Bought my first boat

[Shea_G]

I just got a 1997 regal lsr 2100 with a 4.3 L mercruiser. I know nothing about boats but am mechanically inclined. It hasn't run in 2 years. But everything should work. Where should I start to get it water ready? Oil change, hydraulic fluid change, drain gas, spark plugs? What else?

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Bought my first boat

Welcome, Shea! You will find this to be a pretty amazing place full of good people.
Rules #1-5: We like pictures of everything. I want to see your new boat and I'm sure the others do too. Posting pics is easy and will make you an instant rock star. Well, probably not but everyone will be happier.
You have a good pre-splash list started. I would check all hoses and belts, especially any that are "through hull". If you don't already have some, buy some good 'ear muffs' so you can run to motor out of the water while checking everything.
I'm an outboard guy so I'm sure others will chime in here soon...... but get some pics up while you wait.

 

[jkust]

Re: Bought my first boat

Welcome to the club. That's a great choice for a first boat. There are some details we need to know such as was the boat in a climate that required winterization/draining the block of water and was it indeed drained for those two years. If it was in the cold and the water wasn't drained, it possibly could have frozen inside the engine causing engine damage. The boat is at that age where it may be in great shape and was always stored nice and dry or was stored in such a way so as water may have caused hidden issues under the floor or to the floor itself. I would probably at a minimum do a tune up including changing the impeller and ensure the bellows are sound. Leaky bellows have sunk many an I/O. Many times running an engine on muffs available from Walmart for example won't put the engine under load and thus problems may show up on the water that didn't appear in the driveway. I second the request for pictures but you are in the right place for lots of advice and opinions.

 

[Buh-Bye]

Re: Bought my first boat

+1 on the winterization. That was the first thought that came to my mind.

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Bought my first boat

I knew you I/O guys would chime in with helpful stuff. I'm an outboard guy so often forget about some of the winterization issues that differ between the power plants. Those bellows have always scared me after watching a friends boat sink.

 

[jkust]

Re: Bought my first boat

I knew you I/O guys would chime in with helpful stuff. I'm an outboard guy so often forget about some of the winterization issues that differ between the power plants. Those bellows have always scared me after watching a friends boat sink.

Outboards are great for their self draining but there's nothing to be afraid of with bellows. Just make sure that they are sea worthy or replace them. Many times lack of simple maintenance is what causes catastrophic issues. With boating and airplanes, you don't have the same amount of forgiveness for small oversights and errors. Even here in MN, I've had friends that were Outboard guys who then added an I/O to the fleet and didn't realize draining the block isn't an option.