I've got a 1986 Thompson bowrider. Nice boat. I got a great deal on it from a neighbor who had had it sitting for the last four years.
He told me it had a couple of issues but it ran when it was parked and was properly winterized. Interior is decent, 'glass is decent, the engine started right up for me after I cleaned the points... all in all, it is a decent boat and I live on a lake and I'm the only one without a boat. (Or was the only one without a boat, that is.)
I put it in the water without really doing anything to it other then giving it a good cleaning. I knew nothing about it but with the help of the this site and others, I have become fairly knowledgeable about it and the quirks associated with the Merc 3.7l 170/470 and the Alpha 1.
Here's the issues/symptoms I have identified so far. Shift cable boot is cracked badly. I've been able to seal it up with gobs of silicone and if I keep the drive trimmed down and cranked right, I can keep the water out well enough to leave it in the water. (I turn the bilge pump on twice a day just to be sure) The gimbal bearing growls. The drive lube is milky. The impeller cam seal is breached and leaking from the weep hole.
I can't really afford the time or money right now to fix it right. Although I have the gaskets and seals to fix the cam seals, I'm not ready to dive into the all of the drive components. I'm in New Hampshire so the season only runs to the middle of September and I'm on fresh water.
Okay, there's the setup...
Here's the question. If I fix the impeller, would it cause irreparable harm to just run it for the rest of the season and then fix it in the off-season? Would you risk it?
Thanks in advance guys, this site and your advice have been instrumental in getting me this far.
He told me it had a couple of issues but it ran when it was parked and was properly winterized. Interior is decent, 'glass is decent, the engine started right up for me after I cleaned the points... all in all, it is a decent boat and I live on a lake and I'm the only one without a boat. (Or was the only one without a boat, that is.)
I put it in the water without really doing anything to it other then giving it a good cleaning. I knew nothing about it but with the help of the this site and others, I have become fairly knowledgeable about it and the quirks associated with the Merc 3.7l 170/470 and the Alpha 1.
Here's the issues/symptoms I have identified so far. Shift cable boot is cracked badly. I've been able to seal it up with gobs of silicone and if I keep the drive trimmed down and cranked right, I can keep the water out well enough to leave it in the water. (I turn the bilge pump on twice a day just to be sure) The gimbal bearing growls. The drive lube is milky. The impeller cam seal is breached and leaking from the weep hole.
I can't really afford the time or money right now to fix it right. Although I have the gaskets and seals to fix the cam seals, I'm not ready to dive into the all of the drive components. I'm in New Hampshire so the season only runs to the middle of September and I'm on fresh water.
Okay, there's the setup...
Here's the question. If I fix the impeller, would it cause irreparable harm to just run it for the rest of the season and then fix it in the off-season? Would you risk it?
Thanks in advance guys, this site and your advice have been instrumental in getting me this far.