Outboard service

[Welti]

New owner here, looking at owners' manual for 4 stroke fuel injected outboard on my 25' sailboat. I'm up for routine maintenance but wondering where/how to get qualified service for 100, 200 hours? Looking around me (Ventura harbor) I don't see a lot of options. I mean, there are a couple of boatyards, but they do things like haul outs and major repairs. Would they even be interested in a routine service of a 10 hp outboard? Some other places nearby that look more like they do this type of work but they are not on the water. How am I supposed to get the motor in there for the service? Is there such a thing as a mobile service that comes to you?

Other option is to buckle up, buy required tools and do all maintenance myself I guess. I'd almost rather just pay a bit extra for qualified service, and less chance of getting stranded somewhere.

[Tayana42]

Outboard motor service Ventura California. Google it and your will find local options.

[Jammer]

I have a 26' boat with an 8hp outboard for a while and have had small outboards for years on other boats.

Finding good service is a real problem. There are lots of service places that aren't really that good at what they do. Lots of stories of people who pay for annual maintenance then get out on the water in the spring and the engine won't start.

Yes, there are places where you take the motor off and bring it in, places where you bring the boat on a trailer, places where you bring the boat in the water to their dock, a few places that will come to you. Most full-service marinas that mainly work on larger boats are also happy to work on a boat with an outboard.

Locally, here, most people bring the boat to someone on a trailer.

I do my own outboard repairs. Most of the 100/200 hour service items are easy to do.

[thomm225]

All the maintenance on small outboards is pretty easy if you are that type guy.

Otherwise you can spend hundreds of dollars on say the replacement of a $10 impeller. (yearly requirement but you can easily go two years)

Your 10 hp it's going to be pretty heavy also to remove for maintenance which is another reason I like my 5 hp 4 stroke for my 27' 6600 lb displacement sailboat with almost nothing hooked to it besides a fuel line for long distance motoring.

And at 57 lbs. you can lift it by hand leaning over the stern railing

An since it's about the same size as the PO's dinghy outboard it can fit on the stern railing dinghy outboard mount

[Welti]

I suppose I can do most of it but eventually there will be something that is over my head. Maybe I'll check Craigslist for mobile marine mechanics.

[Welti]

I did find a mobile mechanic in my area. Retired guy, charges $80 an hour.

[Welti]

Update: I found a local guy to work on my 9.8 HP outboard, which has around maybe 100 hours and a year and a half of calendar time on it. I have a plan to get it off my boat and to the mechanic. Now the issue is that the Marina has a clause in the agreement that you can't have a boat without auxiliary power in the slip. So, if I take the motor off for a week to get it to the mechanic, service, and back on the boat, I will have violated the agreement. I know for a fact that many of the boats in this marina do not have reliable/working aux propulsion, but not sure I want to to be in violation. Seems like maybe I'm back to hauling out the boat just for outboard maintenance? It has a 9' beam so trailering it anywhere would be perhaps complicated ( I believe 8' is limit here in CA for trailering without permit).

What do other people do!??

[Don C L]

Hi Welti, well, you know I pull my engine and take it to the shop when needed. I haven't checked my marina's rules on that. Perhaps I have been in violation. Really I doubt anyone will notice and/or object to the boat missing its engine for a week or so. And how would they know? In any event, you are welcome to borrow my oars for the time needed!

[Kettlewell]

You've found your guy, but one way to find this type of service in the future is to look around the marina for other folks with a similar motor and ask them what they do. Don't immediately dismiss the boatyard or marina mechanic--sometimes they are the best around. I have found in general independent mechanics are better and less expensive than going to the dealer that also sells the motors, but not always. The dealers will usually have all the parts, but they tend to be the most expensive too.

[Welti]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Hi Welti, well, you know I pull my engine and take it to the shop when needed. I haven't checked my marina's rules on that. Perhaps I have been in violation. Really I doubt anyone will notice and/or object to the boat missing its engine for a week or so. And how would they know? In any event, you are welcome to borrow my oars for the time needed!

HI Don, I LOVE it! Even just one oar.
What size is yours?

[Welti]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

You've found your guy, but one way to find this type of service in the future is to look around the marina for other folks with a similar motor and ask them what they do. Don't immediately dismiss the boatyard or marina mechanic--sometimes they are the best around. I have found in general independent mechanics are better and less expensive than going to the dealer that also sells the motors, but not always. The dealers will usually have all the parts, but they tend to be the most expensive too.

I have asked around once or twice when I ran into someone on the dock. It seems they are all inboard, or they just pull the whole boat every couple years. One guy said just leave it. Change the upper unit oil and spark plugs yourself and don't worry about lower unit. That doesn't match what I'm seeing in the owners manual though.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Welti

Update: I found a local guy to work on my 9.8 HP outboard, which has around maybe 100 hours and a year and a half of calendar time on it. I have a plan to get it off my boat and to the mechanic. Now the issue is that the Marina has a clause in the agreement that you can't have a boat without auxiliary power in the slip. So, if I take the motor off for a week to get it to the mechanic, service, and back on the boat, I will have violated the agreement. I know for a fact that many of the boats in this marina do not have reliable/working aux propulsion, but not sure I want to to be in violation. Seems like maybe I'm back to hauling out the boat just for outboard maintenance? It has a 9' beam so trailering it anywhere would be perhaps complicated ( I believe 8' is limit here in CA for trailering without permit).

What do other people do!??

Take the motor to your outboard repair guy. 90% odds no one will care. If they do, well, figure something else out for next time. Or purchase a cheap, lightweight used motor that you can install so that you are in technical compliance with the agreement.


A fact of life with marinas is that there are usually extensive contract provisions that, in reality, are selectively complied with and selectively enforced.

[Chotu]

Stupid marinas and their rules. Maybe while it’s at the shop you could hang a piece of cardboard like this off the back. Lolol

[Welti]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Stupid marinas and their rules. Maybe while it’s at the shop you could hang a piece of cardboard like this off the back. Lolol

Very creative. That and the oar!

[Welti]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Take the motor to your outboard repair guy. 90% odds no one will care. If they do, well, figure something else out for next time. Or purchase a cheap, lightweight used motor that you can install so that you are in technical compliance with the agreement.


A fact of life with marinas is that there are usually extensive contract provisions that, in reality, are selectively complied with and selectively enforced.

I wouldn't have even asked except I wanted to reverse the boat stern-in to make it easier to get the engine off/on and I thought there might be an issue with that, since no one else parks their boats that way.