Boat sank...

[hallmark]

ok so i dont know if this is the right place or not... any way, my boat sank a few weeks ago...in salt water... and now my engine is like a margarita, so im gonna need a new motor... my question is should i hassel with repowering or buy a new/used boat. the boat didnt take too bad of a hit when it sank but none of the guages work, the interior is shot, will most likley need new stringers and transom but for now they ae strong. what do you guys think?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Boat sank...

If it is as bad as you described, it looks like a whole new rig is in order.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Boat sank...

I had a jetski sink 3 times - the last 2 times because of improper maintenance by a factory certified dealer tech.

Now, I do 100% of my own maintenance (hindsight is 20/20) and if I knew then what I do now I would have sold it after the first time.

You might save money by fixing it and going forward, but if hassle is worth anything to you, you would be smart to take the insurance $ and run.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boat sank...

Many variables...... how the motor was treated when it was recovered is the biggest factor. Some boat motors that sink in salt water are soaked in fresh water prior to being worked on.

What kind or type of motor? What year?

 

[reddogg]

Re: Boat sank...

I had a merc that was sunk for 4 days in salt water, got it up and did a through fresh water washdown, pulled the plugs and ran freshwater in there, over all the electronics, etc... Than I filled the motor with oil and let that sit for a few days (covered outside in oil to). puled carbs, fuel pumps, hoses etc.. and drained cleaned, flushed them. Drained motor of oil, used a degreaser to clean off exterior oil than coated it in wd-40, re instaled carbs, pumps, etc.. and after a bit of readjustment she fired right up and ran well. Put her back on the boat that was also raised and cleaned and used her for about another year or so. From talking to some diver/salvage buddies the major thing is to get right on the repairs and cleaning right after you get it out of the salt water. If you don't, corrosion really starts to set in.

Red

 

[hallmark]

Re: Boat sank...

i didnt think it sank too bad because when i am not using the boat it is kept on a bouy in front of my house...when it sank it didnt go all the way under. it stayed floating just enough to keep the engine out of the water. so i thought it was fine. started washing down the boat with fresh water gauges, steering cable etc... started the motor, it ran but didnt idle. i took it to my mechanic friend and he said we waited to long (i didnt flush the engine right after i recovered it). its a 1989 nissan 90hp...most unreliable piece of junk in the world. not the first time it didnt idle so i thought it was just the carbs...

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Boat sank...

All the wiring is shot, withing 2 years it will need replaced, just like a care that gets flooded.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat sank...

although your motor is history, and you didn't like it to begin with, back to the boat: sinking will not suddenly cause the stringers and transom to rot. That is a long-term problem. So don't base your decision on that (or did you mean they were already rotten?)

Sounds like it stayed afloat, so your guages/controls are probably OK; 15 years of salt air is worse than a dunking. But that also depends on what all you had on there.

Not saying this about your motor, but reviving sunken salt water motors is fairly common. Growing up, when ours went down the second time, the mechanic gave Dad the 'waterman's option" which was a short cut, less thorough but less expensive, repair; we went for it and it ran fine for years until we replaced the whole rig for other reasons.