trading in o/b powered boat for i/o concerns

[Maxum21]

hey guys, posted in the other section of the forums but looking for some more info on the engine/drive specifics. Considering trading my 1yr old 20' stingray w/150 Yamaha F150 in to a dealer for an 07' Regal 24' w/ volvo duo-prop drive( i believe dps). I love my outboard. Only reason i'm considering the trade is for the bigger boat with more seating and the swim platform is a huge plus. It would be an even trade & wouldn't cost me any extra $. The Regal/volvo was used in saltwater & dry racked. They 'claim' it was flushed after each use and engine hours under 100. My concerns are going from a year old outboard motor to an 8yr old i/o. Am I crazy for even considering this? I know the volvo is a quality drive, but at 8 years old & run in salt, will this be a potential headache? I would obviously test drive the boat first to make sure it runs/shifts properly. I understand the mans/risers and possibly the bellows will be due for replacement. is there anything else significant i'm missing or i need to checkout? Lastly, I boat mostly in freshwater but will take the boat on vacation occasionally(once or twice a year) where it would be in a saltwater slip for up to a week. Would this cause corrosion problems for a non-painted drive? thanks!

 

[thumpar]

I wouldn't be afraid of the age. My current boat is a 1996 and my previous was a 1983. Other than normal stuff they are great. I am not a Volvo expert but on my Mercs they had sacrificial anodes. I would think Volvo has the same. Make sure those are not too rotten. Merc also has an active Mercathode on some. Volvo may have something similar. It is a powered system that fights corrosion.

 

[alldodge]

hey guys, posted in the other section of the forums but looking for some more info on the engine/drive specifics. Considering trading my 1yr old 20' stingray w/150 Yamaha F150 in to a dealer for an 07' Regal 24' w/ volvo duo-prop drive( i believe dps). I love my outboard. Only reason i'm considering the trade is for the bigger boat with more seating and the swim platform is a huge plus. It would be an even trade & wouldn't cost me any extra $. The Regal/volvo was used in saltwater & dry racked. They 'claim' it was flushed after each use and engine hours under 100. My concerns are going from a year old outboard motor to an 8yr old i/o. Am I crazy for even considering this? I know the volvo is a quality drive, but at 8 years old & run in salt, will this be a potential headache? I would obviously test drive the boat first to make sure it runs/shifts properly. I understand the mans/risers and possibly the bellows will be due for replacement. is there anything else significant i'm missing or i need to checkout? Lastly, I boat mostly in freshwater but will take the boat on vacation occasionally(once or twice a year) where it would be in a saltwater slip for up to a week. Would this cause corrosion problems for a non-painted drive? thanks!

People say all kinds of things and some are even true. There is a concern with salt water use. You cannot just pull the boat, stick a set of muffs on the drive and run it and expect to get all the salt out. The thermostat would be closed most the time and if it did happen to open during flushing it would not stay open long.

The 100 hours is very little use "if" you can trust the hour meter. If it is correct the dealer will have no issue connecting their scanner to the motor and giving or showing you the engine stats. The stat listing will list how many hours it has on it and at what rpm the engine has run along with other good info.

That said, if the boat is what they say it is, I think you have a good boat, but I'm not looking at it

 

[Maxum21]

I believe the boat spent its life in dry rack storage since new. Its a big bonus that its been kept inside & out of the weather, but people here on iboats seem to assume that most of these storage services wont include flushing the motor afterwards. If infact it was rarely flushed throughout its 8 year life, how extensive might the corrosion/damage be? are there any obvious signs without ripping the motor apart?

 

[alldodge]

If your in an area where it can freeze then the boat was winterized sometime. With those few hours it may have sat for years without ever running again for some time. If the boat has not been started yet, ask to pull the block plugs (you need to be there) and see what comes out. If it looks like straight water take one drop and see if it's salty.

Look all over the motor and exhaust to see if any rust shows. Other then that you would need to take at least the exhaust elbows off.

If all checks take it for a good run before purchase. The saving grace is very few hours, again if the hour meter is correct

 

[Maxum21]

thanks for the tips..the boat is in a cold climate so there will be antifreeze in the block. but i''ll look over the engine compartment for rust & salt residue. Does saltwater rust out the internals of the outdrive? bearings, u-joints etc? The drive scares me the most being a dual prop.. The complexity and replacement cost has to be huge!

 

[alldodge]

Anything on a boat can be expensive, but the twin prop is not that high, its high but not that much. For the most part a low hour outdrive has no problem of lasting and having no issues. There is more salt that will go through the motor then the drive.

Only bother with looking for the most part at the motor. The drive does need a look but not as much as the motor.

 

[Fishermark]

I boat exclusively in salt water and frankly, if there is damage from salt water due to lack of flushing and maintenance it is usually very self evident. From what I understand about the duo props is to make sure they have been removed from time to time and have been greased. I would suggest asking to have the props removed. If they are stuck and cannot be removed... then that will tell you something!

 

[Maxum21]

i also read that about the props freezing to the shaft. apparently if they're not removed & greased approx every 6 months they have to be torched off.. if the props are stuck, or i see any signs of corrosion around the motor/drive i'm going to walk away. seems some say the volvo dps drives are more prone to corrosion while others say they do well. luck of the draw i guess?

 

[Lou C]

The other thing to watch for is the exhaust system. Even if it was flushed and dry stored 8 years is time for new exhaust in salt water. If you let it go the result can be saltwater in a cylinder.....

Other things:
The drive should be removed each year to inspect the bellows for water; and to inspect the U joints. They should be greased if grease able; the drive shaft splines should also be greased. If this is not done there can be high repair costs.
Personally I'd stick with the out board.

 

[Maxum21]

Lou, i like my outboard and i'd love a 24' outboard powered bowrider now that all the big boat manufacturers offer them, but they have huge price tags. .this regal i'm looking at is a nice boat. i just need to decide if the bigger boat is worth the additional maintenance of an i/o. its a hard decision. do you regret going with a sterndrive?

 

[Fastatv]

Is this site full of great info or what...! Along with what AllDodge mentioned about the engine or manifold plugs/drains, if you have them pulled, be there ( as he mentioned ), see how they drain. Best guess is that they won't drain well and will require "poking" with a small screwdriver or wire and will be full of rust. If they aren't full of rust...that's great, but even if they are, somewhat normal.....to a degree. They can even rust and require poking when ran in fresh water. My first I/O was ran in saltwater ( actually my second I/O ) and not always flushed after each use and the manifolds lasted 18 years.
The newer four stroke outboards are really awesome in my opinion. I have owned two, both were Yammies. IMHO they are a little less work, but they still require oil and filter changes, outdrive oil changes same as with the I/Os.
I'm going to follow this thread ( if you don't mind ) and see what you end up doing. Good luck on your decision!

 

[Maxum21]

thanks Fastatv...i haven't made a decision yet. i actually haven't even seen the regal in person yet. The dealer is over 3 hours away and ive been busy during the holidays... Having owned both i/o & outboard, what did you like better? My Yam f-150 is great! My only complaint with an outboard is how it destroys the stern area/swim platform. On a center console that doesnt mean much but on a bowrider/family boat, its a bigger factor. not an easy decision for me. I guess the appeal of this trade is that it would allow me to move up to a larger & better brand boat without putting any more money out. even trade. The downside: an older boat with more yearly maintenance. ill let you know what I decide

 

[Fastatv]

thanks Fastatv...i haven't made a decision yet. i actually haven't even seen the regal in person yet. The dealer is over 3 hours away and ive been busy during the holidays... Having owned both i/o & outboard, what did you like better? My Yam f-150 is great! My only complaint with an outboard is how it destroys the stern area/swim platform. On a center console that doesnt mean much but on a bowrider/family boat, its a bigger factor. not an easy decision for me. I guess the appeal of this trade is that it would allow me to move up to a larger & better brand boat without putting any more money out. even trade. The downside: an older boat with more yearly maintenance. ill let you know what I decide

You know, I don't know which I liked better....actually, I guess I prefered the outboards because of less maintenance....they do require less in my opinion. My outboards were mounted on triple log pontoon boats and the outboards were by far more common than I/O's for that application and seem very fitting. For me, I think I simply like an I/O in a boat....looks more appealing to me, and the sound of a V8 kind of takes care of my "gearhead" thing. Back in the mid 80's, I had a 19 foot Winner Escape Cuddy Cabin, 305 CI, 230 horsepower. My friends had outboards, 140 and 150's, but they were two strokes. Their boats were far faster than mine. So we hooked up four skiers behind each O/B....to our surprize, neither boat would pull up the skiers ( could have been their props had too mush pitch ). So we thought we would try them behind my boat. At first, we din't think she would pull them up but...it kept pulling faster and faster and eventually pulled four skiers up...I have admired the torque of the I/O's ever since. Anyway, that was just a short story for you. I will say this, I do my own I/O maintenance, so owning/op costs are minimal for me. Get what you think will best serve yours and your familys needs. AS many have mentioned, just ensure you really have the Regal checked out...top to bottom.

 

[thumpar]

Having the full platform on the back of an I/O is nice. Not all of them have it though. For sports the clean rear is nice. I have the full platform with ladder that folds up under it. For family boat that is what I prefer. The kids like to swim all day and I like to lay out on the sundeck over the engine.

 

[Lou C]

Lou, i like my outboard and i'd love a 24' outboard powered bowrider now that all the big boat manufacturers offer them, but they have huge price tags. .this regal i'm looking at is a nice boat. i just need to decide if the bigger boat is worth the additional maintenance of an i/o. its a hard decision. do you regret going with a sterndrive?

Well at the time I did not know much about boats, and the great majority of outboard boats at that time in the used market were smoky loud carbed 2 strokes. My wife and son probably would not have gone on the boat then!
In the years I've had this boat I've done a lot of maintenance but the repairs have not been out of line given the age (28 yrs old now) and use (moored in salt water 6 months out of the year , the hardest use a sterndrive will get). Still have the original engine and drive. The thing is it takes a lot of msintenace to make it that far and maybe I don't want to do that much work in the future. If I got a newer boat it will be an OB for sure. I do not want a sterndrive with cat converter exhaust in salt water. The cost to replace the exhaust on them is sky high. And they are prone to the same pain in the rear check engine lights as modern cars. Anything newer that '08 I think will have cat exhaust. No thanks. The lower repair cost advantage of I/Os vs OBs is gone and OBs need much less maintenance .
They are safer and much easier to winterize.

 

[Maxum21]

i hear ya on that..i was talking to sales guy at a marina not too long ago and he says since the requirement of the cat exhausts and the increase of manufacturers offering outboard boats, the i/o demand is way down compared to what it use to be..it seems the only real advantage to an i/o is a clean stern with a full platform. i personally wouldn't even consider an i/o if i was to moor in salt for that length of time. that being said, an i/o seems to make a great lake boat.. do they allow lifts in your slip? those drive on pvc platforms seem like the way to go to keep it up and out of the water. you also wouldnt need to worry about bottom paint anymore!

 

[alldodge]

I'm hearing 4 stroke out boards are getting CATS, if not already

 

[Lou C]

I had heard that they were talking about cats for OBs and boy that will be an abomination. It will make large 4 stroke outboards even larger. Maybe we'll get lucky and the Evinrude G2 will not need them. To me the only answer then is to buy used. I don't share the EPAs cost be damned approach. No though of how their regs affect the everyday person. They could not care less. What's next cat converters on your weed wacker? That will have to a 4 stroke heavy engine? No thanks. They are not getting my 2 strokes from me that's for sure.

As far as lifts and drive on devices, no one uses them here. We are all on rotating moorings. An outboard just makes the most sense for newer boats. For older I/Os yes you can make it work if you don't mind doing a lot of work each year, between the winterizing/springizing, removing the drive, doing the drive maintenance, painting the drive/transom mount with anti fouling and of course bottom paint.

Besides the full swim platform, the one other advantage of I/Os is that the engines can be fitted with either a half or full closed cooling system. That can greatly add to engine life in salt water.

 

[Maxum21]

well, i'm still considering trading my boat in on this Regal. I figured i'd wait til spring this way a test drive is possible.. I've found out that the Regal only has a 5.0 Volvo duo-prop (i believe 270hp). I was under the impression it had a 5.7..an error in the listing.. Should this be a deal breaker? I certainly don't want an under powered boat. But they claim with Regals "fast trac hull" and the duo prop outdrive, the boat will do fine.. what do you guys think? dry weight of the boat is 4200lbs