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It's beautiful - would love to see interior pics if you get a chance!
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# ? May 18, 2020 02:23 |
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# ? Apr 20, 2024 04:04 |
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Wife and I are looking to get our first boat, and wanted some super basic advice. It will be used on Lake Erie, so we think at least 23 ft. Wife wants to have a head compartment for our small kids. I have seen tons of bow riders that fit all of those categories, but I don’t know many boat brands. I know Sea Ray, Four Winns, Yamaha, and Chaparral. So my dumb guy question is, how do you know what is a good brand? Google? A review site? I feel like if it was a car I would be looking for a Honda or Toyota, but I don’t know what those brands are in the boat world. Any advice on where to look other then. Dealers and boat trader.com?
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# ? May 18, 2020 04:23 |
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That is a nice looking boat!
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# ? May 18, 2020 04:44 |
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Snowmankilla posted:Wife and I are looking to get our first boat, and wanted some super basic advice. It will be used on Lake Erie, so we think at least 23 ft. Wife wants to have a head compartment for our small kids. I have seen tons of bow riders that fit all of those categories, but I don’t know many boat brands. I know Sea Ray, Four Winns, Yamaha, and Chaparral. SeaRay are the cheapest "boats" made. Everything will be built down to a price. They make ok first boats, are available at big dealers with financing, but depreciate like rocks. Buy used, with a thorough inspection if you're going that route. I'm not a freshwater guy, but here in coastal MA, Grady White, Parker, and Boston Whaler are big names. Boston Whaler makes a bunch of bow riders, and they're (IMHO) better boats than a SeaRay. Every boat is a compromise. What's your budget? That'll determine any advice's applicable-ness.
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# ? May 18, 2020 14:30 |
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sharkytm posted:SeaRay are the cheapest "boats" made. Everything will be built down to a price. They make ok first boats, are available at big dealers with financing, but depreciate like rocks. Buy used, with a thorough inspection if you're going that route. Awesome. So be weary of Sea Ray. Good to know. I would say our budget is in the 45-60 range? Most things we have been looking at are around 55k? Would love to be lower rather then higher, and with seeing that over 65 would probably do a new nice 24 ft? Thanks again!
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# ? May 18, 2020 17:37 |
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Snowmankilla posted:Awesome. So be weary of Sea Ray. Good to know. With that budget, on the used market, you can do better than a SeaRay. Solid Options (not in your price range, but SOLID boats): Boston Whaler Vantage 230 (23') Parker 2540DC (25') Grady White Freedon 235 (23') Robalo makes some dual consoles, as do Wellcraft, Starcraft, and Chaparral. EdgeWater is decent. Sadly, I don't know much about that style of boat, but others can chime in. How much are you going to use it? That's a key question, along with "Who's going to maintain it". Buying a boat is the cheap part. Storage/maintenance/repairs are not cheap. https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2011-grady-white-255-freedom-7324939/ To give you an idea... sharkytm fucked around with this message at 18:38 on May 18, 2020 |
# ? May 18, 2020 18:36 |
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Snowmankilla posted:Wife and I are looking to get our first boat, and wanted some super basic advice. It will be used on Lake Erie, so we think at least 23 ft. Wife wants to have a head compartment for our small kids. I have seen tons of bow riders that fit all of those categories, but I don’t know many boat brands. I know Sea Ray, Four Winns, Yamaha, and Chaparral. Generally speaking, it seems like you are probably going to get what you pay for (possible exceptions for some brand premiums, maybe), so just keep that in mind. Most brands seem pretty fungible to me. In terms of what to look for, bow riders are pretty ubiquitous. There is more recent trend to power them with outboards, which seems more convenient to me. Easier to access for maintenance, and easier to repower if disaster strikes. You may want to take a look at center/dual consoles as well. They are generally going to be a bit better made, but more utilitarian. Usually outboard powered as well. e: I would classify what sharky is recommending as in this category. e2: These would almost certainly be better in big lake chops than runabouts like a similarly-sized sea ray as well. I looked a bit recently at what outboard engine companies have the best reliability reputation, and there doesn't seem to be a huge spread, with maybe yamaha getting a few more votes than anyone else. sharkytm posted:SeaRay are the cheapest "boats" made. Everything will be built down to a price. They make ok first boats, are available at big dealers with financing, but depreciate like rocks. Buy used, with a thorough inspection if you're going that route. gvibes fucked around with this message at 19:33 on May 18, 2020 |
# ? May 18, 2020 18:43 |
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gvibes posted:I looked a bit recently at what outboard engine companies have the best reliability reputation, and there doesn't seem to be a huge spread, with maybe yamaha getting a few more votes than anyone else. Take this with a grain of salt, but here's my take on Outboards. #1 Outboards are awesome now. For any pleasure boat, they're the way to go. All the small (<30') workboats that I work/worked on are 100% outboard powered. Anything bigger is inboard diesel. We built a 55' WesMac and put a C18 in it, for example. #2: Brands Honda: $$$, reliable, heavy Yamaha: Wide dealer network, $$, some common issues, generally reliable, but everyone knows how to work on them Suzuki: $$, more reliable that Yamaha/Merc IME, narrow dealer network, great repower program. We ran 140s, 200, and 250s on workboats, and regularly got 8-10 thousand hours out of them with just oil changes, fuel filters, L/U oil, and the occasional maintenance items. That's crazy reliable in really poor working conditions (lots of shallow water/mud running, hours and hours of idling followed by full throttle runs followed by 5 weeks of idling 12 hours a day). Mercury: $, HUGE network, but not as reliable as the above 3. Everyone knows how to work on them Evinrude: $$, still 2-stroke, not even an option IMO Parker boats are like a Grady, just less money, and better looking IMHO. Solid Solid construction, great documentation, and widely used in the commercial world for a reason. There's a poo poo ton of SeaRays on saltwater, those poor bastard owners. Definitely take service into account. If the only dealers on your area of the lake are Merc dealers/techs, then get a Merc. If there's a mix, then you've got options. Just remember that they'll treat you exactly in proportion to how much money you spend.
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# ? May 19, 2020 00:35 |
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sharkytm posted:Lots of very good, resonable info. Idk how it is on the big lakes but it may be more prevalant to handle it like the costal areas where everything is outdrive? For instance, virtually everything that isn't a bass boat on my lake is I/O.
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# ? May 19, 2020 02:18 |
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Good stuff sharkyCrunchy Black posted:Idk how it is on the big lakes but it may be more prevalant to handle it like the costal areas where everything is outdrive? For instance, virtually everything that isn't a bass boat on my lake is I/O. Other than appearances, I'd have a hard time justifying an I/O over an outboard, personally.
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# ? May 19, 2020 02:48 |
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sharkytm posted:With that budget, on the used market, you can do better than a SeaRay. Awesome. Thanks! As for how much we would use it, we have a house right near the lake, and go up 2-3 days every weekend all summer and fall. So I would say a good amount? I would assume with water conditions on average once a week? We would pay the marina we stored it at to maintain. Money is not a huge object for things like maintenance, we just don't want to spend 200k on our first boat? gvibes posted:If you are going to get dealer-serviced, it frankly is probably a good idea to just buy a boat from whatever dealer is most local/convenient. At least with the mastercraft dealer by me, they treat their boat customers much better on service/delivery, for instance. The dealer point is super great and valid. That is also good to know with brands/bow riders being a bit interchangeable. I will check out center/dual consoles as well. They seem a bit more suited for fishing to my eye, but I am not set on everything. As for all the engine talk, I was kind of leaning towards a jet boat or sterndrive just for the kids jumping off the back and swimming. I did not know there was a huge move to outboards. I know they are more efficient than anything else. I will have to keep an open mind on that then. I was thinking they would be the least safe just from like a bumping your head scenario. . Thanks again. I think I need to almost have less of an idea on what I am looking for if we stop by some dealers this weekend.
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# ? May 19, 2020 03:35 |
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Snowmankilla posted:The dealer point is super great and valid. That is also good to know with brands/bow riders being a bit interchangeable. I will check out center/dual consoles as well. They seem a bit more suited for fishing to my eye, but I am not set on everything. Don't know much about jet boats, though I see a handful of the yamahas around.
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# ? May 19, 2020 04:13 |
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Jet boats are sweet, especially if you are in a shallow lake. The Yamaha boats I’ve worked on all seemed well put together. If you’re looking for a super nice smaller bow rider I’d look at Chris Crafts in addition to the other nicer brands mentioned (Whaler, Grady, etc.). They are super nice.
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# ? May 19, 2020 15:33 |
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Snowmankilla posted:Awesome. Thanks! That's a fair amount for a pleasure boat in the North. It's worth investing a better boat if you're going to use it and pay the maintenance. The best thing about outboards is that you can raise them completely out of the water if needed. Want to beach the boat? Need to disentangle the prop? Simple enough. Safety-wise, I don't think it matters. OBs are just easier to deal with and don't take up any room inside the hull. Jets are pretty awesome for performance and basically the best for safety, but everything is contained in/under the hull for maintenance/repairs. No clue on Yamaha boats... that's a freshwater/lake thing. Chris Craft used to be awesome, then poo poo, and I think they're on the rebound, probably worth a look. My take: talk to a couple of local dealers, and talk to their service people about what is easiest/best to work on. The salespeople will 100% tell you that every boat is awesome and never needs anything, but (like all salespeople), they're full of poo poo. Definitely get some test rides, and if you're buying used, pay for a full inspection. Hull blistering, core delam, dodgy wiring, and other hidden issues aren't immediately obvious to the uninformed. Bonus points if you know someone independent to do the inspections.
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# ? May 19, 2020 16:25 |
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sharkytm posted:That's a fair amount for a pleasure boat in the North. It's worth investing a better boat if you're going to use it and pay the maintenance. Yeah, we want quality vs saving money. That was what motivated the move to used. Would rather have a solid used boat vs a cheap new. I will definitely keep ob in mind. More space in the boat was a positive on a jet, so that’s a great point for a ob as well. Yeah, our plan was to hit up all the local places and see who doesn’t seem like a piece of poo poo. Our local power sports guys are real decent and gave me a hell of a deal when I bought a Sea Doo a few years ago, and I know they sell Yamaha as a minimum. I also have a decent friend who is the finance guy at a local dealership. I like asking him what is the easiest to maintain. That is something I would not have thought about. And I will for sure pay for an inspection before pulling the trigger. You guys have been awesome. Thanks and I will keep you updated. Snowmankilla fucked around with this message at 18:45 on May 19, 2020 |
# ? May 19, 2020 18:41 |
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A fairly common joke in the 90s among boat people here was "Do you know what AIDS and Bayliners have in common?" The answer being some variation of "if you get it you're hosed" or "no-one has ever managed to get rid of it".
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# ? May 19, 2020 19:07 |
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Nidhg00670000 posted:A fairly common joke in the 90s among boat people here was "Do you know what AIDS and Bayliners have in common?"
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# ? May 19, 2020 21:40 |
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Amy Pole Her posted:$1900 completed! Hoping to get ski done for similar money. GW Invader is from mid Michigan and is 20 feet which includes the swim platform and water-slide shaped transom so it's not as much useful space as that would imply (my dad used to have a 19ft Baja which was the same size as a few years newer 21ft Baja because they started putting swim platforms in the fiberglass mold instead of bolting them on). Here's some pictures I took to document the condition the day I brought it home. That big navy blue/purple stripe on the side? Black. Didn't realize until I scrubbed some oxidation off. Also, I think someone made shark fin soup out of my skeg. Someone bothered to hand-paint the registration numbers onto the hull. Came with a big removable panel in case I prefer a closed bow (I do not). I intended to get some reupholstery work done before the season started but whoops. I added a couple extra cracks to the engine cover by kneeling on the vinyl while it was cold during winterization last year. Bonus: The boat I sold for practically the same amount I paid for the GW Invader. Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 23:56 on May 19, 2020 |
# ? May 19, 2020 23:50 |
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Nidhg00670000 posted:A fairly common joke in the 90s among boat people here was "Do you know what AIDS and Bayliners have in common?" In 2006-2008, three friends of mine went in on a boat together, none of them having any boating experience at all. They ended up with a 2000 Bayliner 215. IIRC they paid $7500 for it, with a couple spongy spots in the plywood floor. That thing got rode hard, put away wet (literally, often) for two years. I was with them often, since having friends with a boat, even a bayliner is better than owning a boat yourself. After two full seasons of hooning Biscayne bay and the intercoastal, they sold it for $7000. It remains the most inexplicable boating event I’ve ever encountered.
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# ? May 20, 2020 00:14 |
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Haha ya that’s the dream, honestly the boats that get used a lot are happier than ones that just sit. I’ll be another counterpoint to the Bayliner hate, you can definitely easily find areas where they cheap out (zamak hardware for example) but overall they are fine entry-level boats. Sea Ray vs Bayliner is like Ford vs Chevy, they’re both mostly fine for the money but they both do stupid cheap poo poo.
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# ? May 20, 2020 00:30 |
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Big Taint posted:Haha ya that’s the dream, honestly the boats that get used a lot are happier than ones that just sit. I’ll be another counterpoint to the Bayliner hate, you can definitely easily find areas where they cheap out (zamak hardware for example) but overall they are fine entry-level boats. Sea Ray vs Bayliner is like Ford vs Chevy, they’re both mostly fine for the money but they both do stupid cheap poo poo. Agreed. But it's more like 1990s Kia vs Hyundai.
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# ? May 20, 2020 04:00 |
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So I'm a massive idiot and the first thing I did yesterday was put the canvas down without making sure I'd unbuttoned all the buttons first. Just like they told me not to. So I ripped one off. I smell a first project! Poor. Very poor. Now, because I've been boating for a while, it just so happens I have a canvas button kit, so this is easily fixable. There's an inside bit and and outside bit, and they're riveted together by putting the outside bit in the little blue cradle, and holding the little rod to the hub from the inside and hammering like you're Clarkson for a while. Et voila. The next thing I break won't be so easy and cheap I bet.
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# ? May 20, 2020 21:37 |
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sharkytm posted:The best thing about outboards is that you can raise them completely out of the water if needed. Want to beach the boat? Need to disentangle the prop? Simple enough. Safety-wise, I don't think it matters. OBs are just easier to deal with and don't take up any room inside the hull. Jets are pretty awesome for performance and basically the best for safety, but everything is contained in/under the hull for maintenance/repairs. Jet drive outboards and outboard conversions exist too, if you wanna get weird.
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# ? May 21, 2020 01:56 |
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Jet drive outboards and outboard conversions exist too, if you wanna get weird. I guess you can clean weeds out easier than a traditional jet drive at least. How does reverse work on such an animal? ... Nevermind, I think I see a reversing bucket on there.
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# ? May 21, 2020 03:46 |
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Cat Hatter posted:I guess you can clean weeds out easier than a traditional jet drive at least. How does reverse work on such an animal? Yeah. A reversing bucket. I actually think Yamaha has their bucket up in that promo image, so that if it were running, it'd be in reverse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHXwLcmGa_U
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# ? May 21, 2020 03:55 |
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I'm already a sailboat guy, but having been on many a fishing trip in offshore outboard boats, there is something unsettlingly heretical about this image.
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# ? May 21, 2020 05:01 |
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Uh, that's making me feel a little self conscious about my new outboard
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# ? May 21, 2020 05:31 |
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Cat Hatter posted:GW Invader is from mid Michigan and is 20 feet which includes the swim platform and water-slide shaped transom so it's not as much useful space as that would imply (my dad used to have a 19ft Baja which was the same size as a few years newer 21ft Baja because they started putting swim platforms in the fiberglass mold instead of bolting them on). GW Invader is from Indiana and comes in a variety of sizes. Surely we’re talking about different boats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-W_Invader Cool sea doo! Small world, too! I’m picking up that very model (2003 Sportster LE?) tomorrow! Yamaha jet boats are by far the most reliable (unless you count the sea doo 4Tec NA, then those are the most reliable). Sea doo jet boats are by far the most fun though.
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# ? May 21, 2020 11:18 |
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My dads' fetish for old Solo inboard engines had us go on another road trip and this time both of the engines were, accurately, described as "parts".
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# ? May 21, 2020 14:45 |
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I heard a rumor you can rub just a tiny bit sunblock on your canvas snaps and it acts as a lubricant for about one season, any intel on if this is crazy talk? Seems possible
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# ? May 21, 2020 19:14 |
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You can also use Tefgel as sunblock, last about a season IF it doesn’t give you contact skinitis
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# ? May 21, 2020 19:58 |
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I slather myself in lanolin at the beginning of every season, keeps the salt from building up in my nooks and crannies.Nidhg00670000 posted:My dads' fetish for old Solo inboard engines had us go on another road trip and this time both of the engines were, accurately, described as "parts". Those are some big pepper mills.
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# ? May 22, 2020 00:06 |
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monsterzero posted:Uh, that's making me feel a little self conscious about my new outboard longshaft 4 horse Tohatsu? gently caress yeah!
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# ? May 22, 2020 01:39 |
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monsterzero posted:You can also use Tefgel as sunblock, last about a season IF it doesn’t give you contact skinitis I use several syringes of TefGel every year, do people get reactions from it?
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# ? May 22, 2020 03:35 |
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Beach Bum posted:I'm already a sailboat guy, but having been on many a fishing trip in offshore outboard boats, there is something unsettlingly heretical about this image. I mean, if you want "unsettling outboards", just look at mud motors.
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# ? May 22, 2020 04:27 |
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Amy Pole Her posted:GW Invader is from Indiana and comes in a variety of sizes. Surely we’re talking about different boats. Nope, both the title and steering wheel say G-W Invader. That Wikipedia link also mentions a 20 foot Bravo ESC but mentions a cabin, which I guess is what the C was for because mine just says ES on the side. I've learned that they're not the easiest boats to research. Good call on the year for the Sea Doo. I liked that boat most of the time but I spent enough time tinkering on it to never envy having two engines, two pumps, and four carburetors to work on.
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# ? May 22, 2020 04:49 |
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sharkytm posted:I use several syringes of TefGel every year, do people get reactions from it? Oh, no. I just was just making a joke Crunchy Black posted:longshaft 4 horse Tohatsu? gently caress yeah! 5hp propane SailPro n0tqu1tesane posted:I mean, if you want "unsettling outboards", just look at mud motors. I should have gotten a harbor freight long tail instead
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# ? May 22, 2020 06:51 |
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I have a stupid boat question: since outboards are super easy to raise completely out of the water, why do the vast majority leave them in when the boat is not in use? Not a boat owner (borrowed kayaks don't count) but I would think you want your expensive metal parts to spend as little time in sea water as possible?
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# ? May 22, 2020 06:57 |
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Invalido posted:I have a stupid boat question: since outboards are super easy to raise completely out of the water, why do the vast majority leave them in when the boat is not in use? Not a boat owner (borrowed kayaks don't count) but I would think you want your expensive metal parts to spend as little time in sea water as possible? It Depends. On many hulls, you can't get the outboard completely out of the water even at full tilt. There are zinc or aluminum anodes on the motor that prevent corrosion, but they need to be in the water to work. Leaving the OB up lengthens the vessel, and your marina may charge you for more length in a slip. It also exposes the lower unit and prop to morons who might crash into it (or steal the prop). On our 15' skiff, we pull the outboard up because it's got a high transom and it keeps the motor cleaner, plus it's on a mooring. On the 26' landing craft research boat I worked on for years, we left it down. Better to have the anodes fully submerged than have just the last 4" of the L/U getting eaten by stray currents. Plus it kept people from stealing the prop, or crashing into the motor... Lord most boaters are horrible at maneuvering in tight spaces.
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# ? May 22, 2020 13:37 |
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# ? Apr 20, 2024 04:04 |
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n0tqu1tesane posted:I mean, if you want "unsettling outboards..." It's a 320shp Allison 250. Apparently developed for the DoD, Mercury racing's website claims it only weighs 200lbs all-in.
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# ? May 22, 2020 13:56 |