Author Topic: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?  (Read 2581 times)

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Offline OneBlade

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Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« on: February 03, 2019, 08:38 AM »
How often do you guys do the following boat maintenance items?  I've talked to 3 mechanics over the last week and getting multiple answers.  You can make the assumption the boat is parked outside but always covered in shade, and boat is used average of once per month with some significant usage once per year (e.g. Lake Powell).

Lower unit / replace gear oil -- Yearly
Fuel filter -- Yearly?
Spark plugs -- ?
Impeller/water pump - ?
Primer bulb and hoses - ?
Inline fuel/water separator - I've never had one of these, but getting one installed.  Any maintenance on this needed?
Motor oil - mine is 2-stroke so no changing.... just adding
Trailer bearings -- grease twice a year?
Trailer Tires - check air pressure including spare
Other?

Other question - I was looking at some other boat motors noticing how clean and non-greasy/non-oily they look specifically the parts at the motor used for steering and where it connects to the transom.  I'm not sure if mine is dirty 'cause it's a 2-stroke or if those boat owners are meticulously cleaning exposed oil/grease off of them, but mine seems to get oil/grease from somewhere.  Are you guys wiping down exposed oil/grease below your motor near transom after each trip or are yours just cleaner running?


Offline craigm

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2019, 01:38 PM »
Lower unit / replace gear oil -- Yearly
Fuel filter – Yearly  particularly on Yamaha 4 stroke 150
Spark plugs – Check annually and or when performance drops and replace plugs are worn or every 2 years ( optimax requires very expensive plugs but do not try to cheap out on those plugs use the factory recommended or the results will be catastrophic .)
Impeller/water pump – every 2-3 years or when smart guage says you are losing water pressure at Idle ( refer to manufacturers specs ) on Optimax engines check filters and screen on intakes and poppets before changing just impeller ,also check thermostats on opti if water temp will not reach 125 degrees at idle failure in this area will result in cold seize engine failure ( almost always Number 6 cy )
Primer bulb and hoses – check annually , Mercury says gas formulations change frequently and last years Alcohol resistant may not work with this years Blend
Inline fuel/water separator - I've never had one of these, but getting one installed.  Any maintenance on this needed? Mercury does not recommend after market fuel separation systems , I do not use them factory has them on most your 125 2cycle does not have a factory separator on it .
Motor oil - mine is 2-stroke so no changing.... just adding but do not scrimp use manufactures brand each has unique additives to that Brand of engine components
Trailer bearings – check grease for water intrusion  every use ? Not just ad but change annually with Dexter hubs  pump til new lube comes out on others disassemble and repack annually
Trailer Tires - check air pressure including spare every use !!!!!!!!! biggest cause of tire failure under inflated tires , some manufactures Goodyear is one recommend 10 lbs over if used over 65 mph , second cause is failure to check tires age …circle with 4 digits indicates week and year  of manufacturer after 6 years  you are driving a time bomb waiting to fail
Other?  May answer your last question grease engine and steering zerks when ever you do the axles                                                                                                                                                                                        You may play Russian roulette by following other procedures but I have been doing this for 60 years on I/os , Fast Boats ,Bass Boats , Multi species Boats , with zero failures other than manufacturing defects from Carlises tires .

Offline OneBlade

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2019, 09:08 PM »
Great info Craig, thanks.  Trailer tires including spare I'm pretty good at keeping up on.  I'm amazed how many people don't check/fill air in their spare on the vehicles.  Those babies lose air slowly over the year it won't do good with 10lbs pressure.

Offline Fishless

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2019, 05:44 AM »
My 4 stroke is by hours so every 100hrs I take it to Performance marine for complete service and Brent says every 3 years for water pump and a boat that sits for long periods of time can have more problems with water pump impellers than a boat run a lot as the rubber impeller dries out. I had the vessel view mobile smart gauge installed so I keep an eye on the hours and when at 100 I take it in. I do my boat bearings yearly and ck them every couple months even with the Dexter spindles you need to keep an eye on things. When I go to Pleasant and don't have to brake much about every third trip when I arrive at the launch ramp I put my hand on the hubs to make sure they are just warm and not HOT which would indicate a bearing problem.  Right now I have a blown seal on the right wheel even tried a double lip seal and it lets grease into the brake hub so waiting on a speedi sleeve to install over the bad part of the spindle where the seal rides. I ck tires every couple trips including spare the way the Carlisle tires failed I know my tires are less than two years old. Two stroke engines tend to be messy but need to ck to make sure you don't have an oil leak at the reservoir or lines and oil injector. One thing nice about 4 stroke it is clean from oil gunk.

One thing to add to your list Matt, trailer lights I ck mine almost every trip by remote locking and unlocking the doors on the truck when connected up. As I go to the lake in the dark it is amazing how many boat trailers I see with one or more trailer brake lights etc. not working.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 05:50 AM by Fishless »
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." John Bernard Books

Offline OneBlade

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2019, 11:56 AM »
Took my boat to Unlimited Marine and Motorsports in Gilbert (Guadalupe and Cooper area).  This is run by a neighbor of mine, was less than 2 minutes away, and a few mentioned good things on AZ Anglers.  Matt was very thorough in everything found several things wrong with prior installation.  I had him do lower unit as well and asked if I could watch so I can do that next year.  That's easy I can do that.  Did compression test mine was 125 (I think?) but he said it was fine/good.  Impeller after 2 years was replaced.  It was bent pretty good but no cracks.  Last mechanic did not put in best/mercury recommended spark plugs like I had recommended and had installed fuel filter backwards (wow!).  Got new primer bulb and marine black hoses as prior gray one looked like it was going on the inside.
Good to get out of there with Powell ready boat!

Offline Fishless

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2019, 05:49 PM »
Cool Matt sounds like you found a good mechanic, did you have him ck your trailer wheel bearings? something important for a trip that far.
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." John Bernard Books

Offline OneBlade

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2019, 05:53 PM »
I forgot to ask if he checked the bearings. He did say he greased them. I had them completely redone last year though so they should be good. Even when they removed the old ones last year they said they were fine. I just wanted them replaced since they were probably on there sometime before I owned the boat.

Offline Fishless

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Re: Boat Maintenance Items - How Often?
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2019, 05:04 AM »
Cool sound like your ready to go :headbang:
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." John Bernard Books

 

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