First off I would have been much more hesitent to buy a boat if I hadn't found this place. I'm also very new to the boat owning experence. My grandfather took me out as a child every summer in his bass boats and I've owned jonboats with 9.9hp outboards.
Now I am about to own a 1983 Wellcraft 21' cabin cruiser. The previous owner couldn't tell me what model, or anything else. He bought it on advice from his father-in-law and never got in it much, and never put it in the water.
I've never heard it start, so I told him the sale was conditional on that it ran. I work at a riverboat casino and I am good friends with some of the captians and engineers onboard. One of them came out, who owns a very nice boat and isn't new to the scene like me, and inspected it. He is a certified marine inspector and said it looked like a great buy. The hoses were disconnected and we didn't have a battery to start it with so we didn't test the engine. He spun the prop and listened/felt for noises/pops in the outdrive and said it sounded solid.
There is a crack in the upper bellows between the outdrive and the transom. I've got the part avaliable at the local volvo penta parts dealer and i know it needs to be replaced. But I don't want to buy parts for an engine that has other major problems, so I want to fire it up first.
I've turned the key to the run position, turned it the bit further like you do in your automobile, and nothing. Now I know i'm missing something really really basic but in my years of childhood boating, if i got to drive the boat it was already started.
How do you start this thing? I don't want to damage it. I know the basics of having water running into the cooling system via the tap on the water pump hose, and I reconnected all the hoses. If it's winterized how do i drain the fluids that have been placed there? i've read the winterized guide and summerization guide on here under Adults Only stickies but it doesn't mention getting the fluids out.
Also I'm not even sure what motor/outdrive I have. On the outdrive it's stamped with a '280' and 'volvo penta' so i assume that's a Volvo Penta 280 outdrive. But how do I look to see what motor I have? Any advice would be apprecieted. The boat has a strong transom and stringers, and the hull is in great shape for the year. needs a new coat of paint on the bottom though.
I have mechanical ability, but i've never had to pull a motor or rebuild one. Any help would be nice!
Now I am about to own a 1983 Wellcraft 21' cabin cruiser. The previous owner couldn't tell me what model, or anything else. He bought it on advice from his father-in-law and never got in it much, and never put it in the water.
I've never heard it start, so I told him the sale was conditional on that it ran. I work at a riverboat casino and I am good friends with some of the captians and engineers onboard. One of them came out, who owns a very nice boat and isn't new to the scene like me, and inspected it. He is a certified marine inspector and said it looked like a great buy. The hoses were disconnected and we didn't have a battery to start it with so we didn't test the engine. He spun the prop and listened/felt for noises/pops in the outdrive and said it sounded solid.
There is a crack in the upper bellows between the outdrive and the transom. I've got the part avaliable at the local volvo penta parts dealer and i know it needs to be replaced. But I don't want to buy parts for an engine that has other major problems, so I want to fire it up first.
I've turned the key to the run position, turned it the bit further like you do in your automobile, and nothing. Now I know i'm missing something really really basic but in my years of childhood boating, if i got to drive the boat it was already started.
How do you start this thing? I don't want to damage it. I know the basics of having water running into the cooling system via the tap on the water pump hose, and I reconnected all the hoses. If it's winterized how do i drain the fluids that have been placed there? i've read the winterized guide and summerization guide on here under Adults Only stickies but it doesn't mention getting the fluids out.
Also I'm not even sure what motor/outdrive I have. On the outdrive it's stamped with a '280' and 'volvo penta' so i assume that's a Volvo Penta 280 outdrive. But how do I look to see what motor I have? Any advice would be apprecieted. The boat has a strong transom and stringers, and the hull is in great shape for the year. needs a new coat of paint on the bottom though.
I have mechanical ability, but i've never had to pull a motor or rebuild one. Any help would be nice!
