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[Nater_Potater]

Greetings from Idaho!

We recently bought a '92 300DA with twin Mercs/5.7s that hadn't seen the water for over four years.  The outdrives look like she'd sat in the salt water for quite a while, due to the heavy corrosion.  The gent we bought it from had bought it four years ago, where it sat in his backyard until we bought it.  The engines and outdrives run and sound fine, so we backed her into the lake, only to find it taking on water at a somewhat alarming rate.  Once back home, I pulled the outdrives to find the exhaust and shift-shaft bellows torn.  No big surprise there.  Fortunately, the u-joint bellows were good, so no rust.

Being too late in the season to try for a second go-around, the outdrives were split, and the sanding has begun.  We have bellows and gimbal bearing kits ready to go come next Spring, along with fresh paint to be applied to the outdrives.

This'll be a bit of a jump for us, as the last boat we owned was an 18-foot runabout with a Merc 165 I/O.  I can hardly wait!

My friend, his wife, and my wife next to "Into the Mystic"

https://i.postimg.cc/rs95HvTZ/IMG-0288-2.jpg

[Steele_y_Tutz]

Funny how things work. We just purchased a 1992 300DA that came from Idaho. It was a fresh water boat and the last folks put it in the salt only a couple of times. But would get a very good fresh water flushing as they came up the Columbia River. This too hasn't been sealed at the transom in 10 years as least. Ours looks like either the port starter is failing or, and I pray not, the torn bellows has let water into the cylinders and it will need a new port 4.3l. I pray it's just a crappy starter from when that motor was rebuilt a few years back.

We are coming from a 19' runabout with the Merc470 w/pre alpha. That poor ol boat had never been serviced when we got it. I had to rebuild/replace everything in that boat.