Fix it or scrap it

[yottyboy]

I'm sort of at a crossroads. I have this boat and engine and stern drive that is still in pieces. Another boating season lost to technical issues.Should I keep working towards a solution using the existing engine and drive? It's been pretty much one damn thing after another. I have yet to feel like the project is near finished. The engine is still at the machine shop, the drive is OK, but an aged OMC Cobra that is no longer supported by the manufacturer who has gone out of business. The engine is a stock Chevy 350 which is carb'd with a new Edelbrock that, when running, is smooth and powerful. The engine is being tested for cracks due to water in the oil.

Should I cut my losses and buy a new engine and drive package and have it installed by someone so that I can just enjoy the boat once and for all? I know it's going to be expensive, but considering that I will have to spend several more weekends installing the existing engine (assuming that it is usable) and sea trialing and blah, blah blah...

What would you do? I'm definitely going to keep this boat for many many years, so ditching the whole thing for another boat isn't in the cards.

[leelindsay]

Sounds to me like you have already answered your own question.

If you have that much doubt in the engine and the outdrive and it is no longer manufatured or supported then parts and service will be hard to come by. If you plan on keeping the boat for a long time then why not go new?

Even going new you may have issues with the opening in the transom to match up with a different outdrive manufacture (openig size, mounting bolt hole pattern). Also the engine mounts may have to move forward or back to aling with the new out drive and shaft length. Riser and exhaust piping.( these are just some extra cost you may run into.) But once done you would have a warranty and a peice of mind out on the water.

My vote is to go new if you can afford to.

[Wicked Awesome]

What Reelplumber said. A few years ago I had an I/O Sea Ray that developed a fuel tank leak. We found the leak when the boat dumped about 50 gallons of fuel on the floor of the rack storage barn. The tank was removed, repaired, and reinstalled so that the boat worked fine. Everything was O.K., except that I never trusted the fuel system on that boat again. The boat sat largely unused until I sold it. We trust our boats with our lives, and the lives of our friends and family. Given those stakes, dealing with an unreliable fuel system, power plant, or outdrive is a game I'm not willing to play.

It sounds like a repower is inevitable since the OD manufacturer is gone. Best of luck with your decision.