How to calculate hrs. into wear and tear on a boat??

[1sicknautique]

I was wondering if there was a way to calculate the hrs on a boat to wear and tear and life left on a motor? at what point does it mean your getting up there in hrs. whats the life expectancy of the nautique motors? any input would be great. thanks

[gride]

People will try to tell you that X amount of hours equals Y in car mileage, but IMO there's no real correlation. PCM recommends a rebuild at approximately 2500 hours. Depends on how well it was maintained, but they can last a long, long time.

[Sac Surfer]

100-200 hours is most people will put on a year/season. Clearly people will tell you X,Y,Z, but you have to see the boat yourself and determine how much wear and tear was put on.

[msbowhunter]

Given that they recomend oil change every 50 hours i would say that is equal to 3-4k miles in a light duty truck ??

[DanielC]

50 hours at 60 MPH = 3000 miles.
But it is generally considered than a boat engine is working harder than the engine in a car.
I have 2428 hours on my 1997 Ski Nautique. The engine is running good, and I see no oil smoke yet. Using my rough math, I have the equivalent of 145,680 miles on my boat engine.
The 1996 Aerostar I tow with has 187,607 miles.

I personally believe that is is better for a boat to have moderately high hours, instead of extremely low hours. If a boat engine has very low hours, you know it had to sit for long periods of time, time enough for oil to run off internal engine parts.

[brettmcox]

We had a 73 Cobalt that had over 3000 hours on it. It was a 188/888 motor and it still ran Great when i sold it back in 04 or 05. it would use a little oil, (quart in 50 hours), but would fire up each summer with little issue. I would ski behind it AND i got to take it out on the lake with freinds when i was 15.... good times on that boat!

[Quinner]

As noted above, a properly maintained small block Ford or Chevy used normally should be capable of 2500-3000hrs before needing a rebuild. That is not to say more hours are not possible.
What is considered "average" use in a typical season is 50hrs
Average use should require a rebuild every 50-60 years based on hours, however I do wonder if natural deterioration would shorten that schedule.

Would imagine your best chance of reaching maximum hours would be on a schedule of over 100hrs per season.

[xrichard]

Given how long the motor/tranny last, I'd be more concerned about the condition of the interior...carpet, vinyl, rubber, etc. You can spend more replacing/fixing those items than rebuilding a motor. If those items are in good shape or show wear consistent with the age/hours of the boat, then it's an indication that the boat, including driveline, has been well maintained. In short, absent red flags and discounting the issue of resale value, judge the boat by the interior condition less than the number of hours.

(BTW, from what I've read on CCfan, the transmission is the weak link in the driveline. If you're figuring 2500hrs between motor rebuilds, then a comparable number for the transmission is probably 1500-1800.)

[DealsGapCobra]

Given how long the motor/tranny last, I'd be more concerned about the condition of the interior...carpet, vinyl, rubber, etc. You can spend more replacing/fixing those items than rebuilding a motor. If those items are in good shape or show wear consistent with the age/hours of the boat, then it's an indication that the boat, including driveline, has been well maintained. In short, absent red flags and discounting the issue of resale value, judge the boat by the interior condition less than the number of hours.

Good advise.

[1sicknautique]

Given how long the motor/tranny last, I'd be more concerned about the condition of the interior...carpet, vinyl, rubber, etc. You can spend more replacing/fixing those items than rebuilding a motor. If those items are in good shape or show wear consistent with the age/hours of the boat, then it's an indication that the boat, including driveline, has been well maintained. In short, absent red flags and discounting the issue of resale value, judge the boat by the interior condition less than the number of hours.

(BTW, from what I've read on CCfan, the transmission is the weak link in the driveline. If you're figuring 2500hrs between motor rebuilds, then a comparable number for the transmission is probably 1500-1800.)

Very true point.

[DanielC]

I have 2431.2 hours on my Ski Nautique. The transmission seems to be working just fine. I use my boat for show skiing use a lot. Sometimes pulling a single girl swivel skiing, sometimes four or more jumpers, or some barefooters, and sometimes I end up towing a jump, or a dock across a lake or river.

[ers906]

Since wakeboarding (or surfing) requires more ballast load, and therefore more RPMs for prolonged period of times to maintain speed this could change the rebuild recommendations on the engine (I believe according to my logic, however, it has been a long, trying day). We typically run about 3000# ballast on my 2002 SAN which now is approaching 750 hours, however, we do everything possible to keep the RPMs under 4K (while riding or heading to the best water available prior to filling the ballast). With oil changes every 50 hours, transmission fluids every 2-3 years, etc, hopefully this will keep the engine running strong. Has anyone seen any info regarding diminished hours due to running heavy ballast?

[perry386]

I was wondering if there was a way to calculate the hrs on a boat to wear and tear and life left on a motor? at what point does it mean your getting up there in hrs. whats the life expectancy of the nautique motors? any input would be great. thanks

A boat that hs been ran and maintanced regurly will most likely run better than one that has sat on a trailer or boat dock its whole life.

[swc5150]

In used boats, for the most part you'll find a direct correlation between a well maintained hull and interior with the motor. If the boat looks shiny and new inside and out, there's a very good chance the meticulous owner also maintained the engine just as well. That's just how such ski boat owners tend to be. A test drive will also tell you most of what you need to know.

[gride]

^^^ that might be common, but certainly not a way to judge an engine. My boat looks like crap inside, but has been very well maintained mechanically and electronically. It's hard when your boat hasn't seen indoor storage since it left the factory 8 years ago.