New to me 2000 Sport Nautique

[MLars]

Hey guys, been a member here for a couple months now and my boat search has finally come to an end! Picked up a 2000 Sport Nautique with the GT40 engine in North Carolina on Friday. Has less than 300 hours on it, and the Teleflex gauges actually work, although they are a little sporadic. Drove down Friday from Massachusetts and made it Saturday night. Super pumped to get this thing registered and in the water, but just have a couple questions for those with models similar to mine.

1. Steering is locked up, you can force it to turn but it is very stiff and jerky. I'm assuming it's just the steering cable. How hard is this to replace?

2. What type of engine oil and filter? After searching it looks like most people use 40w Valvoline VR1, what type of filter are you guys running?

3. The boat wasn't used much last year (only 8 hours), would you guys recommend changing the transmission fluid? If so, what gear oil should I use?

4. When trailering it home, the surge brake system seems to jerk around a lot. It really slammed back and forth when braking and accelerating, and felt like it wasn't helping with the braking. Is this normal? I've never had a trailer with a brake system before.

5. How does the rear bench seat attach? I found the rubber handles but how do they attach to the mounting points? Also, how does the rear seat backrest mount? The sides are attached but the middle part can pop up and it looks like there's a metal prong that should attach somewhere.

6. My fake-a-lake I bought doesn't cover the water inlet completely, is that normal?

Glad to be here and looking forward to being part of a great community!

Matt

[Blamey]

Hey, congrats on the boat. Glad it all went well and you made it home safe. It's no teal 95 sport but it looks pretty good .

1. Yes, it probably the steering cable. I think you can disconnect the rubber to confirm its just the cable

2. I use VR1 20w50, I know there are other options but this will work. I use a Wix 51515 because it's black and looks cool. There is a Napa version of the Wix . You can also use the motorcraft Fl-1A which is the most common. All good filter. Don't use a fram.

3. Yes change the trans fluid. You will need a vacuum pump like the Mityvac. You suck the ATf out the dip stick. Use Dex/Merc ATF. Don't use synthetic ATF, it can cause the trans to slip.

4. Not Normal, your brakes probably don't work. You can try bleeding the breaks and see if that fixes em but em those. Replacing the brakes is pretty cheap. About $300 for a new coupler and new drum brakes. I need to do this on my Super Sport trailer.

5. sorry I can't help i think the seat is different to what's is the older boats.

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[MLars]

Hey, congrats on the boat. Glad it all went well and you made it home safe. It's no teal 95 sport but it looks pretty good .

1. Yes, it probably the steering cable. I think you can disconnect the rubber to confirm its just the cable

2. I use VR1 20w50, I know there are other options but this will work. I use a Wix 51515 because it's black and looks cool. There is a Napa version of the Wix . You can also use the motorcraft Fl-1A which is the most common. All good filter. Don't use a fram.

3. Yes change the trans fluid. You will need a vacuum pump like the Mityvac. You suck the ATf out the dip stick. Use Dex/Merc ATF. Don't use synthetic ATF, it can cause the trans to slip.

4. Not Normal, your brakes probably don't work. You can try bleeding the breaks and see if that fixes em but em those. Replacing the brakes is pretty cheap. About $300 for a new coupler and new drum brakes. I need to do this on my Super Sport trailer.

5. sorry I can't help i think the seat is different to what's is the older boats.

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Awesome Paul, thank you again for the advice. Got home late so didn't have much time to mess with it before it got dark. I restored a Seadoo boat and jetski previously so I like to think I'm relatively mechanically inclined and can probably do all these things myself, just never had an inboard boat before. Any tips for changing the oil? Seems like a daunting task with the filter at an angle. Is there any other preventative maintenance you'd recommend I do (like fuel filter or water strainer)?

I was planning on doing an oil change, changing the impeller, and repairing the steering cable (that one's kind of important haha). But if you think there's anything else that should be done I'd rather do it now as preventative maintenance instead of halfway through the season at the lake.

[Blamey]

Yes, I'd recommend changing the filter in the FCC cell, cleaning water strainer and changing the impeller.

Since the fuel in the boat is old you may want to burn through a tank before changing the FCC.

Other than that, maybe the spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. You can get them all for around $100 and it's piece of mind to know they are new but that can probably wait till winter. I just did them on my Sport as it looked like they were never done.

The oil change is easy. There should be an oil drain line that runs from the bottom of the engine this can be fed through the drain plug and the oil can be drained. Just make sure the engine is hot.

Correctcraftfan.com deals with the older Correct Crafts and has lots of good info on restoring boats as well as a GT40 diagnostic thread. It also tends to be a little more skiing and direct drive focussed.

I'd suggest reading through their FAQ post which covers alot of first time questions.

They are also having a meetup at Lake Zoar in August that you should try make. There is a post about it in the reunion forum.

Get that steering fixed and get her into the water.


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[2001 Python]

I never use the fake-a-lake on inboards, it's just asking for trouble.

I built a 15 gallon tank that bottom drains to the raw water pump... simply pop the tank next to the motor, remove the raw water pump inlet hose and replace with the 15 gallon tank hose, fill the tank up with a garden hose. Once the tank is near full, start the motor up.

You'll notice right away that even at idle, your raw water pump will flow much more water than your garden hose can keep up with, as the 15 gallon tank will slowly be going down. Were you using the fake-a-lake, you would have been starving the raw water impeller and doing damage. The bonus to this setup is the ability to winterize the boat with -100 glycol. Just drain the water from the system as best you can, then hitch up your tank and fill it with 5 or 6 gallons of glycol. Whatever water is left in your system trapped in pockets will be mixed with the glycol and turned into antifreeze.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...98?recordNum=4

[2001 Python]

There are no water separators or fuel filters on these boats, just what is in the FCC.

I just went through the fuel system on my boat and replaced everything but the high pressure pump.

The layout of the fuel system is... Fuel tank to low pressure/high volume pump, this pump fills the FCC. Inside the FCC is a filter and your high pressure fuel pump, this pressurizes the fuel to 40-45 psi for the injection system.

The FCC can be a real bitch to take off, I busted my rubber strap wrenches in my first attempt and had to resort to a large pipe wrench to finish the job. Some have had to remove the entire FCC from the motor and place it in a large vise to remove the canister, thankfully mine was not that bad.

[2001 Python]

The rear seat back is secured by 3 large knobs, one in the center and the other two on the sides of the seat back. The center knob is just above the gas tank, flip open the sundeck and take a look with a flash light. The other two can be seen from inside the sundeck storage area also, just look down the sides.

In order to remove the seat back, the side cushion trim will need to be removed first, otherwise the seat back cannot be pulled straight back and out.

The side cushion trim (has the speakers mounted in it) is held on much the same as the rear seat back, just lay down next to the motor box and look up underneath... you'll see everything.

[MLars]

Thanks a lot guys for the advice. Paul, I'll take a look at that FAQ page over on CCF. 2001 Python, think you could PM me a picture of that water tank you're talking about? Seems simple enough to make and easy insurance to make sure the boat is getting water when running on the trailer. I'll have to take a look at the rear seat too, thanks for the tips.

[2001 Python]

I'll snap a picture of it when I get home, it can be made rather easy.

All you need is a rectangle container that will fit on along side the motor, a 1-1/4" barbed through hull fitting and a short length of reinforced 1-1/4" hose to connect to the raw water inlet.

You can use a plastic trash barrel or get as fancy as you want with the container, I like to add shut-off valves for the water so I don't need to leave the boat while performing maint.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwo...2?recordNum=23

Also... I'm in Holland on Hamilton reservoir, just incase we share the same lake in central Mass.

[MLars]

I'll snap a picture of it when I get home, it can be made rather easy.

All you need is a rectangle container that will fit on along side the motor, a 1-1/4" barbed through hull fitting and a short length of reinforced 1-1/4" hose to connect to the raw water inlet.

You can use a plastic trash barrel or get as fancy as you want with the container, I like to add shut-off valves for the water so I don't need to leave the boat while performing maint.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwo...2?recordNum=23

Also... I'm in Holland on Hamilton reservoir, just incase we share the same lake in central Mass.

Much appreciated if you can get a pic whenever you have time, it sounds simple but I'd love to see what it looks like. I usually go up to the lakes region in NH for vacation but when testing my boats after doing repairs or something I usually just go to lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, although the park rangers have given me a hard time previously for using a NH registered boat in Mass, even though it's legal.

[MLars]

Alright guys, unhooked the rudder and steering rack from the cable. Turns out the cable is the problem, but I do have a question about the rudder. It moves easily but kind of jerks when I move it by hand or from the inside (see video). Think it could need the bearings replaced or greased?

[Blamey]

My guess is that's normal and just making the sound because you are moving from the rudder rather than cable but I can't say so for sure. Hopefully someone with more experience can confirm.

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[2001 Python]

A little late with the pictures of that water tank for running the boat on the trailer... I totally forgot and was reminded thankfully.

This tank is a tad fancier than what is needed but you can get the idea of what's going on when using it with pictures.

Also, were this tank to be built specific for my Nautique, I would have shortened the 1-1/4" reinforced to the perfect length for my boat, but I also let my neighbor use it and he requires a longer hose to work with his Malibu. The reinforced hose to tank connection swivels 180 degrees so it just lays flat on the floor when you put the tank next to your motor in the boat, when done just disconnect from the raw water pump inlet and swivel it upright. The whole motor box cover will need to be removed to use this tank if your raw water pump is crank mounted like mine.

[SilentSeven]

4. Not Normal, your brakes probably don't work. You can try bleeding the breaks and see if that fixes em but em those. Replacing the brakes is pretty cheap. About $300 for a new coupler and new drum brakes.

This is correct for sure. Going to assume you have drum brakes.

99% chance after sitting that long that the wheel cylinders are shot and there's a good chance the seals in master cylinder (in the coupler) are shot as well. You'll save yourself a ton of headache if you ID the brake brand and buy replacement backing plates kits. Will have new wheel cylinders, springs and typically shoes. Don't mess around with piece parting it...ask me how i know.

Also, whiile the drums are off, replace the seals (inner seal in particular) and repack. You'll be good to go then.

[bscott]

I didn't think there many differences between 2000 and 2001 Sport, but on the 2000 Sport I had, you removed the seat back by simply lifting it straight up. The bottom of the seat was attached by the two rubber handles you found as well as two pins that were located along the back of the bench at the bottom of the rear seat back rest. The seat bench was pretty tricky to pull out, but I never had to remove the side cushion trim.