Hours on a boat??

[pat6969]

Since deciding to not buy a new boat I have been searching in depth for a good used boat. I found a really nice 2006 Monterey 180FS but it has really high hours, at least I think it does. It has just over 800 on it. Now being new to boats I'm not sure if this is too high to take a good look at. Boat and interior are in great shape with no rips or tears. Comes with the 4.3 Merc. Asking price is $10,000(Canada). Someone enlighten me.

Thanks.

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Hours on a boat??

800 is high for a 6 year old boat. That engine is about 40 to 50% into it's usefull life - do you know the history? Has it been gently used or has it been hauling skiers and tubes for 6 years ? But it does look like the seller has factored the high hours into the price.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Hours on a boat??

yup, way high . . . 50 hours per year is typical . . . so a 2006 should have about 300 hours. This one is almost triple that.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Hours on a boat??

Yup, that is a lot of hours. But, how was it maintained. Does the seller have all the maintenance records. If so, might just be a good buy if it's been well taken care of.

 

[moosehead]

Re: Hours on a boat??

+3, that is high for the model year, leads one to believe it was operated in a year round warm boating climate? How did the owner register such heavy use? Retired? Commercisl fidhing or watersport club boat? Daily commuter?

Though a well maintained craft is generally more critical than hours of use, as other posters comment, this particular boat seems to have been ridden hard and put up wet.

FWIW, my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee just hit 25k miles with 84 hours of use. Our boat meter shows 55 hours between Memorial Day and Labor Day in our three month season this year and it is a 2003 model year with 233 total hours logged in a cold weather climate. Others here will suggest equivalent automobile mileage to boat hours used.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Hours on a boat??

800 hours is quite high for a Canadian boat. That said my 2006 was first used in 2007 and has over 400. I could add another hundred to that easily if a couple summers had been better. So 800 is not out to lunch on hours. They should have reasonable records of maintenance and if so I would not be as worried about a 2006 with 800 hours as I would be of one with 80 hours on it. At least you know it was used regularly and did not sit and rust up. My old boat has over 3000 hours on it, and still has the original engine.
Drive the boat, before everything freezes, and get a mechanic to check the engine and outdrive over.
I think you could get them to lower the price due to the season, the ours, and that it's not that big a boat for that price used. (However, I am not up on used Monteray prices so research first)

 

[HopinImFloatin]

Re: Hours on a boat??

my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee just hit 25k miles with 84 hours of use.

umm, im guessing this is a typo or my math is real bad-it is late, thats an average of 297mph

 

[pat6969]

Re: Hours on a boat??

Thanks for the input guys. The boat is in the Shushwaps in BC. Probably at least a 7-8 month season. I'll ask a few more questions, get some records and try to get some compression numbers. If they are all good I might make an offer.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Hours on a boat??

...FWIW, my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee just hit 25k miles with 84 hours of use...

If you didn't miss typing the extra zero; 25,000 miles in 84 hours is 298mph!

Let's assume 280 hours and an average of just under a very typical 30mph!

Boat hours based on equivalent energy and work produced equates 1 Boat Hour = 100 Car Miles.

800 boat hours = 80,000 Car Miles.
Or like a 6 year old car with 14,000 miles a year.
Well used, but not worn out.

 

[moosehead]

Re: Hours on a boat??

^u guys are correct, my bad missed a zero. in this case 846 hours to be exact on the vehicle.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Hours on a boat??

Another thing to consider is that many Hour-meters keep ticking even if the engine is not running.
Leave the key on and go away for a few days and you'll register another 100 hours on the clock that are not on the engine.
Or having the key on, engine off, to run accessories while anchored, runs up the clock.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Hours on a boat??

...The boat is in the Shushwaps in BC. Probably at least a 7-8 month season...

An 8 month season in B.C.! I'm jealous!

I am lucky to get 4-5 months in Ohio!

 

[JEBar]

Re: Hours on a boat??

Boat hours based on equivalent energy and work produced equates 1 Boat Hour = 100 Car Miles.

800 boat hours = 80,000 Car Miles.

interesting .... that's the first time I've ever heard a correlation figure like that .... one additional comment, out boat is on its 3rd hour meter ... the first two failed early on .... so the hour meter in our boat doesn't accurately indicate the number of hours our boat's key has been turned on

Jim

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Hours on a boat??

Assuming this is an outboard, I wouldn't blink at 800 hours in 6 years. better to run them than to let them sit, and what they do to the boat when it's not running is more important than when it is. Chances are, if someone ran it a lot they also made sure it was running well.
There is no support for the comment "rode hard and put up wet" suggesting hard use and neglect. Ignore that.

The yamaha manual suggests maintenance at 1 year/100 hour intervals, suggesting that it expects 100 hours a year.

Here are two ways the high hours might affect the motor, assuming ordinary use (like not towing houseboats):
if it was trolled a lot, you can get carbon build-up. That is easily remedied. Budget in a carb job.
If it is underpropped, the hours may be effectively 10 times that. Call the guy and get the prop size (diameter x pitch) and look it up to see if it matches. If it's the original prop and he bought new you are probably OK.

check and replace the LU oil and replace the water pump (impeller) before you run it, unless he has reliable info that he did.

High hours on an outboard, in sandy sea water at that, is nothing around here.

if it's not an outboard, ignore me. Go find a boat that has one, though.

 

[series60]

Re: Hours on a boat??

Since deciding to not buy a new boat I have been searching in depth for a good used boat. I found a really nice 2006 Monterey 180FS but it has really high hours, at least I think it does. It has just over 800 on it. Now being new to boats I'm not sure if this is too high to take a good look at. Boat and interior are in great shape with no rips or tears. Comes with the 4.3 Merc. Asking price is $10,000(Canada). Someone enlighten me.

Thanks.

As many here have indicated - 800 hrs isn't the biggest factor. Maintenance - Maintenance - Maintenance is paramount! Is it a saltwater boat? That will weigh heavily. Manifolds and risers can be pricey to replace and are very prone to rusting from the inside! The up side - sbc's run and are hard to stop so do your homework when it comes to inspecting boat and engine. Will there be a sea trial? If not - run away! If so run it hard for several minutes taking note of temps. Might consider taking a IR temp gun to check the manifold and riser temps noting all temps while under full power and then at idle. Whats the oil look like 'after' you have made a good hour sea trial.

My old 1984 sbc 305 has 870 hrs and all of it is salt. Compression still up and I plan to run this ole girl another 800 before even considering rebuild/replacing.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Hours on a boat??

All these "too high" people just aren't enthusiastic boaters.

I put 150+ hours on my boat this year, and hope to put more on next year. That's living 9,000 feet above sea level, and working with a pretty short boating season by most standards. And no, I'm not retired.

 

[emoney]

Re: Hours on a boat??

I'm with the "nothingwrongwithusingit" posters. Anyone that thinks "50 hours a year" is normal, isn't normal themselves. What the heck is the point in owning a boat if you don't take it out more than 5 or 6 times a year? Yikes!

People get wrapped into hour meters much like we used to get wrapped up into odometers. Truth is, I can show you cars that are 10 years old with only 20k miles that you'd be wise to not even get near and I've seen cars with 200k that were "just getting started". It's ALL about the owner. My '07 car right now has 140k, but it's been serviced every 3500miles. Matter of fact, the current brake pads have 120k miles on them. Service is the key to any vehicle; car, truck, boat, motorhome, whatever. Proceed accordingly.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Hours on a boat??

All these "too high" people just aren't enthusiastic boaters.

I put 150+ hours on my boat this year, and hope to put more on next year. That's living 9,000 feet above sea level, and working with a pretty short boating season by most standards. And no, I'm not retired.

yeah, but you only have 3 more weeks

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Hours on a boat??

yeah, but you only have 3 more weeks

I've already been snowed on twice. The boat is winterized.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Hours on a boat??

interesting .... that's the first time I've ever heard a correlation figure like that ...

See Post #28