Re: time for a a new(er) boat advice?
$166 a year ain't to bad for 3 years of boating. ya got yer moneys worth.
sounds to me like you know what you want. 3.0's are out, probably along with any other 4 cyl. engine too, not enough power. so. everyones got a 4.3, 5.0, 5.7. and they're proven (they work well in boats) engines.
what you don't want is any mercruiser 470 version engine. guess they're extra high (known issues that generally fail) maint. compared to just reg. high maint. + parts i guess are getting hard to find. omc's will be out because they're obsolete. use the search function and look up omc and 470's. you'll find lots of comments. some good, some bad.
the 165hp L6 engine would do you well too. though there are nla parts for this engine too. the L6 engine is a good proven boat engine too.
i think the v6 & v8 engines can be modified for better hp depending on what you do with them. if yer into getting more out of your engine. the L6 is what it is. they're are no upgrades to get more out of it. but they are a real workhorse for what they are.
for drives, get either mercruiser or volvo. consider where your nearest support is at too. my local mercrusier dealer is a mile away from me. he has the parts i need or the skills necessary to fix it if i can't. anything other mfg. of drive, avoid. as they're no longer around. drives i think is where the extra maint. comes from for i/o's. they do need to be maintained. to me, they don't generally look horrible complex. but if your gonna work on any of them, special oem tools are required + much better than average mechanical skills to repair them and be right. if your repair is wrong, ya just bought a drive, generally. and they ain't cheap. the special tools ain't cheap either. like the ones you need for some particular job, may exceed the cost of the repair.
try to stick with something common. that way parts, service, repair knowledge from marine technicians, tech info will all be relatively easy to obtain. that way at lest ya can deal with it..
