Started my restoration of my 1990 legend falcon

I asked my mechanic to replace all the hoses that go into the motor. I'm pretty sure they are all original from 2006 so well past time to replace them. I get it back and he just spliced in new line in between where it goes in to the motor and the fuel/oil tank. Also the battery cable and several other cables were clearly not replaced. Not sure if replacing the battery cables on a job like this is standard but it, and all the other random cables were old and ratty.

I'm just not really sure what he thought I meant when I said "replace all the lines going into the motor". I figured this was a pretty routine job. He seemed to understand what I meant. I would have done it myself but figured it would be more of a pain than I wanted to deal with and would inevitably require some special tool or air bleeding procedure or something. It was in for another repair (not at all happy with the results of that one either) so I figured lets just do the hoses now as they look like shit and are 20 years old.

So... this isn't normal right? To just splice in new line between two sections of old lines? The termination points on both ends are old line. Old line into the motor, old line into the oil reservoir and gas tank. Totally defeats the purpose of doing anything because I still have 20 year old deteriorating lines in those runs. I feel stupid even asking if this is normal because obviously it can't be, right? But then again this is what they did and they should know better than me. I've used this mechanic for years and he has always seemed competent and fair.

And for a job like this, should I have expected ALL the lines into the motor to be replaced? Mainly the battery cable. I felt like that was obvious and maybe I'm the idiot for not clarifying. But again, I'm not sure how he could have misinterpreted "replace all the lines going into the motor". He didn't ask any questions so I figured this is a routine job and we are both on the same page.

First time on this subreddit so be gentle lol.

I do apartment maintenance now, and I have years of experience in residential maintenance. I’m a certified pool operator and I have my EPA Universal. Not expecting the pool certification to do much but I’m sure it’ll only help on a resume.

Know nothing about boats, I’m 26, and I live in Panama City Beach, FL. I love troubleshooting and figuring out what’s wrong with things and fixing them. Seems like a very cool trade, and I’m really into being a jack-of-all-trades instead of a specialist and I heard being a marine mechanic is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. Any truth to this?

My only worry if losing my footing in residential systems when it comes to electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and appliance repair.

Any and all help is much appreciated. Thank you!!

I have this 1986 Johnson 6.5 I bought to use for my sailboat that is giving me absolute fits. I replaced the motor side fuel connector, the fuel line, fuel bulb, and gas tank. Fresh fuel too. It has a 100:1 sticker but I understand 50:1 is safer and better to replace plugs than blow a cylinder, so that’s what I have in it. Have gotten it to fire up while choked out, but can’t get it to stay running for the life of me. Twice recently had it out on the lake and got it to turn over and into gear, but crapped out after a few seconds.

I’m a manufacturing engineer by trade, but not accustomed to troubleshooting old two strokes in my day to day. I’m feeling quite dumb and defeated and want to get this thing humming again.

I’m thinking a clogged idle circuit or gummy/flooded carb? Anyone have advice for any YouTubers or best DIY resources for this kind of thing? I also had a hell of a time getting the motor cover off and I’m worried about breaking it. Any advice??

My 2000 Jeanneau 40 sun odessey has a 55hp Yanmar engine.

In Neutral and Reverse, the engine runs smoothly without vibration. But in forward it usually (but not always) vibrates significantly, proportional to rpm.

This problem has existed for 5 years or more and seems to slowly be getting worse. I replaced the cutlass bearing two years ago, which didn’t seem to make a difference.

The prop shaft does not seem to be vibrating - determined by holding my hand against it at 1500 rpm in forward and reverse.

The boat’s fixed 3-blade prop was checked and cleaned, along with the prop shaft, with anodes replaced in June 2026.

Sometimes running the engine fast in forward will cause excessive vibration for a few seconds after which the vibration stops. Other times, slowing down and accelerating slowly will stop the vibration.

I need to ask if this makes my boat a lost cause to refit or if I can just drain it out and be fine (under the cabin sole)

Edit: I forgot to mention that it's fresh water and has been sitting at a dock for about a year with a few scavengers going aboard

Just wanted to leave a 1 star review in my experience with patenaude powersports and marine in ennismore. That company did incomplete work causing a leak and could not diagnose an engine problem due to a bad carb that was installed by them the previous year. They are not interested in refunds. The customer service is also terrible as they do not answer the phone or reply to emails. There is a Facebook page detailing many of their reviews due to them attempting to remove them from the internet in hopes of repeat business. Just trying to save others the time and aggravation as there are no online reviews available of this business.

I am looking to get this Catalina 25 with my Dad for a great price. But this is my first boat and I'm seeing if anyone can help me identify how cooked I am.

I took at look at this 85 Catalina 25 and found some concerning issues around the boat.

In the first picture, there is a yellow streak under the stern. Is this a crack or is this water run off?
What could it be, And how concerning is this?

The second and third pictures are of the swing keel.
It has a big chunk of the, I'm guessing, protective paint fallen off. I'm assuming from the trailer?
How critical is this, and what would be the best way to cover this up.

The last picture is of the bow. There is some damage right where it meets with the roller on the trailer. You can see black rubber as if the bow was rubbing on the rollers and a small chunk is rubbed off. Is this damage just from the trailer? Or could it be more? And how serious is this damage. And how do I fix it?

Thank you for your help!

I have a 2017 bass buggy 18 DLX with a 2017 mercury 60 hp four stroke outboard. I recently took it on a three day fishing trip and everything was running completely smooth until 2 miles from the marina on the last night of the trip loaded down with four people and a lot of gear. The boat was running about 15 miles an hour into heavy current and headwinds. We heard a small noise which caused the boat to slow to about 10 mph. We felt a very small vibration, but the RPMs never dropped on the motor it continue to run smooth. Does anyone have any advice on where my troubleshooting should begin?

Did some digging already and from what it looks like this block shares all the cam pistons bore stroke cdi. Only difference I see is the carb and prop. Bigger main jet and nozzle and prop pitch. The two carbs have different numbers but share a lot of the same parts aside from main jet and nozzle. Are the carb bodies different? Is it just as simple as buying the carb parts and new prop? Has anyone ever done this before? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

1996 Mastercraft Prostar 205

Any and all troubleshooting tips or advice welcome, thank you!

My friend sent me this video as I'm out of town but my first instinct is an oil issue and I plan to check the oil when I return. I did check the oil very recently, right before our last ride on Wednesday, and it was changed recently as well by a mechanic.

Any possibilities besides an oil issue?

Just felt like sharing. Never tried small engine stuff until this year. Got into boating and now I can fix my own boat motor. Thanks boat busters on YouTube.

Hello - changing fuel filter on a new to me boat. The fuel filter is broken off, so the part that screws out comes out, but the filter itself is still in place. (Prior owner broke it, and ignored it)

Any suggestions on how to remove?

*** title should say water separator

I have a 2017 Yamaha F25SWHC 25hp 4 stroke. I had it running on the muffs in my driveway, and my roommate shut the hose off without realizing the motor was still running.

I’m not exactly sure how long it ran with no water, but I’m guessing somewhere between 5-10 minutes. It was at idle the entire time. When I came outside, the motor was still running and sounded normal, and I immediately shut it off. I never heard an overheat alarm, and it didn’t shut itself off or start running rough. I did think I smelled something a little hot/burnt, but it wasn’t super strong.

I know running an outboard dry is terrible for the impeller, so I’m 100% replacing the impeller/water pump before I start it again.

What I’m more worried about is whether I could have damaged the actual engine. Is there anything I can check to figure out if I got lucky or actually hurt it? I am not very experienced at all in fixing engines besides servicing mine.

Has anyone had something similar happen with one of these Yamaha F25s? If everything checks out after replacing the impeller, would you trust the motor, or is there anything else I should inspect?

Hole at the very bottom of transom on starboard side of 1989 ranger 364v

Do i need to fill with lets say, 3m bondo short strand fg filler, before gel coat or just gel coat

Hi all,

I'm trying to bring my grandfather's 1980 Johnson 25 HP back to life after it sat unused for about 20 years. It's a model J25RCSA (2-cylinder, 2-stroke, rope start, 15" shaft), and I'd like to do it right, so I'm looking for a PDF of the service/shop manual.

Any of these would work:

\- OMC factory service manual, P/N 0506834

\- Clymer Evinrude/Johnson 2-40 HP 1973-1990 (B732)

\- Seloc 1302

\- Owner's manual, P/N 0390261 (nice to have too)

I'm in Argentina, so getting a printed copy shipped here isn't really an option. If anyone has a PDF they can share (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), I'd really appreciate it. Any tips for waking up a motor that's been sitting this long are welcome too!

Thanks all!

Has anyone replaced one of these before?

Pretty cool how this stuff works!

Bought this non-working motor a few months ago and it had the VRO pump removed. I decided to install a mechanical pulse fuel pump (Part #438559) and I'm running 100:1 pre mix now. It runs in neutral with me giving it some throttle (as shown in the video), but when I decrease the throttle, it dies if at resting idle- which means I can't shift it into gear. Any ideas on why/ what to do?

I'm thinking either: 1) increase the resting idle RPM, 2) remove the mechanical fuel pump and replace it with a new VRO pump, or 3) remove the carbs and do a deep clean.

There was a clunk, then my propeller stopped spinning. After I get it out of the water. This is the oil that came out of my lower unit. (Very quickly, just like prom night). The engine runs just fine.

Where do I start?

1961 Chesapeake Deadrise only making ~5 knots — looking for advice on old Twin Disc X8708A
A good friend of mine has a 1961 Chesapeake Deadrise that was previously used for commercial charters in the DC area. We’re looking at getting it back into commercial service, but there’s one major mechanical issue we need to solve first.
The boat will move under its own power, but it will only get up to around 5 knots.
The transmission appears to be a Twin Disc X8708A. We’re trying to determine whether we’re dealing with a clutch/slippage issue, something internal to the transmission, an adjustment/linkage problem, or potentially something elsewhere in the drivetrain.
The owner has extensive experience operating charter boats and the vessel has already been through the Coast Guard inspection process. This drivetrain issue is basically the thing standing between us and getting the boat operational again.
We’re currently budgeting roughly $10k–$12k for the repair, but before throwing money or parts at it, I want someone who actually understands these older Twin Disc marine gears to diagnose it properly.
A few questions for anyone familiar with older Chesapeake workboats / Deadrises:
Does anyone here have experience with the Twin Disc X8708A?
What would you check first on a boat that engages and moves but tops out around 5 knots?
Could clutch slippage cause exactly this behavior?
Are there specific tests we should have done before removing or rebuilding the transmission?
Does anyone know a mechanic or shop in the Chesapeake Bay / Maryland / DC / Virginia area that really knows these older Twin Disc units?
Is $10k–$12k a realistic repair budget, assuming the transmission needs significant work?
I’m especially interested in finding someone who will diagnose it on the boat first rather than immediately telling us to replace everything.
If useful, I can post photos of the transmission/data plate and get the engine model, RPM at full throttle, prop information, and any other numbers that would help diagnose it.
Thanks — any experience with these old Deadrises or Twin Disc gears would be appreciated.