New Member, New to power boating.

[landslr]

Happy to find this forum. I have been a sailor my adult life and have never owned a power boat. Recently moved to Lewiston, Id on the Snake River. Can't live this close to water and NOT have a boat. Searched for jet drives, all too far away or too expensive. Found a nice little 17' Starcraft (yes on craigslist). It is a 1989 Medalist 1701 2.3L OMC cobra. Always garaged and in really good condition. Maintained annually by a local mechanic, I am told. But, I haven't a clue how to operate. The former owner has volunteered to go out with me the first time. It is hopeless to find an Operators manual. Is there somewhere I can go to find General Operating instructions for a sterndrive boat? I am not new to boating, just stern-drive operations. I did get Seloc's repair and maintenance manual for OMC. Not much on basic operations though. The prop does have a chip from last season. Owner says still operates fine, I'm thinking new prop. Will bring the boat home in a couple of days and will have more details then

 

[garbageguy]

Nice looking boat, and background scenery (from your driveway?). I assume others will chime in regarding OMC, and Seloc - I have heard, but have no direct experience with either.
General operating instructions for a stern drive boat? I'm sure they're out there. Maybe you can find some videos on launching/retrieving at a boat ramp, or maybe go watch some people do it. Take advantage of the offer from the Previous Owner to go out with you. Take a boating safety course first. Welcome, and wishing you safe and enjoyable boating.

 

[Maranvin]

What specific operating instructions are u looking for? Launching, docking, systems?

 

[poconojoe]

Good luck and safe boating! That boat practically looks new!
I don't have that brand outdrive. Mine is a mercruser. But off the top of my head...don't run the drive at too much in an upward angle. Drastic upward angles are bad for the universal joints. On my mercruser, the trim limit is adjusted to help prevent this. There is a "trailer" position that allows it to go further up.

 

[charleso]

That prop should be repairable. Check with any local repair shop. If they don't do it on site, they should have a service that comes by on a regular basis to pick up and drop off props. It never hurts to have a spare. One bad ding can ruin a day on the water. Easy enough to pop on a spare and keep on going.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Having the PO go out with you one or more times would be a great idea. He knows the boat and and any finicky things about it.You will learn hands on quite a bit. Anything else you can learn here. Make sure you get a factory repair manual for the motor and outdrive.

 

[landslr]

Thanks for all the input. Yes, the boat has been well taken care of. I have watched several videos and now understand tilt and trim. Will adhere to advice on upward limits and undo wear and tear. Also downloaded OMC pdf from this site. Will definitely have the prop repaired when replaced. Did not know it could be repaired, thanks. Also planning on buying an outboard kicker for fishing and as auxiliary to get me home. Not sure of what horsepower. Looking at a 9.9 4stroke Honda. Another question I have concerns pulling skiers or a tube. There is no single attachment point for that. However there are two u shaped fittings on the transom. I thought they were for trailer tie downs. Are they used for pulling as well? They are clearly visible in the pic of the transom.

 

[ajgraz]

Those are just for transom straps, I would look into something beefier for towing tubes or skiers.
(Someone more experienced in that will have to point out what)

As has been said, a trip with the PO will get you to learn the boat's quirks...and also those of the trailer, esp during launch and retrieve (e.g, how deep to submerge trailer? Must you power load? Etc.)

 

[Alumarine]

Those are just for transom straps, I would look into something beefier for towing tubes or skiers.
(Someone more experienced in that will have to point out what)

As has been said, a trip with the PO will get you to learn the boat's quirks...and also those of the trailer, esp during launch and retrieve (e.g, how deep to submerge trailer? Must you power load? Etc.)

Actually with a tow harness I think he could use those for both casual tubing/skiing as well as tie downs.

A 9.9 would be more than ample I think for a kicker.

 

[Maranvin]

I use the trailer tie downs also for tubers and skiers. Just make sure they're backed with washers or a plate. For the kicker motor I hear they need to be high thrust motors.

 

[redneck joe]

kickers usually long shaft and i should have went electric start to begin with, about to add this spring.

Also, for a service manual, check your private messages.

 

[ezmobee]

Welcome to the forum. That boat is in particularly nice condition for the year. You did buy an obsolete power plant unfortunately, OMC has been out of business for decades and Ford got out of the marine business a long time ago as well. You may run into some issues with parts and service for it. Might want to locate someone that works on OMC's in case you need it. I imagine routine service parts like impellers and bellows should still be available. I don't know much about I/O's but I think I have read there is a different procedure for changing the drive lube on an OMC than a Mercruiser and you need to know about it or you could have issues. An 8HP or bigger kicker motor would be great for that size boat. I'd try to find a long shaft. You can certainly tow from the transom eyes, you just need to tow bridle. Pretty standard for outboard boats and will be fine for yours.

 

[landslr]

Once again, thanks for the quick responses. Unfortunitely I just missed a good buy on a Honda 9.9 on CL. Oh well, the search continues. Will assure the transom eyes are sufficienty backed up before use and create a bridle. I know it is an old power plant but looks like it hasn't seen much use. Luckily there is a local mechanic who has serviced this one annually. The PO is a young man with little mechanical knowledge. When he inherited the boat the outdrive had a cracked gearcase so he replaced it about 2 years ago. Thats the reason for the annual servicing. For the price, I will be happy if I get 5 years out of it. My last trailerable boat was a 23ft sailboat. That was about 45 yrs ago. I wanted a SeaDoo. But could not pass up this boat with the much lighter weight and size. Hoping it will be easier to tow as well as launch. I live with a great view of the river and less than a 1/4 mile from the launch ramp. How could I go without a boat. My last boat in the hi desert of So Cal was a Manta land sailer. Yes, they call them boats. I had a tough time with that. It was fun, doing 60 mph with your butt 2 inches off the deck though. Hope to be a contributing member to this forum in the near future. Thanks again to all of you.