Another Boating Season Done

[Midnightsun]

Almost, spent a good part of the day doing oil changes and filters. Will be heading down river tomorrow for haul out Tuesday AM. Time for a Martini.

Couple of shots of the engines.

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[RGrew176]

All good things come to an end eventually. Hope you had a great season.

[pepmyster]

That time of year...........

[Cooler]

Yep,....Cooler was lifted this morning and is now in her winter resting place. Good season though, and 2 great cruises on Friday and Saturday. I am ready to take a break, off to SC in a few weeks to celebrate 40th anniversary and scope out some snow bird seasonal rentals. As I take stock of the past season, I am trying to determine if I spent more on gas or booze. Probably close to the same. Is that a problem? Maybe I need to rethink inviting everybody on the dock to "socialize" on Cooler. Then again, I like to share and make others happy as I am! Lot's more time to spend on this neighborhood. er

[Phrancus]

Nice pics of a very clean engine room!

coming Friday ours is to be lifted and stored. I know it's going to be messy (I saw the hull and drives when it was transported but not cleaned) so you'll get some quite motivating pictures to keep yours as clean as it is now!

[denders]

Who else already has a pile started for next seasons project ?

[g36]

Sorry guys

[uchu]

Qr Bbpost Who else already has a pile started for next seasons project ?

Not a big pile, but I have three projects in mind already. Ordering parts now from Amazon and others. I always worry that prices will be higher or run out of stock if I wait to order until spring.

[RGrew176]

No projects planned as I have sold my Carver. Started looking for its replacement. Plan to downsize to something between 24' and 28' single engine I/O. Need to lower my operating costs. Not looking at a specific brand just looking at all options out there. No real hurry. Wait for the right boat to come along. I still have my jetski so getting out on the water will not be a problem.

I am trying to decide if I want just a day boat or if I want to continue cruising and visiting different ports of call. One boat that does interest me if I decide to become a day boater is the Tahoe T16.

So, the hunt for a replacement begins.

[Viper]

Hope you find one that'll suite your needs Rick. Keep in mind that some of your current expenses will shift to more maintenance with an I/O. You'll still have the usual engine oil changes but you'll need to add annual gear lube changes depending on your boating habits. Also expect to have to deal with expensive transom assembly component replacement/maintenance. If you're not proactive with items such as bellows, it'll cost you way more if you wait until one fails. I/Os are very high maintenance and one needs to consider that in their purchasing decision.

In consideration of I/Os, keep in mind that Merc Alpha drives need to be split to replace an impeller which adds to the cost while Bravo drive applications have the pump mounted on the engine. Having said that, some compartments can get so tight that splitting an Alpha to replace the impeller can be less time consuming than replacing one on an engine. A benefit to having the pump on the engine is that the boat doesn't have to come out of the water to replace an impeller.

I suspect the Tahoe mentioned is an outboard application and while they don't have as high regular maintenance costs as I/Os, you still need to do regular gear lube changes, and some replacement components tend to be more expensive. An impeller replacement also requires removing the lower gear assembly.

Personally I prefer inboards for their low maintenance costs and their low impact on the environment compared to an I/O or outboard. There are smaller inboard options out there, and while a single screw I/O or outboard may be easier handling than a single inboard, it's just another learning curve which you'll get the hang of with a little practice.

Keep us posted Rick.