A sad admission, or "how time flies" : UPDATED

[leeatmg]

I used to frequent this forum (and it's predecessor that shall not be named) often. But then something happened. Almost four years ago, I moved from Minnesota (a boating haven) to Arizona (a year round boating paradise.) But for some reason, I stopped boating.

We kept our beloved Yamaha, of course, but consigned her to the dark recesses of a storage facility. At first, it was because we were getting settled in our new home. Then things (life) came up, and we just...didn't.

But, for the first time in four years, our 2009 SX230HO, named the Wild Life Refuge, sits on our driveway, waiting for me to open her up tomorrow morning and get her seaworthy so we can, at long last, return to the boating lifestyle here in Arizona.

So - I have a question for all of you mechanically inclined boaters (I am most certainly not one of those.) What do I need to look for, or worry about, after four years in storage? The last time she was started was a dealer winterizing in the fall of 2013 (it has a charger onboard, and it has been plugged in over those four years.) I have concerns that things have rusted, or dry rotted, or who knows what? So I'd appreciate, if anyone has any experience in this area, some comments on what to look for, what to check, what to do (or not to do.) We don't have the luxury of a good dealer here in the Phoenix area (or so I'm told) so I need to figure this out for myself.

Thanks in advance for any information or advice you can offer. It feels good to be back!

 

[jetboater4life]

Welcome back @leeatmg. Right now I wish I were in Arizona, but instead I am stuck with freezing Temps in MN.

As far as your boat, I would test your bilge to make sure it is working and can actually pump water. The gas in the boat might be bad if they didn't put the correct type or amount of stabil in. I would hook it up to the hose, remember engine on, water on, water off, engine off. If you are not equipped to do that then you can run each engine for less than a minute with out hurting anything. you may need to siphon the tank which won't be much fun. Check your oil levels. I would probably do an oil change and spark plug change if it were me. Inspect the hull especially around the bunks to make sure nothing unusual happened in storage or transit.
Make sure the stearing works by enlisting a helper to watch the jet nozzles.

 

[leeatmg]

Welcome back @leeatmg. Right now I wish I were in Arizona, but instead I am stuck with freezing Temps in MN.

As far as your boat, I would test your bilge to make sure it is working and can actually pump water. The gas in the boat might be bad if they didn't put the correct type or amount of stabil in. I would hook it up to the hose, remember engine on, water on, water off, engine off. If you are not equipped to do that then you can run each engine for less than a minute with out hurting anything. you may need to siphon the tank which won't be much fun. Check your oil levels. I would probably do an oil change and spark plug change if it were me. Inspect the hull especially around the bunks to make sure nothing unusual happened in storage or transit.
Make sure the stearing works by enlisting a helper to watch the jet nozzles.

Thanks @jetboater4life ! I understand about the MN weather. The saddest day of the year was the day I had to pull the boat out of the lake in early October, and the best day was when the docks were ready in May. In between was...sad.

I have no idea about whether they put stabil in or not, but I always always always used the non-oxy gas in the boat, which I've heard helps with that issue. I'll definitely check the oil levels, etc. but changing plugs is probably not something I'm likely to do myself. Probably could enlist any marina to do that - I'm sure that's not a Yamaha-specific thing. I had not thought to check the bunks, etc. - great idea! Same goes for the steering. I can run it on a hose, etc. (and have done so before) so that's not an issue. I did have to replace a couple of the SS clamps once (oddly, the ones holding the fuel filler hose to the fuel filler nozzle in the side of the boat) and that was a chore, but it makes me worried about the condition of things like the SS clamps and so on. And the cleanup plugs...something tells me I'm going to have to replace those too.

Thanks again - I really appreciate the comments. I'm compiling a long, long list for this weekend...

 

[Eric Ballard]

I was just in Phoenix last week darn it....

Tires for air and rot
trailer axles
bow roller for rot
bunk boards

in the boat....
do an oil change or two
check the gaskets for all the plugs.
check the cleanout port gasket
lube the steering cable
get new batteries
check rubber around the windshield for rot
change sparkplugs
take a plastic hammer and lightly tap all around the hull and look and listen for soft spots

Basically, top to bottom just like you where buying a used boat.


Saw this lake/river system from the plane; looks amazing! Welcome back!!!!

Canyon Lake, Arizona

 

[leeatmg]

I was just in Phoenix darn it last week....

Tires for air and rot
trailer axles
bow roller for rot
bunk boards

in the boat....
do an oil change or two
check the gaskets for all the plugs.
check the cleanout port gasket
lube the steering cable
get new batteries
check rubber around the windshield for rot
change sparkplugs
take a plastic hammer and lightly tap all around the hull and look and listen for soft spots

Basically, top to bottom just like you where buying a used boat.


Saw this lake/river system from the plane; looks amazing! Welcome back!!!!
View attachment 65852

Thanks @Eric Ballard - more good ideas. Would not thought about the rubber, steering cable, etc. but I did wonder how the batteries have held up. I've had them on a trickle charger all this time but I know they have a shelf life too. The bow roller, and the rear tie-downs were in remarkably good shape all things considered. I had expected some issues there, but they seem to be pretty solid. Appreciate the reply! That looks like it might be the east end of Lake Saguaro (assuming you were heading east out of the PHX area) or possibly the next lake up the chain (Canyon Lake.) Likely where I will be taking her when she's up and running...

 

[jetboater4life]

Thanks! I understand about the MN weather. The saddest day of the year was the day I had to pull the boat out of the lake in early October, and the best day was when the docks were ready in May. In between was...sad.

I have no idea about whether they put stabil in or not, but I always always always used the non-oxy gas in the boat, which I've heard helps with that issue. I'll definitely check the oil levels, etc. but changing plugs is probably not something I'm likely to do myself. Probably could enlist any marina to do that - I'm sure that's not a Yamaha-specific thing. I had not thought to check the bunks, etc. - great idea! Same goes for the steering. I can run it on a hose, etc. (and have done so before) so that's not an issue. I did have to replace a couple of the SS clamps once (oddly, the ones holding the fuel filler hose to the fuel filler nozzle in the side of the boat) and that was a chore, but it makes me worried about the condition of things like the SS clamps and so on. And the cleanup plugs...something tells me I'm going to have to replace those too.

Thanks again - I really appreciate the comments. I'm compiling a long, long list for this weekend...

Inspecting all the hose clamps is a good recommendation. As for the trailer check the tires to make sure there isn't any cracking on the side wall or in between the tread.

 

[leeatmg]

Inspecting all the hose clamps is a good recommendation. As for the trailer check the tires to make sure there isn't any cracking on the side wall or in between the tread.

@jetboater4life it's funny you should say that. I paid someone to tow it down here from MN and en route, two of the four tires blew from dry rot. I replaced the other two (and had someone grease the hubs and check the trailer brake) once it was here in storage, so I think they are good (they looked OK - I checked them before I towed them here.) They did have a slight flat spot on them that cleared up after driving them, and shockingly, they had left a small divot in the asphalt from sitting there for all that time. I guess these boats are heavy!

 

[2nazt]

Batteries make sure they have water in them unless they are AGM. Bilge working. Check the scupper as it may have dried and cracked. Once in water just check the bilge for water before leaving. Take things slow and check often. Turn one motor off and try to restart before killing both. 4 year old gas may not be good so that could cause issues with running.

 

[Scottintexas]

Our FAQ tab has instructions with pictures to change the oil and plugs, it really takes minimal mechanical ability.

How much gas is in there, a full tank, half or just a little,

I'd change the oil and run it on the hose at the house for 30 minutes, stop and starting a few times,

If you have a full tank I think I would just add some fuel additives/sea-foam, If you had half a tank or less I'd run it at the house and then fill it up with fresh fuel and bring it back home to run it a little longer, I wouldn't want the trip to the gas station and then boat ramp to stir up any stuff that might clog it up while you're on the water,

Once you're in the water, if you're still not 100% confident about fuel I'd stay close to the docks and maybe give it some short bursts to move everything around and make sure there's no sediment issues.

Good luck and keep us posted,

 

[SamCF]

For sure dump a can of seafoam in there. The stuff is magic

 

[buckbuck]

After doing a few preventative maintenance items I believe you will find it starts and operates normally. That old familiar feeling from years ago will come back quickly.

 

[Ronnie]

A few additional things I would do:
Pull the batteries and have them tested by a local auto parts store.
Remove and reinstall the clean out plugs to confirm they are operating correctly.
Get under the clean out port tray to inspect the scupper.
Run both motors separately on a hose for 10 minutes each before taking it to the water for the first time.
Maybe take it to a parking lot and refresh my trailering skills (backing into a spot / ramp) and verify the reverse lockout is working.

 

[Beachbummer]

After years of storage, I would go further on the batteries and just have them replaced. You are getting great advice here from everyone's suggestions.

 

[bronze_10]

You have the mr1s.. take all the steps you need to but it is likely the old trusted mr1s and still solid. My boat is an 08 that sat in a storage rack from 09 till 2015 when we bought it.. never had an issue with our boat!

 

[leeatmg]

Batteries make sure they have water in them unless they are AGM. Bilge working. Check the scupper as it may have dried and cracked. Once in water just check the bilge for water before leaving. Take things slow and check often. Turn one motor off and try to restart before killing both. 4 year old gas may not be good so that could cause issues with running.

Thanks @2nazt ... sadly there was no need to check the batteries - pretty sure they are very dead.

 

[leeatmg]

A few additional things I would do:
Pull the batteries and have them tested by a local auto parts store.
Remove and reinstall the clean out plugs to confirm they are operating correctly.
Get under the clean out port tray to inspect the scupper.
Run both motors separately on a hose for 10 minutes each before taking it to the water for the first time.
Maybe take it to a parking lot and refresh my trailering skills (backing into a spot / ramp) and verify the reverse lockout is working.

@Ronnie thanks - I was pleasantly surprised to see my trailering skills had only suffered a little.

 

[leeatmg]

UPDATE...

The batteries are, I am assuming, completely dead. They have been on a trickle charger (the ProSport20) for the entire time, and there is absolutely no glimmer of electricity at all. They are both old; the starting battery is original (8 years) and the AGM battery I bought to run the stereo is at least 5 years old, so while I will take them with me to test them when I buy the new batteries, I am probably going to just buy new ones.

Everything else looked like it was in pretty good shape, but without batteries, I could not run the engines or do much else but clean it. But it did need a lot of cleaning, both in and out. Unfortunately, I live in an HOA so one day was all I could do at home; it has to go back into storage for the week. I'll use that time to get the batteries taken care of as well as a few other things I noticed (the original tie-downs are rusting a little, so it's time for new ratcheting tie-downs, and the black decking on the back is starting to get dry and crumbly so it may be time to replace that with a nice SeaDek kit.) All the mechanical stuff looked pretty good from a distance; the clamps had hints of rust but nothing was loose or broken or anything.

Thanks for all the advice - I will update this thread next week when I can get the batteries replaced and get her up and running.