MacGregorSailors.com

Sounds like the plan is coming together! Great news!

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

As far as the prop that’s an “Idontknow” at this point.
We’ll be trying out the one recommended by the installer and we assume Suzuki.
When we go out to test it we’ll but looking at getting to the max operational RPM without over reving with empty and full ballast conditions.
We will also looking at what RPMs are needed for a hull cruise speed of about 6 to 8 knots to make sure we aren’t under reving or “lugging” the engine as this speed would sort of be optimal for distance economy cruising.

Any suggestions?
Are we looking for the right things?
It’s our first time at selecting a prop and relevant suggestions are always appreciated.

Best Regards
Over Easy

You are probably going to have to decide which is most important to you (top end or efficient hull speed cruising). You might get lucky and find "One (prop) to rule them all". If you do, buy a lottery ticket ASAP! There's nothing wrong with putting on a high speed prop when you are playing and a cruising prop when you are running the canals (like RIS). Horses for courses....

Congratulations on the new engine.

Hi All!

Well we FINALLY have our new engine installed! !YIPPIE!

I think the Admiral’s expression ( & 1st Mate’s ) shows her approval!


Yes NiceAft it is SO MUCH QUIETER !!! At start-up and idle we had to turn around and check if it was actually running!
Sooo nice to finally have an engine that we can talk to one another without raising our voices (or thinking about whether we should be using ear plugs ).

An idle speed that’s actually an idle (instead of a slow gallop) makes getting in/out of a slip sooo much nicer!
Changing into & out-of gear is smooth and gentle without the suddenness we’ve previously experienced!
No hesitation or stalling or noise or smoke at all!
This long awaited moment has been worth it!

Our installer did a great job.
Nice people and capable too!
We were able to get an overnight slip at their marina so we could spend part of the first day and the next out and about on the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee!!! We were able to complete the first 7+ hours of engine break-in time. First day out we had great time! While a bit delayed due to a flat battery set a jump-start pack easily took care of that aspect. (We can only assume that maybe the master selector switch might have been inadvertently left on at some point as both batteries are relatively new and had been previously fully charged.) No matter, easily fixed. We got to motor about half the length of the lake our first time out & back. Even got to out run a sudden storm (at 6 knots) to add a bit of thrill to the first outing.

While out puttering about we got to see the Mt Washington sedately cruise by on its route around the lake as a bonus.

We were able to accumulate about 5+ hours of operational time that day.

The only glitch we found was that the Hobbs Meter while lit wasn’t accumulating time.
The next morning the installer jumped right on it and fixed it without any fuss. (It turned out to be a simple missed wire connection.)

Our second day was getting a helpful tutorial about the care and feeding of our new addition ( ) getting an oil change kit & settling accounts. Then we went back out onto the lake for several more hours to continue our engine break-in process.
In total we were able to accrue about 7+ hours of operational time. Per Suzuki recommendations we plan on about another 3+ hours of operational time to complete the initial break-in period. After that we plan on incrementally increasing incremental amounts of time at higher power settings until we reach 20+ hours and higher. We want our new engine to last a long time so making sure it has a good break-in process is to our benefit.

You were right Be Free, we just might need two props.
Currently the 3-blade 9 inch pitch prop limits or peak RPMs to about 5400 RPM (Peak Suzuki recommendation is between 5500 & 6000 for our engine). Conversing with the Suzuki Factory Representative recommended that we get an adjusted 9 inch prop to increase peak RPM upward by about 400 RPM for better cruising operations. Our installer has taken care of this for us (as this is something to be done at a specialist shop down in the Boston area) and will install it for us when we come back for the initial 20 hour oil change ( the next regular recommended oil change interval is every 100 hours ).

So far, WITH A FULL BALLAST TANK, we’re seeing 6 knots at 3000 RPM and 8 knots at 4000 RPM with a peak speed of 13 knots at 5400 RPM.
This is very much in-line with our expectations and anticipations. With the reduced pitch prop it’s anticipated that we should see 3300-3500 RPM yielding 6 knots which better aligns with the power curve for the engine to give us a more optimal long distance cruise performance without lugging the engine (as this is our hull speed and where we anticipate spending most of our time cruising at).

With that there is also the cautionary aspect that the above is with full ballast. If we were to operate without the water ballast regularly we would be prudent to go back to a 9 inch pitch prop (or larger) to prevent over reving and increase top speed characteristics. For the current time though our primary interest is more toward the optimal cruising aspect.

So far we are very happy with our choice of new engine!!!

Now we just have to get out and into the water here in NH before heading to VT and Lake Champlain in September.

Best Regards to All
Over Easy

Sounds great! How nice to be repowered and reliable! Congratulations!

Congrats!!! Looks like you will enjoy the new powertrain.

It's always nice to read success stories. Congratulations

Hi All!

A bit of an update on the mods for Over Easy!
While our cruising plans for the summer have been disrupted to some extent we haven’t been idle.

NEW ENGINE
The new Suzuki DF60AV engine installation has been GREAT,
We’ve completed our first 20 hour break-in and just got our first oil change completed with ZERO issues.
We noticed that we were not getting to full rated RPMs with a 9 pitch prop which is the lowest stock prop that fits our engine.
We asked our dealer to have a 9 modified by a respected prop shop to bring up the RPMs by about 500 RPM.
At the oil change we swapped the prop and tested it on the water ….. the results were a bit disappointing in that the automatic engine rev limited kicked in with a little bit more throttle range still available … by rough estimates the modified prop seems to be equivalent to a 7 pitch …. after some considerations we decided to go back to the 9 pitch stock prop and the 7 pitch is a spare prop should it ever be necessary on our future journeys…. it was something we had been considering as part of our preparations anyway.
The 9 pitch gets us to 5500 rpm and 15 knots with empty ballast and 14 knots with full ballast.
Both conditions allow us to get up on plane at full throttle.
The perspective view with empty ballast requires standing at the helm to get a clear view over the bow.
The perspective view with full ballast allows one to sit at the helm to get a clear view over the bow.
I’m sure that our internal balancing could easily bring the bow down as I know that we are currently loaded slightly aft.


EXTENDED HEIGHT BIMINI
We Extended our Bimini height to allow a 6’1” adult to stand upright and move about without having to duck or crouch
This is something that we have really been enjoying
We did this by making a pair of extensions to the side tubes and sleeping the joints.
We posted this in the MODS section earlier.





ENGINE WELL DRAIN SCREEN
We made a nice debris screen for the engine well drain to keep the crud and acorns from wandering down and jamming the drain line.
Our drain line has a pair of right angle fittings (I assume are factory original) that LOVE to collect things and plug up.
Down South we have Live Oaks with small marble sized acorns that drop into the well which roll nicely into an unprotected drain clogging it up rather nicely (along with long needle pine straw that makes a mat on top) .
We took a sheet metal SST sink drain screen and modified it with a bend and a weighted pilot bolt that keeps it in place.
The drain screen ‘basket’ is pointed up to ensure that water will still go down the drain even with some debris present.
We have previously added this to the MODS section.
This MOD has put an end to that pesky problem of a clogged and jammed drain.







VAN FULL DIAMETER SPARE TIRE CARRIER
When we purchased our Caravan back in 2017 we insisted on getting a full diameter spare tire to go along with it.
The van came standard with a fancy air pump and an integral can of fix-a-flat but we weren’t impressed.
The next option was a small diameter spare tire that would fit into the central under deck recess area which would require lowering down, uncoupling it from underneath the van and sliding it out. Now if a tire was flat this would ne nigh to impossible without first getting the van up on a Jack….. I for one am never ever going to go under ANY VEHICLE while it is solely supported on ANY CAR JACK!!! As a former Ambulance Medic I’ve personally seen the horrific consequences of a vehicle slipping off a Jack !! .
The other aspect of the small diameter spare is as the Caravan is front wheel drive one would also make sure that under normal (non-towing) conditions one needs to put the small diameter spare on one of the rear positions to avoid damaging the front wheel drive system. This is NOT a viable option when towing as the small diameter spare is in no way rated to carry that kind of load.
So that brings us to why we chose to insist on the full diameter spare even though it rides inside when we travel, especially when towing.
We decided to take advantage of the unused space of our boat trailer winch post and mounted a spare tire carrier on it! This allows us to open up interior space in the van while still keeping our full diameter spare with us and readily safely accessible when traveling cross country with Over Easy.
We’ve yet to post this in the MODS section but will shortly.
Well worth the effort!



IMPROVED UNDER PEDESTAL DECK FEED THROUGHS
In preparation for the new engine controls and instrumentation we decided to make some improvements to the deck feed throughs under the pedestal.
The small feed thorough tube forward was pretty much flush with the top deck surface and didn’t protrude through the aft berth ceiling. It also wasn’t very well sealed to the top deck and wasn’t sealed at all to the aft berth ceiling. This had allowed water from the cockpit deck to occasional migrate into the tube and into the space between the cockpit top deck and the aft berth ceiling.
The larger aft feed through was only slightly better in protrusion above the deck. It appeared that at some time in the past silicone sealant had been applied but it never actually bonded to the deck surface as it half peeled away. There was no protrusion through the aft berth ceiling or sealant. So again water had occasionally migrated into the aft berth and the interspace.
After removing what was of any prior sealant and throughly cleaning and scuffing the surfaces new ShEdule 40 PVC pipe feed through tubes were installed. I chose to use a splice collar as a top side penetration stop to help stabilize the feed throughs. The interface areas top and bottom were throughly wetted with 5200 and allowed to set for 72 hours in warm weather (80 +F) before any further handling to help ensure they sealed top and bottom. I then added extensions of about 4+ inches to ensure there would be little possibility of water being able to get into them to the aft berth or interspace.
This should help get rid of the pesky occasional wetness observed in the aft berth and the interspace that appears to migrate into the aft bowl interspace region that a prior owner attempted to address at sometime in the past.
Sorry but at the moment all I have is an in-process picture to share.



IMPROVED HELM WHEEL CLEARANCE TO HELM SEAT

While preparing for the new engine controls and instruments on the pedestal we decided to reverse the steering box mounting bracket.
This has been a bit of a problem aspect for us as it crowded the helm seat and caused knees to jam under the helm wheel when seated. It was also somewhat uncomfortable when standing at the helm.
Getting it flipped around was its own challenge as I ended up having to fabricate my own wheel puller to get the wheel separated from the steering shaft. Then there was the awkward bit of nuts & bolts in tight confined spaces which may have resulted in a few “select” words being uttered under my breath.
We fabricated a new cover plate to address the old messy cut out and used the mounting bracket bolts and 5200 to secure it in place
MUCH MUCH NICER AND WORTH THE EFFORTS





PEDESTAL SIDE COVER MOUNT SCREW IMPROVEMENT

The rubber Wellnuts that we installed previously didn’t work out so well…or as anticipated.
The original pedestal holes that the panel screws went into had become stripped over time.
We then had drilled out the pedestal holes to accept rubber bodied brass threaded Wellnuts snuggly and we applied some 5200 to bond them in place. Well when we went to remove the screws to access the interior of the pedestal in preparation for the new engine controls and instrumentation they wouldn’t allow the screws to come out! That was a bad thing as I couldn’t access the interior of the pedestal at all!
Eventually I was able to carefully and incrementally and gently pry the covers off the pedestal. Whew! That was a close one.
Turns out the brass threads of the Wellnuts bound up to the SST machine screws.
So that didn’t work… time for another approach.
I added blocks of PVC board at each location inside the pedestal and secured them with two SST CS screws and 5200.
This allows the panel screws to fully engage in a good long lasting in-depth surface.
Well worth the effort!







NEW ENGINE CONTROLS AND INSTRUMENTATION

As part of getting our new engine we also go new instrumentation and controls to go with it.
While we had the engine dealer do the installation for warranty purposes we did make the layout and component selection.
We chose to us a low profile side mount throttle and shift lever with integral trim switch that has the bulky control box inside the pedestal. This make maneuvering around the tight confines of the cockpit/pedestal significantly easier than the old side bolted box we had before
We had the Tachometer and engine condition gauge mounted above the helm wheel which necessitated the fabrication of a 1-1/2 inch thick Starboard collar with a nice smooth radiused edge. It’s at a great location and angle to see while seated or standing at the helm
A significant improvement over the prior arrangement where the tach had been located below the helm (which would have been nice if one had eyes in one’s kneecaps ).
Below the helm wheel we had the Hobbs Meter and Trim Position Indicator installed.
The new Hobbs meter will help us keep track of engine operational time so we can plan our annual and preventative maintenance aspects appropriately.
The Trim Indicator is along side it to provide us with accurate ‘at a glance’ confirmation of engine position without turning around while underway.
Below these we had a cover plate made to mount the engine ignition and safety lanyard switch mounted.
This was the best easily accessed location (even though one does have to be aware of the location to avoid inadvertently bumping it and possibly turning the engine off.
All-in-All we really like how things turned out
Below is a photo of the control box showing the limited space within the pedestal.
(More photos to follow)



NEW & IMPROVED THROUGH THE HULL SONAR BOX

We took the opportunity to improve our through the hull sonar.
The original first attempt at one side limited some of the features of our transducer so we enlarged it and went to liquid saturated foam.
This should work out nicely.
Unfortunately our sonar transducer seems to have kicked the bucket!
We’re currently talking with the manufacturer to get a replacement unit in and test it.
Meanwhile we’ve mounted a smaller chartplotter/sonar unit for our still planned trip to Lake Champlain at the end of September and early October. To make this work expeditiously we chose to mount this smaller transducer to the ballast tank fill valve housing.
This has been tested on Lake Winnipesaukee and has worked well. This isn’t gonna be permanent though as I’m very concerned having it protrude below the hull and sticks out from the stern. When traveling we will be folding it up or removing it to avoid potential damage.







NEW INTERIOR CUSHIONS AND UPHOLSTERY INSTALLED

WE FINALLY installed our new 6” thick conformal foam pads!
We decided to leave the dinette table down to make things more comfortable while staying aboard and over nightingale in Over Easy.
We made a new simple bow berth extension to lengthen that berth as well. The prior one worked but wasn’t as sturdy as we’d like.
Three foam sections make up the dinette berth and two make up the bow berth.
We wrapped the individual foam sections and quilting inside plastic to keep any potential moisture from ever saturating the foam.
For our cover fabric we chose to use an alternative to Sunbrella called SOLARIUM ( available from JoAnn Fabrics) in a tropical themed pattern we find refreshing and contemporary (compared to the bland vintage original RV themed covers that were provided by the factory).
It works for us!
We chose to utilize a safety pinned “no-sew” approach for our covers and top quilting padding over the foam.
Under the new cushions we placed matching sections of Tochta 1/2” thick Air Gap Moisture Pads to ensure that they stay dry from any condensation that may accumulate. We will be adding hull side sections once additional material arrives (shortly ).
We have nice adjustable cockpit seat cushions that double as back rested seats when inside the cabin.
They also allow us to have an adjustable recliner (after a fashion) that I find fairly comfortable
We think this has worked ou VERY NICELY











NEW REMOTE CONTROL BOW SEARCH LIGHT INSTALLED ON ANCHOR LOCKER HATCH

While we like and use our Q-Beam hand held search light it is sometimes awkward to manage it and the helm at the same time at night.
Fortunately we’ve only had to do this only about a dozen times so far and in calm conditions… that may not always be the case though in the future…
So we shopped around for an affordable durable easily removable (who needs a searchlight in daylight cluttering up the deck space) and remotely controlled LED high intensity search light.
We looked at several on-line and decided upon this one with a removable base for about $100.
We positioned it so that the anchor locker hatch can be easily opened and closed with & without the searchlight in place.
We positioned it on the anchor locker hatch to get it as far forward to minimize any back scatter which interferes with one’s night vision.
To install the searchlight while underway one opens the forward hatch and then slides the searchlight into the self locking fixed base.
The remote control allows us to sweep the area ahead via a wireless fob that can be secured to the pedestal or lifejacket as desired.
The unit simply plugs into a standard 12 VDC socket.
It works nicely and is easy to use.
A nice MOD that we we be adding to the MOD section shortly.















We just wanted to share some of what we’ve been up to the past couple of weeks.
We’ve also been out and about on Lake Winnipesaukee several times since getting our new engine enjoying the beautiful lake and surrounding scenery.

Next we are still planning on getting over to Lake Champlain for the last week of September and first two weeks of October.

Best Regards to All
Over Easy

You have been very busy!!!

Nice work as usual. I'm very curious how that transducer box works. I just sank mine in some putty and called it done. The sideview stuffs isn't important to me. I'm not a fisherman and the built-in charts show me the bottom topography pretty well. But I'm very curious how it works for you.
I was going to mount it on the aft transom as they expect it to be mounted. But I prefer inside the hull.

What is the max WOT for that motor? My DF70 IIR is around 5,000. I can't get that high but my current prop is close at around 48,500. Close enough and I don't run it WOT much at all. I can't remember the size of the current prop. I'm going to the lake tomorrow and if I remember, I'll try to see what size it is.

That searchlight is pretty cool. I like it. However, won't work on my boat as my roller furler is right in front of where it is pointing. As cool as it is, and tempting to install one, I wouldn't use it. I'm never at the dock at night. A bow underwater light might be useful though to see the anchor line.

Hi Russ!

Thanks!
We’re getting there… inch by inch
Still got some distance to go (we hope)

About the Sonar…

The new sonar box is a wider & longer box than our first attempt which was 1/4 the size and used poured sticky wax as the contact media (like your putty). The media this time is Rv antifreeze which saturates porous foam which positions and cushions the transducer.
The first go gave excellent depth and straight down view but was too narrow to allow the other features to work which would have been interesting and useful. Interesting in that it can provide an much more detailed image of what’s on the bottom ( trees, rocks, sunken cities , etc.) as well as relevant contour (such as where one is actually positioned in the actual channel which may be significantly different than what a chart might show) to each side. A typical depth transducer is basically a cone straight down of 15 degrees that gets averaged to provide a single data plum line indication. This is great for knowing the depth immediately below but lacks detail and resolution.
The side scan feature looks down at a wider 170 degree (~85 deg to each side) and provides a more discreet detailed area view. It can show recognizable imaging of trees, logs, rocks, sunken boats, piling, the actual sides of a channel, etc.
This is not only interesting but useful. While the narrow beam might indicate a lumpy bottom which might appear to be ok to drop anchor the sidescan can provide the detailing to show that lumps are in fact several sunken logs/trees which would probably foul the anchor. Or when trying to thread a murky area of shoals to help one decide which way to know to turn for deeper water.

The interior mounting as you already know is the safest place to prevent collision/contact damage.

Until we get our primary transducer replaced the smaller unit attached to the ballast valve will do for now. We’re just gonna have to be extra careful.

About the Searchlight…

Yes, I agree with you about the potential obstruction of the furler drum and sail. It’s a concern that we considered and debated. It’s why we wanted the ability to remove it and stow it inside when not in use. We’re doubtful we will be sailing at night in adverse conditions at this point in time …. motoring would be the preferred option for us🫡.
The existing low profile slide mount plate, while not perfect, doesn’t look like it would snag anything (sail or furler lines.

The position along centerline was also a consideration… We thought about offsetting it to one side but held off on that for now… at least until we get mast and furler up and see what it’s like. Meanwhile for the time being we’ll give it a go. As we have maybe stayed out a bit later than intended several times and gone on a moon light cruise a few times the night operations are something we will probably experience again. Especially once we get to seriously exploring the ICW and other location farther afield.

In the future we’d like to get a drum winch for the anchor line and chain as well as an extended anchor roller on centerline recessing it within the current anchor locker region. So this is an interim “good enough for now” location. Getting that accomplished will require some thought and doing… like moving the bow nav lights… a protective cover to avoid furler sail/line snags… reinforcing to take the winch loads… maybe relocating things a bit

Best Regards
Over Easy

Hi All!

We FINALLY made it back to Lake Champlain VT for 2022!
Had a false start on Saturday 10/01 as it just got too late in the day to leave but reset our sights for Sunday 10/02.
We arrived too late to make a daylight launch from the Mallets Bay Public Boat Ramp so we decided to dry-land camp over at the Lone Pine Campground near by for the night to have electrical hookup so as to run our heater.
Took the opportunity to make sure the batteries were topped off while we were at it.
Monday 10/02 dawned as a beautiful clear day with light winds. Perfect!
After a nice leisurely breakfast and checkout from the campground we were back at the Mallett’s Bay boat ramp in about 10 minutes!

Our prep and launch went off without a hitch!
The Admiral did her first SOLO launch, transit, navigation and landing at The Moorings Marina!
She navigated out from the boat ramp cove, and around the point, through the mooring minefield and straight to our new slip without a bit of hesitation! She did GREAT

Meanwhile I lugged our now empty trailer over to the marina for storage and took care of check-in.
It was GREAT to see the Admiral coming in bound on the horizon.
She was having a blast!
I stood by on the slip pier as she did an expert job of nailing her first solo landing!

Later that afternoon slightly before 4 pm we decided to celebrate our arrival with our first excursion over to the dock in Burlington.
As the wind had picked up and there was a good foot high chop running we opted to don our new foul weather gear (FWG) and new inflatable life vests. This was also our first distance run on Lake Champlain with our new Suzuki engine.

It was invigorating with lots of splash and spray.
We averaged about 14 to 15 mph ground transit speed into the wind (according to the GPS plotter) at 5500 rpm.
Arrival was at 5 pm and we were able to pull in to the fuel dock and get tanked back up.
The trip over used less than 2 gallons!!
(What an improvement over our old Tohatsu 2-stroke!)

We landed at the Burlington Community Day Dock.
(First hour is free and a reasonable $5 an hour after that. They even had a guy waiting to catch our lines! )
Lunch was at ‘Splash’ right there on the same platform.
Great food and friendly service. We had the fresh fried Fish and Chips along with the Caribbean Fish Tacos (Both were excellent!) along with a couple glasses of hot Tea.

We wrapped up lunch a bit after 6 pm (well within our first hour on the day dock) and prepared to head back to our slip.
We took the opportunity to clip in our new RC searchlight up on the bow before departure as sunset was going to be around 6:30 ish and our arrival back would be in the dark.
The wind had died down as had the chop for our return trip.
The new Suzuki not only runs great, has great fuel efficiency but is SO MUCH QUIETER than our old Tohatsu!
We genuinely enjoyed being able to talk like normal people as we ran home, something we couldn’t do previously.
As befits the season the Fall colors are just beginning to turn and the shores were beautiful in the setting sun light.
We were treated to a spectacular first day on Lake Champlain sunset as we approached the breakwater entrance to Mallets Bay!









As also befits the season the temperature dropped with the setting sun.
Our puppy MacGregor, while throughly enjoying the ride snuggled into the Admiral, was getting a bit chilled so he and the Admiral retired to the cabin once we were past the breakwater entrance.
I remained at the helm to enjoy the beautiful nearly full moon and clear starlit sky.
The FWG continued to prove a great investment as it provided an excellent wind break.
The new RC searchlight came in handy as it allowed me to periodically sweep the areas ahead with just a push of a button on the RC fob in my pocket. I’m glad we made the effort to get that installed.

Transiting the open waters at 8 mph (ground speed per GPS at only ~2500 rpm) in the chill brisk moonlight was beautiful.
Hearing the water splash and an occasional Loon was wonderful.

We used our outbound GPS track to guide us through the mooring minefield along with our new searchlight and handheld Q-Beam.
Our night landing was smooth, quiet and uneventful.
The new Suzuki is a dream and performed flawlessly and without any hesitation.
We are really enjoying the excellent low speed idle handling it affords us.

Once secured in our slip with shore power hooked up we simply enjoyed being back on the water in our cozy Mac26X cabin stretched out on our new thick cushions with our little electric heater quickly removing the chill.
MacGregor stretched out next the Admiral and Zaboo (our feline) wandering around exploring is new (yet somehow familiar ) surroundings we enjoyed a chilled glass of wine we wrapped up a beautiful and enjoyable first day back on Lake Champlain.
It’s nice to be back……

Best Regards to All,
Over Easy

That must have been a great feeling Smooth launch, new and improved power, and having fine Caribbean food in Vermont. You could just sit back and imagine hearing steel drums.

Congrats on the Admiral's first solo. No doubt that increased confidence.

What is the Max RPMs you are getting at WOT? I had to reprop my Suzi because I couldn't reach max RPMs.

Also, I assume you've gone through the break in procedure for that new engine. I don't remember, but it seems they recommend running low RPMs for the first couple of hours and stepping it up.

Must be nice to have a new reliable and quiet motor on the back of that thing. Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing.

Well done! Enjoy the colors!

We plan to be up there from the 18th to 29th, shutting down the camp. If you're in the area, give us a bell.

Hi NiceAft, Russ & KMclemore!

Thank you for the kind encouragements!

Yes, aside from the brisk refreshing breezes and FWG, we could well pretend that this beautiful spot could be the Caribbean!

The Admiral is still grinning about her very successful first Solo (as am I)!!!
I’m sure there will be more opportunities to come.

We completed our first twenty hour break-in via day trips on Lake Winnipesaukee and had our first recommended oil change at our engine dealer. We rigorously followed the manufacturer and dealer recommended cyclic incremental break-in schedule for our first 20 hours. Only slowly working our way up to max rpm and never staying at any one setting for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. While a bit time consuming we didn’t mind as hopefully our new engine will last for a veerrryyyy loonnngggg time .
We also tried to improve our upper end WOT RPMs from 5500 by having a prop modified from a 9 pitch to a 7 pitch.
The 7 pitch actually had us hitting the max rpm computer limiter with still a bit of throttle lever movement to go.
Debated back n’ forth about possibly attempting to re-pitch the prop to an 8 pitch but in the end decided to leave the modified prop alone to use as an onboard spare and kept the 9 pitch installed as primary even though it limits our max rpm to 5500 rather than the max rated 6300 rpm. While this will somewhat limit our max speed it shouldn’t be by much. The engine isn’t lugging at any of the power settings and will most likely help with fuel efficiency… especially at our primarily anticipated cruising speed at hull speed (approximately 6 knots = 6.9 mph) with full ballast. Getting 13 knots (=15 mph) at 5500 rpm WOT and full ballast, two batteries, A/C, supplies and two adults aboard is just fine with us. This just gets us up on plane with a bit to spare. With empty ballast tank it goes a bit faster up to about 21.7 knots (= 25 mph). The 7 pitch prop didn’t get us any faster with or without ballast as we were running into the computer rpm limiter. An 8 pitch might have gotten us a knot or two more but really doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble and additional expense at this time. Also a 9 pitch is the lowest standard prop offered by Suzuki to fit the DF60AV prop shaft. This engine model has the heavier duty lower end for more low end thrust and is suited for pushing our Mac26X along its cruising voyages.

We’re sorry we are going to have to miss meeting us with you this season Kmclemore!
While this is a disappointment for this year we do hope that we can visit together next trip up to your wonderful and beautiful Lake Champlain!

Best Regards to All!
Over Easy