New boat owners

Just curious-Ive read many threads from some of you that bought new boats and on its maiden voyage (?) Youre boarding,skating etc. Isnt there a breakin period of at least 10 hours before towing anyone? When I bought mine a few years ago, the dealer was very adament about the breakin.

For as much as I spent on my new boat, I absolutely abided by the recommended break-in restrictions. I am guessing that it varies from manufacturers, but probably very similar. I even gave mine a couple extra hours, just to be safe. This is not an area you should skimp on. I have had a blast just cruising around the lake, with a refreshing barley soda in my hand, just taking in the new boat. Would have been even better if I had my stereo installed, but I survived.

Do the proper break-in. The time will fly by before you know it.

I like to preach 20 hour break in. 10 hrs will be better than nothing but it is absolutely NOT what the factory recommends. Hopefully you were smart enough NOT to be bamboozled by one of those Wal-mart type boat dealers (chain) and you have access to a solid service department somewhere. For some reason many people see a "lower" initial price (say $500- $1000) and they completely forget that excessive engine work and lost vacations can easily creep into thousands spent in servicing over time. To take every word of any dealer as "gold" without having good reference from a friend, etc is just ignorant.

So here's a question. For dealer demo boats, do you think the dealer actually follows the break in recommendations? I have seen several dealer demo boats with less than 20 hours on them, pulling riders, roaring around the lakes, etc. It doesn't seem that important to them.

The dealer doesn't care about demo boats because they sell them after a year and don't worry about paying for maintenance and repairs down the road like a buyer would have to. Also if anything happens right away it would be covered under warrenty from the manufacurer. I don't think saying dealers don't break in boats is a good comparision. just my opinion though.

I suppose break in procedures vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but I do not agree with the statement that:

"10 hrs will be better than nothing but it is absolutely NOT what the factory recommends"

I just bought a brand new Supra SSV. Supra's owners manual AND Indmar's owners manual both specify the exact same break in procedure.... 10 hours.

The only mention of 20 hours is in relation to the engines first fluid changes and inspection. The boat must be serviced sometime after the 10 hour break in, but by 20 hours at the latest.

Indmar supplies power plants for Supra, Moomba, Master Craft, and Malibu. If the people who actually make the engine say that it only needs a 10 hour break in, then that's good enough for me.

I thought the Indmar recommendation was 20 hours of break in and to change/inspect the fluids at 10 hours.

The Indmar Operator's Manual states "After the first ten hours but before 20 hours of operation,take your boat to the dealer for its first engine and transmission oil and filter change and engine check up." I would also change the V-drive oil at that time. that is if you have a V-drive.

So what will happen if you do not break it in properly?

From Skier's Choice owners manual. The same procedure is also in Indmar's manual.

Break In Procedure:

Taking care to properly break in your new engine will pay off in the long run. In our years of field testing, we have proven that an Indmar engine, when properly broken in according to our simple procedures, will last longer, run better and have fewer repairs over its lifetime.

Your new engine does not require an elaborate break-in procedure. Just follow these simple instructions and you are off to a great start. The three (3) most important aspects of new engine break-in are:

1.Avoid running engine at high speeds.
2. Do not carry a heavy load (passengers, gear, etc.).
3.Vary your boat speed during break-in, don’t run at the same RPM for a long period of time.

BREAK-IN STEPS
- For the first hour, do not exceed 2,000 RPM.
- For the second hour, do not exceed 3,000 RPM.
- For the next five hours, do not exceed 4,000 RPM

BREAK-IN TIPS

- Avoid fast accelerations and don’t carry (or pull) a heavy load during this period.
- Always let engine warm up gradually before acceleration.
- Check oil frequently. During the first 50 to 100 hours, an
engine can use more oil than usual. Maintain oil at a proper level at all times (do not overfill).
- Monitor transmission fluid levels.
- Report abnormal noises or vibrations to your dealer.
- Keep an eye out for loose mountings, fittings, nuts, bolts, and clamps.

During the BREAK-IN process, engine temperature should be carefully monitored and speed should be reduced if overheating is evident. ALSO, PLEASE REFER TO ENGINE OWNER’S MANUAL FOR BREAK-IN INFORMATION.

NOTICE: PLEASE REFER TO ENGINE OWNER’S MANUAL
for maximum RPM and engine break-in procedure.
After the first 20 hours of operation, take your boat to the dealer for its first oil and filter change, as well as an engine checkup. Remember to keep a sharp eye on all gauges and warning lights during these first hours of operation. Report anything unusual to your dealer. After the break-in procedure is over, your boat may be
operated continuously at any speed. Do not exceed maximum RPM recommended for your engine. Exceeding the maximum RPM may result in damage to the engine. Before starting your engine you must open the engine box and check engine compartment and bilge for gasoline and oil vapors.
}

I've got a new boat on order, and have been interested in the whole break-in thing as well.

Interestingly, although Indmar and PCM both use GM blocks and internals, they recommend vastly different break-in procedures.

Indmar is like you just mentioned, take it very easy, gently increase the RPM's as you get more hours. This is how I did my Supra last year.

PCM's procedure is way different. Basically warm it up, run WOT (High rpm's!) for a minute or two, slow down a while, run WOT for a certain length of time, etc. More of a "run it like you plan to drive it" procedure.

Just interesting that although they use the same engine under, they are so different in this regard.

Richard,
I noticed you said do not leave your boat at the same RPM for a long period of time. Does that include idleing? I like to let my boat fully warm up before I go anywhere. I take delivery of my new boat next week. Thanks

I think reputable dealers do a fine job of break-in. Fact is, if they are dumping boats every year(demos) that are going to have problems, it is going to reflect negatively on their dealership. Pretty soon, that will be reflected in their bottom line. It will also start to reflect on the brand....we are talking about relatively small numbers(# of boats sold), not having problems with a car/truck.

Just my $.02....

E.J.

(Message edited by Deuce on February 25, 2005)

In my opinion motors nowdays are manufactured with such exact tolerances and modern bore machining, that break-in is pretty much a non-issue. I don't think it will matter much either way.

I bought a demo boat the dealer said it had 40hours on it. With in the first season my tranny started slipping and had to be replaced luckily it was under warranty.

SeeBass, friend went through 2 trannys in his first 150 hours with his Centurion/Merc.... Your issues may have had nothing to do with your boat being a demo. Because of all the issues I heard and personally observed with Mercruiser inboards, I didn't even look at a boat that was powered by Mercruiser.

Who knows...maybe you are talking about another boat with a PCM or Indmar....???

Anyway....another $.02....total $.04 on this thread.

E.J.

(Message edited by Deuce on February 25, 2005)

E.J. so what your saying that Merc has a faulty tranny Wonder how many other are out there like me? any one?

Brian,

What I posted above was cut and pasted from Supra's owners manual, which can be found on their web site.

You are correct in that you should let your engine warm up before you get going. Take another look at my post above and look at the second line under "Break In Tips".

I don't know if I would go as far as to say a faulty tranny. Maybe just a history of more mechanical problems that that of PCM or Indmar.

Of course that is just an opinion from a consumer.....and would probably go as far as to say a fairly uninformed opinion. The totality of my research is from the internet(we know how accurate that is), 1 personal experience and the fact that the local Tige dealer chooses to bring his boats in already optioned with the PCM(that is word of mouth, I have not checked all the boats to see if this is true).

E.J.

With today's modern motors, proper warm up and service is more important than ANY break in procedure. Typically, every motor is run on a dyno before it goes in your boat anyways.

Never, EVER run any high RPM or high load before the oil is up to full temperature, and you should be fine (so long as there's no factory defects).

When I bought my X2 last May, we idled around until it was up to temp, planed out to 23mph to look at the stock wake, stopped, filled up the stock ballast, checked the wake again, then started riding.

I changed the oil at 10hrs, 50hrs, and every 50 hours after that. We never added additional ballast until after the first 15-20 hours. It's up to 300 hours now, and the motor runs like a champ.

We run the stock ballast, plus two 350lb sacs, one full 600lb sac, and a half-full 600 pounder near the back seat. We run this setup ALWAYS. I'll probably hit 600 hours by the end of this summer, and I'm sure she'll still be running strong.

Paul as noted in the other thread I just took delivery of a CC SV211. I spent two hours doing a very specific breakin. We ran specific RPM's for specific time frames and it took less than two hours. There are rpm limit recommendations beyond that which I will definitely follow but these modern engines really only need to have the seals seat and their good to go. Much like modern cars these engines don't require the hours of break in the older motors needed.

I do agree with Joe that warm up and service are critical. Not sure if Correct Craft dyno's each motor but they had put 1 hour of break in on the motor prior to delivery.

E.J.
Mercury does not build inboard transmissions. Inboard tranny's are Borg Warner velvet drives or PCM tranny's. I know some older inboards can have a Hurth but I am not sure that they are still used in new boats today.

So many boats that are powered by Indmar have the same Velvet Drive that Mercury is running.

I followed breakin period by the book but when I told my dealer about it ....He told me DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!
I got my 1st oil changed at 9.5hrs and serviced at 19hrs,at 50hrs and pretty much every 25hrs.I feel like joe said that proper service is the key and I heard that they run engines on dynos so breakin period is less important,but you buy a $50k boat or less for that matter and you wanna make sure she purr's for years to come.

If you run alot of weight,I recommend changing oil more frequently.like every 25hrs

ohh and I didn't run alot of weight tillabout 50 to 60 hrs...I kind of forget.

big ed, how much weight do you normally run? I have less than 1k, and dont use it every time. I check the oil before and after each use and it stays real clean.

That's another thing I forgot to mention Ed. I'm thinking of switching to every 25 or 30 hours for the oil change this year. My oil is pretty black by the time 50 hours rolls around, because we push her pretty hard.

OOPS!!!

Louis, Sometimes the rings wont seat properly = burn oil and loose compression. Also can cause flat cam lobes.

I've been running,stock + 600lbs in lead + 600lbs bag in the walk-way and 400lbs in each locker!

Since my system upgrade....Lost the 2 400lbs bags out of the lockers and shifted some led bags backward.

black oil soon after an oil change is a sign that the rings did not seat properly, i.e. improper break in. It doesn't mean the engine is bad or won't run for a long time, 90% of the 5.0 mustangs had this problem and they're still on the road. This can also be caused or aggravated by using synthetic oil before the engine is fully broken in, it's too slick for the rings to seat. Switch back to conventional oil for a couple of maintenance cycles.

Joe,

Change the oil as often as you like, but you should know that dirty motor oil generally is not a problem. The combustion process creates sludge-producing contaminants, and oil is formulated with detergents to hold these contaminants in suspension instead of staying in the engine to sludge it up. This is why oil turns black.

Here's what the Quaker State site says:

"Myths

If the oil turns dark or black quickly, it's no good.
You can tell the condition of oil by the look, smell or color of it.
Dirty (black) motor oil means the oil is breaking down.

Fact

A common misconception is that high quality motor oil should come out of an engine looking clean at the time of an oil change. Nothing could be further from the truth. If the oil is doing its job of cleaning the engine, then it should be dirty when it is drained. Quaker State® motor oil will start looking dirty a short time after it is put to use. In the case of diesel engines, the oil will look dirty within a few hours of operation. These are signs that the motor oil is doing its job of keeping soot, dirt, and other combustion contaminants in suspension to be carried to the filter or removed from the crankcase when the oil is changed. Quaker State® motor oils have been formulated to hold these contaminants in suspension until they can be removed with an oil and filter change."