Crusader MP454 XLi Vee belt issues

I have a pair of Crusader MP454 XLi engines in my Silverton 351 sedan. I am having problems with the belt that drives the engine water pump and the alternator either slipping or wearing out. In order to keep them from slipping they have to be very tight. I am afraid to over tighten them for fear of overloading the bearings on the water pump or alternator. The belt that is on the alternator is an "A" belt and the belt on the Seawater pump is a wider "B' belt. These were on the boat when I bought it 6 months ago. First, how do I know how much to tighten the belt so it is not too tight and second, is the alternator belt the correct width belt?

Thanks for the input. I will buy a belts from the Crusader folks and check to see it it helps. I will also check the alternator pulley. The engine pulleys are in good shape. Any comment on tension?

Thanks. Checking the pulleys. Any comment on belt tension?

Great input especially on the Dark Rum. That is something I can relate to. Grew up in South Florida! Checked the pulleys and there is some pitting and corrosion from not being used. Going to replace the bad pulleys and suspect the problem will be solved. Thanks for the advice. How are things on the St Johns?

Ah, The Good life!

Thanks Guys, for the information. At a cost of $300 I can replace all the pulleys on both engines with new ones. Much cheaper than replacing fingers. The bilges are dry so no issues from standing water and as fat as I am I can wiggle in there to replace the pulleys. The first thing I checked was alignment. No problems there. Did it with a straight edge so I know I am good. The boat is a 1999 and has not been used much. Only 440 hours on the engines when I bought it.. As mentioned when the pulleys are new they are painted but once the paint wears off they are prone to rust if not run. I should have noticed the pulleys were the problem. There was black rubber dust on the bottom under the engines below the pulleys. I can see now that the rough pulleys were just "sanding" the belts.

Danville is east of the San Francisco Bay about 20 miles. I keep the boat in Emeryville, which is on the Bay. I can see Alcatraz and the Golden
Gate Bridge from my slip. Having spent almost 30 in Florida, I can tell you boating here is much different. First the water is cold... You don't want to fall overboard. A lot of folks were those inflatable vests that look like a couple for round tubes over you chest. The issue is hypothermia. You loose the strength in your muscles pretty quickly and can't climb back in the boat. The other big difference is fishing. In South Florida we trolled all the time and did some fishing over the reefs. Here you fish on the bottom. You never see any outriggers here. But down riggers are the order of the day. They have stainless or monel wire and a 10 pound lead weight with a cloths pin like and out rigger . You clip the line to the cloth pin and lower the lead weight towards the bottom. Water outside the bay the is deep! Charts are in Fathoms not feet. 1000 Fathoms is DEEP. An other issue is Fog. Pretty good idea to have radar.

Anyway Boating wherever you are is just great. I lived aboard a 49 foot Cutter and sailed her from Seattle to L.A. also motored her back to Seattle. Much nicer going south along the Pacific Coast than North. At 76, sailing is too much work so I just push the throttles forward and go. But with that comes spending time in the bilge keeping the iron winds running.