Why Access Marine?

• Rebuild your existing engine, drive, or gearcase: Although a rebuild is actually a major repair, and not actually a “repower” in the truest sense, many people consider this when an incident requires more than just simple maintenance. It may be the lowest-cost option to get back on the water. However, by the time the bill adds up to include prices of individual parts, shop labor, and outside machine shop fees you may be better off to repower. A true repower also saves time; offers provide world-wide factory-backed limited warranty coverage and technical service support; and qualifies for extended coverage programs to give you peace of mind for years to come to that rebuilds do not offer. If you are considering a rebuild option, it is vital to require that your mechanic use marine-grade components, such as the genuine factory parts available from Mercury.
• Crate or Partial Engine: This is a generic term often used to describe an engine purchased from an automotive aftermarket shop. A crate engine is a nearly complete engine, usually partially dressed with a carburetor or fuel injection system but few other accessories. These have been popularized for engine swaps with classic cars—so why not your boat? For the safety of you and your passengers, check to make sure you are getting a marine engine that is up to date with US Coast Guard Safety standards. Mercury offers a variety of partially dressed new and remanufactured engines for inboard or sterndrive boats. These products offer great flexibility for upgrading the horsepower for a variety of sterndrive and the inboard engine makes – not just MerCruiser. Quicksilver Remanufacturing also offers remanufactured outboard powerheads and longblocks for inboard and sterndrive boats.
• Remanufactured Products: Remanufactured products are substantially different from rebuilt engines. Remanufacturing refers to a factory process by which an engine is completely stripped to its most basic components and brought back to OEM specifications. Remanufacturing renews every finely machined surface and replaces other components that contribute to the life span of an engine, powerhead, gearcase, or sterndrive. However, because the expensive casting and basic machining steps are already completed, the remanufactured product costs significantly less than a new one. Quicksilver Remanufacturing offers a complete portfolio of:
  • Mercury Outboard powerheads
  • Longblocks for all makes of sterndrives and inboards
  • Outboard gearcases
  • Sterndrive gearcases
  • Transmissions

Repower

You may begin to think about repower when your marine engine begins to show subtle signs of aging, like a longer cranking time at start-up or performance that’s not quite what it was when the boat was new. Sometimes, a more serious problem has developed: a plugged water intake caused the engine to overheat, striking a submerged object caused serious damage, or an unexpected freeze resulted in a cracked block.

Obviously, if the current engine fails during the season you want to get back on the water as quickly as possible. Your options may be limited because during peak season the service bays are busy. You’ll want to limit your choices to what is available and what can be serviced rapidly without losing valuable boating time.

Ideally, you should consider the decision to repower during the off-season before a catastrophic incident. Doing your homework in advance provides you the opportunity to find the right product at the best price, and not lose valuable time on the water.

Reasons to Repower

Unlike an automobile that is largely used up by the time the engine wears out, a boat can live on, often through several engine changes. A well-designed hull has a timeless style and a decades-long functional life. There are many reasons to repower the boat you have: 

• A new boat is outside your budget right now
• You want more performance from your boat
• You want to increase your boat’s resale value
• You want the latest technology for a better boating experience
• You want to reduce your fuel costs or increase your boat’s range
• Maintaining an old engine has become more hassle than it’s worth
• You are faced with a major repair, and figure now is the best time to upgrade

Why use Access Marine for your repower?

Here at Access Marine, we specialize in repowering both sail and powerboats.  We have vast experience with both gas and diesel engines.  Oftentimes, a repower will require custom fitting to install the engine to the manufacturer’s specifications.   Whether it is a Mercruiser or Volvo Penta gas engine, or a Beta Marine or another type of diesel, Access Marine closely follows the manufacturer’s installation requirements to ensure the warranty is upheld.  During the process, Access Marine upgrades all necessary systems around the engine for proper operation of the new power plant.