucks worth of fitting as well but you only have to use it once and it's paid for itself.........Mike

[q240z]

A few bucks worth of fitting as well but you only have to use it once and it's paid for itself.........Mike

That was my thought, too. I had a diesel boat that got a slug of water in one tank that I topped off at a marina. The ability to isolate that tank, replace the filters, and get up and running again on the good tank was my inspiration for doing the manifold on this boat.

Q

[q240z]

I rehabbed the OEM engine room vent fan over several years and recently installed it. On a diesel boat the vent fan isn't necessary, as it is on gas boats, but the fan and hose were getting in my way so I decided to just install them. I upgraded the fan by making a nitrile-isolated hanger strap out of some 316 stainless I had laying around. I also repurposed one the of the hose clamps (also rubber-isolated) from the twin turbo and intercooled Super Seamaster gas engines that the boat was repowered with back in 1972. The clamp holds the strap to the motor, and the strap attaches to the cabinet framing overhead. So instead of having all that motor weight hanging off the plastic flange, like Chris Craft did (which broke), it's all nicely supported now. And the warning label on the repurposed clamp is a cool little Easter Egg: "MAINTAIN ALL 12 TURBO HOSE CLAMPS AT 6-8 FT. LBS. TORQUE. DO NOT OVERTORQUE."

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Engine Room Vent Fan

Cheers,
Q

Before


After

[q240z]

I got back on the fuel system next. I assembled the fuel filter assemblies, then attached them to the manifold. They turned out real nice. This is good progress toward splashing the boat, which I hope will happen before November.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fuel Filters

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

With the supply manifold and fuel filters done, next I bent a long stretch of 3/8" 304 stainless tubing to supply fuel from the manifold to the forward fuel tank. Rather than drilling more holes in the exterior and installing another fuel fill, I decided to just use tubing internal to the boat to fill the forward tank from fuel in the aft main tanks.

One question I still wonder about is how pros straighten coiled stainless tubing? Even the 3/8" tubing is impossible for me to straighten out like it was never coiled. I get it close, then use rubber-isolated p-clamps to hold the tubing in position and straightened out. If anybody has tips and tricks for straightening coiled tubing, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Forward Fuel Tank Supply Line

Cheers,
Q

[jniolon]

might be worth a look

https://www.kwixuk.com/

I try to buy what I need in straight lengths but if needed I just use a rubber mallet and a flat surface and bang it back straight
but it ain't cheap

john

[q240z]

Thanks! But that looks like a tool and investment only a pro would make. I think I'll stick with my approach, since once this project is done I don't see myself running much more tubing ever again.

Cheers,
Q

[mrmikey]

......since once this project is done I don't see myself running much more tubing ever again.

Whatever you have to tell yourself, that's what they all say :-) .............Mike

[q240z]

HA! That's very true!

The missus has been getting rid of all kinds of stuff, downsizing her she-shed, and she's been encouraging me to sell off tools I haven't used in five years or more. But you just know that if I got rid of something, a project would jump up outta nowhere requiring that tool I just sold...

The flip-side to that is if I don't sell the tool, it'll sit there unused until the estate sale. lol

[q240z]

In my quest to splash the boat before the end of boating season 2022, I'm wailing away on the fuel system for the main engines. I recently got the 304 stainless fuel return lines installed, connecting the bulkhead fittings to the on-engine hoses. Bending the tubing has given me great respect for the artisan skills of guys who do this for a living.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Bending & Installing Main Engine Fuel Return Tubing

Cheers,
Q

[duramax-rob]

very very nice work. i would also label the fuel lines valves just in case you cant and your wife has to. i have 2 boat lifts and after 20-25 times showing and having her do it she still had a hard time with it. labeled and wrote a reference diagram now she just refers to and has no problems. she is also somewhat mechanical minded.

[q240z]

That's a great suggestion. Thx! I'll add it to the honey-do list.

[duaneb55]

Great idea for sure. Had an elderly generator customer years ago who's late husband had included an instruction plaque for starting the NG powered stand-by generator, which house breakers to open for load management and switching over the manual transfer switch. She never had trouble with the monthly exercise run of the system.

[q240z]

I got the 1/2" 304 stainless fuel supply line bent and installed on the port side. The starboard side is a shorter run, with the on-engine hose connecting directly to the distribution manifold. I also bent the two supply lines that go from the bulkhead fittings to the fuel filter inlets.

It's coming together! It's entirely possible I'll be able to splash in late October!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Bending & Installing Stainless Fuel Supply Tubing

Cheers,
Q

[Tarmstrong]

Still waiting for the splash invitations…

Hope things go well on your quest…make sure all the damn plugs are in, valves closed and the screw (s) are lock nutted on…

Looking forward to seeing those pics…