So, as a first time boat owner, last fall I buy a gently used one owner 1986 Bayliner Capri with an inboard Volvo AQ 131/275 engine and drive/prop. This purchase was from a local man who had meticulously maintained the boat for the past 23 years but because his children were all grown, they no longer used the boat and did not put it in the water the past 3 years. However, the previous owner did all maintenance and necessary winterization and dry stored the boat. He gave us all the logs and notes he made over all the years. We used to always tell him that when he decided to get rid of his boat to let us know and that day came last fall. This boat was too good to pass up and if one was going to buy a boat due to appearance and previous owner care, this had all the signs pointing to it. Boat was in great shape and perfect for a newbie, at least I thought!
So after waiting all winter, I put the boat into the water last month (after calling a shop and double checking what needed done after a long winter's nap) and after an hour of fun, the boat's prop hit something (log?) and bent (we felt the tell-tell shimmying due to the bent prop) so we took the boat into the docks on the lake and turn the boat off and then it would not turn over... like it had a dead battery. So we figure it it is the battery and so I run to get a new battery and try that and still same problem... did not want to start like it had a weak battery. So we get the boat back on the trailer (and notice the bent prop) and take it to a Volvo Penta specific repair shop after waiting a week or so until they could fot it in their schedule. After weeks of waiting, they get a new starter installed, new points installed, new plugs installed, and the prop repaired and reinstalled. The shop also said they checked out everything else (fluids, running condition, etc.), took it out for a run, and said it all looks great... "Nice little boat you have there... Good buy" was what the shop told us. With no need for a new battery as the one it it was still good andhundreds of dollars later, I figure that despite these unexpected repairs, that now means the boat has been now all looked over and is all set for a summer of worryfree enjoyment since the boat is all checked out and in great shape and ready to go!
Well... get the boat back out on the lake and enjoying a fun hour of cruising and getting used to driving a boat and taking in the atmosphere. Start even making plans for where else to take the boat in the state and even plans for 4th of July! Just get comfortable with the feeling and enjoyment of boating and BOOM! What was that?!?! Did we hit something again? What's that? Smoke drifting from the engine cover! Get the fire extinguisher ready just in case! Pop open the engine cover and it is coated with oil! Not far from the docks, try starting the engine and it starts no problem so we start to limp to the docks while watching engine temp gauge as to not to seize the engine. Engine loses power and I decide not to push it so we get another friendly boater to tow us into the docks. Look closer at the engine and on the port side of the engine block there is a quarter size hole in the block and all the oil is down in the well below the engine (except for the oil coating the engine bay!). Did it bust a piston rod? Did it blow a valve rod? What blew through the side of the engine? So, we load it back on the trailer! At this point I start to wonder what the heck did we do wrong? Why can't I just enjoy this wonderful boat that every sign tells us it is a great boat to have bought? Were we not supposed to own a boat? Is this a sign? Does boat truly stand for (B)ust (O)ut (A)nother (T)housand as they say?
So now I am looking for answers! Can anybody help? Is there something that the repair shop did not do correctly when they installed the plugs? Or the points? Or something else they may have done wrong? Not that they would admit it, right? I just need to know why a boat that appears to have led a pampered and well mainted life suddenly blows it's motor! And, what do I do now and how much will it cost? Do I give up on being a boater?
Can anybody let me know what they think?
Help!
So after waiting all winter, I put the boat into the water last month (after calling a shop and double checking what needed done after a long winter's nap) and after an hour of fun, the boat's prop hit something (log?) and bent (we felt the tell-tell shimmying due to the bent prop) so we took the boat into the docks on the lake and turn the boat off and then it would not turn over... like it had a dead battery. So we figure it it is the battery and so I run to get a new battery and try that and still same problem... did not want to start like it had a weak battery. So we get the boat back on the trailer (and notice the bent prop) and take it to a Volvo Penta specific repair shop after waiting a week or so until they could fot it in their schedule. After weeks of waiting, they get a new starter installed, new points installed, new plugs installed, and the prop repaired and reinstalled. The shop also said they checked out everything else (fluids, running condition, etc.), took it out for a run, and said it all looks great... "Nice little boat you have there... Good buy" was what the shop told us. With no need for a new battery as the one it it was still good andhundreds of dollars later, I figure that despite these unexpected repairs, that now means the boat has been now all looked over and is all set for a summer of worryfree enjoyment since the boat is all checked out and in great shape and ready to go!
Well... get the boat back out on the lake and enjoying a fun hour of cruising and getting used to driving a boat and taking in the atmosphere. Start even making plans for where else to take the boat in the state and even plans for 4th of July! Just get comfortable with the feeling and enjoyment of boating and BOOM! What was that?!?! Did we hit something again? What's that? Smoke drifting from the engine cover! Get the fire extinguisher ready just in case! Pop open the engine cover and it is coated with oil! Not far from the docks, try starting the engine and it starts no problem so we start to limp to the docks while watching engine temp gauge as to not to seize the engine. Engine loses power and I decide not to push it so we get another friendly boater to tow us into the docks. Look closer at the engine and on the port side of the engine block there is a quarter size hole in the block and all the oil is down in the well below the engine (except for the oil coating the engine bay!). Did it bust a piston rod? Did it blow a valve rod? What blew through the side of the engine? So, we load it back on the trailer! At this point I start to wonder what the heck did we do wrong? Why can't I just enjoy this wonderful boat that every sign tells us it is a great boat to have bought? Were we not supposed to own a boat? Is this a sign? Does boat truly stand for (B)ust (O)ut (A)nother (T)housand as they say?
So now I am looking for answers! Can anybody help? Is there something that the repair shop did not do correctly when they installed the plugs? Or the points? Or something else they may have done wrong? Not that they would admit it, right? I just need to know why a boat that appears to have led a pampered and well mainted life suddenly blows it's motor! And, what do I do now and how much will it cost? Do I give up on being a boater?
Can anybody let me know what they think?
Help!
Appreciated as this all has me literally "sick"