"Mark" wrote in message
th.net...
I owned a small boat for a couple years many moons ago. It
had a small outboard, and basically I fed it gas and oil and
took care of it as I would a lawn mower, and everything was
fine.

I've recently gotten back into boat ownership after a couple
decades away. I purchased a '90 I/O with the Ford 2.3 and
Cobra stern drive that hadn't been used in two years.
Replaced the complete ignition system as well as assorted
other parts to get everything running well again.

I have yet to be able to bring it back home after a day
(usually less) of boating without it being in need of some
sort of repair.

Today, a trailer hub disintegrated just as we got to the
ramp, and as we were preparing to make a final run after
snack time, the starter Bendix failed (starter was replaced
when I purchased the boat 2 months ago).

I'm about to give this up out of pure frustration and the
appearance of it being a money pit.

When I was young and growing up in the Northern hinterlands,
snowmobiles were just becoming popular and were going thru
rather rapid growth (think the boom era of Scorpion, Arctic
Cat, Ski-Doo, et. al.). A joke at the time (that was very
near the truth) was that snowmobiles are a lot like women...
You spend an hour workin' on 'em and ten minutes ridin' 'em.

Am I just having a streak of bad luck, or are boats like
snowmobiles (and women)?


--
Mark

The truth as I perceive it to be.
Your perception may be different.

Triple Z is spam control.

Problem is that you dont have the same competition in the boating as you do
in the auto industry. I also had an issue with a Wellcraft I/O boat, where
things broke on it left and right. It was under warranty, but it was still a
pain to be driving that boat to the dealer. I finally gave up on the I/O
boats, and got a Bennington pontoon with a Honda motor. Except for one
recent problem, I have been enjoying all my weekends without surprises.

Mark,

You've bought a 15 year old package. You can't expect it to have the
reliability of a new package or even a 15 year old one that you have
maintained faithfully. The fact tht it was idle for at least two years is
not helpful. It could easily take you several hours of usage to work out
all the kinks.

Given the circumstances of your situation the problems you're working
through are not unusual. I recommend some more time before deciding it's
not for you. BTW, if one wheel bearing has failed how can the other be far
behind? If the trailer has brakes now would be a good time to check them
out and make any needed repairs. How old are those tires? If they are more
than six years old you should probably replace them as they can be counted
upon to fail sooner than expected. Was the lower unit and engine oil/filter
changed? How was the old lower unit oil? No water in it? Did you replace
the lower unit water pump? If not you may want to do that soon.

Enjoy that new to you boat but expect some unanticipated expenses and
inconvenience due to the age of the package.

Good luck.

Butch
"Dan J.S." wrote in message
...

"Mark" wrote in message
th.net...
I owned a small boat for a couple years many moons ago. It
had a small outboard, and basically I fed it gas and oil and
took care of it as I would a lawn mower, and everything was
fine.

I've recently gotten back into boat ownership after a couple
decades away. I purchased a '90 I/O with the Ford 2.3 and
Cobra stern drive that hadn't been used in two years.
Replaced the complete ignition system as well as assorted
other parts to get everything running well again.

I have yet to be able to bring it back home after a day
(usually less) of boating without it being in need of some
sort of repair.

Today, a trailer hub disintegrated just as we got to the
ramp, and as we were preparing to make a final run after
snack time, the starter Bendix failed (starter was replaced
when I purchased the boat 2 months ago).

I'm about to give this up out of pure frustration and the
appearance of it being a money pit.

When I was young and growing up in the Northern hinterlands,
snowmobiles were just becoming popular and were going thru
rather rapid growth (think the boom era of Scorpion, Arctic
Cat, Ski-Doo, et. al.). A joke at the time (that was very
near the truth) was that snowmobiles are a lot like women...
You spend an hour workin' on 'em and ten minutes ridin' 'em.

Am I just having a streak of bad luck, or are boats like
snowmobiles (and women)?


--
Mark

The truth as I perceive it to be.
Your perception may be different.

Triple Z is spam control.

Problem is that you dont have the same competition in the boating as you
do in the auto industry. I also had an issue with a Wellcraft I/O boat,
where things broke on it left and right. It was under warranty, but it was
still a pain to be driving that boat to the dealer. I finally gave up on
the I/O boats, and got a Bennington pontoon with a Honda motor. Except for
one recent problem, I have been enjoying all my weekends without
surprises.