Trip to the lake today

[allingeneral]

We went to the lake today to run the new boat for the first time. It's not a new boat, just new to me. An old (1989) 22 foot Sea Ray cuddy cabin.

We got the thing launched without a hitch. I was glad to see that my repair job to the power trim level sending unit worked because I could see where the lower unit was sitting on the way out.

We got out of the no-wake zone at the ramp and headed down the lake. I got it up on plane and started working on the trim tabs to get things just right. Then the trouble started. The engine sputtered a time or two and died...

So, I said *&^%$#@!!! and looked over the guages...I quickly noticed that the temp guage showed 220 degrees! I went back to check on the Mercruiser 350 with Alpha 1 outdrive, and sure enough...it was way hot. Really folks...this is the story of my life. I bought this boat on eBay and drove 22 hours straight to pick it up in Ohio and bring it home. This was the first outing and damned if it wasn't broken and dead in the water!!

I got it started back up after a few minutes and got it into gear and idled back to the launch ramp. At idle, it seemed to stay a little cooler... 170 degrees or so. Got the boat back on the trailer and pulled it up the hill to the mechanic. He told me that it's probably the impeller in the lower unit and said that he could replace it with parts and labor for about $300 bucks. I told him to go for it and parked the boat in his lot and unhooked it from the truck, then headed home...boatless

[Rich Lindgren]

Talk about a kick in the #@#'s!!! Thankfully first outing in my boat this year went off without a hitch

[allingeneral]

Turns out that there were a couple of problems with the boat.

First was the impeller in the lower unit. It was completely shot. So it was replaced. For those who may not know...the impeller is in the lower unit and acts almost like a paddle wheel, pushing water from the lower unit intakes to the upper section of the motor. Without a good impellet, no cooling water will make it to the motor and it will overheat.

The second problem was water in the fuel. The Fuel/Water separator was 99% full of water and had to be replaced. After it was replaced, the mechanics at the marina pumped out about 20 gallons of water and gasoline along with a bunch of other junk that was collected in the gas tank.

So, once the impeller was replaced and the fuel system was cleaned out, we took the boat out on the water and had a great time with it! It was a little cold out, but that didn't stop my daughters from riding the towable. I think their lips turned about 14 shades of blue and purple, but the rode the thing for about 10 miles, I think!