www.iFourWinns.com

Found em.

Now, all I need is my impeller and she will be ready to float!!!

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Now that a portion of the summerization is done, let me share how upset I am.

I am all about making profit. Its what makes the world go round. I work in the absolute HARDEST business to make a fair profit in this world...the car business. Its the hardest simply because this is the ONLY business on the planet that a consumer can VERY quickly research my product, down to the dollar, how much I pay for it. As such, making a profit has almost become taboo for some reason. Lets put that aside for a minute though. Like I said before, I called my dealer for a quote to get the boat ready for summer. They gave me a number that I really felt was unfair. I am fine with paying profit for a job well done, no problem there. I am capable, but often have VERY little time to do the things I am capable of doing, such as winterizing or summerizing my boat. Sometimes I am not sure what I am doing, so maybe I am better off letting a pro do the work. Either way, some profit is fair.

Charging me $369.00 to spend 30 minutes (absolute tops in time) getting my boat ready for summer is just criminal in my opinion. I opened up my ziplock bag o parts to find 4 blue plastic plugs and 4 hose clamps of various sizes. I quickly (with the direction of TxJole) found the spots for 2 of the blue plugs. I quickly found the spot for all 4 hose clamps to go. I was left with 2 more plastic blue plugs. It took an extra 10 minutes of searching to find the location to put them. Even a total goon/newb didnt have hardly ANY trouble with this. If I had my impeller, I would have spent the 10 minutes changing it too while I was in there. I will try to get it in the next week or so and that completes my summer maintenance.

This leaves me thinking that I am paying about $300.00 in LABOR ALONE for 30 minutes of work. Now, take into consideration the 40 minute drive to the boat shop each way and the fact that its WAY out of my normal commute to get there. Plus, they always keep the boat longer than they say it will take...I really feel like I was about to take it in the shorts had I gone this route.

Thanks to people here, I saved a LOT of time and a LOT of money by taking care of it on my own. This allowed me to learn just a little more about my boat as well. When I get my impeller, I will put it on, crank up the garden hose and check for leaks. I am sure it will all be fine and my boat will be ready for the season.

Sorry for the long rant, but for anybody that is even thinking of doing this on their own...its WELL worth the effort to do it yourself.

_________________
Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I think many dealers have been ripping off their customers for a long time on the labor for routine maintenance. On the other hand, at the moment it's probably the only income many of them have. In any case, the best reason to do as much of your own maintenance as possible is so that you know your boat better. The next time that gizmo needs changed or fixed, you may be out in the middle of the lake. And, nobody will be as careful as you with the work, looking out for other problems, etc. Unfortunately due to storage arrangements and other things its difficult to impossible for people to do their own work. That's kind of how I've been and am about to become more that way since we plan to move the boat to a new storage facility that won't have any tools etc. nearby.

As far as making profit, it has indeed become a dirty word. And it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Yes, its true for a lot of folks that storage arrangements can make doing it yourself a little more of a challenge. Luckily for me, when we had our house built, I had them build my garage an extra 5 feet deeper JUST so I could keep our boat at home. Its REALLY nice to be able to walk out to the garage whenever I want and go to work on it, with all my tools handy.

I still need to get my alignment done, so I will have to find a qualified mechanic for that, but you can bet your butt it wont be my FW dealer.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I've said this before, but if you are mechanically inclined, there is no reason that you can't do much of this stuff yourself, provided that you
1) Get a FACTORY shop manual
2) Don't rely on internet or other information suggesting certain shortcuts to doing jobs (I am referring to the use of the suck up the drive antifreeze method of winterizing, that can result in a cracked block)
3) Follow the manual to the letter

As far as alignment, you don't need a mechanic to check it, if you are comfortable R+R'ing the drive. You remove the drive, check the alignment with the tool, if it's good put the drive on and go boating. If not then take it to the mechanic. I built a stand out of 2x6s with casters under it to support the drive to make the R+R job easier on the back. Works great and saves me at least 250 a year in summerization costs. The tool cost about $90 or so, I've used it twice so I'm already money ahead on that one. And the factory OMC manual cost me about $40 or so, good marine mechanics here charge about $100-110 an hour. I figure the get ready stuff takes me about 3 hours or so.
I do have a good mechanic who I will take it to if I find things beyond my ability (seal leaks, replacing things like trim lines, etc that have had to been done over the years). With a nearly new boat, freshwater use, there is just not that much to do! Old boat, salt water, well there is a lot more to do.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Hmmmmmm..........you've got me thinking about tackling this myself also Steve. My biggest concern is that I will forget to do something important and cost myself more money in the long run. I guess it's the fear of the unknown. Although, like Mike said taking the time to learn about your craft can be invaluable if problems arise out on the water. I am fairly mechanically inclined so that's not the issue. This is my first boat, so I am a newbie, if you will. Again it's just making sure I do everything I'm supposed to that worries me a little. I'd much rather keep the $350.00 +/- bucks in my own pocket. I'm torn. Maybe I'll let the dealer do my winterization and I can tackle the summerization?

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB

Please keep in mind one thing "INSURANCE". Not the summerization part but definitely for winterization. Your insurance may differ but mine would not pay for last year's frozen oil cooler because I did the work myself! Had a shop done it it would have been claimable. I find this ridiculous since a shop told me they would have replaced the motor since it had water in it and this would have cost the insurance company atleast ten times the $800 I was looking for.

"Summerization" is a joke. There is no reason why anybody short of a paraplegic could not get a boat ready to be launched! The dealers are just preying on your supposed lack of knowledge/ confidence. Button it up and take it down to the ramp and let her run on the trailer while you examine the engine compartment for any signs of "distress"

I am glad you did all the buttoning up yourself and hope others here will also do it themselves.

I too am finding that "Profit" is a dirty word and have since changed it to "Fee" on all my correspondence. Right now we can't seem to buy work with the lowest margins we feel conmfortable with. It always seems that somebody is stupid low and is simply trying to keep guys working. The competition all seem to bidding as if the current project is the last one out there.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

forgive my ignorance, but what are muffs?

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB

muffs allow you to use garden hose to put water into your outdrive.

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2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

So, if there is an inlet in the engine bay as txjole seemed to indicate then muffs would not be necessary? Or, obviously if I take it to the lake and drop the lower unit in the water they would not be necessary? Doing this after I've reinstalled all the drain plugs and hose clamps that the dealer removed during winterization?

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB

Yes, if you connect to the water house, you are in good shape. This is afterall how you "flush" the engine if you were say running in salt water for a day and wanted to clean it all out.

_________________
Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Once the hose is hooked up and the water is running is there any harm in doing this without the engine running for a short period of time? Like the minute or two it takes me to get from the hose spicket and into the boat for starting? There would be the same period of time after shutting off the engine. Would it be best to say, have my wife stand at the hose spicket and turn it on while I'm already in the boat to crank the engine? I know with the waverunner I basically had to start it and hook up the hose.

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB

I am under the impression that its ok to turn the water on first, then start the boat. The delay shouldnt do anything negative.

_________________
Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

With the hose connected to the engine compartment inlet and the water switched on, if the motor is not running, then the water will just go back to and leak out of the cooling water inlets on the lower outdrive.

Graham

Having the hose connected and water running will not hurt anything if the motor is not running. You could leave it there all day with no adverse affects. I use the muffs with anti-freeze method and have never had a problem. In fact this is how my local FW dealer does it. I watched one of there own employees doing his own boat this way last fall.

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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)