I bought a boat...now what?

[BAYJEM18]

The family was begging for a boat the last few summers so I recently purchased a 2003 Rinker 232 cuddy. Have many years of boating and operational experience growing up as the "first-mate" or free help on our family-operated charter boat so I feel I am well versed in operating the boat safely.

I do, however, have many questions in regards to how simple things work on this boat. For instance, how to flush and fill the onboard potable water system? What are some maintenance items I should do/check before and after every outing? Needless to say, I am not the most mechanically inclined person and found that there is not a lot of quick references on this boat on the internet (videos, etc.) and the operators manual is pretty vague for my taste.

Any suggestions would be helpful!

 

[TyeeMan]

Welcome aboard! You definitely came to the right place to ask advice. A little more info on the boat would help us out more, what kind of engine, what kind of drive presuming it's an I.O.

If you are not mechanically inclined the first thing I would say is to find a reputable shop and have them give it a look over.

If your boat is an inboard outboard, right off the hop you should have all the bellows inspected/changed, the drive should be pulled, an engine alignment performed along with a gimble bearing inspection/replacement.
Replacing all bellows, gimbal bearing, engine alignment and labor should come in around $800 to no more than $1000.

Assuming all things mechanical go well and you are ready for a test run, find a landing that is not busy, or go on a weekday so you can take your time launching and retrieving your boat without having all kinds of people getting stressed at you for plugging up the ramp. A busy ramp is no fun for you or anyone and that's when bad things happen.

Maybe make a check list of things to do when you arrive at the landing prior to launching, and another check list for things when you are trailered up and ready to get on the road home

In my opinion the drain plug should one of the first things installed and one of the first things removed. Here in Minnesota if you caught with your drain plug installed while in transit you are subject to a hefty fine.

 

[briangcc]

IF it hasn't been done recently, have the water pump impeller changed. Cheap insurance as the other option is overheating on the water and hopefully limping back to a dock/launch ramp. Not fun when a day out on the water is planned.

Other than that, track down a owners manual for your engine/drive as it will have much more information as to what the maintenance intervals are.

Ohh...and congrats on the purchase!

 

[BAYJEM18]

TyeeMan / briangcc-

Thank you both for the replies and information. To answer some questions, 2003 Rinker 232 Captiva Cuddy, Merc I/O 260hp.

I put her finally in the water yesterday and had no issues at the ramp or launching it. While I remembered to ensure the drain plug was in, I totally was unaware the seller put motor/engine clips in place for trailering and yep, you guessed it, I totally forget to take them off. Needless to say, I looked like a total dipsh*t at the launch trying to get the boat over to the rack and launch to get lifted out of the water so I could figure out why the trim wouldn't go down. #RookieMistake#1

Once I got her back in the water, it took her over to the empty end of the marina slips so I could practice docking and getting her in and out of the slips without messing too much stuff up. Rather do it now than in the coming weeks when the boats are packed in. Did pretty well and only scratched it once on a dang pole. #RookieMistake#2

Checked all the fluids and ensured everything was in proper order for as much as I know so far (which is obviously not a lot!) Topped off the gear lube to the full line and the engine oil was recently changed and was clean and at the proper level.

Going back tomorrow for some more Rookie Boating Adventures, any advise is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[briangcc]

Advice: Approach the dock with the speed you are willing to hit it. As my dad and uncle used to say, when beaching the boat, Ramming Speed! (Usually followed by a little goose of the throttle.)

Knicks are going to happen. I have a few where an aluminum dock got the port side of my new boat (first time in the water). Wave action got me a little sideways. My previous boat had a 6' scrape down the side due to an ex girlfriend's 15 yr old daughter goosing the throttle and making a hard left while we were still very close to the dock. Her response was "Not my boat". It mostly rubbed out although you can tell that I'm still a little miffed by the attitude I got.


More advice: IF your purchase included a trailer, don't forget to go over it as well. Bearings, wheels, brakes, lights, etc. All are very important when attempting to avoid becoming one of the many failure videos on Youtube.

 

[southkogs]

You're practicing and you give a rip. You're miles ahead of most boaters. #rookiewins

 

[BAYJEM18]

Briangcc-

It did come with a trailer and great advice on the trailer maintenance. Won't get too much use out of it and it will be stored at the marina as well. Any advice/tips on trailer storage besides covering it up with a tarp and what you kindly mentioned above?

Southkogs-

Thanks for the encouragement! Appreciate the reply.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Briangcc-

It did come with a trailer and great advice on the trailer maintenance. Won't get too much use out of it and it will be stored at the marina as well. Any advice/tips on trailer storage besides covering it up with a tarp and what you kindly mentioned above?

Southkogs-

Thanks for the encouragement! Appreciate the reply.

Keep those tires covered and out of the sun. That alone will asve you $$$ in the long run!

 

[briangcc]

Personally, I wouldn't be covering the trailer. Depending on your location the tarp may get loose then you have metal grommets beating against more than likely a painted trailer. In the end the tarp will do more damage to the trailer than leaving it uncovered. My personal opinion, its your trailer feel free to ignore this.

I also don't think covering the tires is all that critical. Here's my personal experience... for my '99 Bayliner I religiously jacked the trailer up, put it on concrete blocks, pulled the tires and put them in the basement for storage during winter. After 3 seasons the sidewalls were shot and needed to be replaced. On my '05 Four Winns tandem, I left the tires uncovered all season. Only reason I replaced the set was that they were over 7 years old. They showed no signs of decay. I have one season under my belt with my current single axle trailer and the tires are no worse for wear visually being left uncovered. I'm not trying to start a debate, just relaying my own experiences your mileage may vary with this as well.

Since the trailer is in storage, off site, I'd recommend a trailer tongue lock and wheel locks for the tires. You're not stopping someone determined from taking your trailer but you're sure shooting making it a bit more difficult. It may make them move on to another option.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Anecdotal accounts not withstanding, it's pretty commonly known that UV light (and ozone) break down the rubber in tires. Just google "effect of UV on rubber tires" and you'll find numerous explanations of how the rubber in tires is degraded by sunlight. Protecting tires from sunlight will extend their useful life.