Well first let me sat Woot and a gloat... My mom and dad had an old 16' Sea Raider fiberglass boat with a 35hp Johnson on it since I was a kid. I think it is like a 1976 or something. Anyway when my mom and dad divorced, she got the boat for some reason, I think maybe because she thought us kids would want to take it out. Its been sitting in her garage for what I thought was the last 10-15 years. Always garage kept, so the thing looks near new and still has original carpeting, seats, cover, etc. (i'd bet the old blue life vests from when I was a kid back in the late 70s are still in there lol) As a bigger bonus she said she would pay for the new registration on the trailer and boat. -double woot- LoL

So I started thinking today, why not see if it will run. I gave my brother in law a call and found out that about 4 or 5 years back he had someone give the engine a tune up. Said it ran great after but when it sat for a year he went to use it and it would only sputter and would only run with the choke on. Limped back to the dock his last trip.

Anyway, we figure the carb needs to be cleaned and set but i am wondering what other maintenance I should be looking at doing on the engine. I know it has a plug or two that will only cost a few bucks to replace, but I was wondering if anything needs to be greased up or gone over before we give it a shot out on the water this year. Thanks for any and all input you guys can offer.

Also, if there is anything you can advise me on checking for besides just engine stuff I would appreciate it.

PS. Just talked with my mom. She said she was told years ago that the transom would need to be replaced. She said "the wooden board that the engine mounts to". Back then they quoted her like $300 to replace, so I imagine its not all that hard since the majority of work I bet is removing and re-installing the engine before and after the work. So if anyone has any ideas or expertise I would appreciate it.

First if the transom is damaged that obviously is your first priority after looking over the boat as a whole because if the transom is rotted then that means there could be problems elsewhere. Don't patch it fix it!!

Are you mechanically inclined?

If so and you repair the damage to the boat then your next step would be to look at the steering cable's, shift cable's, wiring and then worry about getting the engine to run properly and to do that I would start by draining ALL of the fuel out of the system and start with fresh gas and replacing ALL of the fuel lines and primer bulb and see if that takes care of the way it runs before disassembling anything on the engine and install a new set of plugs and wires.

Boat first, engine last, Good luck

PS. Just talked with my mom. She said she was told years ago that the transom would need to be replaced. She said "the wooden board that the engine mounts to". Back then they quoted her like $300 to replace, so I imagine its not all that hard since the majority of work I bet is removing and re-installing the engine before and after the work. So if anyone has any ideas or expertise I would appreciate it.

Yes, just that wooden board needs replacing.  10 minute job at best.  The bulk of the time you'll spend on that transom replacement is running to the liquor store over and over getting more beer while you scratch your head on just how to get to that wooden board and how to replace it.   ;D

Good re-discovery of the boat!  Other than what you and the others mentioned, I recommend new lower unit lube, new impeller, and also check trailer hub bearings.  Good luck!

Nitrofreak, the entire boat is fiberglass exept the engine mount, which is wood. I do like your idea of checking the cables though and shooting the metal cables with some lubricant designed for the task is a good idea, assuming they are still good, of course.

I am mechaically inclined and because of the short lengths of fuel line and other engine related items, I think replacement is a fantastic idea, assuming my brother in law didn't just do it a few years ago. If he didn't that would mean the entire system is about 30 years old and due for replacement. In searching the web about the older Johnson engines I did find that people who experienced fuel issues found that the bottom of the carb was clogged with junk and that restricted fuel to one of the needles/jets. But your idea of making sure it floats is way better than the engine work. A boat that takes on water isn't going very far, even with an engine that makes gobs of horsepower.  ;D

cart7t, yea, I understand things aren't always as easy as they appear. I am certain that with several of us doing the work, and having access to a ceiling mounted winch and a shop full of tools, that we can figure out how to do the replacement. I am sure though that we will have started out with more than enough beer to accomplish the task though.  ;D

zerofivenismo, appreciate the suggestion. Yes, new lubrication/grease would be a great idea. Trailer bearings are also a priority as well as making sure the tires aren't dry rotted.

And I'm not sure it was a re-discovery as much as it was an awakening of a "duh moment" The boat has been pretty much sitting in the garage there for ~20 years and I never think twice when I walk past it on the way in to her side door. I was sitting there the otehr day wondering if I could hook up with someone locally and pay them for a ride on their boat when they head out, never thinking twice that I had access to a boat myself to use whenever I wanted. All I can say is thank goodness my dad took such good care of the thing all thse years back. Always washed after use, trailer always aintained, engine always gone over in the drive with the assistance of the garden hose and hookup for cooling water for the engine. Always though he was nuts running the engine in the driveway, but he made it last.

Just make sure you make it last too, It does not sound like it would be too hard to repair and I am sure you would like riding in the boat again just take your time do it right and enjoy the ride.

And yes that is a common problem with the carbs and is an easy fix.

Good luck