New boat owner

[Marck]

Just picked up a 1990 2755 SCR and yes this my first boat also. It needs some work and cleaning but it's not bad. As a bonus it seems to run too! I'm actually not entirely sure what actually works but that's part of the fun of this project.
One first things might be trying to find canvas for it. I've got a Bimini that's about it. I'm in central Indiana but finding an enclosure might be nice, even one in rough shape could be used for a pattern. I've got a storage cover coming from Seal Skin Covers but not entirely sure it will fit.

[mmwjr]

Congratulations and welcome aboard!

I would first focus on making sure it’s in good operation condition before spending money on other things. When was this boat last on the water? Based on where you are I’m assuming it’s been a fresh water boat and not used in salt water. When was it last serviced; engine oil and filter, fuel filter, gear lube, and very important the raw water impeller?

[shrew]

Start with making sure that there is no rot in the core. take a small hard rubber mallet and start systematically tapping. Focus on the deck and transom. Listen for hollow sounds.

Get a moisture meter and check everywhere, but focus on the transom, deck and stringers.

(Technically this should have been done before buying the boat).

If everything is solid, then focus on getting the engine running.

Then get the electrical and other systems sorted out.

Once everything is done, then compound, wax. THEN worry about upholstery and canvas.

You don't want to dump a bunch of money into cosmetics only to find out that mechanical or structural is not intact.

[Marck]

Thanks all. At $2k I have a trailer that happens to have a boat on it. It is a bit rough in places but the engine does run, 90% of the upholstery has been redone already. A mooring canvas would be nice to keep out weather but a tarp will work for now. The primary purpose in getting this was/is to figure out what I don't know about boats and what I can and can't fix on my own, second is getting it out and having some fun.

[mmwjr]

Under Documents of this site you will find the Mercruiser manuals for your engine and outdrive.

[shrew]

That sounds great!!!

The immediate things I would be looking at is:

Oil and Filter Change
Belts
Plugs
inspect/replace hoses
outdrive lube change
outdrive bellows
Exhaust manifolds and risers

[Marck]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

Under Documents of this site you will find the Mercruiser manuals for your engine and outdrive.

Yes found those thanks. I did go ahead and order a Number 15 physical manual for the engine. I believe the outdrive is an Alpha I Gen I and needs the Number 6 manual, PN 90-12934--2 but not entirely sure about that yet.

[Marck]

Originally Posted by shrew

That sounds great!!!

The immediate things I would be looking at is:

Oil and Filter Change
Belts
Plugs
inspect/replace hoses
outdrive lube change
outdrive bellows
Exhaust manifolds and risers

Yes, The rubber stuff doesn't look too bad as is but that's all on the list. Probably replace manifold riser gaskets. Maybe do distributer components? At least inspect what I've got. It's just incredibly annoying weather right now to be doing that kind of stuff without being under cover at least.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by Marck

Yes found those thanks. I did go ahead and order a Number 15 physical manual for the engine. I believe the outdrive is an Alpha I Gen I and needs the Number 6 manual, PN 90-12934--2 but not entirely sure about that yet.

For this size boat I would suspect it’s a Bravo 2. Is there a raw water engine mounted pump on the starboard side of the engine? It would be belt driven.

[Marck]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

For this size boat I would suspect it’s a Bravo 2. Is there a raw water engine mounted pump on the starboard side of the engine? It would be belt driven.

There's an electric fuel pump on the starboard side, no water pump. On the mercruiserparts.com I confirmed my outdrive SN falling under "R/MR/ALPHA ONE (Sterndrive) 1983-1990 6225577 THRU 0F386995"

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by Marck

There's an electric fuel pump on the starboard side, no water pump. On the mercruiserparts.com I confirmed my outdrive SN falling under "R/MR/ALPHA ONE (Sterndrive) 1983-1990 6225577 THRU 0F386995"

An electric fuel pump on a 1990? What engine does it have?

[Marck]

The Engine serial comes back as 5.7L GM 350 V-8 1988-1995 0B525982 THRU 0F600999. The engine cover says Model MCM 5.7 Litre

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by Marck

The Engine serial comes back as 5.7L GM 350 V-8 1988-1995 0B525982 THRU 0F600999. The engine cover says Model MCM 5.7 Litre

That vintage of the 5.7 (350) used a mechanical fuel pump and didn’t switch to an electric one until 1998 which is the Vortec version. Maybe someone modified it, can you post a picture?

[Marck]

So maybe what I think is an electric fuel pump is just a bundle of wires and connections for the starter and the mechanical pump is behind the filter? Or is there an in tank pump? Here's a crapy pic. I'm away from the boat for several days so can't get better for a while. Anyway there's no belt driven raw water pump on this side or the other. I've not really had much time to track things back to there source or destination.

[shrew]

Unrelated to the discussion, but on the left side of the picture is an open Seacock. The hose (black) looks like it is running to an A/C pump (red) mounted on the stringer. It looks like the hose (white) is running from the A/C to the seastrainer.

1) You have 1 hose clamp per connection below the waterline. There should be 2 hose clamps.

2) the seastrainer should be BEFORE the pump, not after it. You're protecting the A/C unit, but not the A/C pump. This has had some DIY work

3) You can also tell that it has been DIY by a PO because he used a hot & cold potable water line for the A/C raw water. This is for the pressure water system, not for engine and A/C intakes. I'd use a heavier gauge hose. I prefer exhaust hose for anything below water that is a constant duty cycle like that.

4) Frequently, if you haul the boat with this seacock open, you will need to manually prime the system again before you use it. During the winter I leave this open to drain water so it doesn't freeze. If I were trailering in the summer, I would close the seacock before I haul to avoid having to keep priming the system.

5) That black hose from the seacock to the pump looks like it might need to be replaced. They get that grey hazy look when they are drying out. They should be black and supply with no cracking. They should not be stiff. Look for subtle signs of microcracking which indicate dry rot.

I know that is not what you asked, but it's there, so I thought it worth mentioning.

[Marck]

Thanks for the info. I'm kind of was aware of the need for the changes you noted but it's useful to have the more experienced info. There is a lot on this one that will need some attention. It may be fall before I can actually get it in the water.

[mmwjr]

Shrew raises several good points. That hose from the seacock to AC pump has lots of cracks and needs replacing. Additionally it looks like plastic fittings which are a no no.

The wires in the picture are the 50 amp engine breaker and slave solenoid and below is the fuel filter/water separator. The mechanical fuel pump will be behind this mounted to the engine. I agree there is no engine mounted raw water pump so you have an Alpha drive but a good picture is needed to determine if it’s Gen1 vs Gen2.

Note boats don’t have a in tank fuel pump even with fuel injection.