Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

[4mattd]

Hello
A relative called to offer me his boat he doesn't use anymore.
He justs wants it gone and the price is free.
'92 Sea Ray 180. Merc. 3.0
He sent me a few pix and the boat could use a little TLC but is not bad.
Trailer looks to be in good shape.
Engine counter says 92.
Here's the thing....the boat has not been used or started for 5 years.
Outside in the elements the last 2 years. Im not that experienced with boats.
What should i expect that needs to be done in order to get the boat up and running. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[4mattd]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Oh, i forgot to add he never winterized the boat. I may be his favorite nephew but i'm wondering if this is a bigger project than I want to take on?

 

[woosterken]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

WOW, where to start?
first not being winterized the motor probably is TOAST depending on where you live,if unk,at least drained the water out of it MAYBE ok.
if your lucky you need to replace ALL the rubber, the impellor,all the bellows,fuel lines and probably clean the carb.
before all that, though,see if it will even turn over and do a compression test to see if its even worth going on.
then with it setting outside, if it was uncovered,thats another boat load of problems.
the seats , flood , and stringers under the floor,and the transom could also be toast .

woosterken

 

[resinator]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

I agree with what woos said but in addition to that I would rebuild the carb instead of cleaning because if you are gonna take it apart to clean it might as well rebuild it. The carb kits are inexpensive and rebuilding it is also inexpensive. Under 200. Also dont forget to rid your tanks of their fuel before you run the motor and dont forget to preoil the motor due to the fact that you probably dont have much oil throughout the motor except in the oil pan. Concerning possible moisture in the hull, I would buy yourself a moisture meter or borrow one. With this tool you can easily determine if there is any moisture in the stringers, bulkheads and transom.

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Some history would be helpful, for example, how was the boat running just
prior to being put out of service? If something was going wrong in one area,
and then something went wrong in another area and the boat stayed in the
back yard, you could have serious problems lurking underneath a regular
revival.

And, hope the paperwork boat and trailer titles are in order.

Could be worthwhile, but I'd find out a little more, first.

Good luck!

 

[4mattd]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Thanks Everyone....wow, so much for the free boat. It looks like a big project for me with limited engine experience or a somewhat costly job at a shop.
The boat was covered outside and is Located in CA. No snow, but it does get down to freezing a few times a year. I can see by the tags in the pix it was last registered in 05. Will have to do some thinking on this one.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Before you give up I would do a couple of things that may give you an idea of what you might be facing. First if the engine is frozen then it may be more than you want to deal with. Easy to check. Remove the spark plugs, connect a fully charged battey and see if it will turn over. If it does then you will have some stuff to do but most likely it is not a basket case. It might be a good idea to squirt some Marvel Mystery oil or WD-40 in each hole before you try to turn it over. You may also want to try turning it over with a socket wrench on the flywheel.

As to the boat itself I would want to know if there is any rot in either the floor or transom. Have someone check that for you. If no rot you will probably only be faced with a good clean-up and detailing.

Oh and posting pictures here would help to get you better input.

 

[MRS]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

The boat I have now was not run for 5yrs. I bought it for a real good price (1986) but the first thing I did was change all filters oil and filter, carb, fuel water filter (prime with fuel in new filter) and drain fuel tank. Oh make sure and drain manifolds and block and clean out drain holes with a wire you should be able to push wire in to drain holes. Then see if will fire up make sure to run on muffs if it does fire then make sure and change or have the water impeller changed from there like others have said you can check and change hoses and other odds and ends. I did change the main rubber fuel line first also and full charged battey and and clean - + cable ends....

 

[tnduc]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

The boat I have sat covered in a carport for 8 years, unused and was given to me. I put new tires on the trailer, replaced the battery and had some minor work done to the motor. Replaced the impeller, rebuilt the carbs and drained the gas tank. All in all, cost of repairs about $700. Boat now looks and runs great.

 

[bonzoscott]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

I refurbished an '89 Glastron. They are well built boats. I think the floor and stringers would be Ok as long as the plug was not in. As long as the block is not cracked here is a couple of things I found: Definitely a carb rebuild. Even that didn't complete smooth idle but ultimately a bottle of Marvel Mystery oil in the fuel did the trick after 1/2 hour at cruise speed. Also, somehow, the intake bolts loosened up. I tried proper torque still didn't work. Had to replace gasket. Finally, to get the old fuel out, unhook the fuel line from the pump. Rig up 6 feet of line connected to tank side. run it out the boat drain plug into a bucket. Drill a hole straight through a tennis ball. Put that over the gas fill hole and stick you compressor nozzle in the hole in the tennis ball and let 'r rip until all gas is out.

 

[mphy98]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

The old boat I got free was not run for 5 or six years. It sat covered and bow up, so the floor and stringers were good. I did not even change the oil first to see if it was worth keeping. Turns out it ran fine, needed new seats and carpet though, (dry rot) I then changed the fluids and had a marina check it over and it needed a new impeller, and that was it. The bellows were fine, and it is now a good boat for our canada trips. So get it and check it out before making any hasty decisions.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

I say take it. If you can't get it going, you could probably scrap it and make a few bucks, at least.

 

[4mattd]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Thanks everyone.....boat is 100 miles away. Cant get down for a few weeks, but I'll post and update then.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

I refurbished an '89 Glastron. They are well built boats. I think the floor and stringers would be Ok as long as the plug was not in. As long as the block is not cracked here is a couple of things I found: Definitely a carb rebuild. Even that didn't complete smooth idle but ultimately a bottle of Marvel Mystery oil in the fuel did the trick after 1/2 hour at cruise speed. Also, somehow, the intake bolts loosened up. I tried proper torque still didn't work. Had to replace gasket. Finally, to get the old fuel out, unhook the fuel line from the pump. Rig up 6 feet of line connected to tank side. run it out the boat drain plug into a bucket. Drill a hole straight through a tennis ball. Put that over the gas fill hole and stick you compressor nozzle in the hole in the tennis ball and let 'r rip until all gas is out.

Dang Bonzo............thats a great idea. I can see adding a little gas and shaking the boat to get all the old sludge stirred up and then blowing it all out.

 

[reap182]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

Yeah, go for it. whats the worst that could happen

 

[chris75h]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

There are horror stories but there is no need to always see monsters. If the motor never froze and broke you could be in business. I bought a 1981 Cobalt last summer that had been sitting on a dry dock at Lake of the Ozarks for 10 years since it had been run last. I didnt on mine and I would advise trying to turn the motor over with the key. This could cause many problems. I pulled the plugs and poured Marvel Mystery Oil on the heads and waited 3 days, on the third day I started trying to move the heads by hand and after about an hour it worked free. Once I got one full rotation I tried to turn it over with the key.

I had the rebuilt the carb and the lower unit. Checked and rechecked everything (fittings, rubber, seals, etc.) Emptied the gas tank and finally started the motor. I am happy to say it runs like a champ.

This boat may be unique but I followed other peoples footsteps on how to proceed because they have saved boats and motors in the past.

I feel this was very rewarding for my family and I. Some people like new things, I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment of doing this myself. I say good luck but do your homework because you may cause more damage trying short cuts and cause unneccesary work and rework.

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Boat been sitting for 5 years....What should i do?

I say go for it. i would definitly look inside spark plug holes.snap on make a "bend a light that will fit into plug hole that way you should be able to see walls and piston tops.yes put some oil into each cylinder and turn slowly by hand, make sure not to score cylinder walls. get it running and take it some place safe/close to shore see how it operates. put a figure in your mind as to how much you'll send to get it to where you happy, and stick close to it. and above all do you have a use for this boat? or would it just be neat/fun to have? Most people with boats sitting in there yard bought them because they went out with friends for a day or two and thought it would be neat to own a boat. If you don't have a perpose/use for this boat then question how much you will use it.