How many hours are too many for a used boat?

Question

How many hours are too many for a used boat?

Answer 1

you overhaul an outboard engine every 500 hours

how many hours are too many for a hull?

let's put it this way, my motor gets overhauled every 2 years, and my boat is a 1954 Crestliner Buccaneer aluminum hull 16' runabout, so I'd say about 3 billion is too many....

Answer 2

The average boater puts less than 100 hrs per year on the engine,in fact a large percentage put less than 50 hrs.

  Then of course you have to factor the over all condition of the craft,the soundness of the hull,transom etc.Try to establish the service history,( who,when,where,why).

  If you are not comfortable making this assessment your self then hire a certified marine appraiser.

   Good luck and happy boating

Answer 3

if u clean it and fix it up alot there is never too many hours

Answer 4

It is not the hours on the boat that will make the difference, though the hours on the engine are important.  The most important factor is how well the boat, and engine, have been maintained.  I have seem beautiful, seaworthy boats that were 35 years old, and 15 year old boats that were ready for the scrap heap.

Answer 5

Depends on type of boat( speedboats are generally used harder than say, houseboats

also  depends upon maintenance history

where it was used (salt or fresh water)

type of driver, hmmmmmmmmm just like a car.

My first boat had 270 hours when I bought it

and served me well for another 175 hrs

next boat was new and I put 150 hrs on in 6 months(Hurricane Ivan  took it away in 2005)

Answer 6

Boats can live almost forever provided they are maintained, refitted or rebuilt.

Answer 7

Tough question, depends on the boat, and the year, and the engine. A v-8 with more hours would be better than a straight 4 with the same hours. Also, is the boat a cruiser, or was it used for skiing or wakeboarding everyday? If I had to give you a guideline, start at 50 to 75 hours per year for age of boat. Over 1000 take a hard look, thinking that somewhere between 1500 and 2000 the engine should be rebuilt. Of course if the engines are diesel this changes the whole equation. Do you have a specific boat in mind.