SS64 Pros Cons and Mods

[WilliBoaz]

7 minutes ago, TheStej said:

 

Cool, thanks mate. Don't understand why they wouldn't mention any of this in the manual???  Time from Stejcraft also seems to be a bit in the dark on this.

Anyway, at least I've got some ideas to try out now - I'll give this a crack. 

Whilst I've got everyone's attention, do any of you use a motor trim support when towing the boat?

Cheers!

[TheStej]

1 minute ago, WilliBoaz said:

Cool, thanks mate. Don't understand why they wouldn't mention any of this in the manual???  Time from Stejcraft also seems to be a bit in the dark on this.

Anyway, at least I've got some ideas to try out now - I'll give this a crack. 

Whilst I've got everyone's attention, do any of you use a motor trim support when towing the boat?

Cheers!

I reckon try the tape method I use . Hayden at Wyld about boats deals with these Mercs daily and seems to know his ****. I use these to support the motor .

[WilliBoaz]

Thanks, I'll check it out

[GregOug]

2 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

Do you block the high speed intakes? If I don't, I don't get water out the telltale which worries me.

I just slide the muffs over the intakes just above the prop, like I have in all my boats over the years.

[Rusty_Nail]

Hi folks, my 2c worth to add to the conversation.

When flushing my V8 200hp, I use the standard single feed motor flusher without any tape on the low speed water pickup at the front. No issues with water temps so far (do get up to high 60s worst case), however I do have a larger size garden hose.

Willi - in terms of outboard support, Hayden from Wyld About Boats provided this support with the boat.

 

[GregOug]

I do the same. I just put the muffs over the intakes on the leg, which is where water is also drawn up to cool the engine when you are underway. And use the same engine support. Photos below.

I’ve also added a photo of the two esky’s I use under the rear seat. If you place them as shown in the photo they fit nicely.

 

[_Sloth_]

5 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

Cool, thanks mate. Don't understand why they wouldn't mention any of this in the manual???  Time from Stejcraft also seems to be a bit in the dark on this.

Anyway, at least I've got some ideas to try out now - I'll give this a crack. 

Whilst I've got everyone's attention, do any of you use a motor trim support when towing the boat?

Cheers!

I just use the plastic bit that fits around the hydraulic piston during transport. Lift the motor. Slot in the plastic stopper and drop the motor till it compresses it slightly. Not sure of the technical term for this. 

[_Sloth_]

3 hours ago, GregOug said:

I just slide the muffs over the intakes just above the prop, like I have in all my boats over the years.

Hey Greg. You probably have better than average water pressure I think. It is pretty common for big engines to have issues flushing with typical Brisbane water pressure. These Mercury engines have a high speed water pickup on the nose of the skeg that most other outboards dont have which exacerbates the problem. When using muffs lots of the water goes straight out of that pickup. If your pressure is not high you definitely need to block it off to flush properly. Do you use a regular diameter hose? The pressure at my place is pretty bad which doesn’t help. 

[GregOug]

28 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hey Greg. You probably have better than average water pressure I think. It is pretty common for big engines to have issues flushing with typical Brisbane water pressure. These Mercury engines have a high speed water pickup on the nose of the skeg that most other outboards dont have which exacerbates the problem. When using muffs lots of the water goes straight out of that pickup. If your pressure is not high you definitely need to block it off to flush properly. Do you use a regular diameter hose? The pressure at my place is pretty bad which doesn’t help. 

Yeah, just the standard 12mm hose. I’ll try to remember to look at the engine temperature gauge while flushing next time and see what it says. 

[GregOug]

On 6/6/2022 at 8:34 PM, GregOug said:

Yeah, just the standard 12mm hose. I’ll try to remember to look at the engine temperature gauge while flushing next time and see what it says. 

Went out yesterday and flushed the motor when I got home. I watched the temperature gauge and it hovered around 56-57 and never went over 59, just using the standard muffs on it.

[WilliBoaz]

14 hours ago, GregOug said:

Went out yesterday and flushed the motor when I got home. I watched the temperature gauge and it hovered around 56-57 and never went over 59, just using the standard muffs on it.

Interesting.  Did you have water coming out the telltale? Did it start immediately when you started the engine?

[_Sloth_]

19 hours ago, GregOug said:

Went out yesterday and flushed the motor when I got home. I watched the temperature gauge and it hovered around 56-57 and never went over 59, just using the standard muffs on it.

I was out Wednesday. First flushed using dual feed muffs and the high speed pickup blocker. Temp straight to 100! Triggered alarm. Never done that before. Had no problems with temp out on the water. Incidentally I got her up to 93 kph! Anyway. I tried using the hose connection on the motor. Worked beautifully. Temp at 62 throughout. Not sure why the muffs didn’t work but I’ll be using the hose connection on the motor in future. 

[GregOug]

6 hours ago, WilliBoaz said:

Interesting.  Did you have water coming out the telltale? Did it start immediately when you started the engine?

Yes to both

[WilliBoaz]

15 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

I was out Wednesday. First flushed using dual feed muffs and the high speed pickup blocker. Temp straight to 100! Triggered alarm. Never done that before. Had no problems with temp out on the water. Incidentally I got her up to 93 kph! Anyway. I tried using the hose connection on the motor. Worked beautifully. Temp at 62 throughout. Not sure why the muffs didn’t work but I’ll be using the hose connection on the motor in future. 

I don't think you're supposed to run the motor when using the hose connector 

[GregOug]

33 minutes ago, WilliBoaz said:

I don't think you're supposed to run the motor when using the hose connector 

That was what I thought as well. Just run the hose without starting the motor if using the connector.

[_Sloth_]

30 minutes ago, WilliBoaz said:

I don't think you're supposed to run the motor when using the hose connector 

Oops. You are right. I just checked the manual. I asked a merc dealer about that feature and he said you run the motor. I thought it weird at the time since my pervious motor (a Yamaha) was strictly no run while flushing using the hose adapter. Oh well. No apparent harm done. Engine was nice and cool throughout. I am just going to use the hose fitting in future. The manual says turn tap on 1/2 way which suggests it flushes well without much pressure. 

[Rusty_Nail]

On 16/06/2022 at 11:46 PM, GregOug said:

Went out yesterday and flushed the motor when I got home. I watched the temperature gauge and it hovered around 56-57 and never went over 59, just using the standard muffs on it.

I went out yesterday (Scarborough to Tanga then to Bribie passage then to Scarborough - bit choppy but good day nonetheless) and flushed when I got home using the standard muffs as well. Temp rose gradually after start to 64 then went back down quickly to 56-57.  Telltale was running from engine start as well.

[Hweebe]

I don't have as beefy of an outboard as you guys but the tell tale should always be showing when you are flushing an engine (means the water pump / impeller is functional)

On initial start-up the tell tale water temp should start at same as hose temperature before heating up to the point where the thermostat opens after which the tell tale will start cooling down again.

So for your motors check what temperature the thermostat opens at.

For mine its 55 degrees, once it hits this temp and comes back down i know i've run the motor for long enough to get water flowing throw all the water passages in the outboard. 

[_Sloth_]

Hi All,

Just wondering how all the SS64s are going? I've had mine for 3 years now. No major issues.

My stereo has stopped working and screws coming loose all over the place - some of which have been re-tightened so many times I am going to have to drill out and use larger ones. This is a particular a problem on my drivers side console (the screws that hold the foot well insert in place). I have always had a bit of a problem in this area - something doesn't fight right and when all the screws are snugged up I get some crunching noises when taking sharp chop from the starboard forward quarter. Probably going to replace some of these screws with bolts and lock nuts.

The top hinge on my windscreen broke free last weekend. The rivets snapped. Need to find a better fixing to re-attach it.

I spend most of my time out in the bay pounding it out in the chop so that might explain the windscreen.

Other than that I am still happy with my choice. How are others fairing?

S

PS I spent a weekend in the great sandy straight between Fraser and the mainland. Did around 300 kms driving in two days (mostly at or above 50 kph). Could have run top speed but I was worried about hitting the wildlife - heaps of dolphins and dugongs etc. Such a great place for the SS64. 

[GregOug]

26 minutes ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hi All,

Just wondering how all the SS64s are going? I've had mine for 3 years now. No major issues.

My stereo has stopped working and screws coming loose all over the place - some of which have been re-tightened so many times I am going to have to drill out and use larger ones. This is a particular a problem on my drivers side console (the screws that hold the foot well insert in place). I have always had a bit of a problem in this area - something doesn't fight right and when all the screws are snugged up I get some crunching noises when taking sharp chop from the starboard forward quarter. Probably going to replace some of these screws with bolts and lock nuts.

The top hinge on my windscreen broke free last weekend. The rivets snapped. Need to find a better fixing to re-attach it.

I spend most of my time out in the bay pounding it out in the chop so that might explain the windscreen.

Other than that I am still happy with my choice. How are others fairing?

S

PS I spent a weekend in the great sandy straight between Fraser and the mainland. Did around 300 kms driving in two days (mostly at or above 50 kph). Could have run top speed but I was worried about hitting the wildlife - heaps of dolphins and dugongs etc. Such a great place for the SS64. 

Sounds like a great trip! Mine is still going well. With regard to the footwell problem I had the same thing happen but my dealer removed the well, cut a small piece of fibreglass away from the surrounding fibreglass cutout where the well had been rubbing and making the banging noise, and reattached the footwell. No problems since. I have also had a couple of screws come out from the windscreen but the dealer replaced them and all good so far. 

[Rusty_Nail]

2 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Hi All,

Just wondering how all the SS64s are going? I've had mine for 3 years now. No major issues.

My stereo has stopped working and screws coming loose all over the place - some of which have been re-tightened so many times I am going to have to drill out and use larger ones. This is a particular a problem on my drivers side console (the screws that hold the foot well insert in place). I have always had a bit of a problem in this area - something doesn't fight right and when all the screws are snugged up I get some crunching noises when taking sharp chop from the starboard forward quarter. Probably going to replace some of these screws with bolts and lock nuts.

The top hinge on my windscreen broke free last weekend. The rivets snapped. Need to find a better fixing to re-attach it.

I spend most of my time out in the bay pounding it out in the chop so that might explain the windscreen.

Other than that I am still happy with my choice. How are others fairing?

S

PS I spent a weekend in the great sandy straight between Fraser and the mainland. Did around 300 kms driving in two days (mostly at or above 50 kph). Could have run top speed but I was worried about hitting the wildlife - heaps of dolphins and dugongs etc. Such a great place for the SS64. 

Hi folks,
My SS64 is also going great.
I did have to replace the spark plugs on the Pro XS last year as had some water in fuel but no other engine issues.
Did find some interesting threads on Pro XS Facebook forums where owners with a 200 V8 have replaced the Throttle Body/Intake (go from 61mm to 81mm or something like that) and get some improved performance and higher WOT RPM.
On the footwell side, I used some marine epoxy putty from Bunnings to provide a bit more purchase for the screws to bite into. Can share some pics if ppl interested.
I did the same for the hatch that sits over where the batteries are normally stored, as the screws there were getting loose periodically.
I'm also running GPS Speedo now which requires a connection from one of the Lowrance outputs to one of the Smartcraft gauge inputs. A small amount of mucking around under the helm but nothing too difficult.
My fuel tank did slip back occasionally as well so have put in some brackets to stop the movement.

[_Sloth_]

23 hours ago, Rusty_Nail said:

Hi folks,
My SS64 is also going great.
I did have to replace the spark plugs on the Pro XS last year as had some water in fuel but no other engine issues.
Did find some interesting threads on Pro XS Facebook forums where owners with a 200 V8 have replaced the Throttle Body/Intake (go from 61mm to 81mm or something like that) and get some improved performance and higher WOT RPM.
On the footwell side, I used some marine epoxy putty from Bunnings to provide a bit more purchase for the screws to bite into. Can share some pics if ppl interested.
I did the same for the hatch that sits over where the batteries are normally stored, as the screws there were getting loose periodically.
I'm also running GPS Speedo now which requires a connection from one of the Lowrance outputs to one of the Smartcraft gauge inputs. A small amount of mucking around under the helm but nothing too difficult.
My fuel tank did slip back occasionally as well so have put in some brackets to stop the movement.

I don't think I need more power from my engine. Can't wind it out as it is...

Some pics of the putty job would be good.I was thinking of coating the thread with sikaflex or similar just to create a bit of a bond to the fibre glass but the marine putty sounds like a better way to go. My speedo is not working. I just bring gps speed up on the sounder screen. Have thought about getting the vessel view system to connect sounder to engine via NMEA but haven't got round to it yet.

 

[_Sloth_]

Another mod I made was to put a plate in the dash and then mount my sounder on a bracket so its sits out from the dash nearer the steering wheel. This would not suit a lot of people because it is uglier than flush mounted in the dash but I use the sounder a lot and like it to be at my fingertips while driving. I can also swivel it around a bit so I can see it better when fishing off the rear deck. It's also closer to my aging eyes.

I was wondering, does anyone else get a persistent fuel smell in the boat? It's not overpowering in mine and no evidence of fuel in the bilge but maybe a loose vent hose or something like that.

[Rusty_Nail]

2 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

I don't think I need more power from my engine. Can't wind it out as it is...

Some pics of the putty job would be good.I was thinking of coating the thread with sikaflex or similar just to create a bit of a bond to the fibre glass but the marine putty sounds like a better way to go. My speedo is not working. I just bring gps speed up on the sounder screen. Have thought about getting the vessel view system to connect sounder to engine via NMEA but haven't got round to it yet.

 

Will send some pics on the putty implementation.
On the speedo thing - if you get material lodged in the pitot tube it will stop the speedo from working as have had that occur. I have used a small drill bit in the past to remove it, but much better linking NMEA0183 output from the Lowrance unit to Smartcraft guage input. Will add a pic of that too.

Don't get fuel smell much expect for when I've had a cover on the boat.
 

[GregOug]

8 hours ago, _Sloth_ said:

Another mod I made was to put a plate in the dash and then mount my sounder on a bracket so its sits out from the dash nearer the steering wheel. This would not suit a lot of people because it is uglier than flush mounted in the dash but I use the sounder a lot and like it to be at my fingertips while driving. I can also swivel it around a bit so I can see it better when fishing off the rear deck. It's also closer to my aging eyes.

I was wondering, does anyone else get a persistent fuel smell in the boat? It's not overpowering in mine and no evidence of fuel in the bilge but maybe a loose vent hose or something like that.

No, no fuel smell in mine.

[Rusty_Nail]

Hi folks,

A couple of pics of other mods I've done as well as some pics of the putty job - both in the helm and under the battery storage area.

In terms of other mods I've added a radio and ran the cable up to a mount on the wake tower, as well as added a marine spotlight.

Brackets are 50mm bull bar aluminium brackets from one of the auto shops. 

[WilliBoaz]

On 10/05/2023 at 9:27 AM, _Sloth_ said:

Hi All,

Just wondering how all the SS64s are going? I've had mine for 3 years now. No major issues.

My stereo has stopped working and screws coming loose all over the place - some of which have been re-tightened so many times I am going to have to drill out and use larger ones. This is a particular a problem on my drivers side console (the screws that hold the foot well insert in place). I have always had a bit of a problem in this area - something doesn't fight right and when all the screws are snugged up I get some crunching noises when taking sharp chop from the starboard forward quarter. Probably going to replace some of these screws with bolts and lock nuts.

The top hinge on my windscreen broke free last weekend. The rivets snapped. Need to find a better fixing to re-attach it.

I spend most of my time out in the bay pounding it out in the chop so that might explain the windscreen.

Other than that I am still happy with my choice. How are others fairing?

S

PS I spent a weekend in the great sandy straight between Fraser and the mainland. Did around 300 kms driving in two days (mostly at or above 50 kph). Could have run top speed but I was worried about hitting the wildlife - heaps of dolphins and dugongs etc. Such a great place for the SS64. 

Hi mate

Yes, I'm very happy with mine.  Sadly don't get out as much as I'd like to.

I pretty much bought my boat to use in the Sandy Strait - I have a property at Poona.  Boat sits high n dry at low tide, which is the only downside.  That and the prevailing gale-force south-easter in summer...

[_Sloth_]

All - if you haven't changed wheel bearings since new don't wait 3 years...

Fortunately this bearing collapsed on the way to workshop for yearly service.

[GregOug]

My bearings went when the dealer was towing it to the front of his yard last visit. And a brake pad fell off as I was driving into his workshop this visit. I agree, get them all checked at a maximum two year interval.

[Angry51]

I disagree Greg, bearings should be checked every 6 months or more often when in and out of salt and always before a long trip.

Might be just me but I've seen and had lots of failures a long way from home, might be OK if you only run local but they fail pretty quick.

[GregOug]

9 hours ago, Angry51 said:

I disagree Greg, bearings should be checked every 6 months or more often when in and out of salt and always before a long trip.

Might be just me but I've seen and had lots of failures a long way from home, might be OK if you only run local but they fail pretty quick.

Mate, I don’t even check my fuel gauge that often!

[Angry51]

Just a habit, I check my front bearings on the ute every month just checking by rocking the top of the wheel you'll feel any looseness.

[ellicat]