Bozeman Bob

The risers that I have purchased in the last few years do not have drain plugs . The old ones did have them . I have never had to replace the exhaust manifold itself , which usually have petcocks on the bottom of them .

A closed system in the marine world means it has a heat exchanger and has anti- freeze in the block , just like a car . Open system the engine is cooled by lake water . Take the thermostat out if you think that is closing up to quickly. Yes , opening the petcocks on each side of the block and draining the water is the way to go , Air doesn't freeze the last time I checked . One thing not to overlook is the cylinder shaped in line , raw water , heat exchangers for either the engine oil or power steering pump . Usually it is attached underneath or on the lower side of the engine . It has a drain plug on the bottom of it , usually a square drive bronze plug . Or remove the hose from at least one side of the exchanger and let the water drain out . I've seen the end caps on them get " blown off " by freezing water expanding them . Again , air doesn't freeze

Not familiar with your exact set up . On my 4 stroke in order to change the oil filter , which is lower than the bottom spark plug , I have to remove about 6 screws that hold that shroud in place . Maybe yours is like that . Or a deep offset box wrench may work . Or Google it and see what comes up .

You can buy a 350 GM motor , out of a donor boat or Michiganmotorz.com ( 3500 ,long block ) might have to swap out the flywheel and coupler . Everything else should bolt up , exhaust manifolds , distributer , alternator, starter motor ,carb as long as the " new " motor is a 88 or newer .

Is this a closed cooling system ? If it's a Mercruiser and closed system there are two raw water pumps , one on the outdrive and one mounted near the bottom of the engine , usually opposite of the alternator. A infrared heat gun would be helpful in pinpointing where the temperature starts to climb above the normal range . Odd that it's only on one side , you might swap risers to see if it's the riser . I know you said it's 3 years old and water is seemingly flowing ok . Unless a hose is clogged,pinched ,that's the number one thing that causes only one side to heat up .

The only dangerous waters are from the QL bridge and above , heading towards Devils Hole . It can be one cold place to fish , winds screaming down the gorge ,which blocks most of the warming sunlight . Even below the bridge it can be numbing cold . Why subject a toddler to harsh conditions ? Fishing below the bridge itself to the lake the waters are smooth and no manhole size whirlpools to worry about .

People have put the pink stuff in there freezers and it does freeze . Some mfgs ,if you read the small print , state the freezing point on there product . I would buy regular green anti- freeze and sleep well at night .

Just saw this post , hope all went well . Carl has been battling cancer and was out of town recently getting treatments . Prayers for his fight .......

I/Os will leak in the bellows and allow water in ,hence the question. Boroscopes will fit through very small openings and some may have a 4' + cable and lighted , that should get you into most of your closed off sections . Or break out the tools and start removing decks , leak isn't going to fix itself. Gluvit is what you want to use for sealing rivets ,check keel for tightness as well.

Yes , filling the boat on the trailer is not a good idea and when it's in the water , pressure is applied to the hull and any loose rivets . Is it a outboard or I/O ? Next up is to launch her ,open all access ports and anything else to observe the bottom.of the hull . Might have to buy a boroscope to get into areas that are not visible . Vevor tools has them for around 100 bucks . They articulate at the end , so you can hit a button and it will visually sweep a area up and down . Very clear picture as well .

First off , I would get under the cover , have someone snap it down, then have that person use a garden hose and figure out where the water is coming in . Then I would take the custom cover back and have it repaired, couldn't off been cheap . You should not have water in the boat if that is a waterproof custom cover , period . I doubt your limber holes were closed off during the repair work , it takes awhile sometimes for the water to make it back to the stern . If they were closed off ,it wouldn't make it to the stern . Not uncommon for the bow area to be the low point of the boat while sitting . You could cut out a section of the floor and install a bilge pump there ,either a access hatch or hinge the piece you cut out . I hope you have a auto float switch and not just a on - off switch ,as you described . That's not a smart way to go with a boat ,unless your covered for sinking because some day you may show up at the dock to see it submerged .

Yes , buy a ducer that is compatible with the FF . One that has the same number of "pins " or wires . Then buy a Airmar inline cable splice kit .Part # IP 67-10 waterproof connector ,not sure about the hyphen in that number . Ebay is where i bought mine , was 28.00 back a few years , 9/20. Cut the cable ,preferably in a dry , out of the elements location and install the splice connector. It's a pretty sturdy easy to hook up the wires , professional looking connector. No soldering required , good wire stripper and small screwdriver that's it . Or cut your current cable , attach the new cable to it , tape zip ties ,whatever you can come up with . You want it to be as small in diameter as possible and pull it back to the head unit . That's providing the cable isn't zipped tied to something to prevent the connector of the new cable from passing through. Sometimes you can just grab the cable down the line and pull it back and forth and not feel any resistance. If the MFG installed it , it may be secured somewhere. A dealer or someone else , probably not .

^^^ , BulletBob yes ,135.00 per hour is on the cheap side, especially for a Marina . Yes they mark items up ,just like auto repair shops , been like that forever. You could bring your own parts in and they will just charge you labor . It's frowned upon and the repair shop will not be responsible for any of your parts warranty or fitting, working properly . Sometimes it cost you more bringing your own parts in , and if they don't fit or work , that's $$$ on you .You are forgetting the shops overhead in your analysis. Everyone knows , Insurance has gone up , what do you think a commercial business pays for that ? Workman's compensation, unemployment comp . , heating cost , electricity, 401K , health insurance, real estate taxes , school taxes , office supplies, office help , service writer , paying a mechanic 30- 35.00 per hour ( Going rate at most garages ) and I'm sure a handful of other things that cut into your actual profit . So a business owner is not sticking 1500.00 into his pocket for one days work .

First off , the OPs question should of been before the work was done ,not after . Not any different than someone buying a boat ,then asking if he got a good deal . Secondly, labor rates in the car industry are anywhere from 150 to 200.00 per hour , how does that translate to the marine rate ,which is usually higher . Thirdly we don't know what the exact parts are ,or what they cost . People should ask these forums BEFORE , not after , the work is done or boat is bought , the ship has left the port at this point .

MichiganMotorz , has the rebuilt L6 for 2899.00 . Probably the cheapest and quickest drop in replacement. A local engine shop might be another option , they are usually busy now ,car racing season, so be prepared to wait if you go that route .