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My first boat38 omcUh Oh

L

lugnut

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"So I purchased my first boat

"So I purchased my first boat the other day, a 16ft Doral with a 3.8 and omc 800 drive. After doing some research I am led to believe I am DOOMED. It seems that every omc out there must be destined for boat heaven, or so it would seem. Are there no happy owners out there or are they all standing on chairs with a noose around their necks?. The boat is in very good shape, engine runs very well , clean no leaks and I purchased it from the second owner. Two owners in 24 years..it's an 1984. That doesn't seem to be a bad thing to me. I am aware of the tilt issue and ball gears but it seems to me that if you are cautious are not revving the bag off of it when tilted some, and maybe using the paddles in shallow water, it should not be that big of an issue. I am a Heavy duty mechanic by trade and can honestly tell you that no matter what the name of the machine is, they all have their pros and cons. I have spent many long hours wrenching on some so called high priced equipment. This being said it seems sad to me that these "negative nellies" run around trying to burst everyones bubble. So if I sell this boat and buy a Merc I will have no problems to speak of right.? I will be in La La boat land with not a care in the world. I find that hard to believe. If so, does anyone have any Merc stock to sell..cause I am in. My family and I are excited about our first boat and although it did not cost a fortune it is nice to us. But seeing all this negative stuff does put a damper on the whole scenario. So are there any omc owners out there that are just plain happy with their boats ? I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT IF YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT, IT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. I have tried it and it works, so that's what I am going to do. I am new here, to this site, and boating, so I will most definently be on asking questions and from what I have seen there is great info on here. Thanks guys and happy boating."
 
"Ayuh,.....

The Issue with

"Ayuh,.....

The Issue with the Old OMCs is,....

There are few to No Parts available to Fix them....
It doesn't matter how Great of a Mechanic you are,...
If you can't buy the Parts,.... It's a POSh!t.....

Atleast with an Old Mercruiser or Volvo,...
The parts Can be bought....
Nobody has Ever said they don't need Maintance, or Repairs...."
 
"Well, thanks for your positiv

"Well, thanks for your positive spin on this bondo. Hey, hear that... all the phones ringing with guys putting ads in the paper. So to clear this up, all omc stern drives are a POSh!t according to you. No ifs ands or buts just POS!! Thanks for the help."
 
""revving the bag off it&#

""revving the bag off it"

<--- another Heavy Equipment mechanic with a 3.8/800
In our trade, we've seen worse designs and "field engineered" a few fixes.
No different here.
If it's running well and has been maintained, I think you'll enjoy it.
3.8 in a 16 would fly.
My 17.5 Grew does 53 mph with it's 3.8 - I did a conversion to quadrajet 4 bbl.
Honestly, I am happy with the boat but I think I like tinkering and fixing it as much as driving it. They are best kept on a trailer as muskrats like to eat the boot and they are not the most waterproof drive.
I took the boat on a 100 mile+ return trip last summer - not 1 issue.
If you google the book "the ultimate small boat adventure" you'll see another 3.8 owner that was happy and took his boat all the way along the pacific coast of BC- logging more than 1000 miles on the trip.
1984 is a mechaical shift drive - the best of the worst so to speak. I prefer it over a Cobra. "
 
"Thank you for the info Hy Sta

"Thank you for the info Hy Stat. I'm not expecting a "miracle" from the boat, just wondering if it was somewhat dependable and a good weekend plaything. I also enjoy "tinkering" so I guess I will have some work cut out for me. One question...If I was to buy another boat would you recommend I/O or strictly outboard. Thanks again."
 
Looks to me like were sitting

Looks to me like were sitting on a gold mine of 800 parts. Check the prices on ebay. I could pay for a new one just selling the parts on the 800.
 
"for me - I just bought anothe

"for me - I just bought another boat - Mercruiser Alpha powered
I still love my old Grew, but I would always recommend Mercruiser for an older used boat simply due to the fact that there is a cheap reproduction outdrive that can be bought for $1200 brand new... plug and play
I'm not a fan of big outboards....nothing over 40HP and tiller for me in outboards...when something goes wrong on a big outboard it can REALLY turn out bad...and REALLY expensive"
 
"[b]Well, thanks for your posi

"Well, thanks for your positive spin on this bondo. Hey, hear that... all the phones ringing with guys putting ads in the paper. So to clear this up, all omc stern drives are a POSh!t according to you. No ifs ands or buts just POS!! Thanks for the help.

Ayuh,.... Sorry you don't like the Truth.....

I Hope that's a Chevy 3.8l,+ Not the Buick 3.8l,....
'cause if it's the Buick,.....
You're In even Deeper, in the pile of,.. ah,.. well you Know...."
 
"Perry, I wouldn't worry.

"Perry, I wouldn't worry. It sounds like you have a well maintained machine in good condition.

People like to bash the Stringer drive because it's different and they don't understand it. OMC had to build it different to get around the Volvo and Merc patents. They came up with a unique design that compared favorably to it's competition of the day. The fact that many are still around 30-40 years later should be a testament to the design.

The stringer drive can turn sharper than any u-joint sterndrive. The fact that the drive is not ridgidly bolted to the hull makes them run quieter and smoother. As for the electic tilt, Merc's pre-alpha drives didn't have power tilt! just a shock absorber in case you hit something.

It's certainly a classic! enjoy it for what it is."
 
"The last Buick engine in an O

"The last Buick engine in an OMC was 1972, so no fear there.
The 1980's 3.8 is a 229 Chevy same as Volvo and Mercruiser used in that time frame.
My 1970 pre-alpha Mercruiser had power trim/tilt, but there was Mercruiser in the 60's that didn't - I think that's why the lifting eye is on the top cover - for a cable and winch setup."
 
"You definitely said it all. I

"You definitely said it all. If you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you. I have a 76 OMC 800 stringer, on a 76 Reinell C2141. Has had a few issues, but nothing major. You being a mechanic, all you need to do is arm yourself with a good manual. Nothing wrong with listening to people's opinions an d suggestions, but I wouldn't let that affect your new boating experience. Heck I had a Pinto many years ago that went to 190k on original everything. but Pinto's too, have a bad rep. Go figure.
Enjoy your boat."
 
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