Does a reliable boat exist???

[fore4me]

Hello,

I am new to the forum, but not new to boating. I have owned a boat for the past 2 years and I really enjoy boating, however, my experience with my boat's dependability/reliability has not been good. I "had" a 17' 1988 Dynasty runabout with a 3.0L OMC/Cobra outdrive. To make a long story short, I had problems with the outdrive/engine/steering, etc. I had so many problems that I sold the boat with a bad engine, fully disclosed to the buyer what he was getting into, so no guilt on my part. I want to buy a new boat, but......

Anyway, my question is this:
Is there one boat type or manufacturer that stands out above the rest in terms of reliability??? Don't say Sea Ray, cuz my friends Sea Ray has been in the shop 6 times this summer.

I would like to stay away from a stern drive this time, maybe that is ignorance on my part, but it seems that outdrives are problematic. So, that narrows my choices to outboard, direct drive, or jet drive.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this subject.

Thank you

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Hello. Welcome to iboats. No matter what you choose, all boats require maintenance and upkeep. Boating is like owning British Cars. If you can't work on them, you either need money to pay people who can or to stay away from them altogether.

To answer your question, there is only one reliable boat:

But it's not that much fun

 

[ziggy]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

they all got there drawbacks. jets suck up weeds and rocks and are genearlly fuel hogs, inboards are a bummer for shallow water, i/o's got to many transfers of motion. outboards, guess their expensive......... now oars??? i hadn't considerd.........what if ya drop yer oar?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Get an outboard.

cut the top off your car, run it full out in all kinds of whether, in low gear uphill all the time - then set it aside for months at a time - get it back out & do it again. That's the kind of life your boat has, and that's if you baby it.

 

[QC]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Welcome to iboats fore4dude. I think you may be confused about something. This is not a brand thing, it is a maintenance thing. It's not like a Toyota vs. a Yugo. An owner who maintains and knows his boat well, can keep a 30 year old boat very dependable, while an owner who hopes for the best can get stranded in a $150,000 Cobalt. If you still have the boat bug, which I assume you do or you wouldn't be here, this place can help you a lot . . .

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

I owned an 87 Searay with 3.0l Mercruiser and it never failed me once. The only time it didn't start was when the battery went bellyup. Other than that it was extremely dependable. I did all the maintenance and kept it up. So, yes, there are dependable boats.

If you are buying used, especially in the lower end of the market (<$5000), selection of the used boat will be the most important thing you do. I bought my 87 from a guy whose garage you could do an operation in. The boat benefitted from this.

I could comment on my current boat, but I don't want to jinx it.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Welcome to iboats fore4dude. I think you may be confused about something. This is not a brand thing, it is a maintenance thing. It's not like a Toyota vs. a Yugo. An owner who maintains and knows his boat well, can keep a 30 year old boat very dependable, while an owner who hopes for the best can get stranded in a $150,000 Cobalt. If you still have the boat bug, which I assume you do or you wouldn't be here, this place can help you a lot . . .

...I think these points are key....its not necessarily brand specific. If you buy a used boat make sure it has a great history if you can. Past care, in the case of used boats, seems to yield way more reliable boating that targeting particular makes or motors.
If you read some of the mechanical forums you will probably start to see that the better maintained boats/motors seem to be running more reliably over time.
Good luck and welcome to the forum

 

[KCook]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

My pick would be a direct drive or V-drive.

Kelly Cook

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Yes there are very reliable boat's out there, the biggest problem is the dealer's, i have to be a bit careful here but it's is not like the car experince, you see the std's are ..........actually dont exist.

The boating ind is just now requiring certification, that is factory training and professional guide line's.

Remeber one thing, boating is considered a luxury and there are many who will make you pay as much. But this forum is a breath of fresh air, not only will you learn the in's and out's, but how to truly enjoy your freedom and be cost effective............Welcome...

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

you are now educating yourself, i first would have never bought a 3.0 or the omc. that was your 1st mistake. my feelings are anything smaller than a 4.3 in a boat is underpowered, and puts excess strain on the engine. DON'T start guys, just my opinion.

as stated the proper care and maintainance is of utmost importance. I prefer outboards over the rest, but i do have a 5.7L Volvopenta, in a 23' deckboat that since repairing all the lack of maintainance of the previous owner, has been bullet proof.

you buy them cheap, and then correct the flaws of the previous owner. or you buy them new and maintain them.

 

[JB]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

You ask about boats and talk about engines and outdrives. That's like blaming your home builder for appliance failures.

Boat manufacturers do not make the power plants.

Most BOATS are reliable with routine maintenance.

Power plants require more maintenance and will be in the shop often if not maintained correctly and consistently.

Like tashasdaddy, I recommend an outboard. Get a Service Manual, learn how to keep her purring. That will work on almost any boat.

 

[tommays]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

How realible is anything when you buy it at 17 years old and it has had no regular maintenance


Tommays

 

[scrobo]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

I own an outboard and I will own an outboard for my next boat. A 2 stroke. I am learning how to work on them myself so I don;t have to pay someone to do it.

My boat is 50 years old and If I dropped it in the water when I bought it (Which I was hoping to do) It probably would have fallen to pieces. Unfortunately I was put in the position of "Learn to fix this thing or throw your $$$$ in the junkyard." The engine it came with was a 56 rude and it was going to cost me $$$$ to pay a guy to rebuild it for me. Cheaper to go by a "new" used engine.

I spent a lot of $$$$ I didn;t have to get a boat I am happy wth and now know how to repair. I'm glad it wasn;t an I/O or anything. I would have been lost. And occasional probs still arise. (Just learned to change an impeller.)

I'd say outboard all the way.

It's only a 14' runabout and a 40hp. But to my family it's the yacht of the seven seas and we have a blast!

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

I could comment on my current boat, but I don't want to jinx it.

I just thought that this was hilarious!

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

I had a sailboat with a 6 hp outboard on the back of it.. Only time I ever got stranded was when I got stuck on a sandbar.

My 19' boat with a 3.0 liter mercruiser had a cracked block, cracked head, blown head gasket, and a burnt valve... and was still running great.. just didn't have much power anymore...

 

[salty87]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

sure does. you need to get it in good running order, properly maintain it, and run it as close to every day as you can. the more the better. you should know it like the back of your hand by the time you have it running good and properly maintained. otherwise, you're really just crossing your fingers and wishing for luck or rolling the dice with another visit to the mechanic. one can leave you and your loved ones stranded in the middle of the lake while the other can drain your bank acct.

i think inboards are as basic as they get, direct drive. nothing more than a v8, tranny, shaft, prop and rudder. i/o's are pretty maintenance intensive with the outdrive and outboards look like they come from a sci-fi movie when you open them up. i guess a sailboat is pretty basic too.

 

[Doug158]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

Well a log is as simple as a boat can get but is a pain in the but to operate
I have owned a ton of boats in my life time and it has been my experience that the better you maintain it the better it runs if mine is out of the water for any length of time I run it on the muffs I cycle the tilt/trim and test the lights that way when we got to use the Boat it is ready to go or if I find a problem I can fix it. I will admit it took me a couple of years and way to much cash to learn this but the School of Hard Knocks aint cheap

 

[Blue Water Runner]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

I have had a lot of boats. The best of them have been powered by 2 stroke Johnson/Evinrude engines or 2 stroke Mercury/Mariner outboards. The worst I have had was powered by a 4.3 Mercruiser stearn drive. Most of the outboard powered boats I purchased used and had very little issues with them. I have crossed over into new territory with the purchase of a 4 stroke outboard. Lets hope that they follow the 2 stroke's reliability. Maintaining them properly is the key to long reliable outboard life. keep in mind that a n outboard was designed with marine usage in mind. A stearndrive is powered by a automotive gasoline engine that was originally designed for highway usage. Marine usage puts the engine under constant load when being used. Outboards are a better investment in my opinion. I would choose a full diesel powered inboard otherwise.

 

[Scout Sport Fish]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

My experience I would stick to Scout or Caravell. I work at a Marina and to this day I havent seena boat that has peaked my intrest more than either of the two. Plus all of there lines run outboards except for the Vintage Model from Scout.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Does a reliable boat exist???

The best thing to do is buy 2 boats Takes the stress off if one is in the shop. Always make sure the broke on gets fixed and keep both maintained. I have I/O and plan to buy a outboard. I want a 2 stroke outboard that doesn't mind sitting awhile.