All that you need to Know Document

Maintenance is required by 90% of engine manufacturers.  Racing and high performance engines require special attention and will be addressed individually.  I will have a description of each service and an explanation of what it is, and why it's important.  All engine manufacturers require maintenance history records to honor warranties on all new boats. Not staying on top of your boat's maintenance will cost you more in the long run and plenty of your valuable boating time!

1.     SUMMERIZE- This is the first time that the engine is going to be run after a long cold winter.  All of the exhaust manifold, engine block plugs, and all hoses will be reconnected at this time.  The battery is charged normally for 12 hours unless more time is required, and is then reconnected and secured to the vessel.  Gear oil is checked for contamination and for the correct level.  The engine is run up to temperature and all gauges are monitored for correct readings.  All switches, accessories and safety equipment are also checked at this time.  This takes a little more than an hour to complete and is a flat fee for most vessels.  Have you ever seen the guy on the launch ramp that can't get his boat started or is out on the lake and is having difficulties?  This is very cheap insurance for having the peace of mind knowing that a professional has inspected your vessel, and is a great way to start the season off.  Price for service $65-95.

2.     OIL CHANGES- This needs to be done every year.  Marine engines are run a lot harder than your typical vehicle's engine.  These engines are designed to be able to handle very high RPM's for a sustained amount of time, and this is very hard on the engine and its oil.  EVERY manufacturer recommends that this be done every year.  Please get this done, it's VERY important.  Price for service $50, does not include oil and filter.  Average for parts is $22.

3.     STERN DRIVE SERVICE- This is done at least every two years.  Some marinas require that this be done every year.  Bravo and big block owners should get this every year.  The stern drive is removed from the transom and is inspected.  The main things that we are inspecting are the U-joints, the gimbel bearing, the bellows, the splines on the yoke, and the engine coupler.  The gimbel bearing is what supports the yoke as it passes through the transom and connects to the engine coupler.  It is inspected and then packed with grease.  The U-joints are inspected and greased.  The alignment is also checked at this time.  All of the engines horsepower is transferred from the engine coupler to the drive through the yoke.  The ONLY way to grease the yoke is to remove the stern drive.  If the alignment is off, or the yoke is not properly greased, the engine coupler can fail and will have to be replaced.  If you are out on the water and your coupler fails, you will not be able to get back to the dock.  When you do get back, you will have to have the engine removed from the boat to replace it and will have a very steep bill waiting for you.  The bellows are what seal the out drive to the transom.  If the shift cables bellows or the U-joint bellows has a hole in it, the boat will sink very quickly.  The stern drive oil is changed and inspected.  If contaminated, the stern drive will be pressure checked at this time to find a leak in one of the seals.  This oil is very important to the gears and in case you were wondering, stern drives average $5,000. The propeller is also removed and the shaft is inspected for fishing line.  Fishing line will cut the prop shafts seal and will cost you money.  Prop shaft is greased and prop is re-torqued.   Price for service $140.  Parts average $34.

4.     TUNE-UPS Needs to be done every two years.  People who do get them done every year normally have the least amount of problems and have a very smooth running engine.    Tune-ups are recommended for a couple of reasons and should be done during the winter or at summerize time.  You need to change spark plugs.  When the engines are fogged during the winterize process there is a lot of excess oil left on the spark plugs electrode.  Normally this burns off, but it's better to change them in the spring if it's there second year.  Spark plugs also give you a report of how each individual cylinder is firing. There are about 15 different problems that will show up on a spark plug.  It's better to find the problem earlier than later.  Again cheap insurance. Priced from $100.00-$200; depending on engine size, parts average $55.

5.     WATER PUMPS- This needs to be done every 2-3 years.  Some people let this slide because they haven't had a problem yet.  All that it takes to hold you back from having a good day on the lakE is a $50 rubber veined impeller.  This impeller can slowly start to get worse, and worse, and then BOOM!  If you over heat and the engine alarm goes off you need to shut the engine off immediately and let it cool down.  If you continue to use it the engine can get so hot that you can actually crack it.  All of the exhaust hoses, flappers, and bellows will also have to be replaced.  Price for service is around $100-195, that does include the new impeller, parts average $55.

6.     WINTERIZE- At this time of year the engine and boat are put to rest.  The engine is run and then fogged.  This entails pouring a small amount of fogging oil through the carburetors or hook up a remote tank for EFI's (Electronic Fuel Injection).   It coats the cylinder chambers and the exhaust system with an oily residue that protects the engine while it sits all winter.  I also do an inspection of your boat so if there is anything wrong we can get it taken care of during the winter.  Waiting till the spring rush can jeopardize some of the very short boating season.  The engine and all components are then drained completely.  The entire engine, exhaust system, and all coolers are flushed with non-toxic antifreeze with a corrosion inhibitor.  The battery is disconnected and the boat is put to bed.  If this is not done, you crack your engine block, manifolds, and everything else that has water in it.  New engine $5000 plus labor.  Price for service $110.

If you follow this schedule you will have many years of trouble free boating.  I enter all of you and your boats information into a service management program.  This initially takes me more time, but is well worth it.  We will always know what your boat needs and when.  It keeps track of every service, and part, that your boat has ever received.  Again, there are only a couple of things that are needed every year, everything else is every other or every third year.  When you sell your boat, I will print out your boats service history.  This is estimated to be worth around 10% of the boats value at sale time, and it shows that the boat has been taken care of.  Look at it this way, invest a little every year and have no problems, plus get the money back at the time of sale.  Or don't, and risk having thousands of dollars in repairs when some thing does go wrong.  The sad thing is that 99% of the time it probably could have been caught before it failed and led to many other problems!   If you ever have any questions please feel free to call me, and please, PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!!!