I need some boat news in my life....

Just found the thread. Interesting but TLDR everything yet.

Do you have an electric elevator pump to prime it for starting?

I have one of these on a Detroit of mine - Airtex E8153 - came stock on a 2000 Dodge Cummins

I flip the switch to have it build pressure, then turn it off once it's started. It helps.

Sorry guys, it's been a while - life got a hold of me with the new job and everything. I don't have much to report - I did get down to the the boat a couple months ago just to check on it - 11hours driving in a day. Good news is that it was floating. Bad news is that I didn't have time to do anything meaningful. Should get down there in October with new battery cables and a new battery and see if that fixes my starter issues.

A year ago, folks know I separated employment with Coushatta and promised I would tell the story when I could - I still cannot, however, these articles have recently come out and might shed some light (pun intended, based on the name of the publication) on the environment currently going on at the tribe, as reported here. (And I will say that this matches what I would tell you as well).

https://lailluminator.com/2025/09/12/coushatta-credit-card/
https://lailluminator.com/2025/09/22/coushatta-casino/

Hi, it's me, did ya miss me?

So, I know it's been a while since I posted actual boat stuff; but, I got down to the boat this weekend! Finally was able to take a few days away from the casino, and was able to sneak out to do some work. Figured that even if I didn't get a lot done, I could relax at the boat, maybe get inca little fishing, and catch the game at Mickey's.

Well, relaxation did not happen. When I got to the boat late on Friday, I found the front bilge full of water. The cheap 'temp' bilge pump that i put in ro last a month tops, failed having to last 6 months. So, the next morning, I went to West Marine, got a new heavy duty marine bilge pump, marine wire, etc, and spent half the day wiring that in.

As I did that, I found some pieces of the floor that were a little rotted - the prior owner of the boat had made some lanky repairs with untreated wood. I spent the rest of Saturday rebuilding the floor of the boat, and installing proper access hatches (as opposed to poorly cut plywood) and really getting the floor patched up correctly. West Marine loved me this weekend.

After that I went to Mickey's to watch the game. After the first half, I went back to the boat to continue to work on the boat and watch the game on my IPad. After the outcome, I'm pretty sure, I won't watch another Aggie game at Mickey's again. Ha! I started working on diagnosing why the starters wouldn't work the last time I was down at the boat. I located 'a' problem - i decided to cut into the jacket of the battery ground cable, as a bad cable can cause the starter to not have enough power to engage. The cable was corroded almost the entire way through. I also monetized that my voltage meter on the boat was reading nothing - not even zero, so I tested all 4 batteries - ALL were dead. I hooked them up to a charger, took off the bad ground (turns out both were corroded - i didnt find thatcout until Sunday night, but the positive cables were good), and called it a night. The battery tender was also throwing an error code, but I would deal with that the next day.

Sunday, I went to Discount auto and had a new ground cable made - those guys are awesome, if you need something down there. I only had one made, as I didnt realize the other was also bad yet. Went back to the boat, hooked everything up, and tried to start the engine. The starter still wouldn't engage. It would spin, but not engage. I decided to take it off, and about 45 minutes later finally got it off.

I was examining it, and fiddling withcthe bendix gear (the gear that has to engage the flywheel, and that wasn't engaging, when I realized that the gear was rotating the opposite way it should. Apparently, I, in my infinite wisdom, had putcthe wrong starters on each engine. I swapped the starters (3-4 hours, because it took a while to get the gear housing in the right orientation for each. I then found thay other bad ground, and removed it.

At 8am, I brought the other ground in, and had a new one made. Went back to the boat - overnight, the batteries had drained again. I hooked up the chargers, and cleaned up all my tools, packed up the truck, and decided to try the starboard engine one more time (the port engine has an ignition switch issue, so I cant easily start it). When I turned the keys, the starboard engine actually turned over! It was only for about a second, and completely drained the battery, but I finally got a sign of life.

I ended up unhooking all the batteries and have them in my truck for testing, but I am positive they are bad. That begs the question - why would 4 batteries, all hooked up to a tender, all go bad at the same time? They are 3 years old, so it may just be a coincidence, but I find it weird. I may never know.

So, after what started as a fairly bad trip, ended up with a huge amount of progress. Hope to get back down over Thanksgiving weekend with some new batteries and some hope. And the Ags beat the hell outta the Tigers. I had many coworkers texting me, thanking us for our role in Brian Kelly's demise.

Also, I found out that my new nextdoor slip neighbor also has a Post (a 46), and is a diesel mechanic. I haven't met him, just his parents, but have his contact info. That might make things a little easier. I'll label the pi cc tires tomorrow when I can get to a PC.

All in all, a really good weekend, and it was great to get back to the boat.

The port side starter that I originally had installed on the starboard engine. This picture is looking at the bendix gear in it's at rest position. It should spin and shoot out, but instead, being a DC motor and wired wrong was spinning the wrong way and not extending. Problem now seems fixed.



A starter installed on the engine. So little space to make it fit in. Arms are bruised from these this weekend - easily at least 50lbs a piece to wrestle with.



The first of 4 hatch accesses installed this weekend.



The bilge drained of water. It was DISGUSTING. hopefully I do not have this issue again.



I'd say this ground cable was just a touch corroded. 'Crunchy' as all get out.



The new neighbor's post - Not sure what year, but likely about a decade newer than mine.

I'm back, and with a little better news this time around!

I actually went back to the boat on Thanksgiving after getting off of work. The goal was to try and get both starters to engage, as the starboard had last trip, and I actually heard it turn over for a half second before the bad batteries completely died on me. I ordered some batteries ahead from batteries plus in Corpus, so I was prepared in that respect.

Got in late Thursday night, and set up a TV that I got in an early Black Friday sale - that way I could be productive, even while watching the Aggies. I'm hoping I wasn't the bad luck. set up an OTA antenna so that I could access several channels.

Friday morning, I got the batteries, brought them back, installed them, and when I turned the battery switch to on, the starter immediately started, without turning the key. Turned the switch off, examined the starter and realized the starter connector on the starter was able to be wiggled around. Pulled the starter, opened up the solenoid, and found that particular pin had become unseated. Set it back in place, closed it up, reinstalled it, and it performed like it should, engaged, but unfortunately, the engine was seized. Now, I am questioning if it actually turned over last trip, or just engaged.

Did some reading, figured it was likely just a touch of corrosion causing the seizing since it had worked before I started working on it, and got a 3/4 in breaker bar with socket, attached it to the pulley bolt, jumped up and down on it, and got the engine free. AND FINALLY GOT TO HEAR THE ENGINE IN PERSON!

Ok, so one down, one to go. The Port engine ignition was not working, so I started hunting that problem down (while watching A&M). Found a short, finally, and fixed it, while screaming at the TV. Once I did that, I decided I was done for the day. The next day, I installed the starter, and when I turned the key, it would spin, but not engage. Ok, I've been down this road before - Changed out battery cables, checked connections, checked the starter to make sure it was the proper orientation - nothing worked. All day I worked on it, and couldn't get it to work. I literally have ALL brand new cables and batteries, brand new starter, and still it wouldn't engage.

The next morning, I was packing up the truck, and a mechanic is coming by to work on the Viking 2 slips down. We get to chatting, he asks me what is wrong, and in the course of talking, I figure out that he is the mechanic that rebuilt the engines in my boat! And, according to him, they likely have less than 50 hours on them since the rebuild. He told me that the next time I come down, to give him a call, and he will help me with the starter - he is glad someone is putting the boat back together.

I was also able to add several LED lights in the closets and engine room, verified that my bilge pump fix from last trip was working (it was, and very well) and other various odds and ends around the boat. I also had to install a new battery maintainer for the house battery, as the old one had crapped out.

Long story short, one engine is working, one should be in January, and my new goal is to get it to Lake Charles by end of March (assuming my transmission repair was done correctly). I'll add pictures in a little bit, but right now I have to get back to work. Best trip yet!


Ok, added pictures:

One of the cables I had to replace - all nice and corroded



The splice block for the battery cable that had to be replaced



A 79 cent part that I had to drive 50 minutes round trip to Corpus Christi to get. Just found that a little amusing.



The connections on the starter/starter solenoid. I hadn't changed out all the cables to brand new at this point.



Nice brand new battery cables and nice brand new batteries.



I forgot to mention this. One of the times that I opened the door, the door panel just fell right out. Turns out, it was only held together by silicone. I mad a temp fix on this, but will be rebuilding the whole door, as when I looked really closely at it, it is horribly put together.