Expected Boot Life

"Been on a boating sabbatical

"Been on a boating sabbatical for a while... after 6 months of paying a broker $100/month to end up not selling the boat, I decided to bring it home and get her ready to slip again.

I've been going over everything, and the one thing that keeps me awake at night is whether to replace the boots or not. It's an Alpha I/Gen 2 outdrive. From the outside the boots look the same as they have since I bought the boat 6 years ago. No idea if they've been replaced before that, the boat is a '97.

Obviously there would be some peice of mind in replacing them, but that also requires a good deal of work.

Thoughts?"

"How much were you asking for

"How much were you asking for your submarine?

If they have never been replaced in 12 years and you plan to sell it, clean them w/some 409 or Fantastic spray cleaner and a soft brush and a sponge; rinse well. W/the black scum off you will be able to see the rubber clearly in order to see any checking or cracks on the rubber outer skin.

Run the OD up and look at the bottom for checking and cracks. Do the same w/it down and turn it left/right. No checking or cracks & soft outer skin; don't replace. Spray on some tire preservative/shine w/UV inhibiter."

"I say replace them now and be

"I say replace them now and be done with it for another TEN years.

Cost for parts...~ $250.00

Labor.... what ever the marina charges.

Ujoint belows, Shift cable bellows, water hose 3/4", Shift cable.

Leave the exhaust alone as it is not important to water integrity."

If you could get it to me I co

If you could get it to me I could have it done in ~ 4 hours and at a cost of a good meal and a TON of beers!!

Unfortunatly Massachusetts!!

"Not afraid to do the work mys

"Not afraid to do the work myself... I need to take a closer look at them though, maybe attach a few pics for ya'll to scrutenize."

"lol ,tie a long rope to it wh

"lol ,tie a long rope to it while in the slip get some scuba gear ...10 years on bellows ?
you may need that gear to board your vessel if you leave in unattended at the dock for long"

"10yrs on the Bellows??? I jus

"10yrs on the Bellows??? I just was given a boat for free but has no eng. Its an '86 Bayliner 2560.It cost me $500 to bring it home from the Jersey shore.I dont know the history of what work has been done to it but my guess is to replace old stuff and go new on the outdrive?. The motor is another issue, cant seem to find the original type of eng to put back in it. It had an AQ260A volvo penta(red motor)GM 350 blk."

"OK,
I tend to refere to thi

"OK,
I tend to refere to things from a FRESH WATER perspective. My bellows etc. lasted over 20 years on my boat but of course it was trailered most of its life. I kept it in the water for ~ 6-8 of those years. I replaced all rubber last season when my shift cable boot tore."