Got spark & blood, but no fuel

A submarine dive is when you put the heavy people in the back seat, go about 15 mph so the nose is up, turn slightly and continue. Turn the boat around and head to where the inside of the waves you make are coming together (which are massive). Decelerate quickly as your about 20 feet from the wave. The nose of the boat will dip from deceleration and will plunge right in the wave causing the wave to roll right over the bow. As the wave starts to go over, hit the gas. This causes the wave to sail over the windshield and drenches the boat. Youve done a good one when the wall of water makes it past the back seat. Oh yeah, make sure you have a working bildge pump because you can get 15 gallons in the hull easily per dip. I only do it once in a while as EVERYTHING gets wet. Its a blast though. The Mustangs and Martiniques with the slanted windshield work the best for this.And as far as 180 goes, I only do the smaller ones so no one gets hurt.

How do you do a submarine dive?

Also, what is the packing supposed to look like?

This is what my shaft seal looks like.


Would anyone like to post a picture of what it's supposed to be?

oh...it will dip to the window and beyond...ease into it

79nautique does have a good point. But changing it is not a bad idea anyway. Why the whole thing isnt ALL stainless is beyond me. I can relate to the 180 because the one in the 74 M17 snapped when I did one and I pulled the back seat out and drove her home steering by hand. I do go wild where anyone or anything is going to get hurt. You have to know if the person is strong enough to handg on, and they have to know or they might get ejected. Its nice it broke then instead of going straight at WOT.

75tique, those little tiques rock! They do kick but. My old neighbors 78 (I think) did 50. They are fast too being lighter.

dchris, wait until you do an unexpected submarine dive!! You will learn that trick if you want to drench the inside of the boat.

Good advice, 79nautique. I'm definitely going to be taking it slow as far as the "advanced" moves are concerned.

First of all, there's nothing childish about wanting to hear a good boat rumble every now and then. And if there is, who says there's anything wrong with being childish? I fully intend to record my motor and post it to my web site.

Okay, the prop shaft turns pretty easy now (not when I first brought it home) and there is no back and forth play at all that I can detect. I haven't taken a look at the damper plate yet.

I haven't tried the power turn yet. Is that the same thing as a spin, where you go really fast, throw it in neutral, and yank on the wheel? I'm still a little scared of the boat and may not try that for a while.

50 may not be impossible. If I can trust my 30 year old speedo, my tique tops out just about at 50 with the chevy 305 - 230 hp. Although the tique is 400 pounds less than the 17' Mustang. The guy I bought if from said he could beat the various comparable ford powered boats on his lake.

Dave, it might be easier to track down and borrow a hand held GPS rather than a radar gun. A lot of people are using those now, especially if you have newer speedos that can be/need to be adjusted.

It doesnt matter what gear your in, just want to see if the bearings are running smooth. Also, there should be no movement forward/back on the shaft. Wish I could hear it. By the way, have you tried a power turn??

I think whoever had it just let it rot away. I am still thinking on the noise issue. Damper springs a possibility, but they usually will chatter idling also. Might try pulling on the prop and turning it to see if everything feels smooth. Deceleration tries to pull the shaft out of the transmission.

Mustangs are pretty fast. All of the ones that I have seen and running right will usually do at least 45 mph. Crank the timing up a bit and run premium gas with a good prop and they will usually do 47-48 mph. Our stock 307 chevy 225 hp (OMC 225) will do 50 with 2 heavy people in the back seat and myself driving. It goes faster with more weight in the back. Bring those people to the front and it will do 48 mph. Our other Mustang 17 with the old 302 would do 47 with the timing set at 18 degrees advance at idle My measurements are done with a radar gun so I know its accurate. I also check the speedo using it.

not to burst your bubble but don't believe that you are actaully doing 50, your speedo's most likely are not accurate, 40-45 is more realistic. good to hear you are up and rnning and enjoying your new toy.

1974 Correct Craft Mustang 17: $700
Inboard Trailer: $100
Tires & Wheels: $170
Tune up kit, oil, & other basic parts: $200

The growl of a classic boat doing 50 in open water: PRICESLESS.

This boat is so awesome. I can't believe I pulled this deal. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and encouragement - it really helped.

Dchris17...way to go man. Do you think you will get it in the water this fall!

I have enjoyed following your quest to buy that thing and now that you did , am excited to see you succeed in getting it on the lake!
Keep up the good work!!!

She runs!!!! Go ahead and slam on me all you want for screwing up, but I'm so happy I don't care. I was driving to West Marine and it occurred to me that I had followed the firing order clockwise on my distributor cap, when it was really counter clockwise. So, I rearranged the wires, turned the key, and she fired right up. It's a beautiful sound too!!!

If you find it has fuel and she still acts funny, make sure, since you performed a complete tune-up, that you check the dwell(if applicable), and the timing while cranking it over. Might want to double check spark plug wire order to be sure. Dont get caught chasing ghosts since it has not been run.