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I just purchased my first boat last weekend, It is a 2000 Tracker with a 75hp Mercury 4stroke with 30 hrs on it. I thought the best fishing boaters would be found on this website and I need help getting my boat ready to start fishing. I, like most fisherman, dont like spending money when I dont need to. The boat was winterized in 2004 by SS Marine and hasnt been used since. So........ Should I just take to a place and have them summerize it? Or is it doable by myself?
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With only 30 hours on the engine you may want to run it through the break in process again. I have seen multiple motor manuals for Mercs and they all read pretty much the same. See below:
Straight out of my Merc manual for a 2002 EFI 60HP 4-stroke =
1) For the first hour of operation, run the engine at varied throttle settings not exceeding 3500 rpm's, or at approximately half throttle.
2) For the second hour of operation, run the engine at varied throttle settings up to 4500 RPM or at thrree-quarter throttle, and during this period of time, run it at full throttle for approximately one minute every 10 minutes.
3) For the next eight hours of operation, avoid continuous operation at full throttle from more than 5 minutes at a time.
Also keep in mind that if there is gas in the fuel tank it is very old and likely destablaized at this point. You will need to buy an octane booster, NOS is a good one to try. Even with that I would not run all the crappy gas at once, instead run it on a trip, then on the way home top the thing off with the highest octane gas the station has. Well that's all I can come up with.
Best of luck.
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Nice looking boat.
You are going to have some problems. Condensate in the fuel tanks for one. The tanks need to be drained and and dried out. Then run some sea foam in them to get the last little bit of water out. Use about half the recommended dose in a new motor. Then run a little sea foam every other tank forever. It will save a lot of problems every spring.
Check the foot oil. It may have condensate also. Run it on the lake one time and drain/ re fill it.
Electronics will
have some corrosion. Needs new batteries if they didnt already put new ones in. Check every electronic device before you get on the water. Especially the bilge pump.
Rubber may be bad on the boat plug if it has a rubber plug. Buy a new one and keep the other as a spare.
Good luck and be safe.
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I agree with both of the above with the exception of the NOX.
Do not boost the octane above the manufacturers recommended rating. The compression ratio and octane rating have been syncronised by the engineers who designed the motor and going above that can cause to much pressure in the cylinders and cause head gaskets or power head damage.
Do drain the tanks. You should be able to remove the fuel line and get a syphon going to get most of the fuel out. Probably not all. Fill with new fuel and some seafoam. Run according to the break in schedule.
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Big thumbs up on the fuel stabilizer. I would run a certain amount in the fuel all the time. You most likely have a pretty large tank and will rarely run through it very fast. At least run a half dose during the fishing season and a full dose for the winter. Just good insurance against problems.
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You don't really need to "summarize". By winterizing they're basically running the fuel out of the carbs/injectors and squirting some oil into each cylinder. And they check for water in the lower unit lube.
In addition to Bob's suggestions, I'd just check the lower unit lube and I'd check the oil and plugs. Add fresh gas and take it for a run around the lake. It might smoke a bit initially as the oil in the cylinders burns out. I also think the recommendation to follow the break-in procedure is good.
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No need. I own a mobile boat repair service and all of the recommendations made so far are spot on. Part of my business is to teach boat owners how to do boat service and repair on their own, so if you would like assistance let me know. Good luck and have fun fishing. I'm going on Monday to Deer Creek.
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I had to call in sick so I could go to Lake Powell!
