I have bought my first boat- a...

[Sunshine_Chuck]

I have bought my first boat- a 2008 Sea Ray 185 Sport. Yesterday took it on water for first run and it did not idle well and I needed to give it gas for it to start. I did not have mechanic inspect it before buying because dealer said it was practically new and indeed it sounded great on our test drive. When I got back in harbour, I could hear static from speakers even though radio was not connected. What is source of problem? I should add that battery was dead when I got it and wrong battery had been installed. Dealership gave me a new battery when I asked for it - I had downloaded manual from your website to see which one I needed and I installed it before my first run. Also, there was oil on top of engine and cap connected to blue hoses was not in all the way when I got back to the dock. My plan was to hire a marine mechanic to take me through all the systems because I am a green boater with a goal of maintaining the systems myself and I know nothing about marine mechanics. This is my investment in my learning as I ultimately want a long boating relationship and a bigger Sea Ray down the road that I can maintain myself. Please tell me what I should do now and what I should have done before purchasing this boat from the dealer. I am not embarrassed by my stupidity as I figure the only way I am going to become competent with boats is to buy one and learn as I go. I also admit that I have downloaded them but have not read through all the manuals yet. Thanks in advance. 

[Mikeeh]

Chuck,
First, I have the same boat and it will probably be a great little first boat for you. I assume it has a 4.3 Mercruiser motor and an Alpha 1 Gen 2 outdrive. I don't think your problems are too bad although it seems the dealer who sold you the boat could have done a better job prepping it for delivery. If you can find a mechanic who will give your engine and outdrive an good going over and teach you some basic maintenance techniques you'll be in good shape. There's a lot to good maintenance of a boat that you won't find in the manual and the fact that you're willing to learn and get your hands dirty is a great start. BTW, where are you located?

[Sunshine_Chuck]

Thanks Mikeeh for the prompt reply and support. It sounds as though I am on the right track and I already have a mechanic in mind that our marina recommends that I will call. I live in Canada and boat in the Thousand Islands just north of Clayton New York. Thanks again

[Mikeeh]

Chuck, I know the area and love Clayton. My father was born in Canada near Niagara Falls. The Thousand Islands area is beautiful and, if it weren't for the winters I wouldn't mind being there. We're on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay not really near anything. 😉

[Mikeeh]

BTW, when we first got our 185S I found it slow to get on plane. I put a 21p stainless prop on it and installed a set of SmartTabs. That made an amazing improvement in handling across the board.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

That is good information. I will have to see how my does getting on plane. What RPM do you tend to cruise at, and is your water sea water or freshwater? I was thinking of trailering my boat to Florida and was wondering if I need to keep it out of the water down there when I am not using it.

[Mikeeh]

My boat is raw water (sea) cooled. If you use your boat in saltwater you should not leave it in the water for extended periods, mainly to protect the outdrive. You should also flush the motor and outdrive on muffs with a hose. Saltwater is not your friend which is why you see 99% outboards in that environment. Our boat is on a Jet dock in a freshwater tributary that feeds into the Upper Chesapeake Bay so even if we run out in the saltwater portion of the Bay it's all pretty well flushed with freshwater by the time we get home.

As to cruising speeds, I found my most efficient cruise is at about 3200 RPMs. GPS speed shows to be between 25-30 MPH depending on conditions. WOT is 4600 but I rarely push beyond 4200 which gets it north of 40 MPH.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

I have a 3.0 L 135 hp and I think the engine is air cooled but clearly I need to get into my manuals and get tinkering and invest in a set of muffs and learn how to rinse the engine. My manual says that my boat has best cruising efficiency at 3000 rpm but I have to test it out.

[Mikeeh]

Your engine is definitely not air cooled!! Yes, get into the manual because there is a water pump in your outdrive that pimps cooling water into the engine via a rubber pellet that should be changed periodically depending on your use of the boat. Never, ever run the engine without the outdrive in the water or on a hose because you'll destroy that impeller in 30 seconds.

[Mikeeh]

BTW, my engine is the 4.3 V6. That 3.0 4 cylinder is pretty much bullet proof if you maintain it properly.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

I sent an email to the mechanic and will tell him that I need to fast-track my learning in your orders! Ty

[wai_phung]

I would still get a survey done. Bring it back to dealer to fix. Sorry to say but the dealer screwed you over. Always get a survey done before a purchase.
The static may be coming from your UHF radio, bad ground probably

[SeaMax]

Sounds like you could have a fuel issue. I would put a can of Sea Foam in it and run at fast idle for 15 min. I had the same boat a while back and it is a great boat with very dependable engine. If the Sea Foam doesn’t help, definitely talk to the dealer.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

Thanks Wai Phung and SeaMax for your messages! Greatly appreciated. I have been out twice since my inaugural trip and I am learning more each time. I will be going out on my boat with my mechanic in a week to check all systems out and have ordered the engine maintenance manual to learn more about my 2008 3.0 l mercruiser 135 hp alpha sterndrive. I will also pick up some Sea Foam as there may be some water in the fuel and a bottle of fuel treatment will do no harm. As for the possible electrical interference and static in the radio system, I will need to troubleshoot that a bit as well. I have read through the owners general information manual from this website and there is mention of the engine owners manual but can’t seem to find an online version. Does anyone know if there is an online engine manual available for my mercruiser 3.0 L engine? Thanks so much for reading my post and for your feedback everyone.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

I went out on the water with my mechanic today and it turns out that my starting issue is a function of my lack of experience starting an engine with a carburetor. I have learned how to give it throttle when starting and just need to learn how much gas to give it to get it to start. He told me the boat and engine are in fantastic shape. I did put the Sea Foam in the engine and that seemed to cure the stalling problem. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[SeaMax]

Boaters love to help other boaters. Isn’t it great 😎

[Sunshine_Chuck]

Yes indeed! While I have your attention, perhaps you can help with the next questions. When I hauled my boat out of the water to trailer it to my mechanic’s lake, I noticed some green growth on the hull. I had washed the waterline while swimming a couple of days ago and this looks like some algae starting to grow. How do I clean it before putting it back at its docking spot in fresh water?

[Mikeeh]

Wonderful. How was it getting up on plane?

[Mikeeh]

Clean the hull with a pressure washer followed by a hull cleaner. There are several on the market. Other here can probably recommend one. When I kept a boat in the water for the season I applied bottom paint. Hopefully you don't need to go that route.

[Sunshine_Chuck]

My mechanic showed me how to properly get it up in plane and it was fast and easy to do. He used more trim and more and faster throttle than I had been giving it and he also cruised at a higher speed-4000 RPM instead of my usual 3000. He also demonstrated cavitation for me so that I know when to trim down.
As for washing my hull, I do have a pressure washer and will give it a good cleaning and hopefully that will take care of it, along with 3M marine product waxing that the owners manual recommends twice a year for spring and fall for us Northern boaters. I think I need to learn how to properly buff and wax the gel coat too, to keep it beautiful.
Thanks again.