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Diaries | Details
This boat's story has been posted by the owner. Please contact the owner with any questions. You may use the form below to send the owner an email.
Updated:
1/13/2013 (11 years ago)
Originally Posted: 9/30/2004
Total Views: 6,421
Owner: Tony Jestis
Forum Nickname: Tonali_III
Location: St. Louis, MO
Model: 1974 Southwind
Length: 20
Engine: Chrysler M440
HP: 300
Hours: 10000
Hull ID: CTC01270M74D-20SW
Modify this Diaries Listing
Forum Nickname: Tonali_III
Location: St. Louis, MO
Model: 1974 Southwind
Length: 20
Engine: Chrysler M440
HP: 300
Hours: 10000
Hull ID: CTC01270M74D-20SW
Modify this Diaries Listing
This boat was bought on faith. That is, it was bought sight unseen, a truly foolish method of purchasing anything. It is a replacement for my 1977 Southwind 20 that was stolen from me in August 2003. My old Southwind has literally vanished.
When I found this 1974, I found that it was nearly identical to my 1977.
The main difference is the engine. My 1977 had a 350 CID OMC converted Chevrolet. As best as I could tell, it made about 260 hp. The 1974 has a Chrysler M440 making a whopping 300 hp.
Woody from Correct Craft Southeast tells me that with the M440, the Southwind 20 is an outstanding performer! I can’t wait to get the boat wet!
If anyone has any more information concerning a 1974 Southwind, or has any information about my stolen 1977, please feel free to e-mail me.
Afterward: I have brought my new acquisition home! After a very long drive (is 9 1/2 hours ONE way very long?), the new Southwind is in its home. She needs a little TLC, but with some elbow grease and good cleaning products (anyone know where I can find some ZING?) she will be ready in about a month. I have taken her to the water and fired up that Chrysler M440. What a HOT engine! This thing is guaranteed to fly!
Well, I didn’t find any ZING!, but Dan and Rick at Extreme Powersports in Greenville, Illinois did recommend a product called "On & Off Hull Cleaner". Well you can see the results for yourself. The rusty, iron water deposits literally melted away! This is the weekend for testing. I will post an update after I see what this little honey can do!
Update: I managed to get the boat wet the Saturday before Father’s Day. What a sweetheart! The Chrysler 440 has a low, throaty, rumbling sound to it that is reminiscent of the days gone by. And the performance is remarkable! While the Speedo didn’t work (do they ever?), I did keep pace with cars on the River Road which has a speed limit of 55 (which no one ever does!). The boat is more maneuverable than my previous Southwind thanks to the rudder being located about 10 inches further aft. Also, the boat doesn’t seem to tle as much in a tight turn, owing to the powerful Chrysler no doubt!
Still have a ways to go before this boat will be like I want it. Upholstery, flooring, windshield, hardware, electrics... it is a project in work. Still for this summer and for what I went through to purchase it, it is money well spent. Will keep everyone posted.
6/25/2005: Just came back from the river. Need a new fuel filter, I hope. Engine started losing power at high RPM. My experience says "fuel filter", so I will change it tomorrow.
6/26/2005: Just removed old filter and, holy cow, is this thing heavy! Must be packed with garbage! Picked up a new Purolator, see-thru filter and installed it. Gave the engine a spin to check the fuel pump and it’s pumping. So we will test it next week. Still have a ways to go on cleaning every effort brings me a little closer to the finished product.
8/13/2006: Update: I got married this year on June 24, 2006! My new wife loves boating, swimming, and tubing. Hopefully more pics to follow. Also, with my wedding, I was not able to do my seats last spring. My new wife and I will be doing the interior this winter along with doing an engine refresh that will include an RPM Airgap intake manifold, cylinder head refreshment (courtesy of Terry’s Machine Shop in Bridgeton, MO), and a carb rebuild. We have a new addition to our water toys: a 1994 SeaDoo XP. I also have 4 new kids with my new wife and they all love the water. I now have a new family affair!
11/11/2007: Where do I begin? The seats are not done (but the wood is cut). My younger son is a Wolf Cub Scout and I am his Assistant Cubmaster. The boat has not been started all season and it is now November. When I did try to start it, I discovered a dragging starter. After charging the battery on a trickle charge, I made another attempt. Looks like I will be rebuilding a starter. Broner Generator in St. Louis, Missouri will do the work for $125 (Beats $250 to $300 for a rebuilt or new one). And it looks like the engine may be locked up! Great! I never guessed that a new family would be so time consuming as well as expensive. Not that I am complaining...I am not. I have simply had to re-arrange priorities. So this project will take a little more time than expected (or planned). Stay tuned for more data.
6/26/2008: Just came back from vacation at Clearwater Lake in south eastern Missouri. We took the Southwind with us. To bring you up to date: The starter was rebuilt by Broner Generator at a cost of $145. They had to replace the field coils because they were badly rusted (a characteristic of non-sealed coils, some are, some aren’t, mine weren’t...figures). Broner did an excellent job for about half the price of a new starter. The turnaround time was about 3 days...amazing. I rebuilt the Carter AFB since it had been sitting. It took me about 2 hours...I took my time and made sure ting were precise. After much twitter-pation, I discovered that engine was not locked at all. I simply had a stuck valve. After backing off the engine and a little persuasion with WD40, it freed up and the engine spins just fine. I have noticed a little oil consumption though. I am sure sitting did not help. I squirted oil with my oil in the cylinders and spun it by hand several times before starting. I vacuumed the bilge and gave it a good scrubbing (where do all these acorn shells keep coming from?) I installed my 13X15 RH prop. It seems to perform better without overspeeding. Vacation was uneventful except for some bad gas I got from Casey’s. (Note: Don’t buy fuel there anymore!) It seems to have had some water or something in it. I won’t do that again. All in all, a good test run. Now we must get on with the interior and a few new gauges.
9/21/2008: Update: Last night I started tearing down the engine to do the valves. I found a broken pushrod. This boat was doing over 50 MPH on 7 CYLINDERS! That is amazing! The plans are to spend the winter doing a cam change - a Lunati #60301 - new lifters, and a head refresh. I have 906 heads which were considered 440 Magnum heads in 1968. Now this engine is a 1974, so to discover that I have 906 Magnum heads, I was quite surprised. The 906 ing features open chamber (an undesirable trait), 1.74 exhaust valves (very desirable), and very good flow throughout the entire gamut of cam lifts. (Check Mopar Muscle for more information). Terry’s Machine Shop will do the refresh and include a 30 degree back cut on the valves to improve flow. With the improvements to the heads and the Lunati cam (and tuning on all eight), it should prove to be an interesting spring next year. Stay tuned. I will have a few pics next entry.
5/04/2009: Update: I have
When I found this 1974, I found that it was nearly identical to my 1977.
The main difference is the engine. My 1977 had a 350 CID OMC converted Chevrolet. As best as I could tell, it made about 260 hp. The 1974 has a Chrysler M440 making a whopping 300 hp.
Woody from Correct Craft Southeast tells me that with the M440, the Southwind 20 is an outstanding performer! I can’t wait to get the boat wet!
If anyone has any more information concerning a 1974 Southwind, or has any information about my stolen 1977, please feel free to e-mail me.
Afterward: I have brought my new acquisition home! After a very long drive (is 9 1/2 hours ONE way very long?), the new Southwind is in its home. She needs a little TLC, but with some elbow grease and good cleaning products (anyone know where I can find some ZING?) she will be ready in about a month. I have taken her to the water and fired up that Chrysler M440. What a HOT engine! This thing is guaranteed to fly!
Well, I didn’t find any ZING!, but Dan and Rick at Extreme Powersports in Greenville, Illinois did recommend a product called "On & Off Hull Cleaner". Well you can see the results for yourself. The rusty, iron water deposits literally melted away! This is the weekend for testing. I will post an update after I see what this little honey can do!
Update: I managed to get the boat wet the Saturday before Father’s Day. What a sweetheart! The Chrysler 440 has a low, throaty, rumbling sound to it that is reminiscent of the days gone by. And the performance is remarkable! While the Speedo didn’t work (do they ever?), I did keep pace with cars on the River Road which has a speed limit of 55 (which no one ever does!). The boat is more maneuverable than my previous Southwind thanks to the rudder being located about 10 inches further aft. Also, the boat doesn’t seem to tle as much in a tight turn, owing to the powerful Chrysler no doubt!
Still have a ways to go before this boat will be like I want it. Upholstery, flooring, windshield, hardware, electrics... it is a project in work. Still for this summer and for what I went through to purchase it, it is money well spent. Will keep everyone posted.
6/25/2005: Just came back from the river. Need a new fuel filter, I hope. Engine started losing power at high RPM. My experience says "fuel filter", so I will change it tomorrow.
6/26/2005: Just removed old filter and, holy cow, is this thing heavy! Must be packed with garbage! Picked up a new Purolator, see-thru filter and installed it. Gave the engine a spin to check the fuel pump and it’s pumping. So we will test it next week. Still have a ways to go on cleaning every effort brings me a little closer to the finished product.
8/13/2006: Update: I got married this year on June 24, 2006! My new wife loves boating, swimming, and tubing. Hopefully more pics to follow. Also, with my wedding, I was not able to do my seats last spring. My new wife and I will be doing the interior this winter along with doing an engine refresh that will include an RPM Airgap intake manifold, cylinder head refreshment (courtesy of Terry’s Machine Shop in Bridgeton, MO), and a carb rebuild. We have a new addition to our water toys: a 1994 SeaDoo XP. I also have 4 new kids with my new wife and they all love the water. I now have a new family affair!
11/11/2007: Where do I begin? The seats are not done (but the wood is cut). My younger son is a Wolf Cub Scout and I am his Assistant Cubmaster. The boat has not been started all season and it is now November. When I did try to start it, I discovered a dragging starter. After charging the battery on a trickle charge, I made another attempt. Looks like I will be rebuilding a starter. Broner Generator in St. Louis, Missouri will do the work for $125 (Beats $250 to $300 for a rebuilt or new one). And it looks like the engine may be locked up! Great! I never guessed that a new family would be so time consuming as well as expensive. Not that I am complaining...I am not. I have simply had to re-arrange priorities. So this project will take a little more time than expected (or planned). Stay tuned for more data.
6/26/2008: Just came back from vacation at Clearwater Lake in south eastern Missouri. We took the Southwind with us. To bring you up to date: The starter was rebuilt by Broner Generator at a cost of $145. They had to replace the field coils because they were badly rusted (a characteristic of non-sealed coils, some are, some aren’t, mine weren’t...figures). Broner did an excellent job for about half the price of a new starter. The turnaround time was about 3 days...amazing. I rebuilt the Carter AFB since it had been sitting. It took me about 2 hours...I took my time and made sure ting were precise. After much twitter-pation, I discovered that engine was not locked at all. I simply had a stuck valve. After backing off the engine and a little persuasion with WD40, it freed up and the engine spins just fine. I have noticed a little oil consumption though. I am sure sitting did not help. I squirted oil with my oil in the cylinders and spun it by hand several times before starting. I vacuumed the bilge and gave it a good scrubbing (where do all these acorn shells keep coming from?) I installed my 13X15 RH prop. It seems to perform better without overspeeding. Vacation was uneventful except for some bad gas I got from Casey’s. (Note: Don’t buy fuel there anymore!) It seems to have had some water or something in it. I won’t do that again. All in all, a good test run. Now we must get on with the interior and a few new gauges.
9/21/2008: Update: Last night I started tearing down the engine to do the valves. I found a broken pushrod. This boat was doing over 50 MPH on 7 CYLINDERS! That is amazing! The plans are to spend the winter doing a cam change - a Lunati #60301 - new lifters, and a head refresh. I have 906 heads which were considered 440 Magnum heads in 1968. Now this engine is a 1974, so to discover that I have 906 Magnum heads, I was quite surprised. The 906 ing features open chamber (an undesirable trait), 1.74 exhaust valves (very desirable), and very good flow throughout the entire gamut of cam lifts. (Check Mopar Muscle for more information). Terry’s Machine Shop will do the refresh and include a 30 degree back cut on the valves to improve flow. With the improvements to the heads and the Lunati cam (and tuning on all eight), it should prove to be an interesting spring next year. Stay tuned. I will have a few pics next entry.
5/04/2009: Update: I have
