Continuity or service/maintenance records for resale (dealer maintained since new) , piece of mind, and time... + some things I chalk up to "cost of ownership". Don't get me wrong, I can do a bunch of the little stuff, but I have a good relationship with my dealer (boy that sounds bad) and I trust them. I handle the cosmetics (wash, wax, detailing) but the mechanics........ rather leave that to the professionals :thumbsup:

 

Hehe gotcha. I consider myself a good mechanic, so since I'm not worried about records for resale and I enjoy doing mechanical work to my vehicles, I don't think this should be that big a deal, so far . Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Well yes I have to say that doing some of the work yourself is good but, As boats get bigger, things get more complicated. Now you have generators, a/c units, and water systems. And now you have to dispose of the waste oil as well.
Getting them done at a shop is a better way to go. Let the shop be responsible if something goes wrong.
Every spring I get customers that missed a drain plug or something they didnt do everything properly then come into the shop to get repairs done becouse they cracked a block or manifold. Not cheep.
Also, now you have a record on file of all the work done to you vessel.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I agree with you on a larger boat. A lot more invested and a lot more to do to it that you want to have help. However if you had a smaller boat like me without all the extra systems, would you change your stance?

 

I do my own because it takes less time. If I hitch up, take it to the dealer, unhitch and drive home. I have to go back, hitch up, drive home and unhitch it and it's USUALLY not the same day. Also I can winterize when I deem necessary, not based on the schedule that dealer has available. I can do parts of it one weekend and the rest of it some other time. Or, I can just do it all at once while the oil is draining from the outdrives or getting sucked up from the engines. I agree, it's a piece of cake and the only part that has me cussing is that fact that the mechanic and previous owners didn't put in remote oil filters! They are located on the aft bottom portside of each engine and I can't even see them. It's a mess pulling them off, but not impossible. The rest is just a saturday afternoon sitting on the boat in the driveway listening to a college football game while reminiscing about the past year and anticipating the upcoming season. Cost of items to do it myself is around $120 or so. Cost to have the dealer do it all is around $500 to $800 depending on how much of the system I let them touch.

There is less frustration on my part wondering WHEN the dealer is going to call and have me pick it up and I'm not worrying about a cold snap while it's in their care. Sure, they quick drain the blocks but they don't do the hot or cold water. Besides, most of it is so simple even a caveman could do it! :grin:

 

Couple items missing on your list, are plugs every so often, greasing the trailer bearings and fogging spray. I've done mine for the past 8-9 yrs on my 185, and have all the tools to do it, and with my new boat, it's even easier (remote oil hose, easier to get to the water drains). But, it was only $100 or so more to have the dealer do it, and I've frozen my fingers to many times in the past doing this. (We got 2-12" of snow the other day up in this area, and it's near 32 most of the time here now)

-VtSeaRay

 

Ah yes, forgot to mention fogging the engine. And good point about checking up on the trailer too. I would bet that a boat dealer would charge extra to even glance a peek at your trailer too though. I do think I have a bearing going out on one wheel though since I notice it angles a bit when i take a tight turn.

Plugs I consider normal maintenance and not really winterization, although it's definitely a good time to check them. I don't know of any reason that plugs on a boat should last less time than those on a car, so a couple seasons at least per set.

Thanks for the additional items input!

 

Wow. Those winterization costs seem like chump change to me! The local people charge a few MULTIPLES of that up in the North East.

 

I do change my oil and oil filters as well as fuel filters. I pay to have the engines, generator, air conditioner and water system winterized. As I become more knowledgeable, I may attempt the winterization...but right now I view it kind of like insurance....if something was done incorrectly....the marina is responsible.

 

I paid someone to teach me along time ago, now I do everything myself and with the mindset that I know it was done right and not half-a**ed.

 

This is a good point. When I bought my boat in July I paid to have someone check it all out. He helped me out a lot as far as what needs attention on the boat and what all to check on a used boat. About 2+ hours of work checking all the cylinder pressures, plugs, prop alignment, and other systems... and he was only $50 too!!!

 

Every spring I get customers that missed a drain plug or something they didnt do everything properly then come into the shop to get repairs done becouse they cracked a block or manifold. Not cheep.

Admiral works at a Storage/Winterization, service dealer here near Buffalo, They do approx 10 engine blocks a year here due to DIY Mistakes, along with other little mishaps...
A Suggestion is to make a check list before starting the process and double check when you "think" your done, I always did my own like that until we move up to the 330, with a/c, icemaker, 3 sinks, 2 engines etc.... and most shops will summerize that is included, checking other things like batteries, bilge pumps etc... Good luck.....

 

The key missing ingredient on the $88 list is removing the outdrive and checking its alignment. I guess you only have to buy the alignment tool once. Can you get to the grease fittings on the u-joints and are there grease fittings on your coupler without pulling the outdrive? Can you reseal the outdrive if you find milky oil?

I do all my own maintenance and its a good bit more involved than with a single gas i/o, so I understand the do it yourself logic. My point is to be thourough and do everything if you are not going to use a dealership for winterizing and annual service needs.

 

The alignment was checked 3 months ago when I purchased the boat. Is that something that needs to be checked each year?

To me there is "winterizing", and then there is maintenance. Certain things need to be done before letting the boat sit like my $88 list, but then there are mechanical maintenance things that need to be checked at intervals as well (like outdrive alignment, spark plugs, etcc...), but not necessarily need to be done before putting it away... Maybe it's more standard to do those other things when doing the winterizing because your boat is usually stored in the water or whatever.

 

At 6' 4" I do not fit in the bilge very easily. It's hard to just check the oil on the mains and genny. The guy who does my work is about 5'6".

 

I do all of the winterizing on the mains, gen, water system etc...., but I let the pros do the outdrives; pull and grease, align, impellars, having the bellows and trim sensors replaced this year.

 

If you have the skill and tools go for it, save the money.
If you don't, pay for it. Winterizing is an easy job for the pros.
Mark.

 

That's the plan for now. Trying to double check that I know what to do and what tools I need, haha.

I do know that a micrometer would be good to have for car stuff, not just checking the boat outdrive shaft, so maybe I'll buy one of those eventually. I really don't think I need to check that until late next season anyway since it was just done 3 months ago and the boat is only 3 years old.

 

The only thing I want the pros to do is take care of engines and drives. I don't have any interest anymore in doing that kind of stuff. After trying 3 different shops I found one that I was satisfied with. Unfortunately they have become a casualty of the current economic mess. It would be nice to think only crappy places will be hurt but we'll lose some good ones also, that's a shame.

 

I have my shop align the outdrives and grease/check gimbal bearings every year.

 

Annual alignment....yes.

The engine can settle or shift on the engine bed and pulling the drive and checking the alignment annually is a bunch cheaper than pulling the engine to replacing a coupler worn due to neglected alignment.

 

Good to know. I am going to wait until next year to do this, however, since it was just done 3 months ago. But i'll put that on the check list from now on. Gives me time to find a good deal on a micrometer too.

 

What are you planning on using this micrometer for? Checking the prop shaft? I'd go dial indicator, easier to use and read.

I've met other techs that still can't read micrometers correct. If you can, you should join the field.


OT- We grease the wheel bearings and check tire pressure on all trailers before they leave.:thumbsup:

 

Last year MM did my work total cost $5k that included $300.00 for removal/discard of shrink wrap. This year $1000.00 for a total cost savings of $4k. Besides now I know it's done right. As a point I visited my boat last year mid winter only to find that the shrink wrap was inproperly installed, a hole was burnt thru leaking water onto the helm seat! So much water that the deck had an inch of ice on it. Also upon further inpsection I found boot prints on my seats where the worker steped to reach over the radar arch. Not to mentioned that when I pulled the boat last week bothe props where loose from being improperly installed, thank god for cotter pins. I guess i know where the vibration was comming from now. Such a deal fo only $5K!!

 

Again, for me I am a perfectionist. I have hardly ever had someone else set foot on my boat and do any job to the standard that I would want it done. My buddy and I have a joke that if you ask someone to do five warranty things on your boat they will break or mess up at least three more things that you will find right when you get the boat back and another two things that you will find later when it breaks/does not work. I for one would rather just do it myself.

Josh

 

I do the complete winterization of the mains, gen set, transmissons, Heat/AC, Freshwater, etc. myself. There is nothing hard about it. When I do it, I am assured that it is done correctly. I can do the entire annual services/winterization and shrink wrap the boat in the water (I have that done) process for under $1K.
To have the dealer do the same work would be nearly $6K, or half the annual fuel budget.
As to having records of the work, that is what a service log is for. Just like maintaining oil sampling results, etc.
Some day I will live in a more moderate climate and boat 365. Until then, I have to winterize and prefer to do it myself.
My .02.

regards
Skip

 

Thanks guys. Good to see more that are doing it yourselves, especially on those larger ones!

Why do you shrink wrap though... don't quite see the point of that yet.

 

Thanks guys. Good to see more that are doing it yourselves, especially on those larger ones!

Why do you shrink wrap though... don't quite see the point of that yet.

It prevents the snow from damaging the boat. If you let the snow accumulate on the deck, the sun will melt it during the day and it will freeze solid at night. This can wreak havoc with the boat. The water gets into crack & crevices and the expansion of the ice starts breaking stuff. The big chunks of ice and snow will slide around and damage things. The largest factor is the weight of the snow. A boat can hold a lot of snow. Snow is heavy. If the wind blows a bunch of snow to one side of the boat, it could tip it over...

The shrink prevents the snow from getting onto the boat to begin with....

Michael

 

I vote for warm weather and no winterizaation!!!

 

^^he may not see a whole lot of snow in Texas...

 

Nope . That makes sense though. A normal cover would collapse under the weight of snow. Not worried about that happening here, haha.

 

A secondary benefit of shrink wrap is that the boat stays much cleaner. I will wash the boat before Mr. Shrink Wrap arrives, and if the weather permits, put a coat of wax on the foredeck and arch. This way, when we cut the shrink wrap in March, the boat comes out much cleaner and is ready for a full detailing to start the season. Worth it? Last month I was in a transient slip next to a white '06 44 DA. One guy walking by asked if mine was an '08 "because it looks brand new"
My thanks to the great people at Makita who make a superb rotary polisher.
Git 'er done!
regards

 

Big boat, small boat, twin engine or single. 1 sink or 3. It doesnt make a difference. It's like cooking for one or twenty. You just need more materials for the bigger crowd. Winterization is simple work, albeit time consuming. You need a bit of knowledge which you can gather by asking questions or watching someone do it. If you do NOT have the time to do it right, let someone else do it for you but be prepared to pay handsomely. If people saw what goes into an oil change or pinking a boat's water system, they'd be pissed about the size of the bill that's handed to them.

 

I don't shrink wrap because it hurts to piss away about one large for 5 months of use and then toss it. I do have a mooring cover that I have been using for the past 5 years that does a good job of protecting the cockpit area. It runs from the base of the windshield to the stern of the boat under the radar arch. Admittedly the arch and its two speakers are exposed but thus far,......no problems. At this point the cover owes me nothing and if it fails this season, I would do the same thing all over again. Just my $.02.

Hey Scott....did I spell everything correctly ?