Amount of preventative maintenance

[oldairboater]

Had a neighbor tell me he was thinking about getting a used older Mastercraft. I told him that they require regular maintenance and preventative maintenance. He replied to me that all he sees me doing is hooking on to my boat and just going. It was a shame he wasn't home today to see me spend four hours installing a new battery. Cleaning terminals and grounds. I then greased or rubber coated all exposed metal on anything electrical. We have a big weekend coming with lots of company. We will be in the boat all day. I decided that the three year old battery needed to go and a new marine battery installed. I kept the old battery which is still good for aerator battery in one of my fishing boats. He asked me how much I had paid for my boat but he didn't see me in the garage at night making repairs last winter. He didn't see me installing new bilge pumps and redoing the screwed up wiring. Installing a new radio and removing the baling wire holding the old one in. He didn't see me getting the upholstery redone. Or finding someone to make me a new fiberglass dash which I had to custom fit and put the gauges back in. If he gets that boat I wonder if he will be smart enough to stay ahead of the repairs. I love this boat but I also worked hard to make it what it is. I have read other threads where people have done the same on here.

[thatsmrmastercraft]

Too many people have no concept of the labor of love that an older Mastercraft is. Nothing quite like the feeling of being out all day, weekend or a weeks vacation and everything working properly because of all the hard work put into it. Supreme satisfaction.

[seth25]

So true. My wife teases me saying that I am always making up stuff to do to the boat. I remind her that when we go to the lake, our time is spent enjoying the lake. We are not sitting at the dock trying to get the boat started and we are not on the wrong end of a tow line. There is a reason for this, it doesn't just happen.

[oldairboater]

I saw two different boats with guys working on them and their women and kids standing around in the hot sun yesterday down at the river. I remember as a kid my Father had an old mercury that never got us home. I had to paddle that boat in every time we went out. To this day I will not get in a boat with a mercury engine. I will not get into a boat that looks like crap either--looks bad is bad. Living on the gulf of Mexico ---I also will not go offshore with any boat that doesn't have two engines and two fuel tanks. I like yours and mrmastercrafts attitude.

Originally Posted by seth25

So true. My wife teases me saying that I am always making up stuff to do to the boat. I remind her that when we go to the lake, our time is spent enjoying the lake. We are not sitting at the dock trying to get the boat started and we are not on the wrong end of a tow line. There is a reason for this, it doesn't just happen.

[ntidsl]

Time maintaining the boat and time on this forum learning of things that can go wrong before they go wrong..."preventative research"...i am one of those rare people who drains the tranny cooler everytime I get done using the boat...looking for debris and/or impeller pieces...I then drain and wipe out the bilge...then 303 the seats, then wash and spray wax the entire boat top to bottom...I have a special tarp that goes under the boat to keep from getting itchy back from the grass...and people ask how my boat is always clean?!?!?! they already packed up and left their boat with scum line...wth...

[Huskie05]

I was raised by a WW2 vet. He beat it into me as a kid to take care of everything you got. You take care of it, it takes care of you. Now, I beat that into my kids.

My neighbors laugh when I wash and clean my riding mower (Deere). I laugh right back, they are on their 2nd mower, I have owned mine for 6 years, still is brand new.

I am a little nuts, but my stuff looks brand new.

[Thrall]

Originally Posted by Huskie05

I was raised by a WW2 vet. He beat it into me as a kid to take care of everything you got. You take care of it, it takes care of you. Now, I beat that into my kids.

My neighbors laugh when I wash and clean my riding mower (Deere). I laugh right back, they are on their 2nd mower, I have owned mine for 6 years, still is brand new.

I am a little nuts, but my stuff looks brand new.

Yup!
Just bought a used Swisher mower and the neighbor laughed/wondered what I was doing when I was sharpeneing the blades and had an area masked off receiving some new red spray paint where the facotry paint had flaked and started to rust a little.
BTW he has a new mower and 2-3 more sitting parked next to his garage "that are pieces of cr@p and only lasted a couple years."
Asked me what I was greasing. I said the wheels and the spindles (on the Exmark mower). He just kinda left that one alone, don't think he has a grease gun, but this is the guy who has his 3 car garage and his/father's shop packed full of crap while his pickup, motorhome and new(er) river jet boat with a 6.0 Vortec sit outside.
He also said his boat doesn't have a wet exhaust! Funny it hasn't burned down yet then.

[thatsmrmastercraft]

I'm glad I'm not the only guy to wash and wax my riding mower.

[03geetee]

Originally Posted by thatsmrmastercraft

I'm glad I'm not the only guy to wash and wax my riding mower.

LOL! thats awesome, but I also have the disease.

I purposely bought an older boat not just out of monetary limits but also because I could take it apart, put it back together and know how to do it again. I love the fact that I have had my boat down to this...and with just a tool box and some help on here I can get it all back together if something goes wrong.



I also feel your pain alot of people dont appreciate all the time I put into this thing but I dont care. Its all worth it when they are on there 50K cobalt and almost crash when I leave the bay and let the ol Ford sing a little.

Game set match.

JTR

[Thrall]

Originally Posted by thatsmrmastercraft

I'm glad I'm not the only guy to wash and wax my riding mower.

He didn't say anything about wax. That's a little over the top!
(I did hit the old rider with spray wax once or twice though, was lotsa UV damage potential in the New Mexico sun )