Services
Outboard & Inboard Sterndrive Servicing
Impellers, gear oil, anodes and diagnostics for outboards and sterndrive legs.
The engine is the most expensive thing on your boat and the easiest one to wreck by ignoring it. Servicing an outboard or a sterndrive leg is cheap insurance. An impeller costs next to nothing. A cooked powerhead does not.
What’s included
- Engine oil and filter changes (four-stroke)
- Gearbox and lower unit oil change with water-ingress check
- Water pump impeller replacement
- Spark plugs, fuel filters and water separators
- Sacrificial anode inspection and replacement
- Thermostat and cooling system checks
- Sterndrive bellows, gimbal bearing and U-joint inspection
- Propeller inspection, removal and re-fitting
- Compression testing and diagnostic scans
Outboard servicing
Outboards have a hard life. Saltwater, heat cycles and long stretches sitting idle in the shed. A standard service covers oils and filters, plugs, impeller, anodes and a cooling system check, then a run-up to make sure the tell-tale is flowing properly and it idles and changes gear the way it should.
Two-strokes and four-strokes want different things, and a motor that putters around the harbour needs different attention to one that gets hammered offshore. We service to the manufacturer schedule and then adjust for how you actually use the boat.
Inboard sterndrive servicing
Sterndrives bring a whole extra set of wear items with them: bellows, gimbal bearing, U-joints, shift cable and trim gear, all sitting right at the waterline where the salt can get at them. Bellows are the classic one. A split bellow lets water into the boat and the repair costs a lot more than the inspection would have.
We service Volvo Penta and MerCruiser legs along with the engines in front of them, including alignment checks whenever the leg comes off.
Impellers, anodes and the bits everyone forgets
An impeller wants replacing about every year or 100 hours no matter how good it looks, because the rubber goes hard with heat and age long before it visibly fails. Anodes want swapping once they are about half eaten. Both are small jobs that stop big ones.
If your motor has been sitting for a season or more, get it serviced before you launch rather than finding out at the ramp that something has perished.
Questions
Outboard & Sterndrive Servicing: common questions
How often should I service my outboard?
Every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first. If the boat lives in saltwater or sits unused for long stretches, stick to the annual service even if the hours are low.
How often does the impeller need replacing?
About every 12 months or 100 hours. The rubber hardens with heat and age, so an impeller can let go even when it looks perfectly fine, and one overheat can cost you a powerhead.
Do you service two-stroke outboards?
Yes. Two-stroke and four-stroke, including older motors, and we can get parts for most major brands.
My motor is running rough. Can you diagnose it?
Yes. Compression testing, diagnostic scans and fuel system testing, so we find the actual cause rather than guessing. Call Danny on 021 771 615 to book it in.
Getting started
One workshop for the whole boat
Engines, electronics, trailers, grooming and storage all happen in the same place, so jobs can be combined into one visit instead of three. Tell us what the boat is doing and we will tell you what it needs.
Need outboard & sterndrive servicing?
Call Danny Pavlovich on 021 771 615 or send an enquiry through and you will get an honest answer on what is involved and what it costs.