I went fishing yesterday ( it was dreary and nasty out so I had the day off. I drove about 4 miles down the lake from the ramp and the water was really rough, so I went way up in one of the major creeks on Lake Gaston and was protected from the wind. I mainly fished ledges and a couple flats off of the main creek channel. I caught 3 fish on the football jig, and 4 on a suspended jerkbait. My best 5 would have went 14-15lbs.. so i was pretty happy. ...

Until i started driving back to the ramp and the wind had calmed down alot but my steering still felt sloppy and i wasnt even driving fast. I got it on the trailer and stopped by the Marine shop on the way home and my buddy looked at the hydraulic steering and noticed a leak. He said that it is common in SeaStar units that are 5 plus years old. He said it was a bad seal. I told him to go ahead and order the kit and to go ahead and change my lower unit oil while i was there since it had been 6 months since ive done it.

Thats when he noticed my lower unit oil was milky....yup you guessed it...bad seals in lower unit too. @

Boat got dropped off. I hope this doesnt hurt me too bad. Im waiting on the phone call now to tell me the damage.. he predicted about 150 for steering and 350 for lower unit too (labor included) .... we will see. I am nervous. Ive heard horror stories about lower units.

He thinks we caught the lower unit early because he didnt see many metal shavings and i didnt notice the gears slipping when accellerating... but what do i know

Yeah....A Boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into....I chucked 2200.00 into my "Hole"last year   

Oh no! What was wrong with it?

That is a bummer.  Hope it does not end up being that much!!!

I know right. I hate that this is where my little tax refund may be going. Its crazy tho, i was just telling some one on here a couple days ago, boat stands for bust out another thousand.... now its me getting hit..lol

Bummer. off topic, but curious: How's your Dad doin, Teal?

More good news,  well sort of -

 

At least you made it back safely to the dock and that's where you discovered the maintenance needs.

 

 If you had failed to notice the problem or ignored the signs, that's when these stories end up having quite a bit more to them.

 

Hope it's not too bad.

 

A-Jay

@darren, he is doing well. His spirits are high.

Ajay, thats the same thing my buddy, the marine mechanic says. I talked to him about an hour ago and he has started tearing to the lower unit and says it looks good other than a couple bad seals. He said he should have to spend alot of time on it. So far so good.

**shouldnt have to spend alot of time.

**shouldnt have to spend alot of time.

Did you change your gear oil before the winter?  Just wondering if the bad seal on the lower unit started over the winter or in the cold water... 

I changed my gear oil myself back in angust. I the oil and the magnetic plug/screw was normal condition then.

August through november i was taking it out on average of three times a week. (Some times 4) late november through now -at least once a week, sometimes twice. I try to change it about every 6 months.

We are guessing that it happened sometime since we had all this cold weather.

Man that is unfortunate, hope the damage won't be too bad.

I'm sorry to hear that man.  You have me worried about going out tomorrow in 40 degree water/50 degree air.

I know its a big deal but the motor is a 1996 and it had a new lower put on in 2002, so almost 11 years on that lower unit before a problem... i cant be but so upset. Not to mentioned since i got moved into the city limits last year i dont have indoor storage anymore.(garage) ...

Hope it all works out well for you.

Also glad to hear your dad is doing well and his spirits are high.

I hope it is a straight-forward fix, with no surprises  For the last several years money has really been tight in my household, yet I have decided that the only thing worse than spending money on boat maintenance, is not having a boat to maintain. I will do without many things to be able to have my own boat... Good luck!

Hey Teal you might want to replace the  water pump impeller while the lower unit is apart unless you have done so recently. Just a heads up.

thanks Dwight, that was actually discussed in my phone call with the mechanic yesterday afternoon. He said that impeller is in working condition however it is starting to look worn and that he would change it. So i told him to go ahead and do it. I am also getting my prop re conditioned while its there..

Its gonna end up costing a good bit overall, but id rather pay it and keepnthe boat running than run the risk of letting little problems become "the search for a new(er) 200hp motor"

The boat has been going to the same guy since it was new in 1996 under the first owner, so he knows my boat better than i do. My mechanic actually does care alot and has done alot for near nothing over the years just looking out for his customers. So i trust his judgement.

Glad to hear its all fixable! It's nice to be able to go to a mechanic that does quality work and is looking out for your hard earned investment! Nice to hear your pops is doing well too!

I picked up a 95 Tracker Pro Deep V 16 with a 40 Merc on it last year, ran good for what it was. A couple of months went by and the motor spit the bit, 1 of the cylinder went away. I found a 2009 Merc 50 2 stroke, brand new, full warranty, about 5200 after taxes. Really nice used boat, $3200, replacement motor, $5200, but I'm fishing.

Rodney