looking for a new boat - do i really need a 4.3?

[JimS123]

Jims123

I would be interested to hear what troubles your boy had with the 4.3....I've honestly had no problems and haven't really heard of any disaster stories about them that weren't related to owners poor maintenance.
I could say the same for the 3.0's....just that they are nowhere near as nice to have in the boat. Much more refined, effortlessly more power, only pennies more to maintain and in some cases better on fuel than the 3.0.
It would be a no brainer for me, given the choice.
4.3 wins every time. Like I say, 3.0's are great...just that 4.3's are better.

There never was a "problem". The 4.3s are great - its just that the 3.0s are better.

I like a V8 because it runs so smoothly. I would probably buy one if it were available. Not because it makes the boat go faster, but just because its a much smoother running platform. I wouldn't care if it cost more to buy, or even if it used more gas. in our case it was not an option on either of our boats

In my case my 3.0 runs slick. I attribute that to how I broke it in. My mechanic says its the smoothest 4 banger he ever saw. In contrast my son's 4.3 is no smoother, it gets only about 3 mph higher speed (worthless in our case), and it uses more gas. Maybe he pushes it faster than I, I dunno.

Today many (most) boaters have only 1 concern and that is speed. If that floats your boat, go for the biggest motor you can get. Propped right, a 3.0 will do anything you need it to do. If you're not satisfied unless you have the biggest, then you should get what you want.

 

[JimS123]

Do you "need" the 4.3? That answer is "probably not."

We cruise at right in the mid 30s between 3,800 and 4,000 RPM (according to the dash tach). Seems to be where the boat likes it. I pull a skier, tube or kneeboard with 3 on board pretty regularly. The Bayliner was really designed for the 135HP engine and it responds well to it.

The water we boat in is not usually glass-like. If it were I would probably have a bigger engine so I could zoom around like the big boys. In our case we usually run our 19 footer / 3.0 right at 3000 rpm and we cruise that way all day long. That will provide a comfortable ride in the chop at about 32 mph. That's with 2 people aboard. With 4 people I lose a couple mph. With 8 people (4 adults, 2 teenagers and 2 pre-teens) she will still plane with ease.

At WOT, 4 people, trimmed slightly out, she hits 4600 rpm. That's max spec. That's the key. Prop right and the performance will fall in line. Remember I said performance, not speed. It all depends what you are looking for.

19 feet, 2500 pounds, 140 HP. In contrast, my jetski is 10 feet, 800 pounds and 185 HP. But that's another story....

 

[chambers1517]

My first boat had a 3.0. It was a Bayliner. With 4 people on board and 2 tubes behind it with a person on each one we would have to shift everone to the bow to plane out. My cousins came in from Florida and wanted to go ski. They could start on one ski. I drug them underwater until they would have to let go. Most embarrased i've ever been. They were great skiers but the 3.0 would not pull them up. 2 years later when they came in I had a 5.0mpi. They weren't interested in going skiing until I told them I had a new boat.

 

[Starcraft5834]

spend and extra grand and get the 4.3......... do you really need it.. nope.... would it serve u better, yep... certainly with boats... bigger is better....

do you really need 4.3 no.......... mine is a 3.0, big heavy boat.... pushes it fast enough for me.... just saying if I was going to do it again.. id spend a little more for a 4.3

 

[jkust]

IMHO the term "obsolete" is what doesn't fit in this discussion.

My kids grew up in a 14' tinny with 10 HP. We still have it and the kids (now in their 30s) still use it regularly. That boat, plus your old Bayliner may not have the latest mechanical technology, but they are not obsolete. Many people would be perfectly satisfied to own either one.

I bought my 3.0 brand new and paid cash for it. At the time the 4.3 was only a grand or so more, which didn't matter to me at the time. The 4.3 is grossly over-rated. After first hand experience with my son's, I know my 3.0 was the right decision.

Rather than say obsolete, let's just say satisfied.

Well, I think we are on different terms as to what the word obsolete and paradigm mean. Technically I suppose the 7.4, 8.1, 6.2, 5.7, 4.3 and 3.0 and I may have forgotten one or two are all obsolete now as all have been replaced with new technology engines mostly. It's just hard to compare time periods for so many reasons. I think the old 84 Bayliner that we have that was my dads was purchased new at the boat show for I think under 3 grand if I recall correctly. Even a low end, 3.0 equipped boat in say 2015 as they were being ended was between 20 and 30 grand and money isn't worth that much less today. As crazy as it is to believe, people don't have an extra 30k sitting around so most are forced to finance which puts them in new boat territory and then the compromises start as they are focused on payment. Used....anything is possible but ya need cash.

 

[DCMacGuy]

I hate the 4.3 with a firey passion. The 3.0 was a requirement for me in my boat, and I searched high and low for an MPI as I'm actually a fan of technology in a boat. My boat is 2,600lb dry and with 3 on board has a 0-20 time of 4.4 seconds on Vesselview Mobile, topping out at 44MPH GPS. It's more than adequate in my 18.5' bowrider. The 3.0MPI has a much deeper growl than a 3.0TKS, and unless you're pushing it to 80%+ throttle is completely pleasant to listen to IMO.

https://youtu.be/Upp2AFqVWZk (ignore the tach in the video)

A 4.3 in my boat is a pain in the butt to work on - and access to everything is ridiculously tight due to the depth of the engine compartment. With the 3.0, everything is easily accessible, I go all day on 1/2 tank of gas, and even with 6 adults onboard my supposedly underpowered boat jumps onto plane with no issues.

There's a lot of hate for the 3.0 out there - but it's a hell of a workhorse and hardly a compromise if it matches your boating style.

 

[jkust]

I hate the 4.3 with a firey passion. The 3.0 was a requirement for me in my boat, and I searched high and low for an MPI as I'm actually a fan of technology in a boat. My boat is 2,600lb dry and with 3 on board has a 0-20 time of 4.4 seconds on Vesselview Mobile, topping out at 44MPH GPS. It's more than adequate in my 18.5' bowrider. The 3.0MPI has a much deeper growl than a 3.0TKS, and unless you're pushing it to 80%+ throttle is completely pleasant to listen to IMO.

https://youtu.be/Upp2AFqVWZk (ignore the tach in the video)

A 4.3 in my boat is a pain in the butt to work on - and access to everything is ridiculously tight due to the depth of the engine compartment. With the 3.0, everything is easily accessible, I go all day on 1/2 tank of gas, and even with 6 adults onboard my supposedly underpowered boat jumps onto plane with no issues.

There's a lot of hate for the 3.0 out there - but it's a hell of a workhorse and hardly a compromise if it matches your boating style.

To each their own. Not everybody wants or needs more power and are content with less. You sound perfectly fine with a smaller engine, less torque and HP on your boat and save a few bucks. I would say the weight of the boat also has something to do with it. That 185 sport weighs 2600 with the optional base 4 cylinder and less with the as I read. By comparison my previous 18 foot bowrider weighed 3100lbs dry and had a 33 gallon gas tank vs 26 in the Sea Ray. Let's call it a 550lb difference in the same size boat which overmatches the 3.0 and the v6 is almost required and v8 preferred. You would't be loving the 4 cylinder if your boat was not that light.

 

[DCMacGuy]

I also don't think you are taking into account such things as advances in hull design over the past 20 years.

2,600lb is a bit of a misnomer. Add in 26gal of gas, 2 decently loaded coolers, porta potty filled with water, dual group 27 batteries, ~100lb of other gear and 500lb of adults and that is reflected in that 4.4 second time above.

My boat/trailer as set up to tow is 3,860 according to my local truck stop. My trailer weighs about 700. Works out to about 540lb of fuel/gear aside from the passenger payload, so we're not exactly talking about a featherweight Bayliner 175 here.

I've been boating for 34 years and have been in everything from a 120 in a Sea Sprite to my dad's beloved 496 swapped Stingray 205ss with terrifying chine walk and not once have I been in a situation where I would call a 3.0 anything but a solid performer.

 

[JimS123]

3.0.........hardly a compromise if it matches your boating style.

Now THAT says it all....

 

[JimS123]

My first boat had a 3.0. It was a Bayliner. With 4 people on board and 2 tubes behind it with a person on each one we would have to shift everone to the bow to plane out. My cousins came in from Florida and wanted to go ski. They could start on one ski. I drug them underwater until they would have to let go. Most embarrased i've ever been. They were great skiers but the 3.0 would not pull them up. 2 years later when they came in I had a 5.0mpi. They weren't interested in going skiing until I told them I had a new boat.

I would have been embarrased as well. But it wouldn't have been that way with my boat. Eight people aboard, 4 people with a slalom, 4 people with 2 tubes - all a piece of cake. Its all in the setup.

 

[jkust]

I would have been embarrased as well. But it wouldn't have been that way with my boat. Eight people aboard, 4 people with a slalom, 4 people with 2 tubes - all a piece of cake. Its all in the setup.

This reminds me of the first year of towing my previous boat with a minivan. The boat and trailer were over 4000lbs just over the minivan's max rating, I had never owned a real tow vehicle and thought the minivan did great...it seemed to. It towed fine, pulled out fine as I 'set it up' with good tires to overcome the deficiencies of FWD, etc. That is until I bought a full fledged v8, body on frame, 4wd, locking rear differential, etc, tow vehicle. The performance in every possible aspect was night and day better and more effortless.

I could compare my previous boat that had a 4.3 to my current that has a 5.7....similar situation. The 5.7 blows the doors off of the 4.3....no setting it up required...it just pulls relentlessly and it's just doesn't matter how many you put in the boat....it just does.

 

[JimS123]

This reminds me of the first year of towing my previous boat with a minivan. The boat and trailer were over 4000lbs just over the minivan's max rating, I had never owned a real tow vehicle and thought the minivan did great...it seemed to. It towed fine, pulled out fine as I 'set it up' with good tires to overcome the deficiencies of FWD, etc. That is until I bought a full fledged v8, body on frame, 4wd, locking rear differential, etc, tow vehicle. The performance in every possible aspect was night and day better and more effortless.

I could compare my previous boat that had a 4.3 to my current that has a 5.7....similar situation. The 5.7 blows the doors off of the 4.3....no setting it up required...it just pulls relentlessly and it's just doesn't matter how many you put in the boat....it just does.

Personally, I wouldn't own a minivan. Nor a pickemuptruck for that matter (I'm not a farmer or a construction worker - but that's just describes my personal likes and dislikes). My dedicated towcar is a full size GM full perimeter frame, 4-bbl V-8. It effortlessly tows anything that I need to tow. When I say "dedicated", I mean that it goes to cruise nights and tows the boat, that's all.

I own a 3.0 because it was my first entry into the I/O market and at the time i thought it would serve me well. It does. Sure, overpower with a V-8 and no setup required. For me. boating is a lifelong "sport", so the setup is half the enjoyment of owning a boat. If you're not inclined and have the money to spend, go for the biggest.

The whole purpose of this thread is to answer the OP's question do I need a 4.3. I am merely offering an alternative.

After 34 years owning my current 3.0 rig, I doubt that i will ever see the need to trade it in. If something catastropic happens that i need a new boat, it will be a bowrider that has an outboard option. Ease of maintenance, more cockpit room, no catalyst, etc, have made the I/0 obsolete. (Oh no, there's that word again.....LOL)

In any event, after all these responses, it simply comes down to each his own. Just don't say a 3.0 can't pull a skiier, everyone has to move to the bow, or it uses too much gas.

 

[jkust]

Personally, I wouldn't own a minivan. Nor a pickemuptruck for that matter (I'm not a farmer or a construction worker - but that's just describes my personal likes and dislikes). My dedicated towcar is a full size GM full perimeter frame, 4-bbl V-8. It effortlessly tows anything that I need to tow. When I say "dedicated", I mean that it goes to cruise nights and tows the boat, that's all.

I own a 3.0 because it was my first entry into the I/O market and at the time i thought it would serve me well. It does. Sure, overpower with a V-8 and no setup required. For me. boating is a lifelong "sport", so the setup is half the enjoyment of owning a boat. If you're not inclined and have the money to spend, go for the biggest.

The whole purpose of this thread is to answer the OP's question do I need a 4.3. I am merely offering an alternative.

After 34 years owning my current 3.0 rig, I doubt that i will ever see the need to trade it in. If something catastropic happens that i need a new boat, it will be a bowrider that has an outboard option. Ease of maintenance, more cockpit room, no catalyst, etc, have made the I/0 obsolete. (Oh no, there's that word again.....LOL)

In any event, after all these responses, it simply comes down to each his own. Just don't say a 3.0 can't pull a skiier, everyone has to move to the bow, or it uses too much gas.

Yeah...I had little kids at the time and as crazy as it sounds the minivan was one of the most utilitarian vehicles I've ever owned. I would never sell or trade in your Stingray...It's part of history at this point....same with the old Bayliner. I see the 3.0's towing tubers all the time on the lake...unfortunately skiing is all but dead around here and nobody is pulling wakeboards behind the 3.0's. The 3.0 owners tend to be first boat families with little kids.

 

[DCMacGuy]

...unfortunately skiing is all but dead around here and nobody is pulling wakeboards behind the 3.0's.

Those damn wakeboard boats and their uneducated on etiquette ilk are the scourge of the lake. Almost as bad as the damn cruisers on the Potomac who sit half plane with their butt in the water throwing a 4 foot roller trying to kill those of us in pleasure boats. Jetskiers too. I was an avid Jetskier from age 12 until 25, and I never behaved like some of these fools I see on the lake now. I'm turning into a crotchety old man at 34 and am completely fine with this.

 

[jkust]

Those damn wakeboard boats and their uneducated on etiquette ilk are the scourge of the lake. Almost as bad as the damn cruisers on the Potomac who sit half plane with their butt in the water throwing a 4 foot roller trying to kill those of us in pleasure boats. Jetskiers too. I was an avid Jetskier from age 12 until 25, and I never behaved like some of these fools I see on the lake now. I'm turning into a crotchety old man at 34 and am completely fine with this.

It's funny, on my lake, the wakeboarders are almost exclusively being pulled by $120,000 wake boats and actually most are now wake surfing and wakeboarding is being phased out. Those waves are even bigger given the slow speeds. I'm, I guess, sort of an avid jetskier and some days i like the huge waves and other days they just all combine together to make a rough lake. The only air you can really get on a lake is from these big wakes.

 

[rderenzy]

Thanks all for the discussion.

I love my 4.3 at 220HP - I hit very low 50's no problem and it planes super quick - I don't mind working on it, just take the extra time and remove the seats and its fine.
Dropping to a 135HP is slight worry - thinking of people moving to front of boat to get it to plan while towing a skier and having 5 others in the boat
but also the longevity and over working a small engine. its good to get everyones feeback, although there doesn't seem to be like a ultimate decisions - can the boat pull a 250 pound man out of water trying to ski, with 4 others in the boat? might be tough.

good points about everything, especially the noise.

unfortunately the soul prupose of this was budgetary - would I pay an extra 1k for a 4.3 - yes.
however, I'm showing identical boats, and the price is a good 4-6k difference between 3.0 and 4.3, with that savings I can get a much newer boat

thanks for the input, to be continued

 

[lineman09]

well if your buying new left over model year find out what the dealer paid for the boat and work from there .. that's what I did ...you can find out with a little research !!!

 

[rderenzy]

probably not want to keep it around the 20k mark - northern Michigan I can't justify too much on a boat for 2.5 months

 

[jkust]

probably not want to keep it around the 20k mark - northern Michigan I can't justify too much on a boat for 2.5 months

20k gets you a relatively newer, midlevel brand 18 or 19 footer with a v6 for sure.

 

[rderenzy]

20k gets you a relatively newer, midlevel brand 18 or 19 footer with a v6 for sure.

realtivly newer 10 year old boat