--- id: harris-flotebote-pontoon kind: equipment display_name: Harris FloteBote pontoon + Johnson 50 (Sam's own boat) current_guide: equipment/harris-flotebote-pontoon/harris-flotebote-pontoon-service-guide-v0.1.html current_guide_version: 0.1 guide_status: draft last_session: 2026-06-03 latest_handoff: handoff-blocks/audits/vehicle-asset-inventory-2026-06-01.md hin: HAMP2051E585 engine_model: J50VLSIB engine_serial: G04947141 --- # Harris FloteBote pontoon + Johnson 50 > **Sam's OWN boat.** Not a customer asset. Do NOT confuse with the **Lubig > Bennington** (`customer-jobs/lubig-bennington-pontoon-2026-05/`), which is a > *customer's* 2008 Bennington with a **Yamaha F150** — a different boat, a > different engine, a different owner. Sam's pontoon runs a **Johnson 50 HP > 2-stroke**, never a Yamaha. ## Current state Identity **RESOLVED 2026-06-01** from Sam's verified IDs (HIN + engine model/ serial). Migrated out of the retired `/manage` app (where it lived as `BOAT-SAM-001` / `MOTOR-SAM-001` with the boat HIN + year blank). Guide v0.1 scaffolded this session: verified config, lower-unit gear-oil procedure with the HPF-Pro-vs-80W-90 value note, spring-start steps, and a parts-tier section with service-manual-confirmed gear capacity (16 oz) and the correct 40-50 HP water- pump kit (438592, **not** the 60-75 HP 438597). This is substrate documentation only. **No public per-person page** is published yet — gated on the security foundation (see `awareness-backlog.md`). The content is one step from publish when that gate exists. ## 2026-06-03 — prep + findings (see the guide's Service Log) - **Gear oil: DONE** — refilled to the vent, level **FULL**. ⚠️ **Action item:** the **TOP/vent screw had NO sealing washer** (bottom screw's washer was present, reused) and the drained oil was **slightly milky = early-stage water intrusion**. Install a fresh top-screw washer before running; re-check oil for milkiness after next use. **SAM-FILL: confirm the washer size for both screws.** Tracked as a maintenance issue. - **Prep partial:** seat backs/armrests + interiors cleaned (Star Brite Mold & Mildew + Magic Eraser); seat cushions, pontoon pressure-wash, engine-cover clean **still to do**. - **Engine observation (watch):** starts but **struggles a bit to idle** — not diagnosed; monitor. - **Launch plan:** **2026-06-04 ~7:30-8:00 PM** with Mike Letvin, attempting **John Lubig's pontoon trailer** (jack front + 3rd cinderblock + wood under each front toon). **Contingency:** book a hydraulic pontoon trailer from **Papa's (rental)** — **decision before noon 2026-06-04**. - **Trim:** still pending (sender missing — documented). Gear-oil level FULL. ## Verified config (Sam-supplied 2026-06-01) - **Boat:** Harris FloteBote pontoon - **HIN:** `HAMP2051E585` (HAMP = Harris MIC) - **Engine:** **Johnson 50 HP, 2-stroke** · Model **`J50VLSIB`** · Serial **`G04947141`** - **Engine model decode (verified):** J = Johnson (USA) · 50 = 50 HP · L = 20" long shaft · year code **SI = 2001** (OMC "INTRODUCES" cipher: I-N-T-R-O-D-U-C-E-S = 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0, so S=0, I=1 → "01") · B = production run. **=> 2001 Johnson 50 HP 2-stroke, 20" shaft.** - **Parts-compatibility family:** Johnson/Evinrude 40-50 HP 2-stroke, 1989-2005. - **Gear lube last used:** Evinrude/Johnson **HPF Pro** (synthetic, OEM `778755`), changed last year. - **Owner / loc:** S. Foran · Commerce Twp, MI · stored on trailer at sam-home. ## SAM-FILL (still pending) - **Exact Harris model + hull year.** HIN `HAMP2051E585` date block not decoded with confidence here — confirm model line + year from the **MI registration / title**. (Engine is 2001; a repower of a slightly older hull is common, so the hull year may not equal 2001 — do not assume.) - **2-cyl vs 3-cyl confirmation.** Gear capacity below assumes the standard **2- cylinder** 50 (matches the 438592 water-pump family). If it is the **3-cyl 56 ci** "50," gear capacity is 22 oz instead of 16 oz — confirm by cylinder count. - **Trailer details** (make/model/year/VIN/plate/GVWR/tire size) — all blank in the old record. ## Gear lube — decision is Sam's (both acceptable) - **Premium:** Evinrude/Johnson **HPF Pro** synthetic (OEM `778755`) — what Sam used last year. - **Value (spec-equivalent):** standard marine **SAE 80W-90, API GL-5** gear lube (Quicksilver / Lucas / Sierra) — meets the same spec at roughly half the cost. - **Either is correct.** Annual change + fill-until-it-weeps-from-the-top-vent matters far more than brand. **Capacity: 16 oz** (2-cyl, 1989+; service-manual chart confirmed — see guide references). ## Pointers - Latest guide: `equipment/harris-flotebote-pontoon/harris-flotebote-pontoon-service-guide-v0.1.html` - Versioned guides: `equipment/harris-flotebote-pontoon/` - Migration source + inventory: `handoff-blocks/audits/vehicle-asset-inventory-2026-06-01.md` - Retired `/manage` record: `BOAT-SAM-001` / `MOTOR-SAM-001` (samesolutionsllc-website, pre-retirement) ## Sister equipment (all Sam's) - **Four Winns H190 Freedom** (1989, OMC Cobra 4.3L V6 sterndrive) — Sam's other boat. See `index/equipment/fourwinns-h190.md`. - **2001 Sea-Doo GTX DI** (951cc 2-stroke PWC) — see `index/equipment/seadoo-gtx-di-2001.md`. - **NOT sister equipment:** the Yamaha F150 (`customer-jobs/lubig-bennington-pontoon-2026-05/yamaha-f150tlr.md`) belongs to **John Lubig's** Bennington — a customer engine, not Sam's. (The fourwinns dossier's "Sister equipment" line was corrected 2026-06-01 to say the same; it previously mislabeled the Yamaha as "Sam's other boat engine.")