Boat been sitting for 3 years. What should i do before I go out?

Question

Hello, I have a '88 bayliner 2455 sunbridge. She is a fiberglass boat with a omc cobra stern and a 5.0 L 4 V gas engine. It has been winterized but has been sitting for a few years now. What would you suggest to do before going out. Thanks!

Answer 1

take it to a marine mechanic to give to do all routine maintenance on it, and check everything. 3 years is a long time to be sitting up, and it sucks to be broke down on the water. This is usually not all that expensive.

You might have some dry rot on some hoses among other things.

Answer 2

I'd check for leaks, also maybe you might want to clean it up a bit, such as paint.

Answer 3

I'd have it checked by a professional before taking it out. Odds are, nothing is wrong w/it unless it was pre-existing before you let it sit.

Other than that...sell it and make friends w/someone who owns a boat. You don't seem to be using yours very much. *shrug*

Answer 4

You can examine your boat to tell if it needs paint of maintence.. Enjoy your self if your boat starts and happens to be gooing fine  just go with the flow. And you should be fine.

Answer 5

Just get it out =)

~Bree~

Answer 6

just take it out!

-joVAL

Answer 7

Charge The Battery Flush the engine Change the oil drain the gas and put new gas in it and make sure it starts and runs before putting it in the water.

Answer 8

Who in the world are these people saying to "just take her out?" Wrong answer people and if you know nothing about boats please keep your ridiculous comments to yourself before you get someone hurt or even killed. Unbelievable.

To be safe you should have it checked over by a certified marine mechanic. Winterization, if done a couple of years ago, may not have held if you used anything less than full anti-freeze in the system. Think about the fuel you had in the tank too. Did you periodically add dry gas to it? And the oil? And like said in another post here...hoses? Gaskets? Thermostat? Plugs? Impeller? The list of things that could go wrong goes on.

But, if you ignore all of this advice highly recommend you hook up a pair of muffs to the outdrive, see if she'll fire up and let her run until she reaches operating temp & then let her run some more. Oh...but first make certain a freeze plug hasn't blown out of the block and that there are no visible signs of leaks in the cooling system. If you then feel comfortable taking her out for a sea trial leave family and friends behind, wear a PFD (don't worry about looking like a fool either), make certain you have an operable VHF radio and not a cell phone to call for assistance and lastly...make certain your insurance is up-to-date and that you have towing coverage!

Good luck!