First time boat buyer
 

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

First time boat buyer
 

On Apr 3, 8:22*am, Haas C wrote:
Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

I'm a newby too. I just bought my boat 3 days ago! A couple things I
found...
1) Inboard vs Outboard is a religious issue. In general the Inboards
are quieter but the Outboards claim less maintenance.
2) Do a NADA search before going to look at a boat (boats.com). Its
like Kelly Blue Book for boats.
3) Probably the first thing you need to do is determine what you want
a boat to do (fish, ski, hang out, etc). I decided I wanted to do a
little of all of it so I went for a runabout. The runabout does a
little of everything (although not optimal in any one).
4) When looking at the condition/maintenance of the boat don't forget
the trailer too.

-robert

First time boat buyer
 

"Haas C" wrote in message
...
Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!



Retain the services of a professional surveyor and also a engine specialist
to inspect before purchase.

Hours on an engine are only a rough estimate of time between rebuilds or
repower. Some gas inboard or I/O engines need a rebuild in less than 1000
hrs. Some, better maintained engines will last longer.

As a rule of thumb, however, 1000 hours for a gas inboard or I/0 is about
average. I don't now about outboards.

Get it inspected .... there's lots more to be concerned about than the
engines. Hull, fuel tanks, outdrives, etc. can all be expensive to
replace. Faulty thru hulls and sea cocks can sink you. Jury-rigged
wiring by a previous owner can fry you.

Eisboch

First time boat buyer
 

On Apr 3, 11:49*am, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Haas C" wrote in message

...

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

Retain the services of a professional surveyor and also a engine specialist
to inspect before purchase.

Hours on an engine are only a rough estimate of time between rebuilds or
repower. *Some gas inboard or I/O engines need a rebuild in less than 1000
hrs. * Some, better maintained engines will last longer.

As a rule of thumb, however, 1000 hours for a gas inboard or I/0 *is about
average. *I don't now about outboards.

Get it inspected .... * there's lots more to be concerned about than the
engines. * Hull, fuel tanks, outdrives, etc. can all be expensive to
replace. * Faulty thru hulls and sea cocks can sink you. * Jury-rigged
wiring by a previous owner can fry you.

Eisboch

Thank you all. I live in NJ - can anyone recommend a good inspector
for the engine and everything else? Thanks!

First time boat buyer
 

On Thu, 3 Apr 2008 08:22:25 -0700 (PDT), Haas C
wrote:

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

Given hours aren't necessarily a good indicator of engine use/abuse,
but they have some relevance in terms of maintenance. A 3 year old
engine with less than 50 hours on it means that it wasn't used much -
a three year old engine with 150 hours on it is about average use.
Having said that, the engine with less hours on it may be junk for a
variety of reasons and the engine with 150 may be good as new
depending on maintainence.

As a general rule, 50-60 hrs/yr is a good measure for recreational
boats - that's an average. Again, it depends on how the engines were
maintained and is not a perfect indicator of condition.

With respect to I/O vs outboard, that's a matter of preference. I'm
stricly an outboard type. I think they are more convienent to work
on, generally more reliable than I/Os over time and you don't have a
huge hole in your transom where the I/O passes through. It's really a
question of what you are comfortable with.

Modern outboards come in three flavors - two stroke injected via
manifold (EFI like Optimax), two stroke direct injected (gas/oil is
injected directly into the cylinder) and four stroke (like your car
engine). In terms of noise, all new outboards, say built in the past
three/four years, are quiet - some more than others, but in general,
enourmous improvements in noise reduction have been made. I/Os are
generally EFI engines - not a bad thing at all. With respect to
emissions, again all engines are much improved overall - some more
than others.

With respect to the boat it'self that all depends on what you wish to
use it for. A general purpose outlook (skiing/tubing/touring the
lake/fishing) will lead you to a multi-purpose boat. Just sports
oriented - perhaps an inboard ski boat, fishing will lead to certain
style boats like bass, bay, offshore, etc. Each of these types of
boats work better with different engine types - ski boats in general
use inboards, multi-purpose boats are I/Os, fishing boats tend to be
outboards. One other type of propulsion is hydro-jet which has it's
own seperate following.

Tow vs slip/mooring can also be an issue. If you don't have the
ability to tow the boat you are interested in, you need to slip it
with the attendant issues like barrier coat/bottom paint and slip/yard
fees. You have to consider the ability to tow when looking at a
potential boat purchase.

So at this point, it's really a home work issue - what kind of boat is
related to it's function is related to it's power is related to how
you plan to use it and how you plan to get it to where you plan to use
it.

Once you have a general idea of what/where and when, you can start
digging into it further.

Finally, it's always a good idea to pay for an outside agency (dealer)
to look at the engine regardless of engine hours. Pay a shop an hours
time to go through the boat's engine and do the standard checks to
reassure yourself that you are buying something worth the money.

First time boat buyer
 

"Haas C" wrote in message
...
On Apr 3, 11:49 am, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Haas C" wrote in message

...

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

Retain the services of a professional surveyor and also a engine
specialist
to inspect before purchase.

Hours on an engine are only a rough estimate of time between rebuilds or
repower. Some gas inboard or I/O engines need a rebuild in less than 1000
hrs. Some, better maintained engines will last longer.

As a rule of thumb, however, 1000 hours for a gas inboard or I/0 is about
average. I don't now about outboards.

Get it inspected .... there's lots more to be concerned about than the
engines. Hull, fuel tanks, outdrives, etc. can all be expensive to
replace. Faulty thru hulls and sea cocks can sink you. Jury-rigged
wiring by a previous owner can fry you.

Eisboch

Thank you all. I live in NJ - can anyone recommend a good inspector
for the engine and everything else? Thanks!

Just look up "Marine Surveyor" in your area. He/she should be certified and
can likely recommend a mechanic as well.
I paid $12K for my first boat many years ago. I didn't have it surveyed or
inspected because I didn't know any better. I spent another $6k-$8k or so
over the next couple of years just to make it safe and halfway reliable.

Eisboch

First time boat buyer
 

After you decide what kind of boating you'll be doing, spend some time
talking with boaters at the launch ramp you'll be using. Ask them why they
bought the boat they have and if they'd buy the same boat again.

"John H." wrote in message
...
On Thu, 3 Apr 2008 08:22:25 -0700 (PDT), Haas C wrote:

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

Having had an I/O and an outboard, I would go with an outboard for a
smaller boat, something you'd be trailering around to different lakes. I
would think between 50-100 hours a season is reasonable as far as hours
go.
Obviously, the fewer the better.

Make sure you get a chance to have the boat and engine inspected before
plunking down your money!
--
John *H*
(Not the other one!)

First time boat buyer
 

On Thu, 3 Apr 2008 08:22:25 -0700 (PDT), Haas C wrote:

Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!

Having had an I/O and an outboard, I would go with an outboard for a
smaller boat, something you'd be trailering around to different lakes. I
would think between 50-100 hours a season is reasonable as far as hours go.
Obviously, the fewer the better.

Make sure you get a chance to have the boat and engine inspected before
plunking down your money!
--
John *H*
(Not the other one!)

First time boat buyer
 

"William Andersen" wrote in message
...

After you decide what kind of boating you'll be doing, spend some time
talking with boaters at the launch ramp you'll be using. Ask them why they
bought the boat they have and if they'd buy the same boat again.


Just make sure none of them have twofootitis. It's contagious.

Eisboch

First time boat buyer
 

Eisboch wrote:
"Haas C" wrote in message
...
Hi all!

I am about to purchase a pre-owned/used boat soon - it will be my
first time purchasing. I am going to buy something between 3-6 years
old - with that kind of age, what would be a good use of engine hours?
Not sure if i am getting an outboard, inboard, I/O, but would welcome
any and all suggestions. i am going to be boating mainly on lakes.
When i see ads, i usually see engine hours listed - just wanted to
know how many hours are too much, etc. Thanks!



Retain the services of a professional surveyor and also a engine specialist
to inspect before purchase.

Hours on an engine are only a rough estimate of time between rebuilds or
repower. Some gas inboard or I/O engines need a rebuild in less than 1000
hrs. Some, better maintained engines will last longer.

As a rule of thumb, however, 1000 hours for a gas inboard or I/0 is about
average. I don't now about outboards.

Get it inspected .... there's lots more to be concerned about than the
engines. Hull, fuel tanks, outdrives, etc. can all be expensive to
replace. Faulty thru hulls and sea cocks can sink you. Jury-rigged
wiring by a previous owner can fry you.

Eisboch



I have over 1200 hrs on my I/O s, and was told by a mechanic, if you
follow the recommended maintenance schedule (especially oil change every
50 hrs, and at the end of the season and fogging your engine whenever
you won't be using the boat on a regular basis, a fresh water boat you
should be able to get about 2500 hrs before a rebuild. He said if it
isn't maintained properly, or run at much higher RPM, you can expect a
rebuild in the 1000 -1500 hr range. I hope this info is correct. The
engines currently purr, especially if I rub them them just right. ;)

I don't run the boat WOT, and normally will back the rpm down to
3200-3400 once I am on plane so they don't take as much abuse as some
engines.