Pull the trigger on which?

[brentlamb6708]

I've found 2 2002 SAN both nearly the same. But one has 1900 hrs. That seems a bit much but it's about 2000 dollars cheaper the other one has around 300 but is about twice as far away. Which one would be the better choice?

[xrichard]

Depends on the overall condition and how they've been maintained, but I'd be biased toward the lower hour boat all else equal even with the $2000 difference.

Over on CC fan, you can direct a question to Eric Levine, but I think the high hour boat is getting near the life-expectancy of the transmission. Upholstery is another expensive item...which ages simply with time and, of course, varies with how the boat was stored and maintained...but my experience is hours on the boat also has a lot to do with condition of the seams.

[brentlamb6708]

That's what I figured, although the pictures of the one with high hours looked like the interior was in good shape, but for me 1500 hrs less is worth the extra 2k

[seth]

I might think about it if it was a 12k difference, but 2k and 1500 hour difference seems like a no brainer.

[swc5150]

I just made the decision to pass on a 400 hour '98 SN, in favor of a '97 1,100 hour SN. The 400 hour boat was also $1,500 LESS, but the interior was trashed. Neglected interior could be an indicator of how the engine was maintained, in my opinion. If both boats you are looking at are in a similar condition, then perhaps the lower hour boat is a no-brainer? However, 300 hours is only 30 hours per year, which equates to a lot of sitting. I like the idea of a boat that is run on a regular basis, which keeps oil flowing through the vital parts. From what I've seen throughout the years, more rebuilds are due to neglect than high hours. But, 1900 hours is getting up there. It gets really hard to sell a boat once you near the 2,000 hour mark, so you may have some extra leverage in negotiation.

[River Monsters]

Not only is the 1900 hours extremely high, but you will be reselling a >2000 hour boat when you want to get back out again. Even after 3 or 4 summers, the other boat will still be below average hours.

[ViSoR]

I would never buy a boat with 1900 hours, even if the boat looked mint I just couldn't mentally accept it. lol

[TRBenj]

The only things that will wear out purely due to high hours is the powertrain- engine, transmission and v-drive. If the price difference is large enough to cover a rebuild of all those items, then Id certainly consider the high hour boat.

Outside of the hours, I too, would be more concerned with the general condition, as that is a good indication of the care the boat received.

[hyparks]

I never really understand the issue with high hour boats. Obviously condition of them I.e gel coat, seats etc are more likely to be more worn than a lower hour boat. But let's just say you wakeboard at 25mph. Times that by 2000 hours equals 50,000 miles. How many miles do people put on their trucks and they still go strong.
My old mastercraft had 1500 hours on it when I brought it. Sold it with an extra 1000 on it and it still ran sweet.
I believe its all about how they have been looked after.
I do agree with the other posters though that for the extra $2000 I would go for the lesser hour boat but high hour boats really do not bother me as long as they have been cared for.

Just my 2 cents worth.

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[TRBenj]

But let's just say you wakeboard at 25mph. Times that by 2000 hours equals 50,000 miles. How many miles do people put on their trucks and they still go strong.

High hour boats dont scare me either- Id rather have a high hour boat that's been well taken care of and properly maintained than a low hour boat that has been neglected.

That being said, you simply cant translate boat hours into car miles. Too many variables to make anything that approaches a valid comparison.

[hyparks]

That being said, you simply cant translate boat hours into car miles. Too many variables to make anything that approaches a valid comparison.

Yes I agree. Was just using it as a simple comparison.
Also how many of those hours are actually full running hours? I bet ny boat spends a lot of time ticking over at the dock or when changing riders etc.




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[seth]

I actually dont even know how many hours are on my 01 SAN. When I bought it the gauge said 33 hrs, but of course they were not the original digital gauges. I guestimated the boat had around 300-500 hours on it based on overall condition. Compression test came back good, so I bought it. Hours werent an issue. Ive put almost 400 hrs on it since April 08 with no issues.

[crobi2]

Yeah, that's the thing with the GT-40s in general is that there's no way to query the computer. That combined with the bad gauges on the 2000, 2001 and some 2002 models you are really just left to guess.

It's kinda neat that the newer motors can give you a readout of hours below 1000 rpm, 1000-2000, 2000-3000 rpm, etc.

I saw someone quote a marine engine engineer as saying that the closest approximation he could make was say 100 car miles to each boat hour. Since a boat in our kind of service is either idling or at 85% of total power it's real hard to compare hours/miles. Someone once said it's like towing a trailer up a hill in your car with the engine revving and no end in sight.