How to prepare my new to me boat

[follow maggie]

This weekend I got a new old boat. It belonged to a friend of mine who died in August. His daughter gave it to me as thanks for helping him out over the few years I knew him. It’s a 16’ Lund w/ a year 2000 25 horse Mercury tiller on the back. I’m really excited because I’ve wanted a boat like this for a long time but I can’t afford to buy one. If you take the cover off the engine & pit it next to a brand new one, you can’t tell them apart. It hasn’t been for years.

My question is what do I need to do to get it ready to run? The gas in the tank was bad a long time ago- it doesn’t even smell like gas, anymore. So I got the fuel line connections from the tracker marine here and some new fuel line from napa. My plan was to clean the gas tank & replace the cap w/ the gas pick up & gauge float to save some money. But I’m having a tough time finding thst piece so maybe I need to get a new tank, I don’t know.

Is there anything else I should do before I start it up for the first time?  This is my first go w/ a boat engine so I appreciate any help.

[baldopepper]

Any idea if they were by chance running.efree gas?  Sitting that long with regular gas can cause all sorts of carb and fuel line problems.  About all you can do is fresh fuel, maybe check the plugs and see f it fires up

[JJJ]

Make sure you have it in a barrel of water and it pee's out its hole when it's running...

[CP]

Pull the lower unit and the t-stat – clean everything that you can reach in the cooling system.  Replace the impeller and t-stat. 

Check the fuel lines for cracks, replace as needed.

Carbs or injectors?  Likely they are varnished up.  Clean them.   I’d start with spray cleaner.

Replace the plugs. 

Fresh gas

Fire it up. 

Check for fuel leaks. 

[HntnFsh]

What he said!

[follow maggie]

Thanks for the tips folks. I’m going to do most of it this week. The lower unit & impeller I’ll put off until spring because they seem like a big job for me having never done it before & winter coming soon. If I understand correctly, the impeller is in the lower unit & it serves as the water pump for engine cooling?

[ASHQUACK]

Thanks for the tips folks. I’m going to do most of it this week. The lower unit & impeller I’ll put off until spring because they seem like a big job for me having never done it before & winter coming soon. If I understand correctly, the impeller is in the lower unit & it serves as the water pump for engine cooling?

You are correct, I just did a 115hp on a boat that sat for a while. They're not that big of a job, 4 bolts to remove the lower unit and 4 more on the impeller housing. Lots of YouTube videos on them.
As far as gas tank and bad gas. Go to the local parts house and buy a couple cans of seafoam marine. Put enough in the tank to fill the lines and pump it up, give it a few pulls and then let it sit for a bit. Then add fuel with the correct amount of seafoam to new non-ethanol fuel and try to fire it up..

[Happy Gilmore]

Buy your parts on Amazon.if not, Walmart is second for good oil / lube prices and has most of what you need. Put gas treatment in before you run it. Carbs will likely need cleaning. That should be pretty easy too. When you buy an impeller buy the oem brand. Do not buy a knock off. For everything else don't worry.

YouTube will be your best friend. Spend a night watching a video of what you plan on doing.

[Happy Gilmore]

Also, safety gear. They've been doing a lot of checking. Buy your flare and signal kit cheap on Amazon. Life jacket packs are super cheap at Walmart. Have a spare tool kit on hand. Take note of what tools your using working on the outboard and keep spares on hand. Prop wrench and spare prop is good idea with a new washer. Check for stuff like that you need on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace If you're looking to save $$

[BD1]

I always kept some wire in the boat that was stiff enough to run up the "Pee hole" of the motor in case the water froze inside it on very cold days. My last duck boat was basically exactly what you had but with a 2 stroke. I killed the majority of the duck I have shot in my life because of it. Perfect setup for almost any duck hunting situation.
Have fun and be safe. My rule on that boat and my current one is, if you are in my boat you wear a PDF...that includes the captain 

[follow maggie]

Some good tips here. Thank you guys. I think I have everything I need. I picked up some sea foam this morning & a can full of ethanol free premium gas. I’m doing a big driving tour tomorrow scouting out @ a dozen spots for ducks & pheasants & then work on this the trailer lights Thursday & Friday

[follow maggie]

Well today was the day. I did what you guys said & got the mercury running. I checked the spark plugs & they look brand new so I left them in. I changed the oil. I discarded the gas tank that came with it & installed a new fuel line, primer bulb & connection to engine. I just have the fuel line in a gas can for now filled w/ ethanol free & a good amount of sea foam. Hooked up a good battery & turned the key. It took a few times for it to start -because I forgot to squeeze the priming bulb that I just installed! Engine runs & sounds great, nice & smooth. The carbereuter leaks a little gas so I’m going to get a rebuild kit for it. I appreciate everyone’s input! I just need to sort out the trailer lights & it’s ready for the water.

[Stein]

Put two bilge pumps in it.  That's the #1 item on my list for new to me or even new boats.

Good luck, sounds fun!

[follow maggie]

That’s a good point I hadn’t thought of