Maiden Voyage x2

We bought the boat last weekend and hadn't had it in the water yet. SO we were pretty excited to take it out to a local lake and launch it. We slipped it into the water, parked the truck, pushed off from the dock... and the boat wouldn't go into gear. After about 30 minutes of screwing with it, we were finally back at the dock- after being towed in about 100 feet by a jetski. Then we learned that my truck couldn't pull the boat up the steepish ramp. I finally made it accompanied by much clutch smoke.

So we called the guy I bought it from- sure wish I had thought of that while we were on the water. He told me how to work the gears, and it was a bit different than any other boat I had driven, but it works. So our second attempt was at a smaller launch ramp into the lake- it went in and out much easier, and we got the boat running.

We toured the lake but the boat ran terribly. missing and sputtering and dying, making it impossible to do anything at low speed. So I called the guy we bought it from again, and he said the gas in it is really old.

I'm gonna drain as much of the old gas out of it as I can and change the oil tomorrow, add a new fuel filter, and chase down a few electrical gremlins. We're getting it ready for the Great Florida Boat-A-Thon in two weeks in Crystal River.

Re: Maiden Voyage x2

Did you run this boat or take a sea trial before you bought it? It seems odd you didn't know there was bad gas until getting out on the water, if that's what it is. Get it dialed in before going out again. You may find more surprises.

Re: Maiden Voyage x2

Well, no. We started it and ran it briefly where it was parked, and the owner told us it hadn't been run in awhile- they bought a toon, and parked this one. We felt like we got a good deal on it at $1800.

We're actually TRYING to get it dialed in before the Florida outing in 2 weeks, that's why we took it to a small lake nearby... to find out what we DIDN'T know about it.

F'rinstance, that it runs like crap.

This is my 4th boat, but I'm still a relative rookie at boating, and very much in the learning mode. I changed a corroded battery cable this morning, and have a spare on the boat.

Tomorrow we'll try to pump out all the old gas that we can, and then add fuel treatment to the tank and put new gas in it. I'm also changing the oil (and the oil filter after I find it and see what size it is), cleaning the carb and air filter, and putting a new see-thru fuel filter on it. We'll look at the plugs while we're at it and probably replace them once I have one out and see what make and heat range it is.

The boat is a 1988 Imperial 23 ft I/O and I've been told (after posting pics in another thread) that the motor is a GM 350 V8, but I don't know anything else about it, so I'm "accumulating information".

Re: Maiden Voyage x2

ftl900 said:

Well, no. We started it and ran it briefly where it was parked, and the owner told us it hadn't been run in awhile- they bought a toon, and parked this one. We felt like we got a good deal on it at $1800.

We're actually TRYING to get it dialed in before the Florida outing in 2 weeks, that's why we took it to a small lake nearby... to find out what we DIDN'T know about it.

F'rinstance, that it runs like crap.

This is my 4th boat, but I'm still a relative rookie at boating, and very much in the learning mode. I changed a corroded battery cable this morning, and have a spare on the boat.

Tomorrow we'll try to pump out all the old gas that we can, and then add fuel treatment to the tank and put new gas in it. I'm also changing the oil (and the oil filter after I find it and see what size it is), cleaning the carb and air filter, and putting a new see-thru fuel filter on it. We'll look at the plugs while we're at it and probably replace them once I have one out and see what make and heat range it is.

The boat is a 1988 Imperial 23 ft I/O and I've been told (after posting pics in another thread) that the motor is a GM 350 V8, but I don't know anything else about it, so I'm "accumulating information".

Click to expand...

You may have crap in the fuel tank, so I would buy a couple of regular filters as sacrificial lambs, before going to the see-thru one.