Good Boat Service Repair Shop??

[dtrs5kprs]

17 minutes ago, m&m said:

Mechanically inclined is defined as "can take things apart and put them back together correctly."  I am very good at one part of that.

Mike

Right. Conceptually it's an easy swap out. In practice...maybe. Never mind that if you do it wrong it will get all hot and bothered.

[176champion]

If i was not able to repair my own boat and motor i would not be able to afford to own one..i do my own fiber glass work and motor work...of coarse being a mechanic by trade has it's advantages.

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, 176champion said:

If i was not able to repair my own boat and motor i would not be able to afford to own one..i do my own fiber glass work and motor work...of coarse being a mechanic by trade has it's advantages.

I'm all in on glass and trailers, boat wiring. Motors make me question my skills. Basic maintenance, yes. When you have to start dropping gear cases, little less confident.

[Ham]

It's a lot easier to change out water pumps on smaller boats. The lower unit on a 150  or greater makes me want to phone a friend to help deal with the weight of the lower unit and help get it lined back up correctly.

Lots of great videos on You tube to help you see how these "easy" jobs are done. Watch those and carefully consider if you think you could do it correctly.

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

It's a lot easier to change out water pumps on smaller boats. The lower unit on a 150  or greater makes me want to phone a friend to help deal with the weight of the lower unit and help get it lined back up correctly.

Lots of great videos on You tube to help you see how these "easy" jobs are done. Watch those and carefully consider if you think you could do it correctly.

Never mind not having a good place to put it down once you have it free. I've watched some of those videos, pretty much all of them use a special setup to hold the lower while they replace the pump. Worth thinking about before you are standing there holding it like a frozen turkey.

[176champion]

I have a black and decker work mate work bench i use for doing my lower unit....

[eyedabassman]

19 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

That does it.... I just gave myself a healthy raise.  Thank you !  

Remember who told you $ 180.00!

[fishinwrench]

There actually are a few important details never shown on the DIY vids on YouTube.  And never covered in Seloc or Clymer manuals.

Nobody ever mentions the RTV dam behind the water pump housing on Mercs (pretty important) that needs to be redone each time the gearcase is removed to prevent exhaust from blowing air bubbles around the pump.   And they also never mention the proper torque sequence when reinstalling the lower unit (the bolt under the trim tab is the most important fastener on the unit....Without it properly tightened the rest of the bolts will vibrate loose).  

As with anything there is "getting it done",   and then there is Getting It Done RIGHT.    

There honestly is no substitute for REAL training, even on the seemingly simple tasks.

[Jerry Rapp]

 

 

There honestly is no substitute for REAL training, even on the seemingly simple tasks.

+100%  I, like most, have tried so many DIY's things that turned into 4 trips to the hardware store and a day's time, and then hiring someone to do it right in 20 minutes, I won't even mess with a DIY thing if I have no first hand experience.

[dtrs5kprs]

 

There actually are a few important details never shown on the DIY vids on YouTube.  And never covered in Seloc or Clymer manuals.

Nobody ever mentions the RTV dam behind the water pump housing on Mercs (pretty important) that needs to be redone each time the gearcase is removed to prevent exhaust from blowing air bubbles around the pump.   And they also never mention the proper torque sequence when reinstalling the lower unit (the bolt under the trim tab is the most important fastener on the unit....Without it properly tightened the rest of the bolts will vibrate loose).  

As with anything there is "getting it done",   and then there is Getting It Done RIGHT.    

There honestly is no substitute for REAL training, even on the seemingly simple tasks.

 

 

+100%  I, like most, have tried so many DIY's things that turned into 4 trips to the hardware store and a day's time, and then hiring someone to do it right in 20 minutes, I won't even mess with a DIY thing if I have no first hand experience.

Amen and amen.