How many hours are too many?

[E4NASH]

I'm looking to FINALLY get in the captains chair of a new (to me) Moomba. I am looking all over the internet for the right boat at the right price. It has to be under 25K and I am not interested in anything older than a 2003. I'd like to stay with 2004 or 2005. Thats pretty much all that is available in the price range I am in. I think I want a V drive but I'm not THAT picky because I know I am limited by price. My question is this: How many hours are too many. I know its like a car and if its well taken care of it won't matter too much but still. I found an '03 LSV with over 600 hours. It has all the features I'd really like to have and its a price I really like, Do you all think that is too many or too old? Also, when looking at used boats is there a general rule of thumb for average hours per year? Obviously warmer climate areas will potentially have more hours. I'd pretty much drive anywhere to pick up the right boat at the right price...you know what I mean.

Also, if a boat doesn't have a ballast system can the Gravity 1 or 2 system be installed after the fact? I saw a D-Drive Outback that sparked my interest but it doesn't have a ballast system.

Sorry for all the questions.

[deafgoose]

I was under the impression 100hrs per year was normal use.

[moombadaze]

my old LSV is still for sale in florida, think it had less or right at about 300 hrs and right in your price range. Any way, it was in perfect shape when i sold it to some friends and they kept it up, they sold and a year late it showed up for sale.

Do a boat trader search in florida

blue Mobius LSV ,graphics removed, single axle trailer

[lsvboombox]

i think it depends where you are looking North or south... north boats on average may have less hours due to winter wer as the south ski's just about all year long....

[iwakeboard]

I think 100 hours a year is normal use, and if it's well maintained it could run well over 1,000+ hours. I've got an '05 with over 700 hours, bought it two years ago with 500, and it runs just as good as when I bought it. There's not a particular hour mark where I say "well that's just too many," it's all about the owner and maintenance.

[Yellowmobius]

I had 650 hours on my 2004 LSV, which I didn't think was all that many hours, it shouldn't have been. Anyway, head gasket blew and water was getting inside a cylinder, scored the cylinder wall.....dead engine. Cost me about $4G to get a long block installed. I believe it was a bit of a freak thing. I am thinking a guy should be able to get well over 1,000 hours on an engine.

[KG's Supra24]

I have always heard 50 hours as an annual average. If you ask everyone here though, boat lovers, the 100 average sounds closer to right.

What do you plan to use the boat for? Unless you are wanting to slalom ALOT, I would narrow the search to a v-drive. It will make the search tougher but i bet you would be happier in the long run.

[bergermaister]

I went through the same type of search looking for mine back in 2006. Under 25k but I was set on a v-drive. I wanted to get as new as I could for my price range but honestly anything that seemed new had 700-800 hours (or more) and often were dealer demo boats or looked good from a distance but were pretty well worn once you got up close. Was ready to drive 1400 miles to meet up with a guy in California and buy a Tige that seemed to be "the one" but he backed out of the deal.

Long story short, I stumbled across a 2001 MobiusV. A bit older than I had in mind but it only had 225 hours on it, and for being 5 years old was in amazing condition. It also helped that it was only 20 miles away. My thoughts were, the less a boat is used, the less wear and tear there is on everything from the engine to the interior - as long as it is kept clean and stored properly. So I bought it. I still get comments from people about how nice it is and clean and you wouldn't know it's 10 years old by looking at it.

Similar with my truck - I bought a 99 GMC in 2009 that only had 49k miles on it. You can tell too - the interior shows that it's low mileage. So although it may be older it's in great shape and feels newer...

I think I'd rather have a low hour boat that may be a little older, than an "almost new" one with high hours/usage. Same with a car/truck.

Only getting to run from about mid June-Sept, depending heavily on the weather up here, I average only 30-40 hours per season. Wish it were more!

[FamilyMatters]

Here's one in Alabama that looks to be in good shape

http://www.lakemartin.com/Classified...sifiedsID=3742

And Another!

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/boa/2245440088.html

And I'd think you could get either for under $20000

[Razzman]

An older boat with extremely low hours can be just as bad or worse than one with high hours. A buddy of mine bought a '98 Nautique Super Sport two years ago with 180 hours on it, I told him the same thing but he bought it anyway. He's replaced more on that boat than if it had 1,000 hours probably. They sit, things rot, fluid acids eat away and rust prevails. Whereas my brother-in-law has an '89 Sanger DX that has around 1,000 now and not one engine/trans/drive issue.

I sold my last boat with over 900 hours on it to a friend. Last time i talked to him the boat had over 1,200 hours and was still running great. I know of a couple with close to 2,000 hours, it's all in the maintenance. Out west 150 hours a year is not uncommon for those that board a lot, but 75 to 100 is closer to the average. 600 hours is nothing as long as it's been taken care of.