Kyle Benfield
New Member
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to start by saying hello. I picked up my first vessel - an 03 185 Bowrider w/ the 4.3 Mercruiser option. I'm the boats 3rd owner after a some basic research, bugging my friends with experience, and a good feeling.
The vessel was in good shape - hull was clean, no nicks or cracks, low hours (374.9 when I first saw it) and the engine/engine compartment didn't show any signs of abuse, and had the factory service manuals and some receipts from some work the P.O. didn't do himself. Other than needing to be cleaned (spent its life in the Pocono Mountains in a barn when not in use), it felt good so I pulled the trigger. Towed it home with my wife's 2018 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport 2.0T... considering how well the thing pulled it 140 miles home and than another 15 to the marina, I'm going to ignore I basically maxed out it's towing capacity.
Other than some sticky throttle linkage when I first put her into the water, the boat has been solid the past 15 hours on the Chesapeake Bay. I know that's not a long time and I'm probably jinxing myself, but I'm loving things right now. With that said, I do have a few questions, so I'm hoping you can guys can help point me in the right direction so I can continue enjoying my new toy.
I'll list my questions from least important to most important:
I replaced the battery before I put her in the water. I tried to find the correct battery and got conflicting information between a Group 24 and a Group 27. The previous battery was a Group 27, but I replaced it with a Group 24 because of cost and weight savings. I do not run the radio or other electronics for long periods with the engine off... will I be OK?
Using the last question as a jump off, are there are guides to installing a second battery and an appropriate switch? This goes against my weight savings argument above, but it's worth the piece of mind. My boat did not come with a battery "kill switch" from the factory (if that matters) and I have experience with automotive electrical and high output electrical motors for electric vehicles, so I'm not too concerned about doing it from scratch, but figured I'd ask (always listen to guys with experience... that's how you learn cool shit)
After some research, I used the bleach free CLR to remove mildew from my interior. The seats came out so damn clean, but my steering wheel and grab handles are still noticeably dirty. Each of those got 3-4 applications of CLR and I went through a magic eraser per handle & steering wheel. Any tips or tricks to make these things white again?
I plan on replacing the radio with a modern Bluetooth enabled head unit this spring, along with two new speakers. I've noticed the Clarion unit is a Single DIN style unit, but has what looks like a CD player/holder above it, making it look to be DIN and a half (similar to Chrylser and GM vehicles of the same vintage). If I do just a single DIN replacement, would a generic radio mounting kit for DIN and a half work, or do you have suggestions?
Again, using the last question to ask another - would adding two speakers to the bow be a good idea or bad idea? And why? I don't mind cutting into the interior of the boat, especially using the appropriate tools (Dremel with a circle cutter seems to be the cleanest option, but a hole saw would work as well).
The boat did not come with a snap cover. I bought a generic cover from Amazon and installed snaps. Surprisingly, it holds up well and only cost me $100. With that said, I would like a real snap-on cover. Do you guys suggest buying one from an online retailer who has the patterns or finding a local upholstery shop to make a custom piece during the off-season?
This boat needs bottom paint. Do you guys consider this a DIY kind of thing or should I stick with the professionals? I've got experience with automotive paint (I have a mid-90s VW I've sunk way to much money, time, effort and energy into) but I feel like this may be another animal entirely and I'm looking for advice and experience from you guys (i.e.: the experts).
How often should my bilge pump run? Mine seems very random. When I first put it in the water, I noticed it turn on once briefly after my first outing and I assumed it was from what was left over from cleaning the boat. After the storm, my make-shift cover (pre-snaps) took on a lot of water and I ended up dumping a solid 3-5 gallons of water into the bow. Bilge pump ran for a few minutes, shut off, didn't notice it again that day. Yesterday we were out and in the 2-1/2 hours we road around the bilge pump ran twice for approx. 10 seconds each time and shut off. Today I was on the boat working on the cover and it FELT like the bilge pump was turning on every 15-20 mins. for 10 second intervals. I didn't really keep track of time but instead tracked how much water it was pumping out. I used my empty 18 oz Yeti as a makeshift measuring device and it barely filled that up before shutting off... if you do the math, that is approx. 1 gallon of water it's pumping out every 2-3 hours. That seems like a lot, especially just sitting there in the slip. Am I worrying too much. Should I worry more? I'm going to get out in shallow water and tighten my drain plug, but is there anything else I should do right now?
Sorry... big first post. Tell me I suck if that's the case, and I'll split the questions up in new threads. Otherwise, excited to be here, excited to own a boat, excited to get out of the house, and excited to spend some money... hah... maybe.
Thanks everyone.
I just wanted to start by saying hello. I picked up my first vessel - an 03 185 Bowrider w/ the 4.3 Mercruiser option. I'm the boats 3rd owner after a some basic research, bugging my friends with experience, and a good feeling.
The vessel was in good shape - hull was clean, no nicks or cracks, low hours (374.9 when I first saw it) and the engine/engine compartment didn't show any signs of abuse, and had the factory service manuals and some receipts from some work the P.O. didn't do himself. Other than needing to be cleaned (spent its life in the Pocono Mountains in a barn when not in use), it felt good so I pulled the trigger. Towed it home with my wife's 2018 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport 2.0T... considering how well the thing pulled it 140 miles home and than another 15 to the marina, I'm going to ignore I basically maxed out it's towing capacity.
Other than some sticky throttle linkage when I first put her into the water, the boat has been solid the past 15 hours on the Chesapeake Bay. I know that's not a long time and I'm probably jinxing myself, but I'm loving things right now. With that said, I do have a few questions, so I'm hoping you can guys can help point me in the right direction so I can continue enjoying my new toy.
I'll list my questions from least important to most important:
I replaced the battery before I put her in the water. I tried to find the correct battery and got conflicting information between a Group 24 and a Group 27. The previous battery was a Group 27, but I replaced it with a Group 24 because of cost and weight savings. I do not run the radio or other electronics for long periods with the engine off... will I be OK?
Using the last question as a jump off, are there are guides to installing a second battery and an appropriate switch? This goes against my weight savings argument above, but it's worth the piece of mind. My boat did not come with a battery "kill switch" from the factory (if that matters) and I have experience with automotive electrical and high output electrical motors for electric vehicles, so I'm not too concerned about doing it from scratch, but figured I'd ask (always listen to guys with experience... that's how you learn cool shit)
After some research, I used the bleach free CLR to remove mildew from my interior. The seats came out so damn clean, but my steering wheel and grab handles are still noticeably dirty. Each of those got 3-4 applications of CLR and I went through a magic eraser per handle & steering wheel. Any tips or tricks to make these things white again?
I plan on replacing the radio with a modern Bluetooth enabled head unit this spring, along with two new speakers. I've noticed the Clarion unit is a Single DIN style unit, but has what looks like a CD player/holder above it, making it look to be DIN and a half (similar to Chrylser and GM vehicles of the same vintage). If I do just a single DIN replacement, would a generic radio mounting kit for DIN and a half work, or do you have suggestions?
Again, using the last question to ask another - would adding two speakers to the bow be a good idea or bad idea? And why? I don't mind cutting into the interior of the boat, especially using the appropriate tools (Dremel with a circle cutter seems to be the cleanest option, but a hole saw would work as well).
The boat did not come with a snap cover. I bought a generic cover from Amazon and installed snaps. Surprisingly, it holds up well and only cost me $100. With that said, I would like a real snap-on cover. Do you guys suggest buying one from an online retailer who has the patterns or finding a local upholstery shop to make a custom piece during the off-season?
This boat needs bottom paint. Do you guys consider this a DIY kind of thing or should I stick with the professionals? I've got experience with automotive paint (I have a mid-90s VW I've sunk way to much money, time, effort and energy into) but I feel like this may be another animal entirely and I'm looking for advice and experience from you guys (i.e.: the experts).
How often should my bilge pump run? Mine seems very random. When I first put it in the water, I noticed it turn on once briefly after my first outing and I assumed it was from what was left over from cleaning the boat. After the storm, my make-shift cover (pre-snaps) took on a lot of water and I ended up dumping a solid 3-5 gallons of water into the bow. Bilge pump ran for a few minutes, shut off, didn't notice it again that day. Yesterday we were out and in the 2-1/2 hours we road around the bilge pump ran twice for approx. 10 seconds each time and shut off. Today I was on the boat working on the cover and it FELT like the bilge pump was turning on every 15-20 mins. for 10 second intervals. I didn't really keep track of time but instead tracked how much water it was pumping out. I used my empty 18 oz Yeti as a makeshift measuring device and it barely filled that up before shutting off... if you do the math, that is approx. 1 gallon of water it's pumping out every 2-3 hours. That seems like a lot, especially just sitting there in the slip. Am I worrying too much. Should I worry more? I'm going to get out in shallow water and tighten my drain plug, but is there anything else I should do right now?
Sorry... big first post. Tell me I suck if that's the case, and I'll split the questions up in new threads. Otherwise, excited to be here, excited to own a boat, excited to get out of the house, and excited to spend some money... hah... maybe.
Thanks everyone.