Our cottage neighbour just called to let us know that our runabout has sunk. It has a 70hp outboard Johnson. Does anyone have any advice on the best route to take as far as drying it out and getting it restarted? It's in fresh water.
I figure drain the carb bowls, pull the plugs, spray all the cylinders with penatrating oil and crank it over to blow everything out. I'm hoping that the ignition will dry out with some water displacement spray.
Change the oil in the lower end, too.
Fresh water makes it much easier. I think you have exactly the right idea on what to do. Lots of WD40, lots of compressed air, take everything apart you can and give it some time. Those OMC 70s are pretty damn tough, takes a lot to kill them. Make sure to do all the work as soon as it comes out of the water, leave it under until you are ready to work on it.
The lower unit should be fine, it is supposed to be in the water.
Sonic wrote: The lower unit should be fine, it is supposed to be in the water.
Might as well do it anyways though. Its a good idea at least once a season according to our old outboard mechanic.
Pull the plugs, spin it over to blow the water out and soak everything with WD-40 or the like. Get it cranked up ASAP and run the dog mess out of it. The heat and fuel running through it will dry everything out and flush the bearings. I have sunk more than one of them in salt water. If your get them running they will survive no worse for wear. If you let it sit, the bearing and rings will start rusting almost instantly. Crank it up ASAP!
And leave it in the water until you're ready to fix it. Don't go lifting it out and leaving it sitting in the air to come back to next week. If you can't work on it until next week, leave it in the water until next week.
For some reason all I can think of is the front fell off. 
Why did it sink? Once cleaned up it may happen again if you don't resolve the original issue.
Dan
Fixing what caused it to sink is fairly high on the priority list. We had a lot of rain and then very high winds. I know that our mooring cover leaks so I'm hoping that it was nothing more serious than that.
I don't plan on raising the boat until tomorrow morning when I have a chance to work on it right away.
Is it possible to store the boat in your yard, not in the water? The idea of leaving a boat in the water unattended gives me the willies. But then, I'm used to salt water. We see lot's of auctions of salvage boats that have gone down at the dock, and they go cheap. Damage is almost instant. Engines, electronics, all wiring, upholstery, etc trash. Sad part is, the hull looks fine.
50 gallon drums work well as an engine testing/running station. Mount engine (might need to make up some wood to make it wide enough for the clamps to grab, fill with water, and run the junk out of that engine...
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