Oh yeah – I’m also thinking that I will need to mount the bunks to the trailer frame itself instead of the current adjustment brackets.. will have to find a nice quiet boat launch at some point where I can dump the boat in the water, tie it up to a tree or something, adjust the trailer, check with the boat, re-launch, etc.

Appreciate the responses, and sorry for my late reply – busy weekend!!

I did get a new prop ordered – ended up going with a QuickSilver 8.5″ x 8″; hopefully it’ll perform fairly well.

Also ordered spark plugs, lower unit lube and pump, and will pick four-stroke oil locally.. figure I might as well change out the critical fluids in the motor with ones I know are good quality, and also so I can know _for sure_ that it’s been done.

For the trailer – bearing buddies are installed (it came with them), and appear to be full.. I also have checked the hubs after driving with it (~40 miles the first trip, and then a few small 5-10 mile trips), and they are just warm to the touch.. would it still be a good idea to repack the bearings now, or is it OK to wait until the end of the season, with plenty of checks in the meantime?

I did swing into the self serve carwash and tried pressure washing the hull; it took a bit of the build-up off the hull, but not all of it. The inside of the boat cleaned up nicely though – lots of sand flushed out from under the seats, etc. I’m thinking I’ll probably have to flip the boat over at some point and scrub it down by hand.. in the meantime, not going to worry about it too much!

Once one of the smaller lakes around here opens up, I will have the boat out to make sure it doesn’t sink and see how the engine runs in the water (versus on muffs) – looking forward to it for sure!

And lundojam, no worries, I am planning on getting out and enjoying it, and it will get plenty dirty again!!

Thanks!