'72 23ft 305 I/O - Leaving it in the water during fishing season

[keith]

Hi Everyone. I just bought my first Seacraft and I am wondering about leaving it in the water during fishing season in the San Francisco Bay. I bought it from a friend of mine who owned it for 35 years. He is a very good mechanic and put a new Mercruiser alpha one outdrive and 305 engine in it about six years ago. The package has 280 hours on it. I am concerned with water getting into the transom and causing damage. This is the third engine in the boat and he said the transom didn't show any signs of rot. Do you guys recommend taking the unit off and re-sealing it before berthing it?
He also said he used silicone to seal it to the transom. It says in the instructions you don't have to but it sounds like a good idea.

Thanks, Keith

[Terry England]

Man the water stays cold out there all the time and they don't grow any barnicles in SF Bay. They have lots of wood Work Boats that are floating that are 60 years old. You'll need to see if Strick or Gilley chime in. They are the West Coast operators.
The only thing I know about SF Bay Area is what did the Pelican hooker ask the Sea Otter hooker? -
"Did you ever blow a Seal?"

[FAS]

don't worry about water getting into the transom.if you worry about that, you are already done......If you can catch fish stay in..you can always prep the engine for below freezing ,in the water,if you get that cold....enjoy your new boat,...cant wait for spring ,in NY.,my boats still in,waiting for the last big bass....

[keith]

Thanks for the input, and the hooker joke
I want to keep it out when the Salmon fishing is good. Maybe a month or two. I am also concerned with the bottom paint as it has the original paint on it. Is this something that I should be concerned with? Is there potential from damage? Should I repaint the bottom? I would hate to make the finish messy looking with a driveway brush on job.

Thanks,

Keith

[Boatboy6]

It really should be sealed with a marine grade sealant/adhesive like 3m 4200, not silicone. If your transom is dry you want to keep it dry. The transom is where most care should be taken to ensure that the core stays sealed.

[keith]

About the silicone. I wasn't too excited to hear it but it is sandwiched between the outdrive and the transom so I thought it could be ok. I could take it off and re-seal it. Do you think it is necessary right away?
Do you guys have any advice for resealing any bolts that may be in the transom, like on the swim platform? Should I go around them with something or take them off and make sure there isn't any damage? I have read on here that holes should be overdrilled, epoxied, and then drilled to desired pilot hole.

Thanks,

Keith

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by keith

. . . I have read on here that holes should be overdrilled, epoxied, and then drilled to desired pilot hole.

Thanks,

Keith

That's the bulletproof way to avoid a wet core. Also, Life Caulk polysulfide sealant in another option to 4200. Stinks like hell, but it doesn't harden and will cure underwater! If you're not leaving boat in water all the time and the silicone sealing job is relatively recent, you could probably postpone resealing the outdrive until time for annual maintenance on it.

[keith]

Yeah, that sounds like a great way to make penetrations.
I don't plan on doing a resto on this boat any time soon, if ever, but I would like to use it for a long time and I would like to take care of it. Do you think I should redo the penetrations that have been made, such as, the transducers, swim platform, trim tabs, etc? It seems like I should and at the same time I can check out for any rot. It's either that or apply adhesive around the penetrations to keep the moisture out.
Is there a tutorial or guideline for doing the drill, epoxy, drill method? How much larger than the bolt hole do you drill? What epoxy are you guys using? Do you paint it after? Do you seal around the outside of the bolt after it is in?

Thanks,

Very excited new Seacraft owner, Keith

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by keith

. . . Do you think I should redo the penetrations that have been made, such as, the transducers, swim platform, trim tabs, etc? It seems like I should and at the same time I can check out for any rot. It's either that or apply adhesive around the penetrations to keep the moisture out.
Is there a tutorial or guideline for doing the drill, epoxy, drill method? How much larger than the bolt hole do you drill? What epoxy are you guys using? Do you paint it after? Do you seal around the outside of the bolt after it is in?

Thanks,

Very excited new Seacraft owner, Keith

Redoing all screw penetrations is cheap insurance if you plan to keep the boat for a long time, and might save or delay need to replace a core. Check out this West Systems Guide section 7.2.1!

[oldfielder]

[QUOTE=keith;232693]About the silicone. I wasn't too excited to hear it but it is sandwiched between the outdrive and the transom so I thought it could be ok. I could take it off and re-seal it. Do you think it is necessary right away?


Just a few notes on this-
If you are saying he added silicone to the outside sealing surface I guess he did it as an additional safety measure. When you install that transom assembly you use a gasket from merc and that does the sealing work and gives you the right tolerances for torquing down the bolts. If the transom sealing surface was getting less than perfect he may have just added the silicone and, like others above, I would have used something else, but don't consider it a big liability if the job was done right.
You are looking at pulling the motor to redo that job so unless it is really stressing you out Or you are seeing water coming in may want to hold off. There are several failure points on that IO so every so often I would pull the boat, completely dry the bilge and then relaunch and run at the ramp and just keep a really close eye on everything for a few minutes. I always found the best way to inspect that motor/bilge was at night with a flashlight. The few times I was chasing down a leak it was much easier to find this way.
I just sold mine but loved the power package. I had a 5.7 and the same drive you have. They require a bit more vigilance but will treat you well if you do the same.
Feel free to pm me. I think I have a pdf for the shop manual for the Alpha 1. Very good thing to have around.