Ski Centurion

I'm all set to buy a Ski Centurion Elite V, any opinions, good or bad? Its a 03 with 25 hours on it, with tower and ballast. For a few thou more, I can get a loaded Moomba Mobius. The one thing I'm worried about is the Mercruiser motor in the Centurion (its the 315hp MPI), why would you only have a one year warranty on a motor unless you are having problems with it? I'd feel much safer with the Indmar with the 3 yr warranty. Give me some advice here.

No problems on my 2002 315hp mpi.
knock on wood.

With that warranty logic, the 10yr/100k Hundays must be quite the shiz. The Mercruiser motor is probably set to outlast the boat built around it.

for a few thousand more you can probably get the mercruiser extended service plan so you will 5-6 yrs of warranty....

there are more merc service centers than anyone else... the bigger you are.. the more people bash.... you are getting a great power plant.... and it is a proven motor... been around a long time....

No problems with my Merc 350 315hp

Derek,

Hyundai tied for second (with Honda) in J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality this year. Toyota got first. I used to do actuarial work, trust me, there is a very high correlation between warranty length and quality. Auto manufacturers have it down to a science.

I too have the 315 mpi. It's in a 2000 Elite V and just hit 810 hours this weekend.......no problems.
good luck

I had a 2001 Elite V-Drive, and the engine was about the only thing that didn't break....hated the boat (sold it two years later) but loved the engine. Had 365 hours on the engine....

Jason

What didn't you like about the boat?

I have an 03 Hurricane with the 315 it spent 2 months in the shop last summer and the dealer had it for 2 months this spring and its still not right. Love the boat but would never own anything with a Merc again and thier cutomer service is the worst I have ever seen. A company is only as good as the service it provides after the sale!

I have never owned a boat that hasnt had a mercuriser engine in it. I have never had one problem with the motor. My current is a Avalanche 2002 with the 315 hp motor. No problems at all.

Paul, sorry sort of off-topic now, but the warranty thing. You know that there's a LOT more to vehicle quality than the number of defects found and reported in the first couple months of ownership.

Our Sequoia is nearing the end of its 3yr/36,000m warranty. Had I used those warranty terms as a determinant, I'd have assumed the others (no offense, wish y'all best of luck, etc.) to be a better build. Nothing could be farther from the truth (this is our third Toy warranty run all the way through without a claim - although if we'd have bought the boat new, the record would've been tarnished).

I did spend almost a year in a boat dealership and can't recall a single Mercury Marine defect that wasn't caused by either bad rigging or lack of maintenance. Just a year though, and most guys on the board have been in the mix for many.

I have a merc in my boat. I only had a few minor issues that were taken care of by either Merc or Fineline. Merc has been making engines for a long time. Their customer service can be a little slow, but I wouldn't not buy the boat becuase of that. If Fineline's customer service sucked (which it DOESN'T) then I might think twice. But Centurion's service has been completely AWESOME to work with and have taken care of several items outside of warranty for nada.

Scott you said it. Centurion is just awesome to work with.

My prior boat was a Centurion elite DD and no probs with it. Got a new Centurion now with the 6.2 Scorpion, tune is a little off but the dealer said they had a letter from Merc of some performance issues. No biggy though, just reprogram the ECM and alls good.

i have an 03' Elite v-drive and have not had a problem, knock on wood. but then again, there shouldn't be any problems considering it only has 75 hours on it. By the way, HOW MANY HOURS ARE CONSIDERED "ALOT OF HOURS" ON A MERC??

Well its official. I am now the proud owner of 03 Elite V. That's assuming I don't find any problems when I take it out on the water Saturday. Anything in particular that I should be looking for?

Check gauges, every switch, every device, look for loose bolts, listen closely to the engine and feel how it drives (vibration/slipage). It's a really NEW boat still so it has a lot of break in left to do. Better take it in and have the 20 hour done on it, because I would bet the guy didn't do it before he sold it. You better check transfer on the warranty also.

Post some pics too!

Congrats!

Paul writes: "Anything in particular that I should be looking for?"

Yeah, pay extra attention to that Merc engine - they've got a pretty crappy warranty, you know ;-)

Congrats!!!! Our friend's got an Avalanche, and it's a really cool ride.

Congradulations Paul. You want be disappointed.

I just noticed your on Lake Martin. Did you buy it from Anchor Bay? My in laws have place up Blue Creek right before the real low bridge. In front of Niffer's.

well, if hyundai is so great then why does is depreciate faster than a rock falling out of the sky? hyundai, kia, & daewoo make inexpensive, cheap transportation. thats not a bad thing--u just get what u pay for. cheap aint good & good aint cheap. as for the warranty, the reason it is so long (10 yrs/100k) is because you'll need every bit of it. its gonna be in the shop alot. enough car bashing though, we get too much boat bashing as it is!

I didn't buy the boat from Anchor Bay but that's where it was originally purchased. It just had the 20 hour service done on it. They (Anchor Bay) said it looked perfect, they just had to fix a steering recall or something like that.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

Chuck, if your warranty theory on Hyundai, Kia, and the like was true, all three manufacturers would be out of business.

BTW - JD Power ranks the Elantra near the top in it's segment.

IMO it's easy - just pay the extra bucks (which you saved and then some in the first place by not buying a Bu MC or CC) and get the extended service warranty.

Lastly, not a damn thing wrong with Centurion boats, especially the newer models.

Duane... 810 hours.. very nice!

Congrat's paul! I'm in year two with my '03 elite-v (air warrior). I love everything about it. Never had any prob's w/ the merc, and like someone else mentioned earlier, centurion is very committed to customer service and won't dissapiont you. enjoy your new ride!!!

Congrats on the Centurion.
Yeah, 815 now but whose counting? The pluses and minuses of reliabilty and high use.
Plus is the boat is always avaialable....one reason so many hours.
Minus, like with miles on a car, hi use results in lower resale.
But hey, I didn't buy it to just let it sit.
Congrats again.