New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

[woodrat]

This might belong in stupid human tricks, I don't know...<br /><br />After a couple of months of looking, I finally bought an older 'glass boat with a I/O setup to replace my outboard aluminum skiff. It's a 72 Bellboy 19' with a Chev 120 hp/Mercruiser set up. It's pretty clean for it's age, all the gauges and what not work, and it has a new head, new manifold, new gas tank and new alternator.<br /><br />My brother and I were planning on taking it out crabbing today, but last night when I got to within a block of his house with the boat, I hit a pothole and the axle split right down the length of it and collapsed! Arg! Turned out it was just rust held together some more rust. It look like the axle was homemade at some point, it doesn't really match the trailer, and it wasn't particularly well made either. At least it fell apart one block from a safe haven, instead of somewhere out in the boonies. I had taken the ferry instead of the 65 mile drive around, even the the ferry with the trailer on cost $53! I was tempted to take the drive around to save a few bucks and changed my mind at the last minute, sure glad I didn't...<br /><br />Anyway, any thing to double check on this boat? any maintenance/adjustment kinds of things I should do? I am new to I/O drives, but looking forward to it. It sure is easy to get at everything on there.<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[paulie0735]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

There are many better qualified than me in regard to the drive unit, but your engine is a basic unit that is in reality no different to any other 4 stroke low-tech engine. Do a compression test, if they all come up within 10% of each other than the replacement head may have been all it needed at the time. So start there and proceed based on the results of that fairly simple test. Insure the air, oil and fuel is clean and you are a long way to achieving trouble free boating. Corrosion to the critical parts related to cooling can be the big expense items and are the ones that need the most TLC.<br /><br />Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance will protect your boat. <br />Corrosion, corrosion, corrosion will kill it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

i've gotten great service and assistance from 'championtrailers.com' super people in slidel, louisana..most of their catalog is on line. i've rebuilt 3 trailers with them.

 

[Don S]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

A few of the things I recommend to customers that buy boats that they don't know any maintenance history on is to change engine oil and filter, do a complete tuneup (points, condenser, cap, rotor, sparkplugs) including a compression check, timing check, advance timing, carb mixture adjustment and idle speed. Replace the fuel filter element and check for water in the filter. If there is a lot of water in the filter, then you may need to drain the fuel tank of water.<br />Then remove the outdrive. Check the ujoints, and gimbal bearing, check the engine alignment. Was there any indication of water in the bellows? Check the ujoint bellows. If it looks bad, change it. If it goes bad things get real expensive real fast. Drain the gear lube in the outdrive, any metal chips on the magnet? water in the gear lube?. If you see any indication of water, pressure and vacuum check the drive. A new impeller in the outdrive is almost a must have item. IF it's over 2 years old, it's due to be replaced anyway. Put new Merc gear lube in the drive with new gaskets on the drain and fill plugs, put the drive back on (New gaskets and seal rings also). Test run the boat on muffs and check for leaks and overheat problems, check the shifter and make sure it shifts forward and reverse without the engine dieing.<br />Now, you are ready to head for the water again.

 

[Lou C]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

I second Champion Trailers, I got an axle made to my dimensions with brake flanges and a brake kit for a good price from them. Very nice people to deal with. <br />Don's got it all there for you. One other thing you might check is the condition of the exhaust manifold, a rusted through manifold is what kills many I/O motors. Was the boat used in salt or fresh water?

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

thanks guys! It was a salt water boat, but had a new manifold and head the summer before last. Is there a place to buy a service manual for that outdrive?

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

You want Mercruiser manual # 1......They pop up on ebay now & then.....You could have one printed, (I think stemtostern has them, but I would bide my time & see what you can get off ebay....Mercstuffhowdoi? has some good stuff.....JK Where is Skamokawa? I don't think I have ever heard of that one.....

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

Skamokawa is about 35 miles west of Longview on State Highway 4. Right alongside the Columbia River. Great springer fishing when there is any to be had.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

O.K., down yonder ....JK

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

waaayy down yonder...I think we've got more elk than people in the county, and not a single traffic light.

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

BTW, I just got the mercruiser manual and a factory merc parts manual at http://www.abebooks.com. Fantastic book buying site, I have never been disappointed.

 

[KRS]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

I would love to go crabbing, I know it's off topic but next time you go, be sure to update us on your luck.<br /><br />My brother lived in Bremerton for a while, he's in the Navy. I visited a few times, but we never crabbed, clammed, or anything like that.

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

We generally do OK. It's a really nice addition to a day of fishing, especially if the fishing is lousy, then you can at least go pickup the crab pots and usually find something to eat, even when you're fish-less.<br /><br />We generally have done better on Dungeness in the Columbia River, most of the places we've dropped pots in puget sound we get Red Rock Crab, which are really tasty, but a lot more work per morsel than the Dungeness are.<br /><br />Clamming has been good to me as well, although I just missed the opener this weekend, too busy goofing around with decrepit boat trailers. There is usually one 3 day razor clam dig every month through the winter. <br /><br />I picked up this boat in Bremerton actually, and I think it has spent a bunch of it's life there. There, back on topic...

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

Woodrat, good site.... However, I recomend that you get a real Mercruiser manual & not a Clymer's or Seloc......They have a bad way of leaving stuff out....Btw, Merc. #2 will work for you (Sections 1-10)...I highly recommend it! AZ, them Dungeness are some tasty critters, btw..... I know where they are .... JK

 

[woodrat]

Re: New I/O boat! (to me, that is...)

I got the real merc manuals. Thanks.