Used 2015 G21 reliability?

[liquidforce133]

I am looking at a used 2015 G21. looks like a super nice boat, but it has 550 hours on it. Should I steer clear of it? Most other boats on onlyinboards have 300 or less from the same year.

[Tallredrider]

I am always eager to talk about hours. 550 hours doesn't mean jack squat. A properly maintained boat will last 5 times that before any serious engine problems.

Unfortunately, it is a perception that the higher hour boat is going to have problems. So you might be able to get a few grand off, but if the owner seems to really take care of it, I would prefer it over a sloppy boat that has half that many hours. 550 hours means the guy loves his boat and might even be more likely to take good care of it. If I only put 30 hours per year on my boat, I might not maintain it like the boat I am obsessed with and always want to take out.

[scottb7]

High hours does not mean a guy maintained his boat, just means he used it. That being said the only thing that really matters is that they changed the oil every 50-75 hours. So if they have service records you are fine.

Also, about 1,000 hour or more yeah the engine is fine, but vdrive could go out. Trust me....

[bturner]

550 is nothing to worry about if it's been taken care of. Watch when people say things like always dealer maintained as this many times means they've done the absolute minimum needed to maintain the boat. What's more important is what the dealer has maintained and the frequency of the maintenance. Enthusiast's boats that are self maintained will many times do a better job and take better care of their boats than boats maintained by someone without a vested interest in the boat. Take a quick look through any of the forums discussing maintenance or winterization and you'll quickly understand what I'm talking about.

When I'm shopping I'm more interested in the condition of the boat when I go to look at it. It's easy for anyone to take a boat to a good detailer, spend $500 and have a stunning looking boat. What I like to focus on are the areas that detailers won't be doing to get a better idea as to how the boat was taken care of. What does the engine look like, the bilge, the seat bottoms and the storage compartments. Is the engine polished like the boat or dirty? Has the bilge been kept clean or is it filthy? What does the trailer look like? How old are the tires? Do the brakes work correctly? is the paint chipped or is there any rust anywhere?

The point here is condition is everything and proper maintenance (or even better over the top maintenance) is how you get there. If you find any one area that has been overlooked, look harder as you probably find several others. I can't tell you how many "excellent condition" boats I've gone to look at over the years that were filthy and had a trailer with non functional brakes and tires that were 5 more years old.

[hal2814]

I try not to be harder on a previous owner’s hours than I am on my own hours. I put 80-100 per year on my boats. That puts 550 at a little high but not unreasonable for a 2015 in my opinion. Condition is more important than hours but hours do affect resale so I don’t ignore them for boats that are newer than about 15 years old. Older than that, it starts to become irrelevant. The worst thing you can do to a boat is use it. The second worst thing is not use it.

A G21 is a lot of money. Go look at it. If it looks bad to you or you notice little things already, just walk away. Whatever you’re seeing now will only get worse as you use the boat. I thought my 230 was perfect when I bought it. It’s in really good shape but after about a month of use I found every little thing wrong with it. If it looks good to you then have a professional look at it. Ask them about the hours while you’re at it.

As far as maintenance I don’t care who did the work as long as it was done and they can verify it. I don’t need a maintenance log but if the owner did it themselves I’m going to ask enough to make sure they know what they’re doing. I asked Buxton a while ago what they do for maintenance and it’s exactly what I do. It’s not rocket science. But it does need to be done thoroughly.

[markj]

[QUOTE=bturner;n607112]550 is nothing to worry about if it's been taken care of. Watch when people say things like always dealer maintained as this many times means they've done the absolute minimum needed to maintain the boat.

Why would a dealer do just the minimum? That's cutting their own throat by turning business away. My dealer has always up-sold maintenance services to me. With few exceptions, the dealer is often the best place to get service done. They are constantly getting updated factory training and certifications. Nautique requires it. They know our boats better than other mechanics who work on 30 different brands of boats. The main drawback is they usually charge more.

[charlesml3]

Tallredrider is exactly right. The hour meter is no indication of how worn the engine is. The hour meter is there to tell you when scheduled maintenance is due.

Get the service records from the previous owner or dealer. You should be able to glean from that how well it's been maintained. Outside of that, do a very close inspection. Open up compartments and stick your head in there. You'll know if someone has been keeping the boat clean and dry.

-Charles

[mooneywa]

It probably also depends on which dealer. I get the impression some are better than others.

[bturner]

^^^^^ Ain't that the truth ^^^^^ There's a reason why even MasterCraft and Malibu dealers go out of business. I'll stick with my previous comments having worked on and bought boats that were maintained or had various upgrades like stereo's and dual battery setups installed by a dealer. Believe me "your mileage will vary" by dealer.