www.iFourWinns.com

New to inboards and getting ready to start the season. Reading the owners manual it mentions light grease in the struts. Am I missing a zerk fitting or do you just smear it in as best you can at both ends of the strut? Thanks.

What struts? Are you talking about the lift struts for the engine cover?

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Part of the running gear of an inboard boat.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I am assuming it is not a true inboard rather an I/O? Never seen that part before. What is it?

_________________
1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

It's a Strut for an inboard boat.

Maybe this will help.......

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Thanks that helps explain why I didn' know what it was. Never played with an inboard before.

_________________
1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

The strut I'm referring to is as Cap't described, not the way an old girlfriend used to walk. If I was to grease either one, how do you go about it?

Hey JAK - as one of the regular inboard folk I'm not ignoring your OP, just don't have an answer (I hadn't seen this as a maintenance item). Perhaps a call to Skipper Buds is in order. What is the maintenance interval given for this? My mechanic typically mentions these types of services when he feels they are due so I'm naturally curious.

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Previously:
2008 V358/Volvo 5.7 GXi Inboards

I owned a Carver motor yacht with inboards and she had rubber bushings inside the strut and I don't recall any maintenance needed. When I sold the boat and the survey was being done, the surveyor did mention a slight "shaft chatter" and that the bushings would need replacing. I don't know if I would want grease in the struts (i.e. bushings) due to the potential for accumulation of dirt, etc. On another note, I had no idea that Four Winns made an inboard. I know in my Carver the engines were in the middle of the boat and took up a lot of space. Where do they position the engines in a Four Winns?

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

Sorry if I misled you. It's not a true inboard but rather V-drives. Looking around the boat yard I've seen others that actually have zerk fittings in the strut and others have a small diameter hole in the housing, approx. 1/8". Regardless, the manual for our 378 states applying a light grease to the struts. As Sierra suggested, I'll call the dealer.