Boats are a pain to own?

[padon]

IDK. my boat is nothing fancy and i took a butt whipping on the water today, 5 hours and no bites. but just passing it in the garage every morning on the way to work brings a smile to my face 

. so for me not having one isnt an option.

[TnRiver46]

21 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

I ripped half the electrical nonsense out of my boat today.  Bought it with a fair number of hours, if the motor pops I'll build it.  Not terribly concerned.  Realistically if you are diligent one day in the spring and one in the fall and you can conquer all you need to do on your boat.  There are always exceptions, but when well maintained there isn't all that much to do.  Of course if you find changing the oil in your car difficult then it will cost you.

Oil changes are easy........ unless a garage or dealership changed it last............ they INSIST on tightening the filter and drain plug with the jaws of life! Then there’s my fiancé’s Honda that only an ant can lay under......

 

but back to boats! Oil change was super easy when I finally got a 4 stroke, it’s always nice to change oil while standing on your feet. Now they did still manage to tighten the filter on my boat way too tight at the factory but I just drove a screwdriver through it and turned that way 

 

Where I get hung up on cars and boats is always with the electrical components, I pray I never have to own a truck with bells and whistles 

[Bluebasser86]

Yes they're a huge pain but I wouldn't want to be without one. 

[Munkin]

Bankruptcy

On

A

Trailer

 

This is another acronym I have heard as well.

 

There is always something that needs fixed on a boat. I just switched from 24 to 36v and in the process had to change some stuff. In the process of putting the 36v lithium battery in I had to move the gas tank. Moving the gas take I broke what I am guessing is the livewell drain? Going to take it to a mechanic but in the meantime since its the only problem and I want to fish I put a wine stopper in the hole. Yes this is ghetto but I really need to get on the water and don't want water coming in the boat.

 

Allen

[Biglittle8]

On 4/10/2021 at 9:04 AM, A-Jay said:

Seems the seasons click away quicker and quicker.

Can't get them back

☝️This... Pursue your passions to the extent that you're able. 

[haggard]

Everything in life is a tradeoff. Owning a boat can be very rewarding. Owning a boat can take time, money and effort. Find what works for you based on your abilities, philosophies and resources. Coincidentally, or maybe ironically, my course took a turn yesterday, and I'll be selling mine   but still have a yak and a jon.

 

 

 

 

[gim]

I don't ever remember running into a major problem with a boat in the 22 years I've been using, either my family's or my own.  Preventative maintenance goes far if you do it properly and timely.  Older 2-stroke motors in cold temps can be problematic sometimes, but I feel like its just like taking car of another vehicle, ATV, lawn mower, snow blower, or other mechanical item.  If you let it sit around for long periods of time and do nothing to take care of it, expect it to run optimally, then yes, you can expect problems.  Obviously just like anything else, the age of the watercraft/outboard/trailer can play a role too.  Older items are more worn out.  Take care of the boat and it takes care of you.

[Bankc]

I only have experience owning older ski boats (10+ years old).  From my experience, they are a HUGE pain.  Every year I had to work on the motor.  Sometimes it was something small, sometimes it was something expensive or hard to get to.  And if that wasn't enough, I'd also have to occasionally repair rotten fiberglass coated wood and vinyl seats.  

 

I've heard stories of people owning problem free boats for years.  But the common thread seems to be that they bought their boats new and then traded them in for another new boat after about five or so years.  So the way I see it, owning a boat is going to be expensive.  Either you're making monthly payments on it, or your spending money repairing it.  And if you do your own repairs, like me, you're spending lots of time working on it.  Both boats I owned, I never could trust to work when I got to the water, so I always started them up before I left my house to make sure they were running.  And if it was the first trip of the season, I'd start it up a few weeks early to give me time to do the repairs.  And even then, there was no guarantee that it would still work when I got to the water.  

 

I sold my last boat a few years back and bought a kayak.  It's much, much cheaper, and infinitely more reliable.  It's a pain to load and unload, and I can't take friends with me.  But it means I can enjoy fishing without having to sacrifice other things.  And now that I'm older, I rarely have friends who want to go fishing (or that I want to go fishing with) and never really ski anymore.  If I get another boat, it'll be a jon boat, probably with two outboards so I can switch between them should I run into problems.  

[Siebert Outdoors]

I hate ticks so its well worth it.?

 

Over the 4 boats I've owned most of it is maintenance.  Lots of maintenance will curve the major issues and costs. 

[throttleplate]

old 2 strokers with pull start, always got a laugh when the pull rope broke because the owner never cared that it was thin as a shoe lace. 

Ended up removing the shroud and winding whats left of the rope into the manual pully and doing that 50 times as the carbs with the diafram fuel pumps were wore out. Good times.

[livemusic]

1 minute ago, throttleplate said:

old 2 strokers with pull start, always got a laugh when the pull rope broke because the owner never cared that it was thin as a shoe lace. 

Ended up removing the shroud and winding whats left of the rope into the manual pully and doing that 50 times as the carbs with the diafram fuel pumps were wore out. Good times.

 

Ever needed a rope to do a pull start on an engine with starter trouble? Look up in your motor shroud. On my 150 Merc, there is a rope there!

 

I have actually had to start my 40hp Tracker Merc with a pull cord after the starter quit and I was, like six miles from the dock! Thank goodness I had a rope and thank goodness it cranked!

 

You guys... once again... for maintenance, what do you consider is an adequate runtime schedule for a boat? Meaning you either take it to the lake or put muffs and water hose on it. Once/month, twice/month, once/quarter... how often should you run one just to keep it lubed up and functioning? Instead of muffs/hose, I wonder if anyone has ever built a little pond for his motor, lol. Or some kind of concrete 'box' that you set the lower unit into. Although, maybe muffs are just fine! I use them.

[gim]

1 hour ago, throttleplate said:

old 2 strokers with pull start, always got a laugh when the pull rope broke because the owner never cared that it was thin as a shoe lace. 

 

LOL I've seen my Father do this on a weed wacker AND a snow blower.  I laughed and he let out a four letter swear word both times.

[Biglittle8]

1 hour ago, livemusic said:

Ever needed a rope to do a pull start on an engine with starter trouble? Look up in your motor shroud. On my 150 Merc, there is a rope there

I keep one in my boat with the owners manual in a waterproof pouch.

[moguy1973]

Our local fishing forum boat mechanic guru has said many times he hasn't seen a 4-stroke motor out live it's original set of spark plugs yet.  That's not good.

 

He also posts up this video a lot about how tough 2 strokes can be.

(157) Are Yamaha Outboards Tough? - YouTube

 

4 strokes are nice and quiet and they sip the gas, but seems they don't last long.

[Bassattackr]

It's a boat, things are going to fail or break.  This coming from someone who the last two bass boats I've owned have been bought brand new.   

 

Yes, they are expensive.  More expensive than you think..  Marine environment is hard on everything.

 

Worth it?  Right now, for me yes.   Only you can decide..

[throttleplate]

5 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Our local fishing forum boat mechanic guru has said many times he hasn't seen a 4-stroke motor out live it's original set of spark plugs yet.  That's not good.

 

He also posts up this video a lot about how tough 2 strokes can be.

(157) Are Yamaha Outboards Tough? - YouTube

 

4 strokes are nice and quiet and they sip the gas, but seems they don't last long.

a good 2 stroke engine like all the major brands have chrome plated or nikasil plated cylinder walls which are super tough.

 

The cylinders can take some heavy abuse from lack of oil in gas mix and overheating, dirt getting past the air filters as the filter itself isnt much and the old 2 stroke snowmobiles didnt even have air filters only an air intake box if that.

 

The pistons and rings are the parts in a 2 stroke that take the wear as they are made of softer material such as aluminum. You can run the engine untill it siezes and the real damage is on the piston exhaust side which gets the hottest and it will leave a trail of aluminum on the cylinder wall.

 

All ya need to do is bang out the piston and get some muratic acid and a cloth and wipe of the aluminum from the cylinder wall, put in a new piston and rings and you are good to go. Also may need some crank and piston pin roller bearings as the originals may be blued from overheating but if just screwing around skip it.

[DaubsNU1]

I kicked around the idea of getting a brand new bass boat back in 2000...had a two year old on the ground and one on the way...glad I did not go that route. 

 

I opted for this, a 1960 Rich Line with a 1974 Mercury 20hp 2-stroke. Boat motor and trailer was $600. 

 

 

Added trolling motor, casting deck up front, and seat in back. It served me well on smaller lakes and reservoirs in our area.

 

Maintenance through the years has been the following:

• New spark plugs every spring.
• Installed bearing buddies in 2000...greased them every spring...never re-packed or replaced until this past summer
• Had to install new water pump in 2020
• Purchased carb rebuild kit last summer
• New trolling motor battery every few years
• Replaced tires last summer
• Replaced lights / wiring last summer. 

Moved to acreage three years ago, so the boat lives in my shop full time now...and I'm re-designing the casting deck and adding storage, new fish-finders, & lights.

 

I love this boat because it's small and light, and can get in to smaller lakes and ponds...but also has the V-hull...and can handle a little chop. It's old and I don't mind banging in to trees and stuff...big enough I can take my 80 year old Dad fishing.

 

Find a boat that works for you. 

 

My brother just purchased his dream boat...brand new Lund Alaskan 1800 with 90hp Merc 4 stroke.  He's stoked!! It kicks ass and I'm glad he finally got it. I'm happy with my boat and have no plans to upgrade, aside from my renovation : ) 

[Jigfishn10]

A pain? I don't think so, not as much as a car or house or any other big dollar item. Like most have said, you have yearly  maintenance on a boat. What's that old saying: "treat it right and it will treat you right" or something like that. 

You also have maintenance on your car, house/property. But you knew that when you bought into it.

2 stroke vs 4 stroke? I've had both and have no preference other than the fact that 4 stroke is way more enjoyable to have a conversation in when operating.

 

On 4/12/2021 at 2:41 PM, Biglittle8 said:

I keep one in my boat with the owners manual in a waterproof pouch.

Good idea man.  

[J Francho]

Like everything else, responsibility is a painful reality of being an adult.  Maintenance of possessions, expensive or not, is all part of the deal.  I personally enjoy that maintenance when I can do it myself.  The learning process is something I hope never ends.  That said, although I know how to do something, often it is less expensive in terms of my time to pay someone else to do the work.

[InfantryMP]

I am helping my father work on his pontoon. He has a Johnson 150 on his, that will run great when it fires. However we have to use starting fluid to get it initially fired. It is being a pain. 

 

However, the routine maintenance aspect can never be overstated. That 150 had been sitting for years before my father bought it. If it had been taken care of a little better, and fired up more it may not have this problem. We are not Marine mechanics but we know enough to try to fix it. 

 

A lot of times boat owners in my opinion compound problems with lack of preventative maintenance or when they lose interest in the boat, or do not get to use it as much, they seem to just let them go. When problems compound that is when the wallet seems to start to dry up. 

 

I have spent $500 on my boat in the last three years for maintenance. Batteries, misc items, and a re-wire on the trailer as I added lights.  Its not that bad in my opinion.  

[TOXIC]

1 hour ago, InfantryMP said:

I am helping my father work on his pontoon. He has a Johnson 150 on his, that will run great when it fires. However we have to use starting fluid to get it initially fired. It is being a pain. 

Be careful using starting fluid if that 150 is a 2 stroke.  Since 2 strokes oil through the fuel, starting fluid fires your motor with “dry” cylinders.  Just by the fact it’s starting with starting fluid tells me you have a fuel delivery issue and therefore are cranking with no fuel, you “could” damage the motor.  Just passing something that was told to me by a good mechanic.  

[InfantryMP]

54 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Be careful using starting fluid if that 150 is a 2 stroke.  Since 2 strokes oil through the fuel, starting fluid fires your motor with “dry” cylinders.  Just by the fact it’s starting with starting fluid tells me you have a fuel delivery issue and therefore are cranking with no fuel, you “could” damage the motor.  Just passing something that was told to me by a good mechanic.  

 

Yea we are trying to track down the fuel delivery issue every time we work on it. I wanted to see it running to see how much fuel was filling the filter, and it is not very much at all. 

 

But once it fires it delivers some...I think the fuel pump is bad.

[TOXIC]

2 hours ago, InfantryMP said:

 

Yea we are trying to track down the fuel delivery issue every time we work on it. I wanted to see it running to see how much fuel was filling the filter, and it is not very much at all. 

 

But once it fires it delivers some...I think the fuel pump is bad.

Good deal.  The only reason I know about that is my 250 HPDI Yamaha was having a starting issue on and off.  Once it started it would run fine the rest of the day but the initial start could be a bear.  For whatever reason we figured out that if I cranked it just before the lower unit submerged, it would run fine.  If I waited until it was in the water, it refused to start.  We never could figure out what it was.  I am anal on maintenance so it had all new filters,  diaframs, fuel lines, water separator, etc., and we hooked it up to Yamahas software and it never threw a code but for some reason it cleared itself up and has been running like a top for a couple of years.  ?

[J Francho]

That would make me nuts. I HAVE to know why.