Information - 3L Mercruiser

[Wildseth70]

Hi, I am new to this forum so if I am in the wrong section my apologies. I am looking at buying a inboard bowrider but have never had an inboard before. I have noticed that buyers are are a bit uncertain about them and the second hand selling price has dropped. Could you please help me in regards to the reliability of the 3L and what I should look at (motor) when buying a boat. I am not after a fast boat but a reliable one to take my grandchildren fishing. Your comments would be very much appreciated. I am after something 2003 or later. Regards Wayne

 

[Scott06]

Hi, I am new to this forum so if I am in the wrong section my apologies. I am looking at buying a inboard bowrider but have never had an inboard before. I have noticed that buyers are are a bit uncertain about them and the second hand selling price has dropped. Could you please help me in regards to the reliability of the 3L and what I should look at (motor) when buying a boat. I am not after a fast boat but a reliable one to take my grandchildren fishing. Your comments would be very much appreciated. I am after something 2003 or later. Regards Wayne

Be great if they have repair and service receipts. I would look not only at engine but overall care. Is it kept covered and in garage? if these simple things arent done probably no maint was.

the 3.0 is very reliable and durable if cared for. Ideally you would want to look at a compression test and what the oil pressure is. Look at drive lube see if it is milky or black (lack of changes) or has metal in it beyond the normal fuzz on drain plug magnet.
on engine look for signs of poor winterization which would crack block under manifold and manifold itself. Sometime you will see someone jb weld a crack and paint it. Look for water in the oil and do a water test of boat.

look for water coming in the boat when on the water should accelerate smoothly and get up to around 35 mph top speed maybe a hair more. Listen for growling that could be gimbal bearing or u joints.

 

[Rick Stephens]

take it for a spin! worthwhile to say that again, take it out for a while THEN inspect the motor and bilge for water ingress, oil leaks. listen - any weird sounds? does it shift correctly? vibrations?

is the boat located where it is used in salt water? important consideration as internals rust away when salt is involved.

even more important than mechanical condition is transom, structure and floor rot. hard to inspect without drilling and filling test holes, but telltale signs are soft spots and discoloration.

 

[Wildseth70]

take it for a spin! worthwhile to say that again, take it out for a while THEN inspect the motor and bilge for water ingress, oil leaks. listen - any weird sounds? does it shift correctly? vibrations?

is the boat located where it is used in salt water? important consideration as internals rust away when salt is involved.

even more important than mechanical condition is transom, structure and floor rot. hard to inspect without drilling and filling test holes, but telltale signs are soft spots and discoloration.

Thanks Rick, your information is very helpful. Regards Wayne

 

[havoc_squad]

A cracked engine block will usually manifest itself within about 10 minutes of running. On inboard/IO boats, if no engine run for ten minutes demonstration and inspection while running after about 5 minutes of warming up, its best to walk away unless the sell price matches the boat & trailer in parts being non-running.

You won't know the parts only value unless you have several years of experience with these systems or know someone who actually does know and isn't assuming they do.

Engine water leaks from engine block or manifolds, water steam from exhaust, and milky oil are the warning signs to run from regarding inboard engine.

 

[Searay205]

Avoid any boat used in saltwater, avoid any boat not stored in enclosed storage when not used. The 3.0 liter is a great engine but only for smaller boat, 17 foot. In a 18 foot I question if you could pull a solemn skier. The year you are looking at will not have cats. In will be carbonated which can be fickle at times. How much are you really going to use the boat? If 2 or 3 times a year then rent a boat when the kids show up.

 

[Wildseth70]

Hi , Thanks for the information. We bought a house near the water so the boat will be used regularly. I think I will buy an outboard as there seems a lot that could be an issue if not well maintained. Wayne

 

[havoc_squad]

Hi , Thanks for the information. We bought a house near the water so the boat will be used regularly. I think I will buy an outboard as there seems a lot that could be an issue if not well maintained. Wayne

Keep in mind that an outboard motor is not a substitute for being diligent in performing the proper maintenance at the proper intervals.

If you ignore this warning, an outboard motor equipped boat will be as much of a money hole as an inboard engine equipped boat.

 

[Scott06]

Hi , Thanks for the information. We bought a house near the water so the boat will be used regularly. I think I will buy an outboard as there seems a lot that could be an issue if not well maintained. Wayne

Any boat or engine combo will be an issue if not maintained OBs have their issues too. There was an interesting thread on here about OBs vs IO, a marine mechanic pointed out the cost difference between extended warranties on OBs vs the same warranty on a new IO. oB warranty was quite a bit larger (2x) which would indicate the factory believes maintenance will be more…

 

[Scott Danforth]

Hi , Thanks for the information. We bought a house near the water so the boat will be used regularly. I think I will buy an outboard as there seems a lot that could be an issue if not well maintained. Wayne

everything in the world requires you to maintain it.

that is your car, your boat, your family, your relationships, your health, etc. literally everything takes work to maintain

todays outboards have nearly the exact same maintenance requirements as an I/O, with the I/O only having alignment and bellows as the additional step

you are looking to take your grand children fishing. best boat for that is an older aluminum boat with a dead simple 2-stroke tiller with electric start (far less maintenance than a 4-stroke)