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Got a new day cruiser

39603 Views 153 Replies 42 Participants Last post by  Last Mohican
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UPDATE: I have added a PDF that I am tracking all costs of this project. I will update it periodically. I am documenting all costs other than gas. If I bought a tool specifically for this project it is included. if you are interested you can download it here.

http://ifixsolutions.com/misc/boat/sleekcraft/Ambassador/AmbassadorCost.pdf

25' 76 Sleek Craft Ambassador. It needs a lot of work but it will be pimp when it is done. It still has the faux fur and fridge in the cabin. I think the wood grain and white part of the gel will clean up pretty well.

The good
* Floor is solid
* YJ pump has already been converted
* Hydraulic diverter
* All original and everything is there.
* Got it for a song

The Bad
* It is freakin filthy
* Interior is completely shot
* flake part of the gel is pretty faded





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She floats!!!!! :D :D :D Everyone loved her. Vids to follow. May be tomorrow before I get them uploaded. Only issue was a very small drip through the steering cable. Not even enough to warrant turning on the bilge pump.









accessories make a boat :)
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Some interior pics after the first round of deep cleaning. Oh yeah, The radio works. Turned it on tonight just for a goof and it was tuned to a station playing some Barry White. It was classic. We were cracking up.















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nice lookin shagin cabin
I agree with the Buddha accessories! lol

Jeez Matt you really scored a deal on the Ambasssador...

gonna get cold out soon enough/...keep takin her out...rock on and have a great weekend
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Sorry for the bad after pictures. I was working under a tree and the shade was a problem. I will get some better after pics at the lake today. I had to cut down the hold down for all the gauges. No bid deal. They are aluminum and cut easily with a hack saw. I also had to enlarge the hole for the tach slightly. I used a cheap little drum sander from Harbor Freight that fits in a drill.

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-piece-sanding-drum-kit-42006.html

(EDIT: Something is up at Photobucket. Hopefully the pics appear soon.)

Before




After






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new gauges look pretty good, so does the love lounge. :D
The boat looks great, what a score! I'm going to keep an eye on this thread; I want to own one of these one day.
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Thanks guys. Here are some better gauge pics.

]













I have added a PDF that I am tracking all costs of this project. I will update it periodically. I am documenting all costs other than gas. If I bought a tool specifically for this project it is included. if you are interested you can download it here.

http://ifixsolutions.com/misc/boat/sleekcraft/Ambassador/AmbassadorCost.pdf

As of 09-07-2010 I have spent $2,207.57 including original purchase and registration.
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Gauges look way better now Matt....great job!

now ya got all fall/winter to tinker with her, polish her up....
Gauges look way better now Matt....great job!

now ya got all fall/winter to tinker with her, polish her up....
Thanks Paul. Progress has slowed a little. Saw your reply about the pickup tubes over at iboats. I plan to look at that tomorrow. Sent you a PM over at iBoats with a sig question.
I had an issue with fuel pressure dropping off to 0 after about 15 minutes of run time on plane. I believe I have found the issue. It is the water separator. I pulled the fuel line off at the tank selection valve. I pulled the other end off the fuel pump. I then blew from the valve to the pump through the separator. I could blow through it but I could tell there was some restriction. I then bypassed the separator and installed just a regular inline filter. With my calibrated lung I could tell it was much easier to blow through. Just to double check I put a short piece of fuel line on the separator and blew through it with no other devices or line hooked up. This time by the degree of light headedness I got, I could tell it is certainly restrictive. Still need to lake test it but I am pretty sure this is the issue.

Oh, almost forgot, I plugged the fridge in. It works!!! It was ice cold in just a minute or two. Not sure if it will work on 12 VDC but it definitely works on 110 VAC

The suspected culprit.
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Hey thats cool Matt (thaht the fridge works) way neat....

hey let us all know what happens on the next boat outing, wonderin if that fuel filter and bypassing the separator was the issue... dont forget to check out that 12v fridge too! :)
Fuel pressure issue is fixed!!!! :D Made a run across the lake and back non stop yesterday evening. The fuel pressure never fell below 5 lbs. The water separator was definitely the issue.

The trailer is fixed as well. I had a stuck equalizer on one side. I tried everything to get it unstuck. PB Blaster, heat, hammer, floor jack under the low side of the equalizer, pry bar, soak it with old brake fluid. I stopped by a repair shop on the way to the lake last night. Curt buzzed off the nut and pried the bracket apart. Still it was stuck. As one last attempt he put a jack under it and it moved!!! :D :D This winter I will probably replace the springs, hangers and bolts.

I am still having an issue with using the key to start the motor. It will turn over no problem if I short the solenoid but the key only works about 25% of the time. It is a new key switch and I have re-terminated all the connections. Today I am going to run a new wire. I am also going to take the alternator and starter to be rebuilt. The alternator is not putting out quite enough voltage and I figured since I am there I may as well do the starter. It's not that expensive and that way I know it is good.
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Took the cruiser out to a gathering this past weekend. I think I finally have all the mechanical sorted out. There were no fuel or electrical issues the whole day. next project is the seat frames. i decided to build them out of MDO plywood. It is glued up with marine resins and about 1/2 the cost of marine grade. Sign makers use it for outdoor signs.

I am going to keep the layout pretty true to original with some minor changes to the jump seats. I found pics of a rear seat layout I like in an updated Carlson CV-23. My plan is to cover the seats in diamond stitched vinyl to match the existing cabin interior as close as possible. I want to lay the seats out the same as original but change the rear seat layout to resemble the pic of the CV-23. Comments and suggestions are welcome?

This is the original layout.


I like the way the rear seats are in this CV-23
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I had an issue with fuel pressure dropping off to 0 after about 15 minutes of run time on plane. I believe I have found the issue. It is the water separator. I pulled the fuel line off at the tank selection valve. I pulled the other end off the fuel pump. I then blew from the valve to the pump through the separator. I could blow through it but I could tell there was some restriction. I then bypassed the separator and installed just a regular inline filter. With my calibrated lung I could tell it was much easier to blow through. Just to double check I put a short piece of fuel line on the separator and blew through it with no other devices or line hooked up. This time by the degree of light headedness I got, I could tell it is certainly restrictive. Still need to lake test it but I am pretty sure this is the issue.
i'd pull the filter housing out, trash the old filter, thoroughly clean the internal passages in the housing, get a new filter, then reinstall it making sure the in/out is routed correctly. those fuel/water filter/seperators do a great job, but they do need to be changed out sometimes. you'd be surprised how much water can be sucked into tank vents.
i'd pull the filter housing out, trash the old filter, thoroughly clean the internal passages in the housing, get a new filter, then reinstall it making sure the in/out is routed correctly. those fuel/water filter/seperators do a great job, but they do need to be changed out sometimes. you'd be surprised how much water can be sucked into tank vents.
The filter was brand new.
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