Can you give me an idea of the maintenance (&costs) required for 15ft outboard 65hp boston whaler motorboat?

Question

Can you give me an idea of the maintenance (&costs) required for 15ft outboard 65hp boston whaler motorboat?

Answer 1

congratulations on your new boat! the more you use it the better, dont leave it sitting for months like most people,anyway the costs are similar to a car,oil,services twice a year$250 for a decent service,the rest you do yourself ie:keeping it clean and stuff

Answer 2

If it runs good now, cools properly, starts fine, you could use this for many years with little or no maintenance costs.   At the end of the boating season, disconnect the fuel line from the motor and run the engine til it stops,  so gas in the carb doesn't gunk up. Use any leftover gas in the tank in your lawnmower, snowblower or whatever.  Check your lower unit grease for water, squirt a little oil in each cylinder (through the spark plug holes) turn over the engine a few times with spark  plug wires off.  Ready to store.  In spring, put in fresh gas and oil mix, new spark plugs every 3 to 4 years and you are good to go.  " Don't fix it if aint broke"  is good advice from an old mechanic.  

Answer 3

Freshwater --

Engine maint (assuming 3-cylinder 2-stroke outboard):

Annual gear oil change, $75 - $100 (DIY about $10).

Water pump service every 2 years, $150 - $200 (DIY about $60).

Minor tune-up every 2-3 years, $200 - $300 (DIY about $20 - $50).

Fuel lines, fittings, a few bucks every few years.

Lower unit seals, every 5 - 10 years, >$300 (DIY < $75).

Battery, keep it charged when not in use, add water when needed, should last 4 or 5 years.

Use a fuel conditioner and/or take the boat out & run it every 4 weeks or so will avoid costly carb rebuilds (at least $125 per carb, ($12 DIY)).

Prop service, every few years, <$100.

Forget the oil, or crank it without a water supply to the L/U, or run it into an underwater obstruction, or drop it onto the ramp, you'll spend a bundle.

Hull maintenance:  expect corrosion and a harsh environment to take its toll on electrical wiring and fasteners (things bolted down tend to come unbolted with all the shock & vibration), you'll probably spend a few hundred bucks every couple years.

Trailer:  tires usually wear out from exposure and underinflation with plenty of tread remaining.  Hubs, keep 'em the bearings greased, check 'em every couple years.

Running in salt water will cost you more, but I have no experience with that.

On top of all that, expect something to break just about every other time you take it out, usually more annoying than costly, but you'll spend $20 here or $100 there.

With a boat, you want to stay on top of maintenance -- nothing's worse than dragging a boat 150 miles only to find that 6 weeks of disuse has caused some little problem that keeps you off the water.