Re: This page is scareing me
With a stringer you need to look for a few things
5 seconds out of the water with the engine running can ruin an impeller, but if it's not overheating then we can assume you are one lucky dude. You need to get ear muffs for the lower unit and a special hose fitting for the upper right side of where the trunions are to make sure water is circulating in your engine while on land. You also need to realize your outdrive is now 20 years old, you need to inspect the ball gears and replace if they are 1/3 missing or more. That kit will run you about 200 bucks and you can get it from
http://www.sterndrive.info
You need to check the transom seal ALL THE TIME. check it for cracks and wear and if it looks bad, spend the 100 bucks and buy another one. Just trust me on that, waterlogged boats are very difficult to get off the bottom yourself. If you boat on a waterway that has muskrats, you may want to get a plastic transom protector. They will chew holes in it, and potentially be a pain in the butt (they also love chewing on the rubber bumpers).
Be careful about the water level in the bilge. Your power tilt and trim and starter motors are all more then likely really low on the engine. Power tilt is about 150, trim about 225 and a starter is about 100.
Last but not least, always scan for cheap spare parts. They are always expensive when you need them, and will more then likely not depreciate as time goes by.
Have fun! lol
