Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

[agallant80]

Bondo made a comment in another post and It got me thinking of how much money could be wasted on a boat to go over and above

It's the 2ndary Marine marketers that developed the antifreeze trick,...
It's a Sales Tool, 'n little more,... they know Boaters are waayyy to anal 'bout some things,...
Spark plugs, 'n t-stats are thrown out by the Millions, for no reason at All,...

I have seen people do the following every year to their boat even though merc does not say to do it every year

tstat $14.75
plugs $6.08 X 8 = $48.64
impeller $22.31
oil change every 25 hours instead of 100 (assuming 100 hours a season) (4 filters at $8.99 = $23.96) (4X mobil1 15-50 at walmart @25 each =$100) $123.96
Air does freeze so I need 5 gallons of the pink stuff 5 gallons at $3.97 = 19.85
Gear lube change every oil change (4 because we put 100 hours on the boat a season and change every 25) $12.99 X 2 quarts per change X 4 changes $103.96
Fuel Filter (mine is every 3 years according to merc) $78

Total Spent $411.47

If you did it according to the manual with gear lube once a season, oil once every 100 hours skipping impeller and plugs because they are not needed this season you would be spending lots less.

 

[Ciscovet]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

I think I am guilty of that but then I am a paranoid person.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

I can't speak to 4 strokes but the basic service interval on Yamaha 2 strokes is 100 hours/1 year.

You 've got to think abouit each component seperately to see if it is affected by engine hours or by calendar time. Plugs don't change just sitting there idle but rubber parts can.

I don't get changing plugs since there is little that can go wrong with them other than getting dirty. But they are mysterious. I think the plug thing is a hold-over from old days when they were changed frequently. But I may be wrong.

Impellers need changing more frequently in high salt and sandy conditions than in clear fresh.

never heard of changing thermostats.

Gear lube change at 25 hours is absurd. In fact if the stuff looks OK, keep it full.

$78 for a fuel filter? Yikes. I change my seperator about every 100 hours, which is about a year for me. And I think a lot of your otehr numbers may be high.

ETA: Sorry didn't realize you were talking about an i/o; my experience is with 2 stroke OB's.

 

[gtochris]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Hours aside, I do the oil/ filter and gear oil annual. Other items as needed. Boating can be VERY expensive if you are not a DIY person.

Another to add to your list- De-Winterizing, most of the time it consists of putting the battery in and starting it up the first time on a hose... $100.00?

 

[BigDfromTN]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Bondo made a comment in another post and It got me thinking of how much money could be wasted on a boat to go over and above



I have seen people do the following every year to their boat even though merc does not say to do it every year

tstat $14.75
plugs $6.08 X 8 = $48.64
impeller $22.31
oil change every 25 hours instead of 100 (assuming 100 hours a season) (4 filters at $8.99 = $23.96) (4X mobil1 15-50 at walmart @25 each =$100) $123.96
Air does freeze so I need 5 gallons of the pink stuff 5 gallons at $3.97 = 19.85
Gear lube change every oil change (4 because we put 100 hours on the boat a season and change every 25) $12.99 X 2 quarts per change X 4 changes $103.96
Fuel Filter (mine is every 3 years according to merc) $78

Total Spent $411.47

If you did it according to the manual with gear lube once a season, oil once every 100 hours skipping impeller and plugs because they are not needed this season you would be spending lots less.

I agree with you.
One thing your prices above do not include is the Labor to have someone else to do it, OR the time it takes for it all.

I do change the Engine oil (4 stroke) each year with the filter and do it myself. The Lower unit gets service on a regular basis as well to keep an eye out for dirty fluid and/or water contamination.

I have a spare impeller and was thinking I would change it this spring for good measure. Then I was talking to a friend with 2 boats and he said if it was him... He would not fix it unless it was broke. He cited that his Merc 70 on his Alum fishing boat has the original and it is about 6 years old. Talked to another friend that had one go out while he was out fishing. He said that as long as he was on plane and running good the engine stayed cool. That allowed him to get back to trailer and fix it properly. I also got to thinking about the last fishing boat I had several years ago. I never did change the impeller in the 8 years of me and the prior owner using it. It may not be the best choice but I think I will chance it a little longer. I must admit that I do watch the "pisser" religiously and it has a strong stream. IF it ever gets weak you can bet that will be changed before the next use.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

"Air does freeze so I need 5 gallons of the pink stuff 5 gallons at $3.97 = 19.85"

no u dont 5 gallons of the pink stuff............waste of $

 

[agallant80]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

I do the oil every 100 hours reguardless of season. My oil from last season only had 20 hours on it so I left it be. I do the gear lube every year to make but only to make sure that no water has gotten in. The impeller every other year and I plan on doing that $78 fuel filter every 3 like Merc says.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

I do the oil every 100 hours reguardless of season. My oil from last season only had 20 hours on it so I left it be. I do the gear lube every year to make but only to make sure that no water has gotten in. The impeller every other year and I plan on doing that $78 fuel filter every 3 like Merc says.

Even if I had 20 hours on the oil, which I did last year, its gets changed.
Oil is cheap and come spring I'm ready to go. I always store my boats, bikes and cars with fresh oil in the sump for the winter months.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Yea with plugs if the boat fires right up and runs well, there is really no reason to change every year. IMO you risk damaging the plug wires pulling them on and off, and like others have mentioned if she's running well, leave em be. I run outboards because of the other cost's involved with winterizing. For me I tilt down drain the water, maybe crank it over to get the small amount still inside the impeller area and call it good. Been working well for the last 10 years or so.

Water impeller should be watched, and everyone has an opinion about that, I will change mine out this year, it's original to my 97 Merc so it was never changed, ever!! I'm guilty, I know, but with a strong tell tale, I risked it. Not this year though.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Motor and lower unit oil might not be "bad" but there is a good chance that there is. water/condensation in both. I change my oil every stroke, but darn if last years LU oil is going to over winter to risk freeze damage.

Paying $78 for fuel filter is nuts. New holland tried that cra$ with the filters on the tractor. Took me all of 20 minutes and a cross reference catalog all of them and was able to buy all but one at NAPA for half what NH wanted for them.

Changing plugs every year is a carry over. If your motor is running well, no problem getting 3-4 years on a set although I change mine every other year for good luck.

This years PM cost......$24 in plugs and $9 in lower unit oil. Fuel line vacuum still in spec. so no filter change required at this point

 

[agallant80]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

For all of you questoning the $78 fuel filter change here it is. Must be on sale its only $68.

Mercruiser Gen 3 III Fuel Filter Set 35 866171A01 35 892665 | eBay

 

[Bondo]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

For all of you questoning the $78 fuel filter change here it is. Must be on sale its only $68.

Mercruiser Gen 3 III Fuel Filter Set 35 866171A01 35 892665 | eBay

Ayuh,.... With a canister type filter plumbed in, up-stream of that thing,...

I'd Never change it, unless my diagnosis said it was restricted,...

I'd change the canister filter annually, or at the 1st hint of a fuel Issue,...

 

[thumpar]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

I do go a little overboard on some things but have to change gear lube yearly because the drive comes off for winter to fit in the garage and would leak everywhere if I didn't drain it. On the impeller, I was in the habit of every other year on the Alpha and after loosing one just after buying the current boat I will be doing the same plus carrying one onboard.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Big D in Tenn: you are in fresh water so impellers may last longer, but I think you are taking too big a risk to run them that many years. They are just rubber flaps a'flap flap flappin' while the motor runs, but if they fail, you could get an overheat before you have time to react--or before you heat alarm reacts. And how do you know your heat alarm is working?

I doubt you watch the tell tale the whole time you are driving at speed--at least I hope not! A weak tell-tale is not necesarily an impeller failure and I suspect most go from full to zero--impellers don't fail slowly.

What someone else got away with should not be a good measure--my grandfather lived to 75 without wearing seatbelts, but his luck doesn't transfer to others, either. And I have a hard time buying that running on a plane is a substitute for a working water pump.

Do what you want but for others reading these posts for advice, I recommend against yours as to replacing water pumps.

 

[KnotConnected]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

What about ya'll with an outdrive or two? I've read that you should drop it to grease the gimbal bearing and other black magic. Sure, it sounds like it'd improve the longevity, and I'm pretty handy, but I wouldn't want to undergo that project by myself, and I'm sure they'd want ~$500 or $600 in labor at the shop to sack that for me. Is that really something that should be done annually?

 

[thumpar]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

What about ya'll with an outdrive or two? I've read that you should drop it to grease the gimbal bearing and other black magic. Sure, it sounds like it'd improve the longevity, and I'm pretty handy, but I wouldn't want to undergo that project by myself, and I'm sure they'd want ~$500 or $600 in labor at the shop to sack that for me. Is that really something that should be done annually?

I pull my drive every year. It is not hard.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

What about ya'll with an outdrive or two? I've read that you should drop it to grease the gimbal bearing and other black magic. Sure, it sounds like it'd improve the longevity, and I'm pretty handy, but I wouldn't want to undergo that project by myself, and I'm sure they'd want ~$500 or $600 in labor at the shop to sack that for me. Is that really something that should be done annually?

I think the outdrive inspection might be a quite a bit less than what you are suggesting. Maybe I'm wrong but I never encountered those kinds of maintenance costs with my I/O's. Maybe bellows and gimble replacement but not just to inspect. Maybe in your location they can get away with that kind of pricing, but as mentioned, it isn't hard with a manual to do this yourself. Knowing what to look for is just as important though.

 

[BigDfromTN]

Re: Spending more than we have to on boat upkeep.

Big D in Tenn: you are in fresh water so impellers may last longer, but I think you are taking too big a risk to run them that many years. They are just rubber flaps a'flap flap flappin' while the motor runs, but if they fail, you could get an overheat before you have time to react--or before you heat alarm reacts. And how do you know your heat alarm is working?

I doubt you watch the tell tale the whole time you are driving at speed--at least I hope not! A weak tell-tale is not necesarily an impeller failure and I suspect most go from full to zero--impellers don't fail slowly.

What someone else got away with should not be a good measure--my grandfather lived to 75 without wearing seatbelts, but his luck doesn't transfer to others, either. And I have a hard time buying that running on a plane is a substitute for a working water pump.

Do what you want but for others reading these posts for advice, I recommend against yours as to replacing water pumps.

Hey Home Cookin,

You are correct, I am in Fresh water and don't normally get in shallow or muddy water.

Im not going to argue your points, because I cant and should not. I was just stating my observations and you make very valid points. I may just rethink my stance and install the impeller that is stored on board and get another replacement to have handy.

Thanks.
Big D