"JG Wall" wrote in message
...
I am looking at an 1989 Peterborough Constellation 19.5' Cuddy with a 185
hp
4.3 L Merc I/O as my first used boat. Seems well maintained and in great
condition. If I decide to go with this boat, I will certainly have a
mechanic at the local marina do an inspection - however my question is,
with
726 hours on the engine, is that a lot?? And how many hours from now on
average can I expect to need some major repairs/maintenance. Carburator
and
outdrive are new.


One thing broken and not immediatly evident on my first boat was the
charging system. The altenator was not puting out any voltage. It was
not immediatly noticable because the battery in the boat had a full charge
(probably from a home charger). A good mechanic might check that
anyway.

I wonder if there is any rough rule of thumb where X hours on a
boat engine could be considered like some number of miles
on a car. Obviously miles or hours only tell a small part of the story
because a car/boat may have different levels of quality to begin
with and may be used, abused, or maintained differently.

My general advise - go for a trial, have a boat person & mechanic
look at it and try to chat with the seller long enough to get a feel
for their level of honestly & give them a change to speak for a while
where any little problems might spill out of them.

Good Luck.