Probably did a dumb thing. I bought a rotted out Utopia 185.

[Racerx3]

First time owning a boat (I know, I know). I'm a car guy, and I like bringing new life to old, broken stuff. 2002 Utopia 185.





So, it looks pretty rough, I know. Supposedly has 70 hours, or at least that's what the seller told me, corroborated by the oil gauge. The guy I bought it from says he got it from the previous owner after it "lost spark", and swore it has factory compression, which I have not yet tested. Anyway, it sat outside in the Florida sun for 15 years, and here we are today. So, after I got it home, I got to work cleaning up the years of filth, and am getting ready to dive in. Day 2, and she's clean enough to get to work on.





Besides "don't do it", any advice for me? I guess I have to buy a manual (or a subscription to this forum to access one), as I can't find one anywhere.

 

[Shortrun]

i don't know seems like a fun project. Have you emptied all the old gas out?
keep the pictures coming.

 

[dblackstone]

Looks Like a Hell of a Project but I am sure you will have that thing beautiful when done based on how hard you must have worked on cleaning It!

 

[Racerx3]

Thanks guys! After a bit more digging and familiarizing myself with the mechanical and electricals thanks to this forums' lifesaving manual PDFs, I got to disassembling a few things on the motor.



The first thing I did was remove and inspect the spark plugs. All were oily inside, no rust. I sprayed a bit of WD-40 into the cylinders, then gently moved the flywheel. It at least sounds like it has compression (we'll see when I get the electrical back together). I stuck a bore scope down in there, they all pretty much looked similar:



The previous owner had tinkered with the wiring harness a bit, so I tore into it to get a better view of what's going on. Sitting down with the wiring diagram, I was able to determine that a handful of connections were suspect, bad, or unplugged.

• ECM >> Pump Relay was completely severed. I extended and reconnected this wire with a soldered splice.

• One of the two red wires from the Voltage Regulator >> Starter Solenoid was damaged and mildly corroded at the connector, while the other red wire had heated up at the connector and slightly melted the shielding. I purchased a cheapie replacement on Amazon that I'm hoping will do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DQS61PT/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_W6M9NATYS52SAWPW892N?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

• At least two of the trigger coil wires (purple ones) were completely corroded inside the wire shield. I did my best to cut the wire as close to the trigger as possible, but found that it was too corroded to repair. I purchased a cheapie replacement: Amazon.com: Sierra 18-5796 Trigger Assembly: Automotive

• The stator wires are in good shape, but there was surface rust on it. I applied some Naval Jelly rust dissolver and cleaned it up a bit, then oiled and wiped it with a light coating of machine oil.

New parts will be in by Thursday, at which point I'll be reassembling the trigger, stator and flywheel, regulator, some of the factory bullet connectors which look suspect, and attempting to get spark.

I'll probably set about trying to restore the dash gauges, and removing the (very stiff) throttle assembly for cleaning and reinstallation. I'll also need to understand and get working on the steering assembly, as the cable is quite loose.

More to come.

 

[Racerx3]

i don't know seems like a fun project. Have you emptied all the old gas out?
keep the pictures coming.

Yep, I emptied it out and sloshed the tank around to the best of my ability, as it seems it's not possible to remove the tank without cutting the hull, which I don't want to get into.

I'm going to stick my bore scope back down in there and make sure there's no sediment (it sat with the fuel level sensor out of it, open to the elements). Not sure if the original sender is still going to work-- know of a good cheap replacement part?

Looks Like a Hell of a Project but I am sure you will have that thing beautiful when done based on how hard you must have worked on cleaning It!

Thanks man! I have the support of a lovely lady who is very eager to get this thing in the water, which helps immensely.

 

[Racerx3]

Got some new parts today! Replacement engine cover shocks, ignition kill switch, voltage regulator, fuel filter, fuel water separator, fuel pump diaphragm rebuild kit, and some new bullet connectors. Those will go in tonight, then I'll replace the trigger coil with the new part, and put the stator and flywheel back on before hooking up the new battery and testing for spark.

Got some lacquer thinner to soak the fuel tank with to help remove any residue from the old fuel. I'll let it soak overnight, then swish it around, siphon it out, and hit it with some denatured alcohol before filling it up with some fresh gas.

I'll then replace the fuel lines, test the bilge pump, examine the carburators.

My hope is to do this, shore up and all of the throttle and steering, get her started up and see how she idles for 20-30 minutes, and if all looks good, do a water test this weekend. Ambitious (maybe naive), I know.

So, some questions:

Is there a decent, inexpensive rebuild kit out there for the 210 carbs?

Also, any additives you guys recommend using besides sta-bil in the fuel? Lastly, what viscosity oil do you recommend for ~80-90° ambient temperatures?

 

[Racerx3]

After getting no spark, I picked up a DVA for my multimeter and found the stator way below output ratings.

To rule out ignition wiring, I disconnected the main harness between the motor and ignition, and just jumpered the starter motor to get it to crank. After replacing the stator, bingo! Spark.

Re-plumbed all of the fuel lines, cleaned the carb attenuator (found mud wasps had built nests in there), went over all wiring and fixed everything that was damaged, cleaned up all grounds, rebuilt the fuel pump, replaced the water / fuel separator and fuel filter, flushed the oil (looked good in there) and replaced with Mercury Advanced Premium Plus Synthetic Blend 2-stroke oil, and now getting ready to start it up after at least 12 years of sitting.

I squirted a tiny amount of a mixture of 2 stroke oil and WD-40 into the cylinders, and we'll see if WD-40 is going to cut it as starting fluid. Wish me luck.

 

[Shortrun]

Good work. How are you going to deal with the seats. They seem quite rough.

 

[Tacomatrx450]

nice work!!! i am a new boat owner as well and i am finding these utopia parts are hard to find and when you do find them they are expensive

 

[cymertony]

WOW.... I have a new to me 2001 Utopia with a fairly clean 200 DFI here in So Cal. Definitely looking forward to your update. So far, so good here... I just wish the spark plugs were more accessible!

 

[Tim75]

After getting no spark, I picked up a DVA for my multimeter and found the stator way below output ratings.

To rule out ignition wiring, I disconnected the main harness between the motor and ignition, and just jumpered the starter motor to get it to crank. After replacing the stator, bingo! Spark.

Re-plumbed all of the fuel lines, cleaned the carb attenuator (found mud wasps had built nests in there), went over all wiring and fixed everything that was damaged, cleaned up all grounds, rebuilt the fuel pump, replaced the water / fuel separator and fuel filter, flushed the oil (looked good in there) and replaced with Mercury Advanced Premium Plus Synthetic Blend 2-stroke oil, and now getting ready to start it up after at least 12 years of sitting.

I squirted a tiny amount of a mixture of 2 stroke oil and WD-40 into the cylinders, and we'll see if WD-40 is going to cut it as starting fluid. Wish me luck.

Make sure you completel clean those wasp/mud dobber nests. Those nests are built with sand.