2010 Formosa Tomahawk rebuild

[Sea Unit]

Purchased the boat around a year ago and while it was in fair condition for its age it still wasn't really up to the standard I like.
I knew the Gen 1 ETec 130HP was getting a bit long in the tooth at 700 hrs and while it still ran ok it had a couple of small gremlins, just enough to keep me from venturing too far offshore.

So, first step was a repower to the new Gen 2 150HP 3 cylinder:
97879C00-798A-417E-8778-2ACCD21D4F5D.jpg

With the engine concerns out of the way my attention was drawn to the electrical system.
I noticed one day that the bilge pump stopped working. With a new unit sourced a simple swap should have fixed the issue however this only opened my eyes to an absolute poo-show of a wiring job.
Stray earths, old wires to nowhere and different gauges joined together... it was actually quite scary to see what some people are willing to accept as 'safe'.

This was essentially the beginning of the full rebuild as it 'seemed' easier to strip everything and start from scratch. This was also a chance to fix any other faults I found along the way including a pretty lucky find in the fuel system.

FYI, it wasn't easier but after 8 weeks of blood, sweat, tears and many, many expletives the hard work all came together.

I tried to document most of the work along the way and threw together a bit of a video which can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fydECw2XIQw
And the finished product here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsYAd0mtkQ

I learned many lessons along the way and likely did a few things the hard way but in the end I now know the boat inside out and have full confidence in it to head as wide as the petrol tank will allow.

Before
IMG_3422.jpg

After
IMG_1696.jpg

[seastrength]

Congratulations! Job well done Sea Unit. I wish that I had your broad skill set. Just knowing the fuel system and wiring is all up to a high standard must be a great feeling when offshore. Cheers SS

[stevet]

I would like to hear the comparisons between the G1 and G2 and some performance figures.

what prop you are running? WOT RPM

there will be naysayers - I am rapt with my G2 115HO

[gazza2006au]

Awesome job well done i have a nit pick question tho u went to all that trouble to install a supermarket food lunch box u could have bought a proper plastic electrical box for about $60

Is that u welding if so can u tell me how u ran that first weld? Did u use a slow pulse? I have never tig'ed using pulse but i find the weld pool runs away on my my feed rate is pretty fast and i panic to try feed the filler

Seeing how slow u tig welded man i could run perfection welds at that pace i was just taught to run basic settings but if thats pulse setting that would have made me tig alloy like a professional

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[blacklab]

Kudos, looking very Schmick.
Congrats on the end result, hope you get many hours of use out of her now...


Col

[Dignity]

Great job, you should feel more comfortable going offshore now. I like the use of "lunch boxes" as so easy to open when needed.
Just one thing I would add is some silver paint over the cold gal. I don't know why, maybe because it's soft but easily chipped by stones etc and won't take long before you're fixing it again. I've found ay cheap paint over it will last a lot longer.

[catshark]

well done stella job boat came up smick looks good in the stealth mode nice decals with the boat name broad brush strokes , the wiring looked scary but looked like you got it soughted cheers

[Noelm]

Very neat job, and done rather quickly.

[Sea Unit]

I would like to hear the comparisons between the G1 and G2 and some performance figures.

what prop you are running? WOT RPM

there will be naysayers - I am rapt with my G2 115HO

Hey mate,
Unfortunately I can't really compare the two as the Gen 1 (while reliable) was never allowed to reach its true potential due to a kink in the fuel line. Just prior to the repower I found the exhaust valve actuator had seized.

The new 150 however is a beast! I'm running a 14.5 x 17 RX3 stainless prop. WOT sees 5800rpm.

There will always be haters of the Etec. I personally love it. It's not as quiet as a new 4 stroke but my its amazing on fuel economy and has power all the way through the rev range.

[Sea Unit]

Awesome job well done i have a nit pick question tho u went to all that trouble to install a supermarket food lunch box u could have bought a proper plastic electrical box for about $60

Is that u welding if so can u tell me how u ran that first weld? Did u use a slow pulse? I have never tig'ed using pulse but i find the weld pool runs away on my my feed rate is pretty fast and i panic to try feed the filler

Seeing how slow u tig welded man i could run perfection welds at that pace i was just taught to run basic settings but if thats pulse setting that would have made me tig alloy like a professional

Sent from my SM-G900I using Ausfish mobile app

Hey mate,
Feel free to nitpick all you like! I trailled 2 seperate dedicated electrical boxes and couldn't find one to fit and also allow me to acess the fuse panel as well as the cheap tupperware container does.
I agree, it looks a bit cheap but it's hidden out of sight and does the job very well.

That wasn't me welding the console but if your machine has the capability, start with a 70 / 30 square wave.

[Sea Unit]

Great job, you should feel more comfortable going offshore now. I like the use of "lunch boxes" as so easy to open when needed.
Just one thing I would add is some silver paint over the cold gal. I don't know why, maybe because it's soft but easily chipped by stones etc and won't take long before you're fixing it again. I've found ay cheap paint over it will last a lot longer.

Cheers for the tip mate!
Yes I've already noticed the cold gal slowly being worn away after a few long trips up the highway. I'd have done a better job on the trailer however I was reluctant to throw too much money at it as it really is getting close to the end of its servicable life. 10 years of nelect by the previous owners has taken its toll so I'm currently planning to build a new one.

[gazza2006au]

Thanks Sea Unit

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