The Mariah Owners Club

Hi there, Thanks for the recommendation, I work on computers for a living now so I should have known better. I figure I can start off with giving something to the forum from the start. Over the years I have found that some people dont do the basic things that should be done in the upkeep of a boat including professionals, most of the problems that can happen with an outdrive and an engine happen to boats kept in salt water as it is very conductive to electricity.

1) Use good quality Anodes, NOT ZINCS. A quick refesher on electrolosys is this. Two dissimilar metals in an electrolyte creates Galvanic corrosion "Electrolosis", it actually creates a battery in its sense. We have usually three or more metals in the mix. Aluminum, Steel and Stainless Steel. The more different metals you have the more intense the electrolosis, many people think that its just unpainted metal being corroded by saltwater and putting some paint on protects it, but its actually being eaten from the inside out. The softer metal gets sacrificed which is your aluminum casing. Zincs put another metal in the mix which is harmful to your outdrive. Mercury and the other manufacturers use a softer alloy of aluminum in thier anodes which does not add another metal to the mix which slows down the corrosion. They cost more but are well worth the money in the long run.You should always change them at least once a season at a minimum. Even though they may look good the metal most likely has sacrificed much of itself and rendered itself useless. The Bravo series is impacted even more as there are high concentrations of Stainless Steel in it. You can always tell a high quality anode by the weight, Zincs will weight about double than an Aluminum Alloy Anode.

2) Use a good quality bottom Paint. A more expensive "Albalative" bottom paint will wear off at about the same rate that itgoes bad. The metals and chemicals in it erode over time losing its effectivness and having a cheap hard paint will leave a buildup over time requiring a sanding or else large chunks and chips will come off leaving a rough uneven bottom. Also never allow the bottom paint to touch the outdrive. A good shop will leave at least a 1 inch area of bare hull next to the gimbel or outdrive bracket as the bottom paint contain metal,, Again intensifying Electrolosis on the drive.

3) Flush your Engine!!! leaving salt water for a few days in a hot engine will corrode the manifolds and block over time creating leaks and bad gaskets. For engines that have Aluminum heat exchangers and stainless parts will also see the effect of electrolosis, eroding the softer metals. So get a set of muffs or make your own flush system for the engine if you have the knowledge. You can always tell when someone flushed the engine or not as at the end of the year when the engine gets drained. A engine that has not been flushed usually has clogged drains that you need to poke thru with a small screwdiver, this is the effect of corrosion from the salt water left in your engine.

4) Protect your engine and mechanicals in the engine bay with a light coating of a marine protectant spray (CRC) makes a good one. This coating will protect the metals and even electricalls terminals from corrosion from the salt water, so apply a wet coat of the spray on everything. They Battery on the other hand should be kept clean and dry, A battery with a salt coating will slowly drain (If you take a good volt meter and put the negative to negative and the positive to the plastic in between the two terminals you will get a small draw on the actual plastic as the light salt coating is passing the charge across the entire battery). So keep the battery dry and clean.

5) one other thing,, Always have your outdrive removed at the end of the season. The reasoning is if the Gimbel boots leak you will never know until there is a problem and your drive yoke is rusted and frozen to the engine requiring some torching to get it off. The process allows the inspection of the gimbel bearing and yoke seal and the ability to apply a new coating of grease on the shaft allowing it to be removed with ease every year. This inspection easily pays for itself down the road,,also the drives are worth alot of money and people do steal them off boats as they are easy to remove

These are some of the most important and easiest to accomplish tasks that will keep your boat hapy for the new season, but these are usually overlooked or not quite understood. I should take delivery of my boat within a week or two so Heopefully I will have more to add soon. CYA!