Which boat has the reputation of being the most reliable and easy to maintain?

Which boat has the reputation of being the most reliable and easy to
maintain?

Aluminum rowboat. (just kidding)

Tough question!

Might be hard to come up with an absolute answer, but most boaters hope that
the next boat they plan to buy (regardless of brand name) will prove more
reliable and easier to maintain than the one they own now. :-)

No boat manufacturer builds a proprietary engine. Your propulsion system is the
portion of the boat most likely to create problems if it should prove
"unreliable", and
second only to cosmetic washing, waxing,
polishing, etc will consume the greatest amount of time to maintain.

You might expand your question to what types of engines and drives are the most
reliable and easiest to maintain, and even then you will get any number of well
informed but contrasting opinions.

The local dealer has a Tahoe Q4 with a 190 Mercruiser as an option. At my age I
am not sure I need to be the speed demon of my youth, bus suspect that it might
add to resale at some point. Is this a reliable drivetrain? And how about
Tahoe?

HugYourPug wrote:

The local dealer has a Tahoe Q4 with a 190 Mercruiser as an option. At my age I
am not sure I need to be the speed demon of my youth, bus suspect that it might
add to resale at some point. Is this a reliable drivetrain? And how about
Tahoe?


If you treat them gently and service them properly and regularly, almost
all boat powertrains these days will last a long time. While I/O's are
parity products, the quality of their installation varies. Manufacturers
of price boats install the engines cheaply, on weak stringers, with
crummy instruments or wiring, and might not even bother to align the
drive exactly. That said, I known nothing about Tahoe boats and can't
recall ever seeing one.

Tahoe is marketed by the same people who make Nitro and Tracker boats. Which
brands come to mind when you think of happy owners?

HugYourPug wrote:
Tahoe is marketed by the same people who make Nitro and Tracker boats. Which
brands come to mind when you think of happy owners?


Oh, there are lots of decent boat brands in the category you like. I'm
not that familiar with fish and ski boats. I/O's, though, don't do much
for me. Try to get demo rides in as many different boats as you can, and
talk to owners at boat ramps.

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 15:35:52 +0000, Gould 0738 wrote:

Which boat has the reputation of being the most reliable and easy to maintain?

Aluminum rowboat. (just kidding)


Not such a bad idea: My 1975 12ft aluminum skiff is doing just fine: good for
another 30 years!

Lloyd Sumpter
"Skeeter" Mirrocraft 12