Tip of the iceberg

N

nordicstallion

New member
The more I work on the new/used boat the more dissappointed I become with human nature.Advertised as WELL MAINTAINED,should have been NEVER MAINTAINED. Upon our return from our maiden voyage,the little woman heard a grinding sound in stb. brake drum.I wondered about the large amount of grease the wheels took when i greased them. Pulled the grease cap.Found the bearings to be loose.Pulled the drum,found a very well worn bolt that had been laying loose in the drum for a long time. The bolt didnt match the other backing plate ,thin headed bolts ,but one was missing. Next ,I found that the remaining bolts are not tight & there is play in the backing plate. This stuff goes right along with the prop banging around like a bb in a boxcar instead of torqued to 40 lbs,the meathead NEVER used a transom saver,NEVER changed gear oil & pretty much ignored everything except Bodega Bay salmon & halibut. This is the tip of the iceberg Im afraid.I may not be ready for tuna this year as everything is suspect. Ill have to check every screw that penetrates the core as I dont know what he did or had done.The boat is an 04 & motor has only 110 hrs & sonar water mileage says 675 mi.& was stored covered.Lucky for me he didnt have more time to completly destroy it and lucky for him he found a buyer who still had a little faith left in his fellow man, but its another brick in the wall. I know,I know,buyer beware,but there should be room for seller beware or perhaps just a little honesty!!Vern/C-Dog
 
nordicstallion":oxby9hhx said:
... Ill have to check every screw that penetrates the core as I dont know what he did or had done... Vern/C-Dog
Click to expand...

Which brings me to my question - what is the normal routine maintance that should be done on a regular basis to a C-Dory? It may just be some folks (like me) dont know what they should be checking on a regular basis. To be honest - I take my boat out - cruise around - take it back to the dock, clean up my gear, rinse the engine, and thats about it. Should I be tighting bolts, greasing, oiling, etc ? My engine states servicing at 300 hours.

Tom
 
I hope this 'thread' becomes alive with all of the helpful hints that have been given in the past by the incredibly helpful folks blessed with C-Dory ownership and are a member of 'CLUB.' (TyBo, DaNag, Thataway, Anne Leigh, etc. this is your chance to lose your shyness)! My full proof method of maintainence since 2003 is to put the ignition key into Snap Out Of It! on May 1st, spend the summer puddle-jumping down the Maine Coast and living on Smuttynose Island. On the last day of October my dock gets hauled for the winter and I get kicked off and have to go to a mooring until it starts getting cold and then I remove the key, haul it out of the drink, and take it to a fairly decent mechanic.

David F.
 
My uneducated guess would be to grease every zerk yearly,which wasnt done on this boat.Change engine oil yearly.Give at least a little attention to multiple high water marks in v-berth storage & why not pull out the floating, moldy life vests,put a little silicone in the leaking cabin top carrier bolts.Fuel filter was never changed,cracks beginning to form in transom due to no t.saver,broken trailer lights,& the list goes on .At the very least,protect ones investment by reading the book.This guy didnt even know where his book was.Sorry but im still ranting. Its all listed in the motor repair book I had to buy & in the C-Dory owners manual that he somehow managed to save. Im ticked.I think Ill e-mail him to check out this thread,I couldnt be civil writing him. It would get ugly! I better take a pill & sit back & splice the mainbrace! This is your friend & mine,the Wild Nordic Stallion,signing off again. Vern/C-Dog
 
Tom,

I would check the trailer frame bolts and wheel lug nuts for tightness, but I would NOT start tightening bolts on the outboard. Every fastener on an outboard has a required torque. Exceeding that torque can cause lots of problems.

I would do a visual inspection of the motor. Look for loose parts, and if you see something that seems not normal, ask your dealer.

Read your outboard owners manual to see what maintenance is recomended.

Once or twice a season, remove the prop, inspect the prop shaft for fishline, remove any found, grease the splines with waterproof grease and reinstall the prop. Follow the instructions in your owners manual.

If you have wing nuts on your battery terminals, replace them with hex nuts. Tighten the nuts with a box end wrench. Use a wrench that is too short to touch both terminals at the same time. Once or twice a year, check the battery terminals and cable ends for corrosion. Clean any corrosion and reinstall the cables and tighten with the wrench. I would buy an wrench just for the battery terminal nuts.

Checking and sealing any screws that penetrate the inside boat bottom or other cored areas has been discussed.

I would also check the electrical panels and look for any loose nuts or screws. Be sure to shut off the batteries prior to working on the electrical system.

A good eyeball inspection of every part of your boat and equipment can go a long way towards preventing problems.

Larry H
Retired outboard mechanic
 
Boat trailers are put on this earth to frustrate. Every time you dunk one in the water, the hubs should be greased afterwards. Lights? They are temporary citizens.... carry extra bulbs in the truck alongside the trailer registration. Make sure there is adequate clearance between the trailer fenders and the trailer tires. Check the tires, though they may have plenty of tread, if not used much they may still be old, show a few cracks and be one tow away from imminent failure. Replace with trailer tires with multiple plies, not car tires.

Be patient with the boat. Go through it thoroughly, expect challenges, check C-Brats for excellent advice and get out on the water. Once you walk a while in it's shoes, you'll know what is right and what isn't, gain confidence and come to love it. C.W.
 
I highly recommend buying a can of Corrosion X and use it liberaly. I sprayed each nut on my trailer. I also spray the battery terminals, bus bars, almost everything really. It can even be used on circuit boards ect. This stuff really cuts down on corrosion. I have had zero change in the appearance of my battery connections even after 2 years. They still look new.
 
Thank you spencer!I was just puzzleing over that after putting my brakes back together.While under the trailer I was noticeing that most bolts & nuts were galvanized & some were not.Easy to see which is which. Im off to get a family size can. Happy days! Vern/C-Dog
 
Lots of good suggestions. I would not be too surprised that a 4 or 5 year old trailer had these problems. Sure, it should have been maintained. It should have been rinsed with fresh water after each Dunk, the wheel bearings should have been repacked yearly, the motor lower unit, and oil changed yearly--at least--or every 100 hours.

On the other hand, the majority of the boat owners do not do what is necessary to bring the boats up to standard--they assume that the factory did it right.

I realize that there are frustrations, but even with new boats, there are lots of items which need to be retrofixed...and much more.
 
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