some good advice,some bad!

[lakelivin]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Star Baby,<br /><br />I don't disagree with your right to post, but do think you have unfairly mislabeled the post. Hopefully your mechanic is correct and you will have no further problems. In which case you might have labeled this something like "not always worst case scenario" (which sounds like it still remains to be seen, hopefully time will prove that correct). <br /><br />But Don didn't give you bad advice, just his opinion of what you might expect based on his years of experience (without the benefit of seeing your boat firsthand). Now if he had told you to cover the cracks with silicone sealant and electrical tape, that would have been bad advice!<br /><br />And please post back in a year or so & let us know how things turned out (good or bad).

 

[Scaaty]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Something tells me that what goes around, comes around. Complaining about free information seems to lead to no information, and thats where the final cost will be known...........

 

[katbird]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Give Star Baby a break. I dont understand the big deal about the bearing thing. i've been a auto machanic all of my life and have never seen a bearing go out the way everyone says. Tommays said that he has never seen a bearing last land or water after it gets wet. what about all the u-joint in drive shafts of cars and trucks that get wet and stay wet even with salt water where they salt the highways alot and how long do they last 10 or 12 years or longer. they are the same as my u-joints in my boat, they have needle bearnings. what about the 2 peiced drive shafts where they have a carrier bearing just like the gimble bearing,they stay wet with salt water. it takes a while for a bearning to go out if you keep grease on it. Even if it was back in may that he found it it still had grease on it and no signs of rust. Don says the damage has already been done. i say bull. i say that the dealer just changed the bellows and found everything else ok.don just likes to analyze people that he doesn't know just like when i asked about a cracked block . he tried to tell me how i would spend the day ruining other peoples fishing by being towed in.right now i'm rebuilding my drive and making my own tools to do it with.he would have something to say about that like if i did'nt use the right metal it would cost me several thousand dollars more to let a experienced fool do it. just because you are certified doesn't mean that you know it all. who cares about the prices in alaska its a long way from where i live .I guess he is in the six months of darkness right now.

 

[jawzzy]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Originally posted by Star Baby:<br /> All I can say is I am glad there are still honest Volvo repair facilities out there that are honest.If anyone in southern Ontario want the name just ask myself or fellow poster "jayzee".

I'm not really going to comment on the "unseen estimate", but I was quoted a rather higher amount also by one marina in our area, and when I took it to this one, their original quote was half the price, and when I actually picked the boat up, it was cut in half again, and their was really no damage to the parts, and I only had to pay for the bellows kit and some labour. If you're looking for an honest Volvo or Merc (they don't really like OMC in the Hamilton area, just ask, and Starbaby or I will help ya out, and it's "jawzzy" btw friend Glad to see it worked out for you too!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Ron, I'm a mechanic of 25 years (not marine). When I bought my boat it had the same problem as starbaby - broken uni bellow. I pulled it down and it was EXACTLY as Don described, unis, bearings, HOUSING (ouch!) and seals all shot to pieces. Had to remove bellhousing and oxy/20 ton press the whole mess apart. About $600.00 (cost) in parts and 22 hrs labour.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[katbird]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

dunaruna<br />Did all of that happened in just a week like starbaby.He has run his and he said it ran like new. how long was your boat stranded before you found your problem.people metal is metal and the whether on a car or boat.Don says the bearings are all washed out by the water. has anybody ever tried to wash grease off of anything with a garden hose. It just slides along not going anywhere. My brother lives in Baltomore,Maryland and drove a truck to North Carolina which was eat up with salt off the highways. the floorboard was gone and the lower fenders and even lost a front fender from rust by being blown off by the wind rolling down the interstate.But he always kept it greased under neath the truck.I still laughed my @ss off at him looking at his truck.I'm a certified machanic and i'm a certified welder and i've been certified in havc but let me tell you a little piece of paper doesn't mean you know it all and only listen to me. there are old timers out there that know a lot more than a piece of paper.

 

[tommays]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

ron<br /><br />if you read carefully i said(live after a long dose of water)not a splash<br /><br />if you read the old posts you would no that the leak went on for months at a rate that had starbaby concerened at times that the boat might sink overnight because the battery would be run down by the bilge pump <br /><br />i am not an auto expert but it seams like my car was built to run in the rain with proper maintance but every time i drive it in a lake it really screws it up and they seam to reject my repiar claims<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

I have a friend that I think I will call Starbaby from now on.He had a beautiful Doral that was a 2 year old boat when he bought it.after he owned and abused it for 2 more years I suggested that he have the bellows and shift cable bellows checked when the marina was taking the drives off.He said "I cant see them being bad already".So he did nothing.Next season he gets a call from the marina that his boat was taking on water.The marina noticed it after his swim platform went under water.The water covered almost half of the motor and filled his aft cabin.The marina pumped it out and hauled it to replace all the bellows.He claimed everything else was fine.I suggested he invest in new starters and ujoints and gimbal bearing when he hauls it out next month(this was August) He said "what for ,I told you everything is fine.I cant see there being anything else to fix"So he did nothing and the following Spring he had frozen rusted ujoints,2 rusted starters and frozen gimbal bearings.He is surely a Mr.Know-it-all who really knows nothing!!I stopped giving him advice after that.Charlie

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Ron, I have no idea how long the bellow had been broken on my boat, I bought it as is. From the damage I found I can only assume that water had been in there for quite a while (months, years??).<br /><br />Also my bellhousing does NOT have a grease fitting for the intermediate bearing, its fully sealed. I don't know if Starbaby has a greasable bearing or not.<br /><br />As Tommays rightly pointed out, Starbabys' problem started many months ago, armed with that information, Dons' original estimate was not unreasonable.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[orion208]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

I am truly sorry if I offended anyone on this board,that was certainly not my intention.I as do everyone that is here really do apreciate the help and advice from all who are willing to take the time from their busy lives to sit here and just try to help people.My only intention was to get fairly new boaters like myself to get second and third opinions before getting any work performed,and to ask here for recomendations from posters in their area of fair and honest mechanics,(thanks jawzzy).It sort of reminds me of when I worked at the Firestone tire plant in my fair city some 30 years ago,I would take my Pontiac into the Firestone store for my brake work because they offered employees 15% discount well it seemed odd that after 3 brake jobs the bill would always seem to be around $800 (this was 30 years ago) and the reason they would give is that the calipers had seized and the seals were leaking,so being naive I bought it until a nice chap I knew as a neighbour and who was a licensed mechanic taught me the in's and out's of doing my brakes.Well now for the past 20 or so years I have been doing probably hundreds of brake jobs for neighbours and friends for a "case" and have NEVER run into a seized caliper let alone not EVERY brake job.So I guess the moral of my long-winded story is that it does pay to "ask around" or as I will eventually get to doing get the books,take a course and do the work myself.I am sorry I feel this way but I guess once you get "burned" you dont soon forget the pain.Thanks all (even my buddy Don) and thanks fellow poster jawzzy for pointing me in the right direction.Star.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

The simple answer is ANY bearing stuck in water will prematurely fail. If salt, 100 times quicker. Just look at all the trailer bearing failures...

 

[IMP]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

I have the 280 drive with the previous owner doing little/ no maint. It had a torn bellows, and a frozen U-joint, no transom shield bearings but rusted pieces. I can easily see where someone would have charged that kind of money. The motor has to be pulled and in older boats corrosion sets in. 3-5k easily. Though it only costed about 350$ for parts. About 16-20 hours labor and had I won the lotto, someone else would have made 3-5K for that job.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

hello<br /> there comes a point of diminishing returns. sometimes I have to tell the customer that the cost of the repair for a complete resolution is more than the boat is worth. if it was neglected to the point its all junk and 10 to 15 years old, its just done. I do have some customers and commercial guys that accept the risk and occasionally on a case by case basis I will short cut, but they will sign the work order stating that futher problems are present and anticipated, before delivery.<br /> mostly its for the crabbers and gill netters. this year has been particularly bad and I have 10-15 that owe me betwen 300 and 1500 dollars for work in the spring and summer. but what few crabs and flounder have been caught the market is just poor. they have no money and I knew it before I took the job. I float loans in the form of work on a regular basis. I have yet to be stiffed but sometimes it takes a while for them to have the money to pay. but on the rare occasion I ask for a type of fish or some crabs, they come cleaned and or filleted and pan ready <br />and sometimes they take me fishing cause they know the school movements so it works out. I have one guy who is 70 years old and pulls 1200 yards of flounder net, by hand, every morning,weather permitting, he is like a dad to me. he has no money and owes more than I care to recount. but if his boat aint ready it gets fixed before all others .<br />so can I condem someplace for playing the odds on a 12 year old plus package? nope<br /> I can say that the odds are good of a future failure.<br /> just be aware<br />but like I say<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[trog100]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

i know one thing.. a good professional mechanic will always err on the safe side as regards his reputation and his wallet and this as a general rule sometimes cost a customer dearly.. now as regards replacing something like a universal joint just cos its got wet but otherwise seems okay.. ????<br /><br />doing it for myself i wouldnt but for a customer that might take me to the cleaners if it failed i might well do.. i know another thing.. its a lot easier to spend money when its someone els!s.. he he<br /><br />life is never quite as simple as it should be..<br /><br />trog100

 

[John Carpenter]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

An interesting thread for sure. Those of us who have been around awhile probably have a pretty good feel for who knows their stuff & who doesn't. Some of us take the advice given to heart...others are seemingly here to whine...and of course, some of us are just posting for rank <br /><br />In my earlier years I ignored an awful lot of good advice on mechanical problems...thinking that it would cost too much money to fix it "right". So I took the shortcuts...and paid. Nowadays, when a man who has been in the business for years listens to my problem, I pay attention to his response because chances are he is right. In the case of Don S, I remember seeing his first few posts and thinking that he was a bit arrogant and maybe somewhat of a know-it-all. Boy, was I wrong! It soon became evident that he has a lot of knowledge and is generous enough to share it on this forum.If it were not for people like him, there would be no reason to come here. No one is right all the time...especially when trying to diagnose a problem 1000 miles away. So take all advise with a grain of salt...apply it to your situation, and make the decision that is best for you. Lastly...no whining

 

[cc lancer]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Rodbolt:<br />You said,<br /><br />I have one guy who is 70 years old and pulls 1200 yards of flounder net, by hand, every morning.<br /><br />Ask him if he remembers Irv Williams from Wanchese. Capt. Irv gave me a job as his mate for a while after Uncle Sam released me from servitude. He worked out of Oregon Inlet in the sixties.<br /><br />One thing I learned from the Captains that worked out of the inlet was know your boat, because one day your life may depend on it.

 

[trog100]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

threads like this make interesting reading.. i am new on this forum which incidentaly seems (is) a very good forum as forums go.. and yes Don S is arrogant but there is no question that he knows his stuff.. and he also spends quite a while answering questions on here.. nothing comes free.. perhaps its a price well worth paying for his services.. he he<br /><br />i used to run a forum with 50.000 page hits a night so even if i dont know much about boats i like to think i know a bit about forums.. forums are wonderfull places for information.. in theory all the knowledge in the world could end up on forums.. but there is also a downside on most forums.. for every bit of good information there is very often ten bits of bad.. i used to have a saying that went.. by the time u are clever enough to be able to sort the good information from the bad u are are usually clever enough not to have to ask the question in the first place.. a kind of catch twenty two situation exists.. he he<br /><br />anyway good forums need a few cantankerous (have i speld that rite) perhaps even arrrogant buggers who "know their stuff" who arnt frightened to jump (sometimes a little too heavy perhaps) on those who just like to throw in their two cents just for the hell of it.. this is based on the principle that any bit of information is good information and chucking in anything that might just be relevant helps.. it dosnt it just helps confuse the poor bugger who wants the "real" most probable answer not a thousand remote possibilites which simply obscure that much desired "most probable" answer.. <br /><br />those who read a forum often enough soon learn to know who to listen to and who not to.. but and this is the big but.. newcomers dont.. someone has to "help" these dudes out else they dont stay around long and the forum soon dies..<br /><br />if u really do know your stuff.. be positive.. dont *****foot around with "just my opinion" type comments.. being positive does need u to be rite mostly thow else u will soon go down in "flames".. he he.. forums have lurkers who mostly dont say much but u can bet your bottom dollar that when mr "positive" gets it wrong the buggers will soon point his mistake out.. he he<br /><br />trog100<br /><br />ps.. can anybody tell me wots the best oil to put in my boat and how often should i change it.. oh and what make of sparkplug should i use.. he he he.. only joking..

 

[Don S]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Strangest reply I ever read......also about the best discription of forums in general and how they work. And from someone only right next door to me.....what a little world we live in.<br />Oh, and PS: It's 'Spelt' not 'speld' can't ya speak English? <br />Stick around trog, your post might just help this arrogant a$$ to not be such an arrogant a$$.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Please don't lose that touch of sarcasm Don, your posts brighten my day

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: some good advice,some bad!

Can we start a new thread or something....this one needs to go back to Davey Jones locker. By the way for anyone under 40, that means it needs to go back to "the deep".