Back from the dead...UPDATED: SHE LIVES!

[leeatmg]

All;

So...I've been away for a while, from the board and my boat. Who knew moving cross country was so much work?

Now that I've been here in the Phoenix area for a year or so, it's time to get back to boating. My boat has been in storage, shrink-wrapped, since I left MN last May. At that time, my dealer there did the full spring runup - oil change, etc.

I'm not sure what I'm going to find when I un-shrink wrap the boat (which will be soon...) - mold? Bugs? Corroded clamps? Everything OK? Who knows?

In anticipation of issues, two questions - any advice on what to look for? Don't want to get back on the water until I'm sure she's seaworthy.

Second - is there a good dealer someone can recommend in the Phoenix area? It might just be worth it to have a qualified person look her over and make sure.

Thanks in advance for the replies - I've missed the boat, and the board. Looking forward to getting back to both.

 

[itsdgm]

Welcome back @leeatmg to the club. I won't have any info on a mechanic in the Phoenix area, sorry. Hopefully the boat will be just as you left it when it was wrapped. Make sure the batteries are all charged up and it should just fire right up!!! Right?

 

[Geiger41]

Charge the batteries....Probably need some new fuel...maybe check your spark plugs...besides that fire that motherf*cker up !! I had a yamaha waverunner sit for a yr and half.. CHanged the oil, charged the batteries and the thing started and ran/runs like day 1 !!

 

[txav8r]

@leeatmg Welcome home Lee! I wish I had remembered you were there. I just had a long layover in Phoenix a few days ago!

I think I would do an annual service and if the fuel new in May, and was treated, it may be fine. But I would either burn it and get it diluted asap, or replace it.

It probably doesn't need annual but I would donut myself just because I don't want moisture that may have collected in the oil. Line it up and go. I might pull the plugs and reapply anti seize, hitnid they are new, why change them. You have a great many lakes to enjoy out there. Come up and meet us at Powell in Sept! Glad to have you back!

 

[tdonoughue]

Welcome back! I can't really add to the excellent advice above; I just wanted to add my welcome.

 

[Gym]

I would consider pulling the cleanout tray, depending on when the last time that was done, as many problems occur in that area. check all systems (bilge pump, engines, no wake, lights etc. and make sure all is functioning properly. Other than that clean up and provisioning the boat should be your only other chore.

 

[tdonoughue]

Oh! I do have something for you to check!

After that long, any beer you had on board is likely to be gone or bad. Buy fresh, new beer.

 

[leeatmg]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Good advice...

I am hoping not to find a mess when I open her up, which is probably going to be this week. My main concern, to be honest, are the clamps. Already had to replace the hose clamps that secure the fuel hose to the side of the boat (that one was fun!) due to rust. Not sure how the combination of shrink wrap and Phoenix heat and low humidity will have affected them after a year. I'm not very mechanically inclined, and the last thing I want to do is get out on the water and have something fail. I have nightmares about water filling the engine bay...

@txav8r - Powell in September, eh? Not sure I can do that (kids in school) but keep us posted. That's only a 4-5 hour drive for us and might be doable for a long weekend as a "test." My wife is not a camping person, but I could see camping on Lake Powell as a gateway drug of sorts for her... :')

 

[txav8r]

Lee, the resort at wahweap is beautiful and we would be staying there if we didn't bring the coach. Matter of fact, the campgrounds and resort are co-located! See you there!

 

[leeatmg]

Took off the shrink wrap today, after over a year. Plugged in the charger, and surprisingly the batteries read fully charged. Hope that's good. Otherwise, very little mold inside, and a little outside damage from the tape that held the shrink wrap in place (the glue has fused to the hull and will need to be removed.)

Otherwise, looked great cosmetically.

I decided to let it sit, charging, for a day or two to make sure. Then, I'll go back and try to start her up. No water, so it'll be a brief start to make sure she runs fine. Anything I should do before starting? Top off the oil or something to get a little oil in the system, so to speak?

 

[leeatmg]

Lee, the resort at wahweap is beautiful and we would be staying there if we didn't bring the coach. Matter of fact, the campgrounds and resort are co-located! See you there!

Do you have dates for this yet? Hadn't seen it in the Powell thread, though I could have missed it...

Just drove the route recently from PHX to Yellowstone, and drove right through Page. Looked beautiful, though I shuddered at the thought of towing the boat up and down the hilly area of central Arizona. Guess I'd better get over that pretty quick...