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Old     (blazeremt89)      Join Date: May 2007       06-23-2010, 2:51 PM Reply   
I am in the market for a new boat. I have seen many deals but some have like 300 hrs. I don't really know how many hours a boat should have. I know that lower is better, but that isn't always in my price range.
Old     (99_slaunch)      Join Date: Oct 2005       06-23-2010, 3:10 PM Reply   
The condition of the boat will tell a lot about how it was taken care of. If it was a well maintained boat with 300-400 hrs and the price is right buy it. My brother recently purchased his 04 Nautique 211 team with 450 hrs and the boat runs perfect and the previous owner took real good care of it. I would recomend having a marine mechanic check every thing out for you. Ask for sevice records?
Old     (pdub)      Join Date: Jul 2009       06-23-2010, 3:11 PM Reply   
not so much as how many hours rather than how well the owner has taken care of the boat
Old     (UNvisible)      Join Date: May 2010       06-23-2010, 3:29 PM Reply   
My 05 210 SANTE has 410 hours on it and looks brand new... I keep it looking and running that way
Old    SamIngram            06-23-2010, 4:10 PM Reply   
My '06 SAN 210 has just under 900 hours on it. It has been used by either me or my brother every Saturday since it was new. I just had a compression and leak down done on the engine and it's perfect! I have all the service records since new showing every 100 hour service... the boat looks new with the exception of one small nick in the gel coat that I am having repaired.

Check for cracks in the gel coat around the tower, service records, and if possible have a leak down test done on the engine. Compression tests are worthless unless something major is wrong.
Old     (radmattyd)      Join Date: Feb 2010       06-23-2010, 4:12 PM Reply   
Zane Schwenk told it to me like this:

You're probably running the boat 30mph on average so if you do the math, a boat with 300hrs on it is like having a car with about 9000 miles on it.

I just thought it was a pretty crazy way to think about it....

...food for thought
Old     (99_slaunch)      Join Date: Oct 2005       06-23-2010, 4:33 PM Reply   
^^^^ That is a bad comparrison! A boat has much more resistance then a car and turns twice the rpm. Indmar says oil change every 50 hrs car manufactures say every 3,000. So 50 hrs=3000 miles. With the rpm's double of a car I would say more like 50 hrs=5000 miles. Boat 30 mph at 3400rpm car 30mph at 1100rpm. Then you need to account for weight. Boat + ballast. Bottom line is there is really no fair way to convert boat hours to milage. A boat with 300-400 hrs will have a lot of time left on it if it was taken care of.
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       06-23-2010, 6:34 PM Reply   
I dont think the rpm is a big deal. Its well within the rpm range of the engine and low rpm and "lugging" can actually be far worse on an engine over time, especially a 300+hp, pretty much unrestricted, mouse motor. These things run forever as long as you keep 'em oiled and cool. I'm with Zane. Mainly because with his math (and mine) my drivetrain will hit 3 to 4k in hours! Maintanence is KEY!
Old     (99_slaunch)      Join Date: Oct 2005       06-23-2010, 7:23 PM Reply   
Just because it hits 3 to 4k in hours does not mean that it is an accurate conversion. I'm sure mine will hit that many to and yes maintanence is key. At the same time I still think that the coversion to miles is more then what you guys think. Hmmmm I think I will give Indmar a call tomorow if I get the chance and see what they have to say. I expect that they will say 50 hrs is equal to 3000 miles though.
Old     (wakemania)      Join Date: Sep 2008       06-23-2010, 7:27 PM Reply   
I would much rather buy a boat that someone puts 100+ hours a year on and maintains it well, than a boat that was bought to look good in the boat house and rarely gets cranked. I have an '03 that has just over 700 hours on it and she purrs like a kitten.
Old    mojo            06-23-2010, 8:21 PM Reply   
hours don't really matter. the more it has just means it got used and wasn't sitting and/or wasn't in the shop. you're looking at an average around the country of probably near 75. some people only put 20 a season, some put 200+. before you buy have the compression checked, take a look yourself in all the nooks and crannies. TEST drive it. check the oil to see how low/dirty it is. ask the owner how often he changes stuff like impeller, oil, etc. oil/filter and impeller should be every 50 hours. a boat with near 2500hrs is in need of or very near a rebuild.
Old     (formfunction)      Join Date: Jun 2008       06-23-2010, 8:39 PM Reply   
Mojo,My boat is about to turn 2000 hours,at 1900 I sent the engine to the machine shop assuming it needed a little freshening and they sent it back saying it was in perfect condition.I think the only real test is to have the boat gone through.by a qualified marine mechanic.If there is a problem nine times out of ten it will be detectable way before something fails.Like a loose timing chain or weak rings,all totally detectable.
Old    SamIngram            06-23-2010, 8:58 PM Reply   
Leak down test!
Old    mojo            06-23-2010, 9:35 PM Reply   
i was just stating the manufacturers rec. rebuild
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       06-23-2010, 10:03 PM Reply   
3000hrs = 100k miles. Sounds good to me.
Old     (rallyart)      Join Date: Nov 2006       06-23-2010, 10:30 PM Reply   
My 1980 I/O has over 3000 hours and it does smoke a little now. Mind you it was seriously over revved for the first two years of it's life.

Sam's leak down test suggestion is the best way to evaluate it.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       06-24-2010, 8:15 AM Reply   
My truck just hit 1100 hrs at just under 60k miles. I agree that you cannot directly compare the miles, though.

I sold my Sanger that was two years old with close to 500 hours. It still looked and drove like a new boat. Personally I'd start to be concerned around 800 hours. Anything before that woulnd't make me think twice if the boat was clean and well maintained.
Old    SamIngram            06-24-2010, 8:25 AM Reply   
The Leak Down Test!
Old     (bmartin)      Join Date: Jan 2007       06-24-2010, 8:32 AM Reply   
Here are some loose hour points that I have run into when looking at boats; <500 hours - low hours; >2000 hours - high hours. The drive train in most boats will go well over 2000 hours if well maintained. Its the vinyl, cables, starters, gauges, and electronics that are much more likely to get you with more hours of use and age than the drive train. Of course condition is everything as others have chimed in. Some 500 hour boats will look like museum peices and others will look pretty abused so hours is one factor, but would way more weight on the condition / maintenance / owner vibe if it is under 500 hours.
Old     (silvermustang35)      Join Date: Jul 2008       06-24-2010, 9:46 AM Reply   
LOL, wow, im at 78 hours and we have been riding for 3 months....What can I say though, we love our boat...It still has that New smell to it...guess it just depends on how the boat was taken care of and how it performs on the water. Maintenance records are a must though on higher hours. We have a copy of ours and our dealer has a copy that will go with the boat if we ever get rid of it...
Old     (strife)      Join Date: Feb 2010       06-24-2010, 10:58 AM Reply   
Yeah, you can't compare hours to car miles. Maybe if you weighted down your car and drove it up a mountain all it's life. Remember, a lot of those miles on your car are from coasting. You don't coast in a boat. It's better to compare boat engines to piston aircraft engines (i'm a private pilot) where they face some of similiar conditions as far as rpm and full throttle runs (take offs). Most piston aircraft engines that are taken care of go 2500hrs before a rebuild is necessary. There is no reason if taken care of, your modern marine engine shouldn't last well beyond 2k hrs. Hell, I have a 1982 351W with almost 1k on it. I also know people with similiar older style motors with over 1500hrs on them. 300 hrs isn't jack if it's been cared for properly. And Zane doesn't know what he's talking comparing it to a car engine.
Old     (behindtheboat)      Join Date: Aug 2006       06-24-2010, 1:16 PM Reply   
hours will depend on the year of the boat you're looking at. In some people's opinions, too little is just as bad as too much. anything under 700-800 hrs is more than acceptable on older boats
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       06-24-2010, 2:33 PM Reply   
My Chevy Avalanche has 96k miles & 2700 hrs. Doesn't burn a drop of oil, starts everytime & runs great.

300 hrs is nothin..... unless the boat is 15 yrs old. 1000 hrs is no big deal either. I would be more concerned with whether the oil was ever changed or if the boat ever got winterized properly.

Like Sam is drivin home... do a leak down test. Most any mechanic should do it for under $100. Or you can do it yourself with an inexpensive HF tester.. It's not rocket science. I did it on a Dodge Neon a while back.... we discovered 2 leaky valves. The seller had the work done & the buyer got a good deal on the car.
Old     (99_slaunch)      Join Date: Oct 2005       06-24-2010, 2:40 PM Reply   
I called Indmar today and spoke with the tech department. They said there is NO way to convert hours to miles. They said the dutty cycle of a marine engine is much greater than a car. He also stated rpm's,weight and moving resistance were much greater than a car and play a big part on the wear. The tech said bottom line is a marine motor works much harder than a car and can not be compared to a car at all. He did state if well maintained they will last a very long time. So it looks like I only had part of it right.
Old     (osealy)      Join Date: Aug 2006       06-24-2010, 3:42 PM Reply   
my hour counter stopped at 1750, runs great mc 190 w351 carb.
Old     (formfunction)      Join Date: Jun 2008       06-24-2010, 8:03 PM Reply   
The only thing low hours will tell you is that the boat sat for long periods of time with stagnant water rusting and corroding the inside.I think proper storage and maintenance are much more important.
Old     (rallyart)      Join Date: Nov 2006       06-24-2010, 9:26 PM Reply   
I think Owen has a good point. Most hour meters break before the engine wears out.
Old     (chris4x4gill2)      Join Date: Sep 2009       06-25-2010, 4:56 AM Reply   
The worst thing for a boat or boat motor is for it to sit and not be used. High hours wouldnt scare me, Its just one more thing to consider in the overall evaluation o0f the boat.

FWIW, my boat is almost to 700 hours with no issues.
Old     (srock)      Join Date: Mar 2002       06-25-2010, 7:13 AM Reply   
Not again, this topic has been covered a million hours.

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