Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hey guys ( and gals ).... as we are now getting into the end of the boating season ( probably within 3 or 4 weeks here in Louisiana ) I know that most of you take care to make sure your boat is serviced before putting her away for the winter... Unfortunately I am one of those people that is not mechanically inclined, so I will have a boat mechanic do the service for me. For the past 2 years I have always taken my boat to the dealership to have it serviced, but at $100 per hour labor, it was just astronomical to get nothing more than the oil and filter changed... I believe last year it ran somewhere around 185 to 200 dollars... way too much for what was done... but I came across a mechanic that lives just down the road from me... he has a boat repair / service shop... I wouldn't just go to anyone, but this guy has been recommended to me by at least 4 or 5 people... anyway I called him yesterday just to get a rough idea what he would charge... I didn't write it all done but to the best of my memory it was something like this..

change oil
change filter(s)
change spark plugs
something about checking or adding a water seperator
recommended changing fuel lines ( original still on the motor ) because of ethanol fuel
recommended changing water impellar ( said he believed they should be changed at least every 2 years )
and said he would drain my fuel out of my tank so that it was sitting empty for the winter. I told him I had heard it was best to fill the tank and and use a stabilizer in the fuel. But he said gas can go bad after 90 days so he recommends just draining it all out before storing it for the winter... start next spring with a fresh tank of fuel.

approx cost / worst case scenario ---- approx. 325 to 350.00

When I look at what the dealership charged just to change oil and filters, the above figure sounds like a great deal for someone like me who needs to hire it done.... but I'd like to know what some of you more experienced boat owners think.... LIke I said, the guy comes highly recommended.. works out of a shop behind his house.. every time I've driven past there there has always been 4 or 5 boats parked to the side....so he apparently has a good customer base...

Hey Rowland, that sounds like a deal. The spark plugs (mine are iridium) don't go bad in 2 years. 2 stroke yes but not a 4 stroke motor. I'm going on 6 years so I would scratch those. Impeller I had done at 5 years but that's your choice.

Sounds good Roland, and if he's recommending draining the tank, he knows what he's talking about. As for the impeller, I'd say yes it would not hurt doing that every2 seasons. They can last a decade or they can be shot in one season so it's a crapshoot.

Roland: My suggestion is to find a friend that has a little mechanical knowledge, and watch him do yearly maintenance. Dropping a plug really doesn't require any skills.

change oil YES
change filter(s) YES
change spark plugs PROBABLY NOT REQUIRED
something about checking or adding a water seperator NOT BAD IDEA
recommended changing fuel lines PROBABLY NOT REQUIRED.
recommended changing water impeller MOST THINK EVERY 3 YEARS
drain my fuel out of my tank NOT ON 4 STROKE--FILL TANK W/100% GAS AND PUT STABILIZER IN FUEL
DON'T FORGET TO CHANGE THE LOWER UNIT GREASE.
Approx cost---- approx. $30-35 Where the real cost comes is in the cost of a tank of 100% gasoline and a $12 can of stabilizer.

Your engine is so new and a 4 stroke, so minimal maintenance is required unless you're putting mega-hours on the boat.

I did the initial 20 hour maintenance on my boat last week, and it took less than an hour--most time of which was spent watching the oil drain out completely.

That reminds me that I've got to clean my grandson's little plastic swimming pool that I used to drain the oil into.