Been lurking on this site and finally pulled the trigger and bought an 07 Maxum 1900 SR3 with 4.3L Merc. I have a couple of newbie questions.
The boat has 140hrs and was mainly used in lake water but has recently been used in salt. San Diego bay. I will be using it on both.
Owner hasn't done any maintenance for over a year as he's not used the boat more than 3 times last year.
Questions:
Where do I find info on what oil weight for the engine and lower unit?
Do you buy it from a Merc dealer or Amazon?
Does anyone who operates in salt ever flush the engine with Salt Away?
I'd like to do some preventive maintenance and would like any input on what I can do and what should be done by a marine mechanic. Tips and trick are appreciated.
I use Quicksilvers oil 25W40 and high performance gear lube which I get at my local Walmart but can be bought lots of places. I have flushed with straight water but never tried salt away. When I had to repower in 2016 I installed a closed cooling system makes winterization easy as well.
I boated in SD bay. Beautiful place to be. Cold water, but nothing beats boating up and down the strand and under the bridge.
Using SaltX/Salt away can't hurt. Make sure you give your engine a freshwater flush before adding Salt away. Also ensure your thermostat is open before adding salt away so it gets in your block and doesn't get blown out the exhaust.
When to use a mechanic depends on you. There are videos and manuals that cover most any boat maintenance items. I always try it myself first and so far have not needed a mechanic yet.
I have an '06 1800SR3 with the 4.3. Nice engine, but has limits. I put on hydrofoil and 19" four blade prop. Helps with the trim and hole shot. Otherwise, wonderful boat.
New to forum and new Maxum owner
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