Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

What needs to be done each spring that they charge $100 for? What do you do that others might not realize is improtant.

I DID hook up the garden hose to the motor, and run it before I left. The oil that I used to fog the cylinders just burns out.

Other than that, I did NOTHING. OK, well I greased the hubs on my trailer.

$100, huh?

I suppose it depends on your boat. But I have the oil and lubes, etc changed on the motor, stabilize the fuel, winterize the head and sink and shrink wrap it in the fall when the season ends. When spring rolls around I give the boat a cleaning, 303 the seats, check the oil levels, put the batteries back on board and then drop her in the water and get the seasons underway. No spring time start up costs for me beyond the time invested in putting the gear on and a quick cleaning.

My friends with IOs on their boats pretty much do the same thing.

The boat dealer where I store the boat charges $103.00 for spring start up. I want to just pick it up myself and wanted to know what is done. It was winterized, so I guess not much is needed in the spring. Here is the info the dealer sent me

Spring Start - $103
Bottom Paint - $320 for one coat, $480 for 2 coats
Painting Motor bracket/ LU $65
Painting Transducer $20
Launch $97

Your dealer's probably charging you for moving the boat into his shop, putting the water muff on the engine, and charging the battery if it's not strong enough to start the engine.

In other words, it's not much work.

I'd hate to see what he charges you to "winterize" your boat.

I think it cost me $28 for oil, filter and lower unit lube last Fall--doing the job myself in 1/2 hour. All I did a month ago is put my key in and start it. My battery was fine.

My marina performs the following for summer prep:
*battery charge
*check the oil reservoir (I have a 2 stroke)
*change the lower unit oil
*hooks up a computer to check the hours & Diagnostics
*runs it
*power washes the toons

I do everything myself except change the lower unit oil & the computer. He charges me $50.
BTW, where in Delaware are you?

I am from Georgetown, we go in the Rehoboth Bay. I waited till the last minute to decide if we were taking the boat out this year. It is a 2 week wait right now, so I figured if I can find a trailer to borrow and don't have them do the spring startup I may be able to get it in the water faster.

peedee wrote: Launch $97

HA! I first read this and saw it as a $97 LUNCH! I thought damn! What are they eating!?!

peedee wrote:I am from Georgetown, we go in the Rehoboth Bay. I waited till the last minute to decide if we were taking the boat out this year. It is a 2 week wait right now, so I figured if I can find a trailer to borrow and don't have them do the spring startup I may be able to get it in the water faster.

Ahhh, I know Rehoboth Bay very well. I used to boat & jetski on there years ago when my family had a house in Rehoboth. I Still vacation down there but we stay in a hotel now. I miss all the boating we used to do. I used to anchor up on that sandbar by Nats Cove. Someday I may borrow a trailer and take the toon with us. (I'm still trying to talk my wife into moving down there).

As far as taking it out, I guess it depends on what you did during the winterizing. Usually there isn't too much to do with summer prep. Definitely check your lower unit oil. Good Luck.

I uncover mine, unplug the battery tender, hit the switch and go ! I put an Impeller in it over the weekend, as I'm not sure how long it has been. Better safe than sorry. We will hit the water somewhere this weekend.

Spring start up was back in February, That was throw the charger on the night before. Hook up the truck and check trailer lights, stop by a gas station and top off the tanks, buy bait drive to the lake drop it in fire up the motor , park truck and go fishing. All of the maintenance is done when its winterized.

I do all the maintenance in the fall so when spring hits it's just unplug the battery tenders, put on the muffs (I run the muffs before I leave for the launch every time anyway) and blow out the engine fogger. Won't be much tooning this year as we'll have to find a sitter for mom (Alzheimer's) to be able to go out.

Have all of my stuff done in the fall... oil / filters / spark plugs / greased hubs on trailer axles / had a new water impeller put in this year ( mechanic says every 2 to 3 years is fine ).....took the boat to the gas station and filler her up with non ethanol gas, added stabilizer / then backed the trailer down on the launch and just let the yamaha run for 15 minutes or so to get the stabilizer thru the entire system..... and then put her back in the storage building.... hopefully when I get around to taking her out to the lake this year, won't have to do anything but check the air pressure in my trailer tires....

chill'nthemost wrote:I do all the maintenance in the fall so when spring hits it's just unplug the battery tenders, put on the muffs (I run the muffs before I leave for the launch every time anyway) and blow out the engine fogger. Won't be much tooning this year as we'll have to find a sitter for mom (Alzheimer's) to be able to go out.

We just had the Mother in Law here for almost two years until it got to where she needed more than we could provide for her.
It will be real easy to not get out out as much but trust me, MAKE the time you and the wife may need it more than you both will ever know.
We promised ourselves we would do that but our time just kind of gets pushed aside.
Good luck to you guys.

My routine used to be similar to all of the above. This year I added clean out mouse nest and fix chewed up wiring!! I never dreamed the little bastards would make a home inside my cowling and spend their idle time chewing wires in half and chewing insulation off the remaining wires!!! I've had mice get into the boat before (and I put out rat poison for them). I never dreamed they'd find their way under my motor cowling. What tipped me off to trouble was the pellets of rat poison that I noticed when I pulled the cover off ...............Oh well, all is spliced and fixed now and I plugged the air intake hole into the cowling and added some moth balls. I will wage more serous war next winter