Boat Hours

What would be considered a high number of hours on a boat engine? I keep shopping around and see nice boats with 500 hours and I can't help but think that seems 'high'. Comparitevly speaking, when I think of a used vehicle with 50,0000 miles that seems relatively low and I would imagine the engine hours for a vehicle with 50K miles might approach 5,000 hours.

I'm sure someone else can answer this better than I can, but, I would think the life span of a 350 in a car vs. boat would be similar. The only big difference I can see in the same engine is the cooling system for marine engines. Obviously a boat with more hours will have increased wear on seats, hull and all of the other systems in the boat. Fortunately, some people take great care of their boats and high engine hours does not always mean lots of wear and tear.

Is there that much more stress/load on a boat engine compared to a vehicle where I should be concerned about buying a boat with 500-1000 hours on it?

A well maintained boat that racks up the hours is usually a better bet than a 10
Year Old boat with 100 hours.

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Originally Posted by Boonejeepin

A well maintained boat that racks up the hours is usually a better bet than a 10
Year Old boat with 100 hours.

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Agree 100%


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Yep... all about the care and maint. A good owner should have records unless they claim to do it all themselves.

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Originally Posted by Boonejeepin

A well maintained boat that racks up the hours is usually a better bet than a 10
Year Old boat with 100 hours.

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100% agree

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Originally Posted by chawk610

Yep... all about the care and maint. A good owner should have records unless they claim to do it all themselves.

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and a it should be fairly obvius that the maintence was done.

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Originally Posted by Boatdrinks797

What would be considered a high number of hours on a boat engine? I keep shopping around and see nice boats with 500 hours and I can't help but think that seems 'high'. Comparitevly speaking, when I think of a used vehicle with 50,0000 miles that seems relatively low and I would imagine the engine hours for a vehicle with 50K miles might approach 5,000 hours.

I'm sure someone else can answer this better than I can, but, I would think the life span of a 350 in a car vs. boat would be similar. The only big difference I can see in the same engine is the cooling system for marine engines. Obviously a boat with more hours will have increased wear on seats, hull and all of the other systems in the boat. Fortunately, some people take great care of their boats and high engine hours does not always mean lots of wear and tear.

Is there that much more stress/load on a boat engine compared to a vehicle where I should be concerned about buying a boat with 500-1000 hours on it?

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Did a little snooping and this is what i found, also almost every forum i saw said about the same

The Life Expectancy of the Marine Engine

The average marine gasoline engine runs for 1,500 hours before needing a major overhaul. The average marine diesel engine will run for more than three times that long and log an average 5,000 hours under the same conditions. The number of hours that a marine engine runs is very dependent on the amount and quality of maintenance over the years.

The typical gasoline marine engine will run fine for the first 1,000 hours. It is at this juncture that the engine starts to exhibit small problems. If these small problems aren't addressed, they can turn into major problems which may make the last 500 hours of life difficult to reach.

Interestingly, an automobile engine may run almost twice as long (3,000 hours) as your marine gasoline engine. The reason is that marine engines normally work harder and under worse conditions than automobile engines.

A well-maintained gasoline engine run under the best conditions may well run for more than the 1,500 hours without major overhaul. However, many that operate under the most atrocious conditions of salt air, damp bilges, intermittent operation and pure neglect will certainly die early.

Diesel engines are built to finer tolerances than are gasoline engines. They will accept much more abuse and often deliver, if well maintained, 8,000 hours of hard work before need a major overhaul. Theoretically, a well-maintained diesel may last the life of your boat. Since the average recreational boater logs only about 200 hours per year, the 8,000 hour diesel would last 40 years.

Although diesels can add considerable cost to a boat, they should be seriously considered because of their durability, economy of operation and safety concerns. Diesel fuel has a much higher flash point than gasoline and does not present the same threat of explosion that gasoline fumes carry.

Engines like to run long and steady. The shorter the running time between stops, and the longer the idle time between runs, the fewer the hours they will deliver before needing major repairs.

The adverse conditions under which marine engines operate have a great deal to do with their longevity. What they really need is rarely what they get. Naval architects recommend that engine compartments should be supplied with lots of dry, cool (50 degrees F), clean air. The very minimum fresh air vent area (in square inches) for natural ventilation without blowers is found by dividing engine horsepower by 3.3.

Two of the most important rules of thumb for engine compartment blowers on gasoline engines are that they should always be set to exhaust, not to blow air in, and they should be run for a minimum of 5 minutes before starting the engine.

Two indicators that can alert you to potential trouble are the color of exhaust smoke and changes in the appearance of your oil when you check it.

Exhaust gases from marine engines should be clear. Any color of smoke can warn you of potential trouble.
Black smoke is the result of engine overload, a restricted air supply, or a malfunctioning fuel injector in the case of a diesel engine. Improperly burned particles of excess fuel are blown out the exhaust.
Blue smoke is formed by combustion of the engine's own lubricating oil. This can be the result of worn piston rings, valve guides, or oil seals. The oil can come from an overfilled air filter in the case of a diesel engine or excess oil in the crankcase.
White smoke indicates either water vapor from dirty fuel, a water leak into the cylinder or atomized, but completely unburned, fuel. Air in the fuel can also cause white smoke.

You can not check the level and condition of your oil in your engine too often. You should check it at least once a day and preferably before every start. It is also a good idea to wipe the dip stick clean with your bare fingers and feel the consistency of the oil. Use the paper towel to wipe your fingers. You should rub the oil on the stick lightly between your thumb and index finger and feel for any foreign particles which could indicate contamination or metal parts failures.

Weekend boaters checking the oil before starting should be suspicious of oil levels that are too high or too low.
Too high a level might be a clue that water has found its way into the oil sump. You could crack the cylinder head, break a piston, or both, just by turning the engine over. The oil with water in it will also look "milky."
Too low a level could indicate an oil leak that could lead to engine seizure. Look in the bilge to see if there is any oil residue. Many marine engines sit very low in the bilge and water is consistently in contact with the oil pan. Over the years this can corrode and cause pinhole leaks in the pan.

Whenever there is a large deviation from normal, take that as an urgent warning. Start looking for more clues or seek the advice of an expert

It looks like you found your answer. However, a club boat that has 1000 hours in a few years will likely run fine for another 1000. There are plently of school/club boat with over 2000 hours before an issue.

500 hours should be taken along with the year. Regardless of how many hours the boat has when you get it, I find it very hard to put hours on mine. I've been skiing 4 times and boarding 1 time in 2013, but have only put 2 hours on the boat. My 08 is just now at 200 hours.

I'm up to 980 on mine and it has not skipped a beat! The Chevy 350 platform is practically indestructible.

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Originally Posted by New Guy

I'm up to 980 on mine and it has not skipped a beat! The Chevy 350 platform is practically indestructible.

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I bought mine with 500hrs and now have around 650, you can tell just by looking at the boat if it was maintained or not. For added insurance take the boat to marina and have them check it out and perform a compression check...

I have 750 hrs on mine. I do my own work for the most part and is all written down in the back of the owners manual. I also have all receipts from day one when I did take it to the dealer. I do change my oil every 50 hrs because of the load it is always under. Just put my second tune up in it this year. I think Wofleman131, Moombadaze and Kaneboats would attest of how my boat looks. Its all in the care and I believe I will get many, many more hours out of my engine.

Also consider the location as that will directly affect length of season and amount of hours that are even possible to rack up. I just broke 400 hours last summer on a now 12yr old boat but then again our seasons are short...

Looks can be deceiving. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I am very thorough when it comes to taking care of my boat yet my vinyl is still pretty much shot (possibly from cleaning it too much?). Everytime I have a mechanical issue I get it fixed pronto.


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Its from you using those magic erasers on your vinyl, Dave.

Agree,stay away from magic erasers. As for Daves boat Wear and tear can be attributed to sheer use. Maintaining a boat and using it lots will still have signs of wear.

Mechanically ,maintenance is more the issue. Agreed a nice shiny boat always looks best ,but a used not abused boat can be the way to go especially if you want to save some cash and can do some repairs or small fixes ,ie Vinyll etc

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Originally Posted by wolfeman131

Its from you using those magic erasers on your vinyl, Dave.

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Man I ain't ever used those! It's the dang totally awesome I think!


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Originally Posted by rdlangston13

Man I ain't ever used those! It's the dang totally awesome I think!


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totally NOT awesome


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Originally Posted by rdlangston13

It's the dang totally awesome I think!


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um thats not so good, could it be to harsh?

Yes, it is too harsh. You should only use it when you have to when other stuff will not get it clean. THen you have to treat with 303 because TA strips all the protection right off there. Like going out in the TX sun with no sunblock.

BTW, TA is the absolute best thing to use on nasty tile grout. It makes it new again. Start with a small area and pretreat for about 15 min. Get a skinny brush like the veggie/potato scrubber one from the dollar store and scrub the grout lines spraying on a little more TA. It will turn new again but you have to keep wiping with a wet clean rag and rinsing out the rags (We used a 3 person team to do our whole house-- two scrubber/wipers and one person doing nothing but rinsing and wringing out 6-7 rags.) The house is 12 years old and has beautiful tile everywhere but it looked like they would mop but never scrub the grout. It was kinda brown and now it's a neutral/clay/light grey again. Amazing results. We tried 8-10 products and a steamer. Nothing worked like the TA.

Yeah, I used it like every time we went out. In all fairness tho I also used 303 after every application of TA. I guess it was still too much. I'm just going to use water for now on and maybe twice a year use boat bling vinyl sauce


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Good info about what NOT to use... we only use the 303.

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Originally Posted by rdlangston13

Yeah, I used it like every time we went out. In all fairness tho I also used 303 after every application of TA. I guess it was still too much. I'm just going to use water for now on and maybe twice a year use boat bling vinyl sauce


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The whole Boat Bling line is fantastic! I use the "vinyl sauce" and "conditioner sauce" every two weeks on the seats and the "quickie sauce" once a month outside. The "hot sauce" gets rid of all the water spots everywhere, even the glass, and use it when needed.
Great stuff.


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I got sauce it after every use. I have some quickie sauce but have not yet used it. I ran out of vinyl sauce and went with TA to save a buck, wish I would have just ordered some more boat bling


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I'm currently testing a new brand. it's called Hula Boat Care. Austin guy so I like keeping funds local. few folks I know are using it and so far I have no complaints. he swears to be that his upholstery cleaner has UB protectant in it so time will tell.

don't have pics of it with me but it's in a green bottle with a Hula Hut on front. he's on my FB page and has website if you wanted to google it. cleaned upholstery other day and it shined up well


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