On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:22:15 -0500, HK wrote:

JimH wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III" wrote in message
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JimH wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III" wrote in message
. ..
JimH wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
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JimH wrote:
"Tim" wrote in message
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I was wondering if there are any stats on how long people actually
keep their boat. Like if they buy a new runabout or cuddie etc. how
long do they actually keep it, before selling it or trading it in
for
a new model.

some people keep cars a year then trade for new, others buy new and
run the wheels off it.

I've never bought a brand new boat in my life and really don't plan
on
it. My two boats are 1983 and 1977. Both in very good shape and will
be keeping them for quite a while.

Does anyone know what is the average trade off or average length of
ownership is for boats?
I would guess I change boats every 5-7 years. I have only purchased
1 new boat and that was only because the dealership was going out of
business and I got a great deal on it.

My 20 foot runabout is being gifted to my son when he is actually
able to take ownership and advantage of using it. I received a call
from the marina today that the outdrive maintenance has been
completed and the boat is ready to be picked up. They found some
additional problems with the OD.....which they repaired. We are
picking it up over the weekend to be shrink wrapped and winter stored
at another site (cheaper).
Having never owned a boat with an I/O, my info is obtained
vicariously. From what I have read here and elsewhere over the years,
it seems to be that these drives are nothing but continuing
maintenance and trouble. Yet the technology in them, really, is many
decades old. Do you think they'd be less problematical if their
manufacturers concentrated on improving the quality of the parts they
contain and worried less about new and sometimes dubious features?

Regarding mechanical problems, I have not had any significant problems
with the outdrives on my boats.

Having said that...........I will never purchase another boat with an
outdrive as the upkeep is more demanding than an outboard.



Except for the boot on the OD, what additional upkeep do you have?

I thought you may know this but here goes anyway: The I/O stays
submerged during the entire season. An outboard is in the water only
when it is being used as it can be raised out of the water when docked.
As a result the anodes need replacing more often and most significantly
the lower unit on the I/O takes a beating. It also takes on a
significant amount of marine growth with can result in reduced
performance.

Personally I clean the I/O whenever the water is warm enough to jump in.
It is amazing the amount of marine growth that reoccurs within only a few
weeks if not attended to.

I have never had a problem with algea growth because I use Outdrive
Anti-Fouling paint. It really makes a hell of a difference and is cheap
and easy to do yourself. I look at the zincs every month or so, but I am
lucky because my marina does not seem to have a stray current leak,
because they barely look used when I replace them every 3 years. The
first year, I thought this meant my zincs were not working, but I was
assured they are working correctly. I was told if they weren't i would
see pitting on the drive itself, which I don't. Since they are so cheap,
I replace the zincs when i have the marina pulls the outdrive to do a
complete service on the outdrive.



You seem to have the perfect boat that never has any sort of problems Reg.
;-)

Even with an anti-fouling paint you will get algae growth.

BTW: One additional maintenance item with I/O's........alignments.

Inboards or outboards are the only way to go.



When all you have is an imaginary boat, like Reggie has, you never have
mechanical problems.

Serious question. I have no ownership experience with these modern, car
or truck gas engines in boats. What RPMS do you typically run them at?
My SUV V8 loafs along at 2000 rpm or so at highway speeds, but you have
to be running at what, twice that, in an I/O planing boat. What steps
are taken to build up these engines to take that sort of constant high
rpm stress?

Harry, my Mercruiser 5.7L enjoyed being run at about 3300rpm. It would stay
on plane from about 2500 on up, depending on sea state. These engines would
require a rebuild or replacement after about 1000hrs (from what I've been
told). The advantage is that they're pretty cheap compared to outboard
engines.
--
John H