citation boats

[terjen]

If there any guys (or gals) that own a Citation Boat I'd be very much interested in hearing from you. I have a newly acquired 1988 Citation 1900 CC that runs great with the Mercruiser 165/Alpha 1 set up. Would like to know your experience with these boats. Thanks.

 

[acke61]

Re: citation boats

They made them in 1987, 88, and 89. Some had OMC's with ford motor's. sounds like yours is probably a chevy? i was looking at one a while back for 1800 bux but passed and got a rinker that was a few yrs newer with a bigger motor.

As long as the floor and interior is in good shape sounds like a decent boat. Mercruiser's are easy to find parts for. I used to work at NAPA and they have a marine catalog with many replacement parts.

My main concern would be to search it high and low for any rot or soft spots...then decide if you want to tackle the job of fixing it. and get a good cover and keep the water off the floor of that boat..

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: citation boats

The engine must the the infamous 470...a later permutation of it. That is a 4 cylinder engine of Mercruisers own design. It has an aluminum block with an iron head. Only one of a few oddities. There are many people that find the egines to be troublesome. Others have been in trouble free service for many years. Lets hope the previous owner took good care of it.

 

[terjen]

Re: citation boats

thanks for the input. i have only had the citation a few months, before that i had a bayliner/volvo and cracked the head, so the price was right on the citation. it runs incredible smooth and is quite fast for a 4cyl. the floor is solid and the alpha one drive seems to be a good runner. for an older boat i am very satisfied.

any other citation owners out there??

 

[jevincj]

Re: citation boats

my name is kevin i just bought a 1989 citation 1900 it has a 4.3 omc original hours of 20 the interrior is like new the hull dosent even have a scratch on it taking it out this weekend to see what it will do wish me luck

 

[Bronc Rider]

Re: citation boats

If the hull and wood are in good shape I wouldn?t worry about the boat itself. I would worry more about the engine. My first boat had that engine. It was almost my last boat. The stator will be an issue if it hasn?t been converted to an alternator. The cam seals will leak with time (another thing that will most likely go out). Iron head with an aluminum block was a silly idea for a boat engine. If you address all the known issues it can be an ok engine. Personally, I would not ever own another 470 again, no matter what. To rain a little more on the 470's parade I will say it wasn?t even a powerful engine. They use to rate them at the crank in ideal conditions, not at the prop like they do now. Its comparable in power to the 3.0 when its in 2bbl form. If this was my boat it would already be on my for sale list. Sorry I have nothing good to say about that motor. If your going to keep it I would start dealing with all the known issues $$. They will strand you if you wait on them fail (and they will).

EDIT: Here is the site that covers the HP difference on the 3.0 vs the 3.7 (470)http://www.mercruiserparts.com/mercury_mercruiser_3-7.htm

 

[1bountyhunter]

Re: citation boats

Hi
I have a 1980 16' Thundercraft Citation, that I just got. Have to replace the floor (working on that now), it came with a trailer and a 100 HP 4 cyl. Chrysler outboard. Haven't had it in the water yet, but did hook up the water to the motor and it runs fine. Can't complain on the price, it was free as long as I went and got it, clear titles on all. Had to put a new tire on it, and if I wanted the trolling motor and depth finder, he would take $100.00 for them. Other than the floor needing to be replaced and a little upholstery work it is in excellent condition for it's age. I'm happy, It won't be as fast a my Jetboat, but it will still be fun when I get it finished and in the water.

 

[dingbat]

Re: citation boats

I owned a 1986 with a 140 Mercrusier for a while. Ran it for two and a half years before I decided to buy something little more substantial for the type of boating I do.

Ran good, cannot complain about the motor. It would really pound when it got rough. The construction was much to be desired. Already had signs of soft spots on the floor and it was only 3 years old. Keep the access cover to the fuel tank open when not in use. Helped dry the floor out to a point.

Paid $3,500 sold it 2.5 years later for $4,000.