Hi

I just bought a (slightly) used boat. It is a 19' fiberglass hull, has
a small cuddy cabin, and looks like it seated 6 or so before the 2nd
owner insallted alternate seating. the windshield has a walk through,
but no seating on the bow; that is covered by the roof of the cabin. it
has an air vent in the cabin that it is in the middle of the roof.

The boat was purchased from Seger Marine in naples New York (the
fingerlakes area of central new york state) and has always been in
fresh water according to the former owner.

It was made in 1986 according to the registration and says SportCraft
on the side of the boat.

I have original manuals for the engine and the stern drive, but am
looking for any info on the boat.

After seacrhing the internet a while i found several references to boat
builders using the name SportCraft, notably one in florida, and one in
canada - but neither seem to have much info, or really match the kind
of boat i have.
I've lived on or near the water for my entire 47 years but have never
actually owned a boat, so this is a first for me. I've already ordered
what books i can find on the mercruiser drives systems but I expect
that they willbe very generalized / multi year reference books and am
looking for speficic info.

After chatting with some boat savhy friends they warn me to ensure that
the cooling system pumps are serviced, but cannot really give and
speficic info other than that. This seems good advise, but leads to
more questions:

Is this a fresh water cooling system or a raw water cooling system?
Is there a water pump in the stern drive or not?

I've found some mercruiser dealers nearby but except for rebuilding
automatic transmissions, I've always maintained every other vehicle
that i have ever owned and would like to at least try to do the same
with the boat. I know when to leave it to a pro - just would like to
get some more info.

Are there any other lurking gotcha's that I should tend to before going
out for my first ride?

How about any special needs for conversion / extra maintanance for
using a fresh water boat in salt water? (chesapeake bay)

While i do have a few hundered hours on the water in other folks boats,
I'll be taking a boater saftey course, and making sure that everything
is up to code and them some so hopefully no worries there - just hoping
for some specific info and any general info from the collective wisdom
of those that have bobbed on the waves before me

Thanks in advance

e