How many Hours?

[Hobbes]

VERY much a newbie. That said - how do I determine how many hours are on a boat generator and / or engine? Do they all have counters? If so where are they? I'm looking at a 1998 Monterey. I know I have to have it surveyed, but the ad shows low hours, and I would like to be able to confirm this. Are the counters like old spedometers, (could be opened and turned back, not that I know personally)?

Thanks for your help. This is a great forum.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How many Hours?

Actually most boats don't have hour meters. if they do it is usually on the dash. as with anything else someone who is so inclined could possible alter one, on just simply replace it. these are mostly add ons.

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.

A 30 year old boat motor combo, may be in better condition, than a 3 year old.

 

[Hobbes]

Re: How many Hours?

Great info, thanks.

Going back to the original question - if most boats don't have counters, how could you validate how many hours are on it, (if at all)? I was thinking that someone would keep log books, but still just taking someone's word on it. Mechanic can tell if it has been maintained well, but don't think they could do any thing more than guess the hours.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: How many Hours?

Like TD said most boats don't come stock with them so if it has one it may have been added with a few hundred hours already on the clock. Also they arent hard to disconnect every other trip or whatever. Even the best marine mechanic can't verify exact hours, however they can do compression tests and a mariad of other tests to verify the overall condition of the engine and outdrive. But as with ANY used purchase there is a risk involved and a certian amount left to trust of previous owner. Yes usually an hour meter is on the dash panel about a 2" round guage that looks like an odometer. Good luck and trust you surveyor more than the owner.

 

[Hobbes]

Re: How many Hours?

Thanks again - like I said Great Forum

 

[fishmen111]

Re: How many Hours?

Unless diesel, hour meters are just dash trinkets. It does not take much improper operation or lack of maintenance to trash a motor. Compression on OB and compression + oil pressure on I/O are your best indication of the actual condition of a motor...not perfect, but your best bet. I would rather have a 400hr/10 year old boat that was taken care of, than a 80hr/2 year old that was not (better price also). The boat you are looking at may very well be in great shape, you just need to prove it first. Just my 2 cents.

 

[bomar76]

Re: How many Hours?

Trust not engine hour meters....

all they will really tell you is hours on the meter, it's no challenge at all to have one show anything you wish.

 

[Hobbes]

Re: How many Hours?

So really when someone posts in an ad 250 hours,, without a meter it is their best guess, (or worse, them knowing the truth and telling you something different). Sounds like it doesn't matter what they tell you anyway, survey will get closer to the truth.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: How many Hours?

Dont trust owner hour estimates, at all..
I've bought a bunch of jetskis - some of them owners didn't know there was an hour meter. In every case like that the owner estimates were WAY off and we're talking skis that I buy are always under 50 hours.

On boats, some boats have factory or owner installed hour meters.
If installed in the beginning and used properly, they're accurate. The run when the key is in the "ON" position, so they're better than owner guesses, but they are also easy to manipulate and replace.


Most EFI motors have an internal clock that can't be altered by anyone except an EFI superhero. Take the boat in to a shop with EFI diagnostics and they can tell you how many hours it has on it.

My boat has both - EFI and hour meter, I confirmed the hour meter against EFI befor buying it. I generally start getting concerned about hours after 1000, but they can last well into the 2000 hour range with proper care - probably longer.

 

[Woodnaut]

Re: How many Hours?

DCG and some of the other lads summed it up pretty well. If you have any type of engine with electronic engine controls (i.e., fuel injected) the chances are that a technician can read the number of hours that the engine has been running. (This is true even on inboard diesels that have electronic engine control.) As has been already mentioned, however, it will not tell you how well the rig has been maintained. If an accurate number of hours is available, it can be another piece of info that you can use to make a decision.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How many Hours?

Most new engines have hour meters built into the engine control module and it can be read by the instrument warning lights or the dealers scan tool. My new Suzuki 4-stroke even has an oil change reminder in addition to the run time readout. Older motors obviously don't have that capability unless the meter was added. But even it did have one, they are universal and could easily be altered or replaced. You are at the mercy of the seller or service agency when it comes to run time.