General Info

Is your boat caught up with it's maintenance schedule?

Engine Oil - 1 Year or 100 Hours Engine oil degrades and becomes acidic after it is used and becomes diluted with gasoline and combustion byproducts. Changing the oil by engine running hours alone is not adequate maintenance.

Fuel Filters - 1 Year or 100 Hours Fuel system issues are the most common culprit for poor running conditions. Fuel filters should be replaced yearly to avoid snowballing repair costs.

Cooling Impeller - 2 Years The cooling impeller is rubber and installed inside a compressed housing, it starts expiring once installed whether it's used or not.

Drive Oil - 2 Years or 200 hours Drive oil should be checked at the beginning and end of each season to inspect for any water or metal contamination. Drive oil needs to be changed every 2 years.

Spark Plugs - Spark plugs should be checked yearly or anytime a running issue exists. Recommend replacing every 2-3 years or as needed.

Drive Belt - Drive belt should be replaced at first visible signs of wear, a broken belt will quickly snowball into an expensive situation of engine overheating and fast battery drain without an alternator. Leaving you stranded in the water.

Anodes - Anodes should be checked yearly and replaced depending on visible inspection, trailered boats without many hours in the water will last longer. In freshwater the correct anodes typically last a very long time unless there is an underlying electrical issue.

Bellows - 5 Years or when necessary Bellows should be checked frequently for signs of cracking. Standard practice is to replace all bellows at the same time along with a gimbal bearing and shift cable for Mercruiser outdrives

Battery - Batteries life is largely dependent on the conditions they live in, both extreme hot and cold temperatures can reduce their life significantly. Parasitic draws can drain and prematurely shorten their life. To extend your battery life we recommend a trickle charger and battery shut off switch.

Outdrive Unit - Every Year the Outdrive unit of a Sterndrive boat should be removed to inspect the gimbal bearing and grease driveshaft splines.