Riser/Manifold Check

[jhortonvt]

Last fall I bought an '02 Weekender. It will be a fresh water boat now, but it was a trailered, saltwater, day-boat (never stayed in the water overnight), used on Long Island Sound. The previous owner was very good about flushing and rinsing it after each use, the lower unit, transom, trim tabs and hull look pristine; which is why I felt very comfortable buying a saltwater boat. (We freshies tend to be saltwater phobic.)

It has 125 hrs on it, pretty low usage for 6 years. Although it was not maintained by the dealership, it was maintained by a professional mechanic.

My question is about the manifolds and risers, to my knowledge they have never been checked or cleaned. During my inspection I used a infrared thermometer on each riser when the motor was up to temp, and although I can't remember what the temp reading was, the two were very close.

So should I remove, inspect and clean them before launching this spring?

I guess if I am writing this I know I should, but I'm looking for someone to tell me I can wait a year or two. Which would be nice, I will have a lot going on during the time between uncovering and launching.

 

[tobnpr]

Well, I won't be the one to tell you it's OK to wait.
Not worth the risk IMO.
7 years is pushing the lifespan of manifolds and risers in saltwater. IF the owner religiously flushed it after each use it would certainly help, but in reality sitting for long periods is worse than frequent running from a corrosion perspective.

The even temps with the IR gun is a good thing, but there's no way you can check for internal corrosion without pulling them. They will probably need to be replaced.

I had a motor hydrolock from a riser failure because I decided to "stretch it out" another year. Fortunately it happened while the boat was sitting at the dock and not running- I was able to replace the heads and there was no engine damage.

 

[NautyDog]

I did some research on this, and there are MANY opinions, but I believe tobnpr is correct.
My research indicated at least every 5 years for salt and at least 7 years for fresh.

Also, tobnpr is correct in that low hour engine is actually worse then an engine that has more than average hours on it. When I bought my boat, I specifically ruled out boats with super low hours. I looked for at least 30 hours a year (and thats probably still too low).

If you have a stern drive, also make sure you replace the bellows if that hasn't been done.

 

[2000SEARAY280SS]

Take the time preseason to go ahead and remove the risers and check them. The materials to replace the seals will be less than 100 bucks and after the check you will know what you need to do. I used the perfect seal gasket sealer and it works great. Make sure the gaskets you get are the same as the ones you remove there are multiple types. Easy job.:thumbsup:

 

[jhortonvt]

OK, that is the nudge I needed. I will pull them when I uncover the boat, and it sounds like I should probably plan on replacing them.