What to look over/replace after buying a used boat?

[thebigt32]

I just bought a 1990 Larson All American DC-190 with a 4.3L Mercruiser 175 hp 2 BBL engine, power steering, and alpha 1 gen 1 unit. I got it from the original owner last week that took incredible care of it.

What I am wondering is if there are things that I should look over beyond what I have already done, such as fluids and/or replace things? I replaced the Tach because it was acting erratic, replaced some of the wiring that was spliced every which way, took the drive off and replaced the gimbal bearing with a heavy duty one from the newer alpha 1 gen 2 units for a longer life (hopefully). I then made sure the engine was properly aligned, and greased up the u-joints which looked pretty good (I think... When should they be replaced? Only when clicking, or they have some play in them?). The gimbal bearing was also greased because it was new. The u-joint bellows were fine so I didn't replace because didn't feel like digging into it that far unless I had to, the ones there looked fairly new. The exhaust bellows do need to be replaced though and are on order. Should be easy though since don'™t have to take off bell housing. Shifts smoothly so I'll leave that for another day. Is there anything else I should look over or refill/replace? Just trying to get everything up to par for myself so I don'™t have to find out the hard way. I also looked at the oil level and it was an inch or so above the full line. Is this bad? Should I just drain some oil? Engine is able to hit top end of WOT range so I would assume block isn't cracked and there is water in the oil. The tube that the oil dipstick goes in was also missing the screw to stabilize it against the engine, but was secured where the extender piece goes into the engine, I feel like this wouldn't skew the results. Any thoughts?

One other question I had was about speed. The dry weight of the boat is 3300 lbs, WOT range is 4200-4600 and I was able to hit 4600 with a merc laser II ss 19 pitch prop last night by myself. I would assume my prop is near perfect for the boat then. My gear ratio is 1.84 but I was only able to hit 42 mph via GPS and boat speedometers. I thought the boat would have been a little faster. I thought the standard gear spec for the 4.3 was around a 1.68 or something. Is mine higher because the boat is so heavy? The lower gear ratio might put to much strain on the engine? Any ideas how to get more speed or will that be it? There is no growth or anything under the boat. I was properly trimmed up at the highest speed. Sorry for the long post and all the questions. Just trying to figure out the new boat. I'™ll make a list for the questions

1. things to look over/replace/refill after buying a used boat (specifically an older one)
2. oil level was an inch over full, no crack suspected, was it just overfilled? Is it bad? What to do next?
3. is my speed OK? Or could there be an issue somewhere allowing me to only reach 42 mph?
4. is my gear ratio where it should be or could I be better off with switching to a lower gear ratio?

 

[stonyloam]

You did not mention replacing the impeller, which is probably the single most important thing on a new to you boat.

 

[thebigt32]

it was something I was planning on doing in the fall when I winterize the boat. I'll have to drain the lower gear oil then just like I would for the impeller so I was trying to save a few bucks on the oil, that stuff is pretty spendy per qt. I had overheating issues on my last boat so I always pay close attention to the temp gauge. This boats temp stay consistently around 140 where it should be even when sitting at WOT for a little while. Figure she's good for the rest of the summer or until I notice a change in the temp. Hopefully it doesn't break apart and clog any of my lines.... did I just jynx myself?

 

[stonyloam]

If you notice a change in temp then the impeller has failed and it is too late. There is no reason you can not reuse the oil you drain from the outdrive, just drain it back into the bottles and pump it back in. IMHO do it now, then you don't have to worry about for a couple of years. At least ask the po when it was done last, if he took good care of it he should know. If it has been more than 3 years or he doesn't know, or if the boat has sat for a while it would be best to do it.

 

[thebigt32]

I always have bought new lower unit oil every year although there was no water or metallic pieces in it. How long can I go about reusing the oil for? or is it really only safe to reuse it when work is done in the middle of the season?

 

[stonyloam]

It is wise to change it every year, but if you only have a few hours and it looks clean it should be OK to use.

 

[tpenfield]

The challenge with buying an older boat ( 15 + years old) is that you could look at everything in/on the boat and rationalize replacing it merely based on age. As stated the impeller is probably the big thing, since they have one of the shortest life spans of the maintenance parts.

Then it is a matter of going through everything and seeing if it needs fixing or replacing. You have to find a balance of "reliability" versus 'if it ain't broke don't fix it". Lots of variables to consider, so you will have to make the ultimate choices.

 

[DaveG55]

1.84 is the normal drive for a v6. 1.65 would be standard for a small block v8 like a 5.0l

 

[Fastatv]

I just bought a 1990 Larson All American DC-190 with a 4.3L Mercruiser 175 hp 2 BBL engine, power steering, and alpha 1 gen 1 unit. I got it from the original owner last week that took incredible care of it.




Are sure about the weight of the boat? The 3300 pounds seems heavy for a 19 foot bow rider. About 2200 to 2500 sounds more in the ball park.
- 1. All fluids and filters...replace, lube all lube points ( fittings ) with the correct specified lube, clean, dielectric grease all grounds at minimal
- 2. Run the engine, recheck the oil level....it may be overfilled
- 3. Speed.....I would think that 45 mph or so would be about max and your rpm's at WOT would indicate such.
- 4. I would just leave the drive ratio as is.
From reading your post, sounds to me like your really on top of your boat already...you must have some previous experience. If the temp gauge reads a constant 140, I say your good on the impeller. Enjoy your boat Ron. Rick

 

[GaJeff]

In my past experience i have found that it's best to check your transom, deck, and stringer for damage. My boat was in great mechanical condition but a slight soft spot in the floor revealed a whole world of different problems. What seems like a sound boat could be nothing more than mush underneath. Boat manufacturers tend to not pay attention to detail in glass work like an owner would... it would cause a $100k boat if they did. Just look at FriscoBoater, he got screwed on a great looking boat. In the end he built it better than Sea Ray could ever do on a production level. I've enjoyed restoring mine so it wasn't that bad. It's just the cost of resin and glass that adds up. Jeff

 

[thebigt32]

I was kind of wondering about the weight too, I thought that was super heavy too but I found it somewhere that stated that the dc series stood for dual counsel up front and weighed in at 3300 lbs I used nada that didn't state the dc series but had them weighing in at around 2350 on an empty tank. My trailer is licensed for 4500lbs so with trailer weight, boat weight, extras, gas I could be over that if the boat were 3300 so we will change it to 2350

I will probably end up just changing the oil and adding the correct amount, I want to add one of the oil hoses that you hook into the drain hole on the drip pan so I don't have to get a suction piece for the dip stick, I think you get more crud out by draining it from the pan anyways.

Could I be hurting the engine at all by running the oil high right now?

Yea I do have some experience also. I rebuilt an old mercruiser type 1 unit on a '72 along with some engine work on the straight 6 165hp engine, along with redoing and glassing the stringers in the boat, transom was fine. Then replaced the whole interior. Learned most of the stuff from you guys on this trusty website when I had issues along with the repair manual.

GaJeff, I had experience with rotting on my last boat so it was something I really looked for when buying the boat. I have already checked it all and everything is solid as a rock. This is why I believe the owner took real good care of it. It was always stored inside and serviced when needed. I was leary about getting another boat with wood, but the deal was hard to pass up and the interior is flawless. So I went for it since she was in such great shape. My next one will most definitely be all glass though.

 

[Fastatv]

Oil level one inch higher than it should be on the dipstick would be excessive and there is a possibility damage could occur..oil could become aerated if in contact with the crank....and the oil pump is designed to pump oil, not oil/air mixtures.... I would not run it over filled. I would recommend draining it to the correct level or researching the capacity, then drain and change with fresh oil.

 

[Fishermark]

I would be concerned why it was an inch too full of oil. I would make sure it is not too full because of water. When you drain it see if water comes out along with the oil.