kylesullens

1999 Elite V. The cooler in the walk-through is missing the latch/handle. Just an open hole. Anybody know where to get a replacement, or some other latch mechanism that might work? Thanks!

I've got a '99 Elite V with the Black Scorpion. The boat runs fine, but I was doing some preventative maintenance and discovered that there was a good deal of corrosion inside the distributor, on both the inside of the cap and on the rotor. The shaft and some of the connections are also corroded. I'd like to start fresh and replace the entire distributor assembly, along with the cap, rotor, and plugs. Anybody done this maintenance on this motor that has some part numbers and sources handy? Thanks Kyle

I had the same failure on my elite v. I did the PSS install myself. It's not the easiest job, but I'm 2 hrs from the nearest dealer, so I tackled the job using a cherry picker to lift the vdrive out. Whether you do it or the dealer does it, ge the pSS. I think it's criminal that Fineline doesn't install them at the factory.

Yes, I do have the Black Scorpion, nearly identical to the bottom picture from the post above. Curious, are the motors different in any way, or just marketing? Found my parts at Cascade Marine in Portland. He had the cap&rotor on the shelf and dropped it in the mail for me. One of the downsides of living in the sticks - no local sources for parts

Hey man I've got the same boat. No ballast or PP, but I put an FAE on a few years back. Best mod I've ever done. The boat had the stationary trim tab which I replaced with a hinged one (manual adjusted) and it works well. If it hasn't already been done, I highly recommend a PSS shaft seal. These boats are old enough that the wax packing is going to by dry and brittle and needs to be replaced. Let us know how your mods go. Kyle

Hey man I've got the same boat. No ballast or PP, but I put an FAE on a few years back. Best mod I've ever done. The boat had the stationary trim tab which I replaced with a hinged one (manual adjusted) and it works well. If it hasn't already been done, I highly recommend a PSS shaft seal. These boats are old enough that the wax packing is going to by dry and brittle and needs to be replaced. Let us know how your mods go. Kyle

Hey man I've got the same boat. No ballast or PP, but I put an FAE on a few years back. Best mod I've ever done. The boat had the stationary trim tab which I replaced with a hinged one (manual adjusted) and it works well. If it hasn't already been done, I highly recommend a PSS shaft seal. These boats are old enough that the wax packing is going to by dry and brittle and needs to be replaced. Let us know how your mods go. Kyle

Continuing this thread I have a 99 Elite V with a single battery under the rear seat. Id like to add a 2nd battery with a switch. My goal is to have one battery serve only the starter so that the other electronics can't leave me stranded. Any advice, product recommendations,or diagrams would be appreciated.

Had the same problem on my '99 Elite V. Steering was tight in both directions. cable mount under the engine finally gave out and I had to be towed in. The reason my cable failed was that my shaft seal was shot and the bilge was always full of water. The steering cable is not well sealed, and it is not 'serviceable', meaning it can't be easily lubricated or protected from moisture. Because the bilge was full, the water got into the end of the cable and moisture worked its way up the cable housing. This removed the internal lubrication of the cable and caused rust and wear spots. The cable was diffcult to move through the housing which is why the steering was tight. Recommend a new cable (cheap and easy), but also try to figure out why it failed. 200 hours is not that many and I wouldn't expect the cable to fail in that time. You are likely getting moisture from somewhere. keep an eye on your bilge. Is your pump regularly running when you are on the water? Good luck

I recommend pulling the VDrive. not as hard as it sounds, and getting any tools and pressure on that coupler is tough. Unbolt the shaft from the coupler, pull the VDrive out, slide the prop shaft down through the bottom of the boat, and the PSS is an easy install. And, while the VDrive is out, you can re-seal the oil pan gasket, and paint the drive casing so it looks like new!

OK guys, hit me up with some knowledge. Looking to replace the throttle and shift cables in my '99 Elite V. I've done the steering cable, so I know the drill about pulling a rope under the floor to feed the new cables. Need to know about part #s and sources, adjustments, things I need to mark/clamp/photo before I take stuff apart. The cables haven't failed, but this boat is 16 years old, so I'm trying out this whole 'preventative maintenance' thing. Interested in hearing from anybody that has replaced these cables in a similar boat. Thanks

Glad Dave was able to help you out. He is super generous with his time and knowledge to help keep us out of the weeds. On the PSS install, plumbing the new waterline for the seal was the easiest part of the install! They will have the VDrive out of the boat, and that is an excellent time to take the oil pan off of the bottom and re-seal it. With a boat as old as yours (and mine!) its a matter of time until the pan gasket starts leaking.

Sound to me that Crowley either doesn't want to do the work or they are taking advantage of the situation. I've used NW Boat Sports for some fiberglass work and were very happy with them. However if you feel that they were not totally upfront about the boats issues then you may not want to use them again. I would recommend calling Dave Gonyeas at gonyeas marine in gresham. Still a 5 hr drive for you, but he is a stellar mechanic and NOT a salesman. I believe he is related to one of the regulars on this board. Even if you don't use him, he'll be able to give you some advice.

I park next to a late model sky supreme at the marina. The boat has an extended swim platform with a tubular grab handle that runs all the way around. I took a pic but can't upload from my phone so will need to wait till I get home. Has anybody put an aftermarket fiberglass or aluminum platform on their boat? I've got the standard teak platform and it's in great shape. But if I could find a platform like this one I would jump on it (get it?).

Hey old man I have the same year and model of boat. And I've dealt with all of the maintenance projects that you are about to embark on. Starting with the shafts seal replacement. If you have a good workspace and are mechanically inclined, this is a do-able project and (as anyone on this board will tell you) worth every penny. Hit me up anytime if you have questions.

1999 Centurion Elite VDrive. 350 Black Scorpion. Been using this boat for 6 years. About 350 total hours, all original. A couple years ago I was having issues with the seawater pump seizing and the belt squealing. Figured out that I was getting water in the bilge due to bad shaft seal and a leaking circulation pump. That winter I took apart the boat, put in a PSS seal, replaced the freshwater pump, seawater pump, steering cable, idler pullies, and belt. I've had occasional issues with the seawater pump seizing and belt squealing. When that happens, I can typically correct it by shutting off the boat and restarting it and throttling it out. Happens every 10-15 hours - not that frequent. Today was our first outing of the season. The first part of the day went off without a hitch. This afternoon, the pump seized and I was not able to recover. I took the belt off and turned the pump pulley by hand, thought I was golden, put the belt back on, and nothing but squeal. Had to get towed in. My understanding is that the engine will make a partial rotation backwards when it is shut off, causing the pump to rotate backwards and the rubber fins to get bound up. I plan to replace the entire pump. Do I need to look at the timing on the motor as well? Is it normal for the motor to bump backwards when it is shut off? Any help is appreciated. The season is off to a rocky start, and I want to get her fixed up so we don't have more problems. Thanks Kyle Sweet Home, Oregon

Thanks for the feedback. My regular trick of tightening the belt didn't suffice this time. Got the boat back to the shop and pulled the freshwater pump. I've experienced my first shredded impeller. Most of the fins are toast. I've peiced it back together and think I have all the rubber. Can somebody link me to the writeup of where the screens are located and what I need to backflush to be sure i've got it all? thanks

There are multiple posts on this forum about replacing cables. The most important steps: order the right replacement cable. When removing your existing cable, tie a rope to it and pull the rope through as you pull out the old cable. That way you can tie the new cable on and pull the rope back through.

XX2. This is what I did for the ELITE V-DRIVE decals and the 'World Championship Towboats' decals. Cost was around $40 per decal.

http://www.portlandpropellers.com/ You can send it UPS to these guys. They are great with acme props and their prices are reasonable.

Use this opportunity to upgrade to a PSS shaft seal. Then you never have to mess with it again.

Is there a compilation of members' experience with different props on different boats? Sure seems like a guessing game to me and i'd like to hear what others have to say about different props they've tried. I just went from a 579 to a 911 on my Elite V. The 579 had a higher top end, but the hole shot was lacking and it didn't put up any kind of surf wave. Enter the 911 and we lose some top-end, but hole shot is great and the wave is monster. What a difference. Anybody have other experiences with different props on the Elite V?

Was cruising at 30mph when I struck a floating log. Not a large one, but it made a racket and I sure could feel the strike. Drove for a bit and didn't appear to have any effect. After sitting and swimming for a few hours, when I throttled out, I suddenly got a bad shudder and cavitation. Barely noticeable at lower speeds, but obvious at anything higher than 2000rpm. Visual inspection (underwater) of the prop and FAE didn't show any damage. I'm going to pull the boat tomorrow and see what I can see. Any suggestions of what to look for? Strut damage? Prop nicks or bends in the blade? Does anyone have some step-by-step to ensure the prop alignment. Thanks gang.

The only major manufacturer that makes cables for these boats (that I know of) is Teleflex. Their cables are not designed to be lubrciated. They are also not designed to have the ends submerged, which often happens on a busy day on the water.

This is all good advice and highly recommended. If you've ever considered doing a PSS seal upgrade, this would be the time. Requires pulling the drive, which would give you the opportunity to replace the pan seal and the output shaft seal. Removing the VDrive is not as complicated as it sounds.