1998 Stingray 180LS

[rjkoop]

I have a 1998 Stingray 180LS bowrider and I absolutely love it. I got it about 2 years ago and we use it at our cottage and along the Ottawa and Rideau rivers in Ontario. I have a few questions about maintenance.

1. Blower motor - it makes a lot of noise (almost like a grinding)
Should I just replace it or can these be rebuilt?
2. Depth finder - doesn't work - random depths
Can these be fixed or should I just replace with a better one? Or maybe a GPS unit (recommendations)?
3. Waxing - can I just use car wax on the exterior of the boat?
4. Carpet in ski/storage well wet
I find the carpet in the well at the bottom of the boat stay wet a lot. Can I remove this carpet? If so should I replace with something else?

Thanks for any advice on these issues.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: 1998 Stingray 180LS

1. Blower motor -- get a new one from iboats

2. Depth finder -- try redoing the connections behind the dash, they are typically butt connectors and corrode over time.

3. Wax, yes, but I like a marine wax with uv protection

4. Carpet -- on the inside of the Stingray forum this is a common complaint. A lot of people pull it out and add bedliner or rubber mats. I find if I wet dry vac mine before storage it will dry out.

Great looking boat.