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View Full Version : '03 Outback 4 years later



moombaschleg
07-02-2006, 03:10 PM
It has been almost 4 years since we sold our 4 cylinder I/O and bought a new '03 Outback LS. Love this boat! Admittedly, we don't get as much use out of it as I'd like, since we're in central Indiana, and have at least a 1.5 hour drive to get to a 'good' lake for the day.

Our is red over white, 310 carb, no tower, ss rub rail, factory cover. Great help from our dealer directing us to options we needed for my wife and I, along with our 2 small kids. Love the power, launching and loading ease, dependability, and most of all the like-new look after almost 4 years and app. 80 hours. The meter only shows the time the engine runs....I'd be very interested in knowing how many hours we have spent in the boat altogether!

There have been some issues. The rear storage area gets wet, and it's nearly impossible to get dry....since we park it in our barn when not in use, we hope for a sunny day the day after we have been out so that the sun can dry out the storage area. I finally decided to do some investigating today to see what my options may be. I took out the carpet-covered panels. The ones on the bottom of the locker sit directly on top of the gas tank. This isn't such a big deal, but the carpet that is mounted on these fiber boards wraps around the edges. At the place where they wrap around, they were absolutely drenched, and far from the gray color of the carpet....slimy and stinky. I invision no carpet back there, except maybe on the far ends and the back of the seat, which rarely see moisture. If I could neatly remove the carpeting and cover them is something non-porous, the water would just drain to the hull. Anyone have any thoughts on that idea?

The ski locker in the floor rarely drains all the way...shop vac is the best answer after parking the boat at every imaginable angle with the plug out.

Yesterday, one of the six stock speakers popped out....the mounts where screws that held it in broke of on all four. We really are pretty easy on this boat, so that does concern me; After inspecting other speakers, there will probably be more to come loose soon. I looked online and found these speakers in white and black for sale, but according to Mfr. (Magnadyne) site, they only sell the one I need (charcoal) in bulk. In a thread on here, a dealer set a guy up with some overstock; I can only hope for that, otherwise I may need to buy 6 new speakers. I was amazed that the speaker was one whole unit, in that you could'nt just replace the grill. Live and learn.

Any input is appreciated.....that is what these boards are for, right?

james yarosz
07-02-2006, 07:18 PM
I bought my 03 ls from dealer stock and it had no stereo.I had a marine radio but my dealer ordered me Four speakers from the factory in the taupe(?) color.I believe they were about $20 each.My boat now has 210 hours with no issues.:)

Catdog1
07-05-2006, 07:40 PM
Mine's older than yours with a different back design, but I have had similar thoughts about removing some or even all of the carpet, going so far as putting an epoxy paint with sand in the seating area.

Schmitter
07-10-2006, 01:32 PM
I have considered removing the cloth pannels in the rear trunk and replacing with plexiglas. It won't hold water and I can see when fueling to let me know how close to full I am. I don't really store anything in the trunk other then the cover, so I am not really worried about my ski.

moombaschleg
07-11-2006, 07:33 PM
Now there's a thought. Sounds a little strange at first thought, but who likes gas splashing out on the boat, or in your face?! Thanks for the idea....