Plan ahead
Recently a friend was looking to refresh the inboard/outboard engine on his small runabout. He considered numerous options including short blocks, long blocks, and fully dressed engines. Since the long block represented a relatively low cost path compared to the others, he visited a local well-known machine shop to inquire about price and availability. The owner of the shop stated that, pre-pandemic, he could have had a new long block ready in about a week. Now, as a result of the pandemic-related supply chain issues, and labor shortages, the lead time was about seventy five weeks. If my friend’s current engine had a critical failure in the near future, he would surely miss the next boating season, and then some.
So, a word to the wise. The supply chain breakdown is still having a pronounced effect on the delivery of things, marine and otherwise. If you have a critical component that you need to replace, think about putting the wheels in motion sooner rather than later to avoid missing any precious days during the next boating season.
