JimH wrote:
"Reginald P. Smithers III" wrote in message
. ..
JimH wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..
JimH wrote:
"Tim" wrote in message
...
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.