[wormgear]

Hello, I bought a new boat (for me) last fall and have a lot of questions. I have been reading posts for a couple of months and have learned a lot.The boat is a 1975 Starcraft Capri 17' with a merc 140 I/O. It is in very good shape for such an old boat. The interior and engine look like new and it runs good. I think it will be a good first boat plus it was cheap.We used is a couple of times before i had to put it away for the winter. it is a tri hull with a center walk thru window. it will be used on a small lake. The front bow tie down ring is loose or it seems that the bolts have backed out from metal ring. When you look at it , it seems that the ring is about 1/4" from the surface of the boat and you can see the threads from the bolts. how do i access this to tighten it up. there is no access from the back side. it doesn't feel loose and when compared the two rings at the back (they are flush with the surface of the boat) it is out about 1/4". I do not want to drop the boat on the ramp. The guy i bought it from told me it was like that when he bought it 10 years ago and not to worry, of course he also used a piece of clothes line for a winch rope if that tells you anything. (i replaced it with a good strap)This boat will be left in the water on the weekends and maybe for a week or so at a time. i am planning on installing an automatic bilge pump. I have looked at the seals at the back and they seem in good condition. The boat will take on a little of water when pulling a tube but for the most part it stays dry. i left it in overnite and it did not take on any water that i could tell. My question is how often should the rear seals for the outdrive be replaced. How much will this cost at a shop or is it something that a backyard mechanic can do. I do not want any problems (sinking)Sorry about the long post but this will be the first of many.Thanks, Mike

[tommays]

drives are recomened to be removed and checked once a year for leaksif you dont no how old the bellows are its a good thing to have replaced BEFORE it leaks afterwards allways does a lot of other damagei cant say how long it would take 1975 puts a lot of x-factor into things its a job that is far harder than it looksthe best thing you can do is get a merc service manual it will show you whats involved and let you see if you fell up for ittommays