SoCal Jet Boats

Discussion => Boat Showcase => Topic started by: JWBOYER21 on April 26, 2009, 11:01:14 AM

Title: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on April 26, 2009, 11:01:14 AM
Ok, so i posted that i got this 1974 Kona 21ft Day cruiser w/ rebuilt olds 455 around christmas, but it has been sittin is storage since... so i pulled it out yesterday. I pulled the plugs out everything was good, cleaned the carb  littlle, and it fired right up!  

So the main question.... what kind of jet is this? And it has some electric place diverter on it too???

interior is good on it and came with a bimini top. paint is decent, the blue needs to be touched up. trailer is nice just needs to be registered. Taking it out next weekend to parker for a test run.

heres your pics....
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on April 26, 2009, 11:05:12 AM
heres the jet, yes i know the transom needs some clean-up! and heres my scjb sticka
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: povertyjet on April 26, 2009, 11:40:06 AM
Justin,
Your jet is a Jacuzzi YJ.

p-jet
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on April 26, 2009, 11:48:32 AM
my dAd kept sayin it looked like a cuzzi but i wasn't sure.

thanks frank
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on May 06, 2009, 03:58:53 PM
took it out to parker this weekend. had a few issues but it ran, it floated, and it didn't leave me stranded so i couldn't ask for much more!  ;D now to the flaws...  :mad:

1. idled like shiat, cleaned all the ghuk out of the carb and jets and seemed to run a little better. definitley going to need a complete carb rebuild soon.

2. left it in the water sat night, got up sunday and it had a GOOD amount of water in the back of the hull. i'm guessing around the jet needs to be re-sealed. whats the best sealer to use around the jet?  ??? if it's not the jet, what else could it be? small cracks in the hull? open to options...

3. starting!  :banghead: i don't know if i just need to stop being a cheap a$$ and buy some good batteries, or if my olds big blocks just don't like to start after the are getting hot. i checked the alternator, its giving a charge. has anyone ran those high torque starters? my dad has one on our chevelle with a 454 and it fires up great! so my dream set up is a high torque starter and 2 deep cycle batteries (is 3 over kill once i put my stereo in???)

4. i had a hell of a time triming it out. i have that electric "place diverter" (is that what it would be called?) and i would tilt it up and i could feel the boat get faster. i was only tilting it up a little at a time. it was really hard to find a happy medium because as soon as i would tilt it up the boat would start bouncing, even in glass! what are some options on the jet and why is it so hard to trim out?

i think i am going to have to grind the back of my step because i'm pretty sure water may have been hitting it.
p-jet, we decided that we are going to keep the step for now, but i'll keep my eye out for you. i've seen them on a few kona's for sale



... this may need to go in the "projects" thread now. :D

thanks for your input
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 10, 2009, 09:16:57 AM
on the problem of water coming in, check the stuffing box, it may need a little bit of snugging up. you want one drop of water about every 30 seconds or so. when i first put mine in, there was a constant trickle.
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: maddogg20 on May 10, 2009, 12:31:01 PM
a good friend of mine had one of the lil high torque starters that he ordered from jegs. His engine was a 13.5:1 compression motor and off of just 1 battery the thing would turn over and fire almost instantly.  Im going to keep my crappy stock napa one because if im at the river and it takes a crap I can just go to napa or autozone and get a brand new lifetime warranty one lol. Much easier to find at the river than a speed shop that carries the lil high torque mini's. BTW, I used clear and light blue RTV silicone to seal the transom adapter to the back of the boat because mine used to leak a lil.
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 10, 2009, 07:37:44 PM
theres a guy in parker that builds the minis, can remember where i put his card.
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: TrollerDave on May 10, 2009, 10:04:45 PM
#2 - I've been told anything 100% silicone. GE kitchen and bath seems to work.
Are you sure all the water wasn't there Sat night?

#3 - If the transom fills with water, I would wonder what kind of shape the starter is in.
Does it start OK when it's cold and just have trouble after the motor is warmed up?
Don't go cheap on your battery!

Other than this stuff, how did it ride?
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 11, 2009, 07:24:46 AM
x2 on the kitchen silicone. tom told me to use 100% silicone and depot even had it in brown. i pulled off 40 years worth of layers of sealer off my pump, and did a nice small clean bead all the way around. way cleaner
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: beerjet on May 11, 2009, 08:46:36 AM
EWWWWWwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SILICONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10034/sick0006.gif)

-beerjet-
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on May 11, 2009, 10:18:02 AM
#2   i'll definitley check the stuffing box. but i'm thinking it's most likely the transom. thanks for the additional options sandeggo

#3   when i checked the boat the next morning, the starter was half way under water.... but it fired right up ???
it does start good when its cold (a charged battery usually helps!), but it just struggles after the motor has been running. i'm leaning more and more towards a high torgue starter, but does any one else run them on thier boats??


other than these issues, when the boat was running, it sounded good and rode decent minus trying to get the trim figured out. it goes through the parker chop alot better than the southwind!

 ;D
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 11, 2009, 05:59:46 PM
EWWWWWwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SILICONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10034/sick0006.gif)

-beerjet-
on the transom not intake
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: OC2Vegas on May 11, 2009, 08:04:39 PM
x2 on the kitchen silicone. tom told me to use 100% silicone and depot even had it in brown. i pulled off 40 years worth of layers of sealer off my pump, and did a nice small clean bead all the way around. way cleaner


Did it look something like this? What is wrong with people?

(https://www.socaljetboats.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10404/normal_100_2482.JPG)
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 12, 2009, 07:02:37 AM
i think it looked worse. it took about a hour to pull and cut it all off
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: riser39 on May 21, 2009, 01:49:58 PM
That's a good looking boat - the silicone ;D
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 26, 2009, 12:17:44 PM
If you need a hi torque mini there's a guy in Parker that makes them 100 bucks. Rb performance
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on May 29, 2009, 08:14:36 AM
If you need a hi torque mini there's a guy in Parker that makes them 100 bucks. Rb performance

thanks man. whats the mini? i might be picking one up father's day weekend
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: sandeggo on May 29, 2009, 05:23:05 PM
Mini gear reduction starter
Title: Re: 74' Kona Cruiser
Post by: JWBOYER21 on May 29, 2009, 05:34:27 PM
is that different from a high torque starter or is that the full name?
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