wrote:
Greetings group.
I'm interested in purchasing a 1999 Chris Craft bowrider with a Volvo
Penta engine. The vessel has around 250 hours on it and I'm wondering
if that is acceptable?

Thanks

Most people would consider 250 hours on a 7 year old boat to be very
low.
Average usage in most climates wouold be 50-100 engine hours a year.
Are you sure the hours are accurately represented?

Is there a hour meter, and if so are there supporting service bills,
etc, that would
encourage you to believe the 250 hour figure?

Certainly consider having an indpendent mechanic thoroughly check out
the entire engine and drive system. Odds are it won't be "perfect", but
if the seller is trying to hide some major defect it's a lot cheaper to
find it now (and either pass on the boat or negotiate a lower price to
offset some or all of the work required) than it would be to discover
serious problems the first hour after the ink has dried on your bill of
as-is sale.

With a moderate amount of luck and a comprehensive maintenance
schedule, that engine will more than likely serve you well past 1,000
hours. You could easily see 1500, but going well beyond 2000 hours will
require more than just a little luck as well as rigorous maintenance.