Is 300 hours really a bad thing?

[Willowhaven]

Hello Everyone (or should I say anyone!!).

Hopefully someone is reading this and may provide some advice.

This question has likely been asked before, but I'll be darned if I can find much information. The question is why do I see people referring to older boats with so few hours on them. For instance, I often see someone selling a jet boat 6 or 7 years old and claiming it only has 45 hours on it. To me that seem quite low (yet it seems not at all uncommon). I am considering a 2004 Sportster 150hp purchase. The owner claims is was very well maintained and has "probably around 300 hours on it". The dealer indicated about 40 hours per year is average, so I figure this boat should have 200-240 hours and that 300 is a little high, but not too much given the dealers average.

Having said that, I understand that the Rotax engines can last a fair amount of time. What confuses me is when I hear so many people talking about their boats and making reference to 40 hours, 60 hours, 90 hours etc. If the average is 40 hours per year, I would imagine most people would be boasting of several hundred hours on some of these older machines-but this does not appear to be the case. I am completely new to the world of boating but believe that the Sportster is the best boat for me for reasons that I will not get into. I will be going to view this boat (which is out of town) in the next few days, I was just wondering if there is anything someone can tell me about expected engine life and this number (300) of hours as advice. I cannot find any information from Bombardier or Rotax on this issue - not even a vague reference. Being a complete newbie, any information/opinion is greatly appreciated.

 

[Craigmri]

Willow,

300 hours for a 2004 boat from Canada kind of suprises me. If the boat was from Florida its not uncommon but even still, in Florida you can find many 2004 boats with under 100 hours. I would think in Canada you'd find it easy to find then as well. Unless this boat is a "Heck of a deal" I'd look for something with a fraction of that usage.

Craig

 

[Dr Honda]

I’m not 100% sure on the 4 stroke boats… but at 300hr, you are looking at rebuilding drive parts. Sure… 40hr/yr is normal… but there are a lot of people who buy a boat, and wind up using it once or twice a year… or stop using it after the first year, and it will just sit.

Like Craig said… unless it’s a very good deal… look for something with less time.

 

[Lee]

:agree: I don't think that those 300hrs were put on in Winterpeg:rofl:
Could have seen some salt water:ack: You can still buy those boats new under 20K out west,maybe cheaper down east. I'd stay with a low miler myself:cheers:

 

[Willowhaven]

Thanks for the replies - Situation update

Thanks for the responses.

I intend to take the boat for a test drive tomorrow, and if all seems Ok at that point I will take it to a dealer for an inspection. They will check the compression and also read the hours on the engine.

It turns out that the seller was just guessing at 300 hours (the boat has no hour meter). I have a feeling he was over-estimating. The dealer's technicians indicated that 300 hours should not necessarily scare anyone off, as it depends on the state of the engine and how it was used. I know the guy selling it is local, and where and when the boat was maintained. There was no salt water use, and the gentleman does not live on a lake, so he has to travel an hour or so to use the boat. This is another reason that I think he may be over-estimating the hours, this part of Canada does not have a long enough boating season to hit those number of hours unless he was out pretty much every weekend for several hours at a time. Even that assumes that every weekend is good enough weather, which certainly not be the case. Needless to say, I am quite curious to have technicians look at the boat and confirm the hours.

If all goes well the tests will be good and the technicians will have good news. Then, if I can negotiate a slightly better price, I will be able to join these forums on a permanent basis as a new jet boater!

 

[Lee]

Sounds good, The BUDS should tell the story. We hope to here from you with your new boat:cheers:

 

[mike campbell]

i too bought a 2004 sportster 4 tec

the owner told me it had less than a hundred hours on it.. turns out it had only 19.... there is an hour meter on this boat.. the techs at the shop can plug in the boat and tell you all about it.. love the boat by the way.. have had it for 2 almost 3 years.. great fun.. unless you take more than 2 people.. kind of a dog over 2 people..

 

[Willowhaven]

Closure

Thanks again for all the replies. As it turned out, we took it for a one hour test drive and fell completely in love with the boat. I had never been in any type of speed boat before, and it was exhilarating. Immediately afterward, we quickly settled on a price pending a technical check. It was hard to attempt serious negotiation when I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Took it to the techs the same afternoon (yesterday) and had them report back to me this afternoon. Result was that the boat had only 146 hours vice the owners 300 estimate. Compression was also spot on. Only real points were minor (cracked boots, seats, engine compartment a little dirty). There were also 3 recalls outstanding which I will attend to next year during the pre-season check since the dealer has to order new parts and this season is pretty much over anyway. The boat is currently in my garage and i will be taking it up to my cabin tomorrow after work for the long weekend. Hopefully the wx forecast holds up and we will be doing 360's out on the lake.

Thanks again for the assistance, I look forward to communicating with you folks again.