Riptide Boatman Single

[Collector Inspector]

Has just joined my flock and is a very, very, rare bird indeed locally.

I am very pleased with it as the original condition was not expected when I bought it site unseen.

Hefty comp and spark with proper carb etc.

Gearbox is full of grease and very sound.

Prop is a ringer but I have a genuine one to put on when it is sorted and tuned up.

I now know the correct green shade for my other twin which is same year production.

This completes my Australian Riptide Collection, I have every model that they made and one prototype ex factory.

Milestone for me.

Yes, I am showing off aye?

B

[Collector Inspector]

Started a routine service. Ignition first. No problems so far.

B

[Collector Inspector]

Today I got stuck in to the top end.

Compression was very surprising as my twins battle to get over 65Psi. I think that the head volume may be different as the piston and block are the same.............I will check that out. The heads are different

Ignition just came online, not a problem. 7/16" air gap nice and blue spark.

Cleaned the tank and carb, not an issue.

Replaced throttle lever (Was snapped off) with one from parts. It is not correct but looks the part and works. Original cable retained. Looks ratty but internally not an issue re adjustment and smooth operation.

Soldered HT lead to coil.

Replaced the Champion plug cap with better original from parts box and fitted a NOS lead clip to existing HT lead.

Now, this really silly and a bunch of laughs, the fuel tap (Original)..............Check the name of it. Makes me laugh everytime I see one.

Also, many miles of someones hand testing the block exit temp on this pipe..........worn away the nickle plate.

Pics below.

Regards

B

[Collector Inspector]

Went to my trusty grease gun today, empty. I put the plastic cartridge in with ends off when refilling which has worked a treat for many many years............................Plastic tube will NOT come out this time.



B

[Collector Inspector]

Sorted the grease gun.

Everything flushed out with new grease, a quick clean up and will run it this weekend.

What I thought "a ringer prop" is actually correct in every respect.

Cheers

B

EDIT: If you go back thru the pics it is evident that the transom clamps have stayed in the same place? Something to sort out yet, locked solid and never noticed. Bugger.

[Hugz]

Is that the same head and barrel that they use on the fisherman? Looks larger though.

[Collector Inspector]

Thank you for the interest Hugo.

They are different in that;

The twins have water in under with spark plug 180 degrees on top. They also have indented fastener lands. The twin tank is back and above of spark plugs. The indented fastener lands were for the Fisherman Deluxe and Fisherman Sea Scout that had different starter and tank arrangements which would not look neat and tidy using stick out studs like the Boatman.

The singles have water in under with plug at 90 to one side so that the tank for them can be mounted close above. They have flat fastener lands so that the tank mount assy can bolt flush using the two top studs. Interestingly, the tank mount is bronze and they decided to paint it, go figure.

If you see a fisherman with one plug facing forward and one plug facing rearward..the heads are single Boatman heads.

Fisherman heads will work on a Boatman but the tank has to moved away for the spark plug etc.

B

[Collector Inspector]

Everything done to plonk in the tub for a triumphant start and tell video, NUP, here is why and my thoughts.

Firstly it has comp of 80 as before.

2ndly it absolutely will not run, attempted but no go, if any water is above the cav plate. Whatever the crankcase sucks in, is blown back out of carby leaving plug dry. Still massive spark. I dropped the water level in increments till just on cav plate top.

3rdly, I note that the exhaust relief is only the original wee hole. Some of my twins are drilled extra to a large degree.

4thly I have not filmed it starting easy out of water because that is not the point.

Interesting observation while beering and fiddling in our soon to be Spring sunshine is that when motor turned by hand anti clockwise, the comp felt really strong so I tested it backwards which is the interesting bit.

80 Psi roped normally and 115Psi roped backwards?

OK, here is my thought on this little Ripper malcontent...................

1. It has piston ring land issue

2. It has broken ring or rings

3. The exhaust port is in need of a decarb job.

Interestingly, the twins have a plate which is removed from the exhaust manifold to gain access for cleaning the exhaust ports. I have done this to two of my twins and they needed it.

Seagulls have huge ports in comparison so never an issue.

I will pull the head and barrel to have a sortie aye?

Cheers

B

[Collector Inspector]

Hi All

Not exactly sure if this makes any sense after I pulled the head off but I will give it a go.

Maybe in a couple of posts to get what I found in order.

1. OK, pulled the head and did not have any sense in the combustion chamber when compared to riptide... see the pic comparisons.

2. Note the scribble under each head

3. My single has a larger piston that matches the internal of the head it has with it.

4. The single barrel has no stepped head center upcast left because of over bore of noted in comparison pics.

5. The single barrel is useless because of over bore

6. The piston is useless in the single bore because the induction height leaves the induction port basically closed. The exhaust timing is spot on.

7. The inlet port being closed is why the motor would not breath and run in water. It does run dry.

8. I have no idea what the head and piston is off. For them to be available and similar, some foundry in Oz made them for something else.

I have made a gasket rather than the Wheeties packet that I found when I removed the head first thinking that was my problem. The head is back on and very secure now with the same issue....................SO....

1. I will now remove the barrel and head complete and look at the piston induction cut away for possible adjustment to advance.

2. The advance will be in the region of 6mm of extra depth ground away.

3. This adjustment may be OK but depends where the top ring land is with this dodgy piston.

4. If dodgy piston can not be advanced induction, I am removing the port barrel from a stuck twin that I have. I have parts motors that turn over, so easy, but, I am not wasting 1/2 of a twin if I can help it........make sense?

I will try to make sense of the pics below and maybe following.

I love this STUFF................

Hugo, you have good eyes re size of heads................the twins have huge water jackets........

B

[Charles uk]

Bruce do you have a degree wheel to measure the transfer port timing on this cylinder/piston combination.

Is there any indication of the piston manufacturer as they are American in styling as are the heads.

[Collector Inspector]

Sorry Charles, I just compared and measured piston proper in proper barrel at BDC as far as how open the transfer port was, just the hole made via the proper piston. Then compared to the dodgy piston in the OS bore of the single. It is open maybe 1mm.

I just fired the single up just now, out of the water and tried again with some 1" over the exhaust and cav plate......same issue everything into the crankcase comes right out again from the carb.

Nothing flash.

You noticed that these are based on american...................well done. Some interesting twin con rod adjustments aye?

I will post a vid of the wee beast running with no water in my tub, just to say it will run at that 1mm port....

Below is a pic of a stuck twin assy, the Port barrell etc. The piston and rings were replaced in this poor thing but someone, before I got it, let water get into the exhausts......I have the barrel rotating in the crankcase so maybe a couple of daze and I will clean them up and just plonk onto the single......end of problem for it then.

B

[Collector Inspector]

And we go on.......

Below is a vid of running out of water, not a problem, with the dodgy piston/intake timing. It starts with a slow pull and cool. If I was selling this on Ebay just the perfect demonstration of a 53 year old motor aye? We know the piston is from something else as above.

The link



Now, just for us ozzies.......I used PEP Gasket Goo on the replacement head gasket.......remember the smell of it? See the grey smoke? It smelled like a million dollars. I am 20 again.

Cheers

B

[Hugz]

Glad you picked it up. I would have no hope in getting her going in water... quite a bit of difference to heads...Aye!

Did you gain any history from the previous owner?

[Collector Inspector]

History, no Hugo the gent can not even leave Ebay feedback because of the limitations of the "Mobile App" that he used, no probs we just get on with it.......

Transfer port timing for a piston dodgy but I think that it is a Verity one that history past has been grafted in to the Ripper. Well, I have a reason for that but no proof other than my gut.

So

Without getting really tech I am going to pull the head/block off as it stands and check some dimensions in comparison to port timing and piston dimensions from what I know from what spares I have and measurements of relevent "Stuff" re what should be and where without a degree wheel. (Sorry Charles)

This will not be doing degree wheel and lots of math, just piston mods to get the Ripper to breath in a shapely fashion using a bit of experience in similar.

The piston will have, If I am thinking correctly, a VERY close or maybe TOO CLOSE clearence between skirt and crankshaft....just something that I have "Felt" when turning it over and paying attention as us Old Codgers do?

Basically..........................this is very interesting and I would love to have a "Big Bore" Riptide Boatman at the end of the day.

Maybe or maybe not.....................as I said, I have a port side block and a genuine head etc to get back to standard.

I am getting my porting tools back together, been a long long time since.

Cheers

B

[Charles uk]

Your pics don't tell us much as we can't see the transfer port layout, are there 3? different compression normal & reverse would imply ovality in the bore on the thrust side, it looks to early & crude for an oval piston.
It should be possible to machine the piston transfer notch lower by probably 1mm without weakening the piston too much, as this is the cold side, but you will lose some compression, it's the quickest way to do it, 1/2 an hour on a mill with a rotary table & a ball ended cutter, it might be possible to do the same to the transfer ports through the exhaust, but I couldn't see that either.

Has the piston lost some of it's deflector height?