Winterizing and Springerizing...

meow

New Member
Mar 22, 2016
5
Edgartown, MA
Boat Info
1989 Sea Ray 180 Bowrider, ez loader trailer, Raymarine Dragonfly
Engines
135 Sea Ray OB
Hello all,

I'm a newbie to Sea Ray and a newbie to owning a powerboat... I have a 1989 180 Bow Rider OB. Right now it's being stored at the marina, (I swear this is THE most expensive place on earth, more expensive than the BMW dealer, very nice people, but) since I'm a new boat owner I figure the first winter I'll feel it out. They charged $575.00 to winterize an outboard (that has probably never been winterized and is in excellent condition). Does this sound reasonable? Now they will commission. Maybe that will be $500 too. Yikes! Plus the storage was $1,100. Does it need to be commissioned? Do they just start it up? As a mechanical tinkerer and a do it your-selfer, I feel very powerless, but soon I will know about outboards! Every time these people even glance at my boat it costs $500.

I need a fuel gauge, I'm afraid to ask... I can't wait to get out on the water, but i still need to keep my first born.

Do you guys have good, sound advice on winteriizing and commisioning? Can one or the other be skipped? This outboard is pristine when you open it, not so much the vinyl though!

I need to find a good mechanic...
Adria

:smt100
 
That sounds high for a 180 OB. There is not much to winterization... basically, drain the lower gear oil and refill, change the motor oil and filter (assuming 4 stroke), treat the fuel, top off the battery(s), and fog the cylinders.

I would not let them commission for spring use... there's nothing to it! Charge the battery(s), check fluid levels, put on a set of muffs, turn the water on and start it up!
 
Last edited:
BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand.

Skipping or bypassing anything inportant/critical on a boat will result in far more expenses. What I would suggest is learnig how to do these items yourself.. The more you can do on your own, the less $$ you will be spending annually. Good luck!!
 
Grab the manuals and start reading, winterizing/de-winterizing IS NOT rocket science
 
Boat: A hole in the water into which you throw money!

I am planning on learning to do this, gotta be easier than a car, cuz you're not under the car. I have already decided that next winter I/m bringing it home, I can find better things to spend money on than outdoor storage. I don't want to skip anything, but I don't want to get taken for a ride...
 
I'm not going to go through a winterizing list, there are plenty of those out there, just will say $500 to winterize a single engine boat with no other systems is way high - hopefully that included fluid changes. Assuming everything was done correctly, spring commissioning is really not much more than starting it up - maybe re-installing the outdrive if it was removed or connecting the battery. The most important part is monitoring everything after you start it up to insure it is running properly, not leaks or loose hoses from winterizing. My 185, I spent an hour re-installing the outdrive I removed over the winter, filled it full of gear lube, and cranked it up - that was it.

I'm not familiar with 4 stroke outboards, so can't speak on those, but our older 2 cycle Mercury outboard, winterizing meant disconnecting the fuel line and running the gas out of the carburetor - that was it. My current 185 takes me about 2hrs to winterize, that's because I change the oil in the fall and I am not in a hurry.
 
Usually the cost to commission the boat is included meow in the cost to winterize. That is the way that it works around here anyway. $500 does sound extremely high to winterize meow an outboard, given what is involved, but marinas are not known for being places to save money.

If they try to charge you, remind them that they were the ones to winterize it, and need to return it to the same condition in which meow they found it.

As for the fuel gauge, these are not Sea Ray specific necessarily. You might be meow able to find a replacement that will work despite not having the Sea Ray logo on it at Westmarine.
Did you have Meow Mix for lunch? :grin:

(The nerd in me is curious what the heck you WERE typing that autocorrected to "meow")
 
thought he had a cat stuck in his throat:wow:
 
I think meow there was also meow in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood meow. We digress. I will check with them see if the commissioning is included in the winterizing... If not, I won't have them do it. They charge $118.00 hour. I think I need to pin them down on prices before anything gets done! The fuel gauge I guess depends on what's wrong, is it the gauge or mechanical. I have no problem throwing money at it but... I just need to be on top of it.
 
Don't know the cost to winterize an outboard, but that sure seems really high IMO. My winterization cost is $650......but that's for 2 big blocks, a generator, oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and the entire water system. I've watched them do it, and it doesn't look hard - but I have them do it anyway as they guarantee zero issues and if there is one, they pay for it.

IMO.....$500 for an OB sounds like they're taking advantage of you.
 
At my marina I paid 500 bucks for a full winterization, oil change, gear lube change, impeller change and some greasing/lubing.
 
If a 4 stroke OB and it include oil/filter change and also doing impeller as part of the winterization process that could explain something closer to $500 but you can do all of that yourself in about an hour or two and just the cost of the parts.
 

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