Advice Requested- Engine surveys
 

Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

On 16 Mar 2005 14:09:01 -0800, wrote:

Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Up here in the wilds of the North East, surveys run $10 to 15 dollars
a foot. A good surveyor will do a compression test on the engine and
run the boat as part of the survey. You can find surveyors on the
SAMs or NAMs site.

On the two that I've had done, I had pretty good luck with the
surveyor that the yard recommended. They handed me a list of six
surveyors and I picked one. Turns out the guy is also a certified
insurance surveyor and really knew his stuff.

You can have a good mechanic go through the engine, but at 250 hours,
a compression test and a test run with the surveyor would be more than
sufficient. A surveyor will do all the checks you listed.

And go along with the surveyor, ask questions. I had a Topaz surveyed
and as we were going along, I learned a ton about how the survey is
done and he found a ton of stuff that I missed on the first pass.

It's worth the time and money.

Later,

Tom

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:

On 16 Mar 2005 14:09:01 -0800, wrote:


Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!


Up here in the wilds of the North East, surveys run $10 to 15 dollars
a foot. A good surveyor will do a compression test on the engine and
run the boat as part of the survey. You can find surveyors on the
SAMs or NAMs site.

On the two that I've had done, I had pretty good luck with the
surveyor that the yard recommended. They handed me a list of six
surveyors and I picked one. Turns out the guy is also a certified
insurance surveyor and really knew his stuff.

You can have a good mechanic go through the engine, but at 250 hours,
a compression test and a test run with the surveyor would be more than
sufficient. A surveyor will do all the checks you listed.

And go along with the surveyor, ask questions. I had a Topaz surveyed
and as we were going along, I learned a ton about how the survey is
done and he found a ton of stuff that I missed on the first pass.

It's worth the time and money.

Later,

Tom


Boat US has a listing of surveyors -- and if you get a boat I highly
recommend joining. I think the surveyor listing is free on their
website. They will require a survey should you want to insure with them
(also recommended)

Would rather have seen a 7.4 liter engine with that package. Bravo 3 is a
great stern drive. Props go for $1000 a set, so make sure they are not
damaged. Also look for corrosion on the stern drive. If you see any, walk
away from the deal.
JIMinFL
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On 16 Mar 2005 14:09:01 -0800, wrote:

Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Up here in the wilds of the North East, surveys run $10 to 15 dollars
a foot. A good surveyor will do a compression test on the engine and
run the boat as part of the survey. You can find surveyors on the
SAMs or NAMs site.

On the two that I've had done, I had pretty good luck with the
surveyor that the yard recommended. They handed me a list of six
surveyors and I picked one. Turns out the guy is also a certified
insurance surveyor and really knew his stuff.

You can have a good mechanic go through the engine, but at 250 hours,
a compression test and a test run with the surveyor would be more than
sufficient. A surveyor will do all the checks you listed.

And go along with the surveyor, ask questions. I had a Topaz surveyed
and as we were going along, I learned a ton about how the survey is
done and he found a ton of stuff that I missed on the first pass.

It's worth the time and money.

Later,

Tom

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On 16 Mar 2005 14:09:01 -0800, wrote:

Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Up here in the wilds of the North East, surveys run $10 to 15 dollars
a foot. A good surveyor will do a compression test on the engine and
run the boat as part of the survey. You can find surveyors on the
SAMs or NAMs site.

On the two that I've had done, I had pretty good luck with the
surveyor that the yard recommended. They handed me a list of six
surveyors and I picked one. Turns out the guy is also a certified
insurance surveyor and really knew his stuff.

You can have a good mechanic go through the engine, but at 250 hours,
a compression test and a test run with the surveyor would be more than
sufficient. A surveyor will do all the checks you listed.

And go along with the surveyor, ask questions. I had a Topaz surveyed
and as we were going along, I learned a ton about how the survey is
done and he found a ton of stuff that I missed on the first pass.

It's worth the time and money.

Later,

Tom


Good advice Tom.

"JIMinFL" wrote in message
ink.net...
Would rather have seen a 7.4 liter engine with that package. Bravo 3 is a
great stern drive. Props go for $1000 a set, so make sure they are not
damaged. Also look for corrosion on the stern drive. If you see any, walk
away from the deal.
JIMinFL

Great advice.
----------------------------------------------

It's been an eventful year since BoatUS first asked MerCruiser to explain
why its twin-propeller Bravo III outdrives seem prone to corrosion damages.
For one thing, 328 owners have reported to BoatUS that their outdrives are
pitting, crumbling and deteriorating to the point of needing repairs. For
another, while steadfastly denying there's a problem with its outdrives,
MerCruiser has issued a service bulletin describing an elaborate protocol of
tests to determine why Bravo IIIs corrode.

BoatUS has received few reports about corrosion damage on single-prop
MerCruiser outdrive models and none involving Volvo outdrives. Volvo Penta
is the only other manufacturer producing outdrives with two propellers. Most
of the Bravo III complaints in our files involve 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001
models.

If there is a formula for success in dealing with MerCruiser it is to follow
their instructions to first have an authorized mechanic inspect the boat at
its normal mooring place. This will help the mechanic to determine if stray
current from the dock wiring system or from neighboring boats is the source
of corrosion.

According to MerCruiser's definition, "Stray current corrosion is caused by
leakage of current into and through the metal drive components, exiting for
a water path to ground. Stray current corrosion is commonly a result of
connecting a boat to shore power."

On the other hand, galvanic corrosion, which is a reaction between two
dissimilar metals, seems to be at the crux of the MerCruiser Bravo III
problem. Bravo III's design features two large stainless steel props, an
aluminum housing and aluminum drive components.

MerCruiser's bulletin explains, "the simplest example of galvanic corrosion,
and the most applicable, is an aluminum lower unit with a stainless steel
propeller." Just like with the Bravo IIIs.

Owners just discovering crumbling skegs and drive housings are keeping their
fingers crossed that damages will be covered by MerCruiser's three-year
corrosion warranty. They have good reason. Others who are not so lucky
report spending well over $5,000 for replacement outdrives. MerCruiser will
not help if damages are caused by outside sources and only on rare occasions
will they help if damages occur after the warranty expires.

http://www.boatus.com/consumer/BravoIII.asp

----------------------------------

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:48:33 -0500, "JimH" wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Owners just discovering crumbling skegs and drive housings are keeping their
fingers crossed that damages will be covered by MerCruiser's three-year
corrosion warranty. They have good reason. Others who are not so lucky
report spending well over $5,000 for replacement outdrives. MerCruiser will
not help if damages are caused by outside sources and only on rare occasions
will they help if damages occur after the warranty expires.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I'm going with a friend to look at a
boat with a Bravo 3 pf that vintage this coming weekend.

We'll check for all that.

Later,

Tom

post this on http://www.coastsidefishingclub.com there are a bunch to the
people who are berthed at HMB and I think even one of them is a surveyor.
They do know who is who in the area.
Bill

wrote in message
oups.com...
Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California. We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Thanks to everyone who replied - this is very helpful information!
Purchasing a boat for the first time isn't trivial, but folks like
yourselves help make it easier for newbies like me.

Thanks again!

Calif Bill wrote:
post this on http://www.coastsidefishingclub.com there are a bunch
to the
people who are berthed at HMB and I think even one of them is a
surveyor.
They do know who is who in the area.
Bill

wrote in message
oups.com...
Howdy,

We're in the process of purchasing our first boat and we've arrange
to
have our boat surveyed this Sunday at Moss Landing in California.
We
were also thinking of getting a mechanic or some sort of engine
surveyor specialist to look at the engine also.

Here's the boat:

-----------------------------
1999 Bayliner 2655 Ciera 26' Express Cabin Cruiser, 5.7L
Mercruiser
Bravo 3 I/O w/SS Duo Props....250 hours on the engine
------------------------------

Few questions that I'm hoping to more experienced hands here can
help
us with:

1. Based on the above description, do you recommend an engine
survey?

2. Are there specialized training for folks who do engine surveys?
(e.g., SAMs or NAMs)

3. Should they go out on the water? How long do they typically
need a
boat to do the survey?

4. What's a typical dollar range on doing a survey of the above
type of
boat?

5. What's some good ways in locating folks who can do engine
surveys?

6. Any engine surveyor recommendations for the Moss Landing and/or
Santa Cruz areas?


Thanks in advance for your guidance!

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks to everyone who replied - this is very helpful information!
Purchasing a boat for the first time isn't trivial, but folks like
yourselves help make it easier for newbies like me.

Thanks again!


Another good article for you:

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/buyingaboat.htm