First time boat owner: Advice on maintenance & upgrades requested.
SWMBWO has been insisting we buy a boat for a few years. Now that our son is nearly 13 and likes fishing, she’s really been pushing to get a boat that he can (eventually) manage on his own. There’s a boat launch on the intercostal less than a mile from home and a cheap storage facility even closer to the boat ramp. With COVID, the kid will be doing remote school and will have limited interaction with his friends. As much as a really don’t want to own a boat, the kid needs activities that don’t involve electronics.
I’ve been resisting and finally gave up last week and turned my focus on ways to minimize the financial disaster. Any advice you can have for a first-time boat owner is greatly appreciated. I’ve took an online boater safety course a few years ago and have brushed up on rules of navigation. I’ll complete the updated online course in the next week or so. I definitely need to get some local knowledge because plenty of places in the intercostal that are very shallow but have no markings.
The only two conditions I made on the purchase (her savings) was that SWMBWO needs to commit to being able to manage the boat with just her and the kid while I’m working. The second condition is that we’re not going to pay people to work on the boat unless I admit I’m in over my head. I’m not convinced the first condition will ever be met, but so far #2 has been OK. The kid has helped me for a good chunk of the initial repairs, which is a lot more time he ever spent helping with my automotive repairs.
The market for inexpensive boats (is there even such a thing) in FL right now is a bit wacky. ~$2k boats are usually sold within hours. There were two boats where we had a verbal agreement w/the seller that “we’ll pay your asking price when we show up tomorrow as long as there aren’t any surprises” sold out from under us. Shiny happy people…
Enough of the background…here’s the details.
For $2,000 we bought a s a 14 ft Sea Nymph aluminum john boat with a Johnson 25hp 2-stroke engine with tiller steering. The owner enthusiastically claimed it was water tight, very fast, recent service (lower fluid), and had new tires. This has turned out to be at least partially true.
Everything with this one looked good enough so we pulled the trigger. The seller was genuine but not super knowledgeable (language barrier). He seemed like the kind of person who just takes it to a shop when it isn’t working. Everything seemed much less sketchy than the boat we looked at earlier in the day.
We’ve had the boat on the water twice now. The engine starts on the first or second pull and with the three of us goes about as fast as I’d want to go in such a small boat. With that said, there are things that need to be addressed. More to follow.
Mr_Asa
Dork
7/28/20 11:02 a.m.
We might need a GRM Boat section of the forum
Thats a great boat! These things are almost indestructible and (therefore) a great way to learn small boat handling. With a 25 it must absolutely fly! I had a 14ft Sears aluminum v-boat when I was 12, same basic shape, but with lower gunnels (sides) and it was an absolute blast Because they are so light these boats are really sensitive to weight distribution, so your son will learn to think about how to move and where to put things. Its good to resist the urge to put anything heavier than a tackle box behind the third bench seat.
Also, cant stress this one enough: Tether the drain plug to some point on the transom, so you can put it in and out without losing it. Get a spare drain plug and put it somewhere in the tow vehicle.
Looking forward to hearing about your family's adventures!! With most things my wife makes me do, I end up being very happy that she was so insistent.
Agreed, a boat project section wouldn't 'be a bad idea.
The Trailer looked a little crusty but upon closer inspection it's in pretty rough shape.
Unfortunately, I didn’t notice the axle was actually rusted through and had actually buckled at the driver’s side wheel.…disaster waiting to happen. After taking that axle off it became clear that I’d also need new leaf springs.
When I got to the trailer store they only had one 4-lug axle in stock. Since the date stamps on the tires were 2017 I decided to pull the trigger and replace the wheels/tires as well. It’s a small trailer, but while I was expecting $200 for the axle and wheel bearings/hubs the leaf springs, u bolts/perches, and wheels/tires put the total just north of $400. Of course I got home and the axle spindle hadn’t been machined correctly so the hub would only fit on one side, so I headed back to the trailer store so they could clean up the axle (they did).
I'm not sure if this is intentional or not...but the axle seems almost an inch or two short. Should I head back to the trailer shop with this or is this just away to make sure it doesn't shift laterally?
The trailer lights weren’t working on the drive home. Once I started to troubleshoot, I realized someone used unsealed wiring nuts and there was extensive corrosion in the taillights. Off to HF for new taillights and a trailer wiring kit. Another $50 or so later they're installed but not working (yet). The driver’s side light will light up w/the headlights but doesn’t blink. The right side light works as it should. Before I re-wire it I’m going to have to test it with my other vehicle to make sure SWMBWO’s jeep trailer wiring isn’t wacky.
The final issue is the fact I can’t see the trailer when backing it up. It’s manageable with the boat on it, since I can see the boat as long as I’m not perfectly straight. Without the boat on it I can’t see anything until the trailer is +20 degrees sideways. I received a helpful tip at the boat ramp, where on guy advised me to open the back hatch of the minivan…unfortunately, there isn’t enough clearance with the trailer on. I think I’ve figured out way to make some inexpensive trailer guides w/some spare PVC pipe.
That axle is very very wrong. It should have a little steel nub for the spring to set in, just like a solid axle on leaf springs
The axle is smooth on all sides. There's a small steel nub on both sides of the spring. that nub sits on the bracket (which sits on the axle) and on the plate that that u-bolts go through.
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The axle is short. Ask them to remake it about 4" longer.
Boat trailer lights on a salt water boat are a maintenance items. If the boat is big enough to require dunking the trailer to load it, I mount the lights up on the guide posts to keep them and the connections out of the salt water. Some of the new LED fixtures are sealed and may last longer, but I still wouldn't want the connections getting dunked.
On the smaller boats, I don't get the trailer wet in salt water. I push them off the trailer and winch them back on so the running gear and lights don't get wet. That will go a long way to keeping them alive. My 1996 Key West is still on the original trailer with the original axle. With roller bunks it unloads with gravity and loads fairly easy with the winch.
Hoondavan said:
The axle is smooth on all sides. There's a small steel nub on both sides of the spring. that nub sits on the bracket (which sits on the axle) and on the plate that that u-bolts go through.
You're correct, the nub is on the springs. Not sure if it is normal, but my boat has a little locator plate thingie on the axle. The nub sits into the hole on the plate. You can see where yours used to be in this pic https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/prod.mm.com/uploads/2020/07/28/1595952258_image_mmthumb.png
I would expect there to be some sort of way to prevent the axle shifting left to right.
In reply to Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) :
Crap. It's the same length (I brought the old one into the shop so they could measure the length, but that doesn't account for the step-down at the end of each axle. I'll have to take this all apart again.
In reply to Hoondavan :
It's not the end of the world if that is the same length as the old one. It's a boat trailer, not a precision driving machine. Plus or minus an inch isn't going to matter as long as nothing is dragging.
I prefer to see the square tube extend at least an inch past the spring seats and u bolts. It's not going to fly apart if you leave it like that. You are also nowhere near capacity for the axle, don't overthink it.
Keep an eye on the u bolts for the first couple of trips to make sure they don't get loose or move.
In reply to Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) :
So you think it should be OK as-is? I definitely debated this myself. The weight is still on the perch mounted on the thicker square section of the axle.
2020 : the year of the boats!
Congrats and glad you noticed the axle issue before it became a legit issue.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Yes. It will be fine. When you do your trailer checks every couple of months, just notice if it has moved.
The axle under the JetBoat is round, has no spring perches and only one u-bolt diagonally across the spring. It was like that when I bought it and I haven't bothered changing it. I tow it an hour back and forth to my parents fairly regularly with zero issues. I just lay eyes on it before I tow it at high speeds for long periods of time.
ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) said:
Also, cant stress this one enough: Tether the drain plug to some point on the transom, so you can put it in and out without losing it. Get a spare drain plug and put it somewhere in the tow vehicle.
Along the lines of this, look for some place to attach a tether for the outboard. I've seen a couple of people lose their motors because they didn't have it as tied down as they thought.
This is what I have for the setup on my little boat, yet to design anything for the Flamingo. The steel cable is to hold it, the D-Ring Shackle bolts through the ring that most Evinrude/Johnsons have. Its good off the water as well cause it means you won't forget your drain plug, as shown here
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I was thinking about this as well (saw a blooper clip of someone losing their motor). I'd also like to have it secured via cable to make it harder to steal. Thanks for the tip.
There are lock systems that prevent a thief, from unscrewing the transom clamp screw. That's only as good as the lock, though.
Bunch of options for theft prevention out there.
You made the right choice starting with a small tin boat.
If you're going to be doing a lot of fishing, putting a casting deck up front will most likely happen eventually.
Friendly reminder: Wear long sleeves, long pants, etc. The reflected sun from the water and boat will roast you.
In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :
Good advice, it's HOT in the afternoons. I ordered a bimini top which should arrive tomorrow, that should help. I think we'll also add a fishing platform on the front along with (eventually) some lights so we can gig for flounder at night.
Any tips on preventative maintance? We'll be using it in saltwater so I have put the ear muffs on and run it for 10 minutes after each use. The prior owner indicated it had fresh fluid in the lower end...not quite sure what that means. I'm thinking i may inspect and replace(?) the impeller, spark plug(s) and water pump. Anything else I should be thinking about? It seems to run pretty well.
captainawesome said:
2020 : the year of the boats!
Congrats and glad you noticed the axle issue before it became a legit issue.
I know! It's nowhere near as stylish as your boat project...but I figured simple = good in my case.
Mr_Asa
Dork
7/29/20 12:58 p.m.
Impeller replacement should be every year, maybe two at most if you use the boat regularly and keep it flexed regularly.
The lower unit is filled with gear oil, Its worth opening once a season to check for water in the oil even if you just put the plug back in immediately after.
Should be a bunch of zerk fittings on there, I'd hit 'em all once.
Looks like there is an anode on the lower unit, that little silvery looking part just above the propeller, those need to be replaced when they wear too much.
What is the model number on it?
