Bowrider & Runabout Repair

Almost every bowrider and runabout we see has changed hands at least once, and the service records almost never came with it — so nobody can tell you what's been done or what's overdue.

CALL [PHONE] · BOOK A BASELINE INSPECTION

The problem with buying used

You bought the hull, the engine and the drive. What you didn't get was the history.

Nobody can tell you when the bellows were last replaced — and that's the item that sinks these boats.
Or the impeller — the one that costs an engine.
Or whether the exhaust manifolds have ever been assessed — the expensive silent failure on a gas inboard.
Or when the drive oil was last changed, or whether the alignment was ever checked after work.

None of these announce themselves. The boat starts, it runs, it seems fine — which is exactly why "it seemed fine last time out" is the sentence we hear before nearly every expensive sterndrive repair.

The previous owner may have maintained it perfectly. They may not have. Without records, you're running an unknown machine and finding out the expensive way.

The baseline inspection

The most useful thing you can do with a used runabout is find out where you actually stand.

We go through the boat and tell you, in writing:

• What condition the drive, bellows and gimbal bearing are in
• Compression across all cylinders — the number that says whether the engine is sound
• Cooling condition, and whether the exhaust manifolds are due
• Fluid condition, and what it says about what's been happening
• Anodes and corrosion state
• What's overdue, what's approaching, and what's fine

You end up with a document — a starting point you can maintain from, and a realistic picture of what the next two seasons will cost.

Worth doing before the first trip. A baseline before the season is planning. A baseline after a breakdown is damage control.

What annual service covers → · what actually fails on a sterndrive →

Buying one?

If you haven't bought yet, a pre-purchase mechanical inspection is worth considerably more than it costs.

Compression, drive condition, bellows, cooling and corrosion — the five things that decide whether a boat is a bargain or a project. It's the cheapest possible way to find out which one you're looking at, and it gives you something to negotiate with.

Call before you commit, not after.

What we handle

Engine and drive diagnostics · annual and scheduled service · cooling · fuel systems · electrical, batteries and charging · drive service · winterisation and spring commissioning · repower.

All at your slip, lift, driveway or storage lot. How on-site service works · service area.

FAQ

I bought it used with no records. Where do I start?
A baseline inspection. Knowing what's been done, what hasn't and what's overdue is worth more than any single repair you could buy first.

What does a baseline inspection cover?
Drive and bellows condition, compression, cooling and manifolds, fluid condition, anodes and corrosion — written down, so you have a starting point rather than a guess.

Can you inspect a boat before I buy it?
Yes, and it's the cheapest way to find out whether you're looking at a bargain or a project. It also gives you something to negotiate with.

Why do sterndrives need more attention than outboards?
More systems, more places for water to get in, and failures that develop quietly rather than announcing themselves. Detail here.

The previous owner said it was well maintained. Isn't that enough?
It might be entirely true. Without records there's no way to know, and the items that matter most on these boats — bellows, impeller, manifolds — are all invisible until they fail.

Do you service it at my slip or does it need trailering?
At your slip, lift or driveway — routine work doesn't need the boat moved.

Is it worth fixing an older runabout?
Often, if the hull and transom are sound. Compression and drive condition decide it, which is what the baseline tells you. If it needs a repower, the arithmetic changes.

CALL [PHONE] · REQUEST SERVICE