How many hours?

[Gfriedman]

how many hour is average per season for a boat out of new england?

 

[QC]

Re: How many hours?

Need more info. Very few pleasure craft are used 100 hours a season. Many commercial boats will pass 2000 . . .

 

[Gfriedman]

Re: How many hours?

I suppose more info would help, sorry about htat.

Looking at a pleasure craft. Most likely a Maxum 23SC.

A lot of these boats don't have hour meters on them. Is there a good way to judge the engine use on the boat?

It seems crazy to buy a boat without knowing how much use is on the engine. Any tip or thoughts?

 

[cribber]

Re: How many hours?

Hours are a factor but how well has it been taken care of is key. I'd take a boat with 500 hours that has been well maintained vs one with 300 hours and never been serviced or out of the water. A lot of factors need to be taken into consideration when looking for a new boat. Also check the Boats For Sale section here to get comparable prices of what is available.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: How many hours?

I've had several marina owners over the years in Ontario cottage-country (May-Oct season, generally speaking) tell me 30 hours a year is about average for a recreational family boat in these waters. I generally do twice that in the same time frame.

A competent marine mechanic could give you a good idea of the condition of the motor but you can also pick up some clues based upon cleanliness of the engine and engine compartment, condition of oil and gearcase lube, condition of outdrive, zincs, skeg, prop, etc.

No iron clad guarantee it's been taken care of as opposed to detailed at the last minute but you can certainly spot neglect if they don't know how or care to hide it.

I think some later model engines might track hours in their engine management systems and available to techs with the right scanning equipment but by far most boats still on the water are too primitive for that I imagine. Good luck with the search!

 

[sr280da]

Re: How many hours?

We put about 70-100 hours a year on our Sea Ray Sundancer. We are located north of Cape Ann and keep our boating to the stretch between Gloucester and Portsmouth NH, with an occasional trip down to Boston. My friends who fish, particularly the Tuna guys, tend to do more as they usually have a 30 to 40 mile round trip to get out to where the fish are.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: How many hours?

For the most part, condition and maintenance are far more important than the number of hours.

 

[Philster]

Re: How many hours?

Compression check and performance check by a certified marine surveyor is what I would want.

Hour meters? Easily defeated, but even if accurate...

Some people spend 100 hours puttering around and taking care of the boat better than they treat their spouses.

Some idiots spend 25 hours per season jamming the throttle open, lugging the engine (incredibly bad on the meat of the internals) and skipping maintenance. Maybe they can't get more hours because they are always breaking something, or trying to figure out why the engine is overheating.

Which one would you want?

A serious boat purchase demands that you get a surveyor and a compression check. Hire your own guy and he'll tall ya the things you want to hear, and.... more importantly... the things ya don't wanna hear.

 

[Gfriedman]

Re: How many hours?

Thanks for all the great advice.

Any idea how much a boat survey costs?

 

[Philster]

Re: How many hours?

15 bucks per foot.