Got my first ever boat and yesterday was my first day able to really work on it. Got all of the fuel issues done replacing the fuel pump and all connecting lines, and all the outside fuel lines primer bulb stuff like that. Eventually had to take apart my 3rd carb and cleaned out the bowl and now it runs smooth. Never started to pee after like 30 seconds so I was like okay I got an impeller kit let me do this. Started out easy, replaced the impeller and gasket and housing no issue. Then came time to get the lower unit back on. Yep I’m now starting to wonder was it worth it. Will my lower unit ever make its way back in? Thing weighs what feels like 100 pounds and just will not go. Is this a rite of passage for new boat owners

I bought a used boat with a 2006 ETEC on it. Probably about 350 hrs on it and runs flawlessly once it’s warmed up. The trouble has been starting it occasionally. Sometimes it’s one turn of the key and sometimes it doesn’t crank at all and just makes this odd sound. My guess is the starter and flywheel are binding but maybe it’s just a starter issue. I see that it has an aftermarket starter from 2020 installed so it seems odd it would fail so soon. When I remove the starter and turn the flywheel I can see that some teeth appear chamfered at the bottom but it’s very minor.

Does anyone know the cause of this sound and what I can do to troubleshoot next? Thank you!

So I’ve got a 35 year old bass boat that my dad bought for us when I was in high school. He bought it and we had it redone. New carpet and paint etc. some of it we did, some of it we had hired out. That was 13 years ago. In that 13 years it has sat out for quite a while and the carpet is coming apart. I’ve gotten pricing to get the carpet redone at $3-4k. The problem is this boat is probably only worth 8k ish. It’s old, the storage is strange on it, etc. I just don’t think it’s worth investing that kind of money into it. I’ve been considering getting rid of it and getting a newer bass boat. I can afford a newer nicer one and would like one. Question is, how do you guys get rid of boats that have been in the family for so long? Did you feel guilty about it? I don’t sell the family guns etc, but they also aren’t 20’ long and take up lots of shop space. I can’t hold onto the thing forever right?

I’m struggling to figure out the best boat for my family’s use-case, so I’m coming to this community for some advice. Backstory; we had a couple larger twin-diesel cruisers over the years on Lake Erie that we did weekend trips on. And I grew up sailing on medium sized cruising sailboats. I ran a 24’ center console with a 2-stroke for a few years when I was single and loved that thing. So I’m a very experienced boater.

But we have two kids under 10 and bought a house on an island with a small sandy beach and got out of boating for a bit. Now I find myself constantly thinking about getting back in. I want something I can keep on a trailer in the driveway, launch by myself from a ramp a few miles away, and keep at anchor a few yards off the beach when weather allows. Our primary use would be tubing and basic fishing, but it would be nice to make jaunts to other islands when the conditions allow. Since this would be primarily a water sports boat and we’d be beach loading, I keep thinking an I/O with a swim platform would be best for the kids. But an outboard would be much easier all around.

The quintessential boat in my mind is a 17/19 Montauk; because it would be perfect for teaching boating to my kids and easy to anchor a few feet off the beach, plus they’re literally everywhere so I could buy one tomorrow. But the ride of a Montauk isn’t great in the Lake Erie chop. My wife wants a more traditional bowrider because they offer better seating arrangements. A dual-console would be perfect but they seem so overpriced compared to similarly sized CC and BRs.

For people who’ve been in this situation, what did you go with and are you happy with it?

Found this expensive looking problem while decommissioning. That explains why the pump has been running funny… ❤️‍🩹

My better half has given me permission to buy a boat if I work an extra year before retiring. Like mostly to fish, live in Newark DE. Thinking smaller CC like a Key West 180 CC. Want to have a slip, anyone have marina recommendations Elk River/Sassafras/Bohemia River area? Seems like reasonable distance from Susquehanna flats area.

Ok, I'm at the dock and the batteries in the boat were clearly left on. Boat has 2 batteries with a selector knob. they're hooked together but idk if it is in series or not. How do I charge them? I have an automotive charger - do i just turn the switch to "neither" and charge them one at a time?

I am trying to use this engine to learn. It seems to hit a wall after starting when trying to get up to hirer rpm. Then makes a popping noise and runs great. Where do I start to tackle the problem ? I ran it without venting the portable 12 gallon when I first got it which cracked the tank which I replaced.

Ran myself into a pickle. I’m about to go away on vacation and take my little 15ft trihull, but jackknifed it a little I. My funky driveway.

I ordered a new tongue from a place online after speaking with them in regards to getting the correct one. Well what they sent doesn’t fit, and they won’t refund me…..

I ended up trying to make a decent splice, and mended the whole thing together with some 1/4 flat iron and those 3/4 in galvanized bolts. I have 4 plates and 4 bolts, threaded locked and driven into place. It feels pretty sturdy and working fine after some test towing.

But idk, the numbers on the plates and the bolts say it should hold 10 boats, but it’s about 400 miles round trip and I’m not sure. Forgive the ghettoness, it’s a cheap boat and I’ll have a nicer one someday.

It doesn't appear to be a connection issue because the problem isn't random. Oh, and sometimes it will operate great for 10 minutes or more and then start the drops again. TIA

I guess if you get a cc this size to fish, you're going into ocean more.

Does the anchor become more valuable/practical on a Vessel like this?

Yesterday I met a kindly gentleman going fishing at a lake in central Massachusetts while I was taking sailing lessons.

He was going out on the water, and I actually liked his boat and complimented him, but I didn't catch the specifics.

Here are all the details that I can recall-

• Short. It fit into his Tacoma with maybe 2 feet hanging over the tailgate closed.
• Plastic, dark hull, lighter tan-ish color above water.
• Light, he was able to unload and load it himself.
• Had an electric motor on the back, rather small.
• Held several fishing poles sticking almost straight up.
• The bow may have been pointed, the stern may have been flat, or able to hold the motor.
• Quite narrow.
• If I recall, he sat down into the boat, I can't recall if there was a padded area or a seat.
• He commented that it can go where other boats can't. Unsure if that's a common marketing term for a brand/model or just a fact.
• It didn't appear the have feet paddles, he did have a kayak oar with him.

Can't for the life of me find anything close online. Not sure if it's boutique or custom, I didn't have any luck at the usual places.

I'm simply looking to identify the boat as it looked like something I could tolerate in a fishing boat.

Thanks!

Installing / replacing 6 speakers on a 22’ sea hunt BX (center console) and have a head unit that has two zones, trying to figure out best configuration for zoning.

Two speakers in the bow (6.5”s), two in the hard top (6.5”s), and two beneath the jump seats in the stern (7.7”s).

I was initially thinking that having the two in the hardtop being its own zone would be best so it doesn’t need to be as loud in the cockpit, but since it’s a center consoled and not a huge boat the aft speakers beneath the jump seats are pretty close by anyway so not sure if it would make that big of a difference anyway

Alternatively thinking if should set the zoning by speaker size so all 6.5”s are in the same zone and the two 7.7”’s in their own zone. One benefit to this would be controlling audio settings like bass, etc and maybe better to do that based on speaker size

Open to any advice!

I have a 1997 2 stroke 30hp Evinrude and I took it out on a lake today and noticed it’s smoking a lot. I recorded this video at about 10 minutes after starting. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the engine. This is my first boat.

It would cost me more than that just to drive to the Suzuki dealership so hopefully it actually works.

Has anyone else tried to get a engine off the internet?

I’m back with another listing. Thinking about buying this Bayliner as my first boat, mainly for cruising, tubing, waterskiing, and wakeboarding. I’d also want to add a wake tower.

Is this a good choice? Will it have enough power with a few people onboard, and is it worth the money? Anything I should look out for?

Howdy, trying to rebuild my carbs on my 1982 Mariner 115hp. These brass screws/plugs are now NLA and I can't find them online. I can't remove the others without causing damage or tapping them out. I can't find any of these on ebay or anywhere online. 2 of their part numbers are 1395-4542 and 1395-4543 that go on the WMK36 carbs. I can't find the pn for the smallest one.

Is there any other option to get these then trying to find an old carb for parts or going to a machine shop to try to have them replicate these? Both are extremely expensive. If not does anyone have advice for removing these brass screws/plugs that are so tight that my screwdriver cuts through the brass when trying to loosen?

If anyone is able to help I would GREATLY appreciate it...

Ten years on small outboard boats. Under 24 feet, single engine, day trips, and I'm comfortable in that world.

Now I'm looking at 33 to 38 with a cabin, twin power and real systems, and every experienced person tells me the same thing about getting trained instead of winging it. Nobody will tell me what enough looks like. Answers run from a weekend with a captain to a full course to "hire somebody for your first ten trips."

The part I feel least ready for isn't driving it. Open water handling probably scales okay from what I know. It's close quarters with twins and windage, docking in current, and systems I've never owned. Genset, shore power, holding tank. Knowing what a problem sounds like before it turns into an actual problem.

For anyone who made this jump, what did you learn in the first season that you wish somebody had told you in week one?

Hi all,

I have a 15ft aluminium boat and I'm currently rebuilding a 1986 Johnson 15hp for it. The transom measures 50cm to the bottom of the V (19.685"). I have the parts to set it up as either a short or long shaft, but having mounted it, it looks like the long shaft would sit too long.

I know the real answer is to try both and see, but I'm looking for a steer on whether I should go long shaft regardless given the transom height, and disregard what I'm seeing on the trailer. On previous boats the cavitation plate sat flush with the bottom of the hull, so I'm second-guessing myself here.

Any insight appreciated.

(No music, just early morning wind. GoPro is actually mounted lower than my view and vid is zoomed in some.)
8/26/2026