New guy...questions

[Fossil]

Greetings all, great site.

My wife and I recently bought an '88 F36, and really don't know a lot about what we got ourselves into. By all accounts the boat was well kept by the previous owner, and it appears, the person he bought it from. It has pretty much any receipt for anything done to it, freshwater northern boat. Very good shape.

The gentleman who owned it prior to us bought it and used it one season and had it winterized. He then got sick and passed. The boat has been sitting for 4 seasons.

So my question is, other than the batteries, what should we be looking at doing to de-winterize it and generally look at to get it ready?

Thanks in advance; I'm sure I'll have tons more questions

[Jimmy]

Gas or diesel? The condition of the fuel would be one area to be a bit conserned with sitting that long. If it was not stored inside, and did not have a full tank of fuel could generate a lot of condensation in the tank. And the fuel may be a bit on the stale side, but it will probably fire

If it was stored inside in a somewhat ambient temperature range that helps a lot.

As far as the other areas, not too much to be conserned with if it was properly winterized. You may find some annoying leaks from engines, and water systems due to dry gaskets, however, those are usually easy to fix. If gas engines, I would take the wire off the coil to prevent the engine from firing and crank the engine several times for about 10 seconds to get the oil pump moving some oil up into the valves, crank and cam. After sitting that long, the oil tends to drain out of these areas. You dont want it to fire dry and early until you have good lube.

I'd probably replace ALL the impellers as they also tend to get hard and brittle sitting stagnant for so long. Do this before you start anything to prevent the shards from getting into your system.

Change all engine fluids, as well as generator, and velvet drives.

Then,, take a deep breath, cross your fingers, hit the start buttons and hope she purrs like a kitten. Good luck and enjoy the boat!

[prowlersfish]

I agree with all the above .Asuming it was winterized correctly then fuel is most likely going to be the big issue .maybe you will get lucky and the added sta-bil and its non-ethanol fuel .I am assuming its gas ? I would also inspect the entire fuel system and replace any questionable hoses

Good luck


BTW If it happens to be diesel some other factors come into to play depending on the brand.

[Fossil]

Thanks, Jimmy and Prowlerfish; good info.

It is a gasser. I believe it was properly winterized and Stabil added. The PO owned an implement dealership in the Bakken oil fields so I'm guessing he was at least somewhat mechanically inclined and I was told, quite well off, so money wasn't an issue. We talked to the mechanic in town who worked on the boat. Apparently the PO bought the Boat in Minnesota, bought the trailer in Utah, brought it to ND, had the mechanic take care of whatever was needed. He then splashed it, cruised it about 150 miles to where his slip was, had it there for the summer, cruised back and had it winterized and put in storage. I think the first 1-1/2 years it was stored inside as he was too sick to use it. After he passed it sat out for sale in the summer but back inside for the winter. The storage unit is not heated but it should have minimized some of the fluctuating temperature extremes we get in ND.

Thanks again for the replies. Fingers crossed...

[Big D]

I would turn the engines over manually first instead of using the starter and ensure they turn freely. If she's raw water cooled and plumbing antifreeze was left in her over the years, the last thing you want to do is crank her over under power if liquid drained into a cylinder due to a rusted/leaking manifold.

If sitting that long, I also like to pull the plugs and inspect them. Condensation over the years can do some damage and it'll give you an indication of how she was running. Now that they're out, I'd replace them anyway. Before putting them back in, I'd spray a little lubricant in each cylinder, doesn't need to be much. I usually use a sprayed fogging product. Then turn her over manually as mentioned above before putting the plugs back in.

[mikeandanne]

I fully agree with the above to turn over manually........one thing to add that I would do, remove the valve covers and tap the valves with a plastic mallet on top to make sure they are not stuck before you turn over, they will make a popping sound.....if even mildly stuck you can bend a valve or pushrod, this will avoid that and you can observe that all is well as you turn them over...

[Jimmy]

If it was in an un-heated storage, yes, not a bad idea to turn it over by hand. Having worked on engines for many years, I have not yet run across a stuck valve rod, but then again, And turning these old girls over by hand is not a fun task. If there is a concern over water in the cylinders simply pull the spark plugs( which is a great suggestion to give them a shot of oil when they are out,) you risk hydrolock leaving them in, but watch for water/antifreeze spraying out of the holes. If it does spray, you have other issues. Keep those fingers crossed

I have always cranked using the starter (easier and gets more oil moving) and have never had an issue. Your call. Hope they are both dry and still full of energy!

[Big D]

[quote..... Hope they are both dry and still full of energy![/quote]

Chances are they will be but indoor storage or not (it was not heated according to OP), I've run into this a few times up here for that very reason, so for a little extra assurance, and for that long on the hard, I'm replacing plugs anyway so I'd err on the side of caution for the few extra minutes it'll take.

In these cases while I'm doing the above, I'm doing a compression test too. Again, I'm already there! After she's put together and running, I'm sticking a vacuum gauge on her. While she might sound fine, it'll tell you a lot about what you can't see or hear. Overkill? maybe, but I like going the extra mile and it makes for a happy customer when you hand him a report of the findings. Good news or bad, they'll appreciate you being thorough.

Fingers crossed too.

[Big D]

BTW, what engines are they?

[Jimmy]

Sounds like you have a good handle on it.

If it makes you feel a little better, 3 weeks ago I fired up an engine that sat for over 20 years, albeit a car, nonetheless still an engine. Had to drop the fuel tank and drain what was left of the fuel, and replace the fuel pump. Fired right up and we took it for a spin. Still running today.

I think you will be fine, just take your time and cover all the bases. love to hear the outcome.

[Fossil]

Well, we splashed her yesterday and it was a a combination of so many emotions. The mechanic said she only needed a new battery, generator exhaust hose, and the horn didn't work. He went through things with us and explained more than we could comprehend. We backed it off the trailer and it turns out the upper helm steering wasn't working. After floundering around, we tried the lower helm and off we went. Once out of the marina we were all smiles. We were practicing turning, etc. and came to realize no reverse on starboard side. Shut that engine downto see how she handled with one engine, but it wouldn't restart. Headed back to the marina and saw the millions of dollars of boats we had avoid with one engine trying to get to our slip. Thankfully two gentlemen came to assist; after about 1/2 hour we were tied up. It was quite stressful. Tried the motor again and it started right up. We left to go lick our wounds. We're going back tomorrow to clean etc but certainly not leaving the slip.

Thanks for all the replies to my post. Once we decompress I'm sure we'll be excited again.

[WayWeGo]

Hang in there! We bought our F36 a year ago and are working through lots of stuff that worked OK during the sea trial and now needs attention. It can be frustrating, but I know that once I fix things, they are done right and won't need anything other than routine maintenance for a long time.

The good news is that you have a great boat and once you get things back in order, she will reward you with many good times...

When you get a chance, please post some pictures.

[Jimmy]

Hey, if you didn't sink, blow an engine, it didn't start on fire, or you got pulled over and ticketed for out dated registration or safty check, did not hit anything, run a ground or run, out of gas, or the 1,245 other bad things that can happen, i'd say a successful day on the boat.


Hoping it is just your shifting lever due to the no reverse, helm or at the drive. After sitting that long, you may want to check the cap and rotors they can tend to get a little furry sitting that long and can really affect your spark. A good tune up may help the starting.

If you are somewhat handy and mechanically/ electrically inclined, you can own a boat. If not, you can still own a boat, but having frinds/family that can fix stuff is a must. Just feed them and give them a ride now and then with their favorite drink.

Dont be discouraged, stuff happens, to all of us ( even those million $ boats) They just pay people to fix it.

Enjoy.