General maintenance when acquiring a used boat

[Odayssea]

A month or so ago I bought a 2000 340 DA with about 330 hours on each 7.4 EFI. I have since added about 16 more hours. The seller, who had had the boat three years, was knowledgeable and he represented that maintenance was always kept up during his ownership and that he had also just changed the fluids and filters. I have no reason to doubt him, and no specific problems, but in the absence of maintenance logs and the turnover in ownership, it is advisable to do anything other than prospectively following the service schedule? In other words, are there things - such as changing impellers, fluids etc. - that should be done just to make sure they are up to date, or is this being overly compulsive?

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Buy or download the maintenance manuals and use their recommended maintenance...

 

[geriksen]

impellers every 100hrs or every two years whichever comes first

do you have inboards or outdrives? the list is very different....

 

[Odayssea]

Inboards. Of course i read over the manuals carefully; I was wondering if I should "backtrack' to anything that should have been done previously in case it wasn't, since I have no record of it. I will replace the impellers some time over the season (anybody in Annapolis who enjoys doing this job is welcome to help!).

 

[sbw1]

If it were mine, I would replace impellers, belts, hoses, do tune ups, replace the fluids (or at least test the ph of the antifreeze), do the the duck bills and seals and do a complete decomtamination of the potable water system. I would also inspect risers, etc. After this was done, I would follow the owner manuals for systems you have. You are much more likely to have trouble free boating as opposed to waiting for things to fail due to deferred maintenance.

 

[Hoo'sdave]

If it were mine, I would replace impellers, belts, hoses, do tune ups, replace the fluids (or at least test the ph of the antifreeze), do the the duck bills and seals and do a complete decomtamination of the potable water system. I would also inspect risers, etc. After this was done, I would follow the owner manuals for systems you have. You are much more likely to have trouble free boating as opposed to waiting for things to fail due to deferred maintenance.

Thats a little much.Talk to your past mechanic would help alot.The boat either runs good or not.I just went throught the same thing.

 

[Petep]

SBW1, how do you do a complete decomtamination of the fresh water system? I would like to do this to mine. I have done most everything else you have recomended. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[sbw1]

SBW1, how do you do a complete decomtamination of the fresh water system? I would like to do this to mine. I have done most everything else you have recomended. Thanks in advance for your input.

Nothing too difficult. I use Aquafresh from West Marine. Run the fresh water tank down to 7-8 gallons. Then add the chemical to the fresh water tank and fill the hot water heater and run water out of all the taps and showers to fill those lines with chemical concentrated per the instructions. Then turn on your ice machine and make a full load of ice. Once you've done this, let it sit for 24 hours. Throw away the ice and make another full load of ice. Which wil take another 6-8 hours. Then run the water out of the fresh water tank until the taps sputter. Fill the tank up and run the system dry again and then fill it up and turn the ice machine back on. Throw that ice away and you are good to go. Refill your tank every week if showers and normal use don't deplete it. By doing this, you will have clean, safe, good tasting water and ice, assuming you start with good clean water in the tank. The key is to cycle the water. We use a tank a week for showers, drinking, ice, etc.

 

[sbw1]

Thats a little much.Talk to your past mechanic would help alot.The boat either runs good or not.I just went throught the same thing.

Most boats do run pretty good until they break. The point of doing a more complete approach is to get the maintenance on your schedule versus the boat's schedule. Your mechainic has no way of knowing what has been done by the prior owner and the mechainic will get paid sooner or later either way. Random breakdowns ruin vacations.
Can't tell you how many times we see boats getting towed by our house. It happens every week end.

 

[quality time]

I agree with sbw1 and am in the process of changing all fluids/filters, belts, etc... People will tell you anything that sounds good when selling a boat. My boat "supposedly" just had the oil changed but an oil analysis showed otherwise.

I disagree with "It either runs good or it doesn't". Preventative maintenance is just that, to prevent future issues.

 

[JVM225]

Here is a little project for a lazy afternoon:
Inspect all hoses and tighten clamps in the bilge, under sinks, and anyplace else you might find them. Check the color of all fluids and make sure they are full. Make sure all the bilge pumps and any associated float switches are working properly. Check the voltage across the battery terminals. Make sure all the gauges are working properly. Make sure the engines run at the right temperature at idle and when running at cruising speed.
Most important: Take the risers off and inspect them and the manifolds. It is only a few bolts and a gasket on each one. One side of each motor should be really easy, the other side might take an extra few minuts if the linkage bracket is bolted to it. I would pull them all if the boat were new to me. A good number of boat motors that go bad do so when the manifolds or risers fail and water leaks from the water ports into the exhaust gas ports and then fills the cylinders. Usually what happens is that the piston comes up and can't compress the water, so a connecting rod bends. This is pretty preventable if you keep an eye on the risers and manifolds.

 

[Hoo'sdave]

Most boats do run pretty good until they break. The point of doing a more complete approach is to get the maintenance on your schedule versus the boat's schedule. Your mechanic has no way of knowing what has been done by the prior owner and the mechanic will get paid sooner or later either way. Random breakdowns ruin vacations.
Can't tell you how many times we see boats getting towed by our house. It happens every week end.

Meant to say pior mechanic Some one has a record of working on a 8 year old boat.

 

[Hampton]

Duckbills? I had my 250 for 10 years and never touched them. They never needed it. I don't think I'd jump right on in on this one for fun. I'd get my own stink on them for a while at least. Who wants to service someone else's duckbills?

 

[mooredriven]

Odayssea,

Just to add a few items to your list. SBW1 hit the big items. Don't forget to change the fluids and filter on your genset as well. A few additional items I did after purchasing the boat.

1. I cleaned the sump pump (this should be done bi-monthly IMHO)
2. Cleaned all of the strainers (both motors, genset and A/C)
3. Vacuumed the filter for the A/C
4. Changed the CO monitor in the cabin (Very Important!!) You probably still have the original one.
5. Lubed/replaced all of the o-rings for the water and gas tank caps
6. Cleaned and defrosted the refrigerators
7. Checked the tightness of the porthole window screws (actually found a few loose)
8. Check/replace the filter for the built-in vacuum
9. Replace any broken snaps
10. Last but not least, compound, polish and wax. This is a big job on the 340. Bring plenty of beer!

I highly recommend that you purchase the service manuals for your specific motors. You can buy them from Mercruisers website. Even if you don't do the work yourself, you at least have an idea of what needs to be done and when. If you don't have the users manual, you can download that from Sea Ray free and print on your own. It has a list of routine items and schedules as well.

Good luck and enjoy the boat. They are a lot of work, but so is anything worth having/doing.

Dale

 

[Gunn]

Meant to say pior mechanic Some one has a record of working on a 8 year old boat.

Unless the previous owner(s) did all the work himself....as seems to be the case in this instance.

 

[tdappleman]

After I got my 270DA I have gone completely through it:

Changed oil, oil filters, fuel/water separators, outdrive oil and replaced the screws and gaskets

Cleaned out carbs, replaced fuel lines and clamps, inspected exhaust manifolds, replaced a couple of missing and broken hose clamps. Changed spark plugs, plug wires, one coil which was really rusted, new carb gaskets and new thermostats. Replaced window screens, cleaned everything inside, flushed water system, and checked all pumps and float switches.

I've tried to balance the mechanical stuff with actually being able to use it so it has taken me a little longer than I originally planned. I now feel comfortable taking it anywhere I want to go.

Now the cosmetic stuff can begin - does maintenance every really end on boats? :thumbsup: Good thing I actually enjoy working on this thing.