Figure out engine hours

[n8urelover23]

I am looking at buying a 2005 206 and apparently some of the gauges are out. There isn't much information in the ad except that they are not working. I am trying to figure out if there is a way that a shop can figure out how many hours are actually on the engine. I'm getting mixed information. One place said that yes, you can figure out how many hours are on an engine if you hook it up to a reader. The other place said that it depends on the type of engine that is in the boat. (They said the two possibilities would be the XCaliber or the GT40.). The second place said you could tell the hours on the XCaliber, but not the GT40.

I'm also trying to figure out if this is something most boat service departments would have. The Nautique dealer closer to where I would be buying the boat (Nashville) doesn't do that any more.

Finally, I'm trying to figure out if that is something that is portable. In other words, could a tech take the device to the boat and figure out how many hours or would I have to arrange for the boat to be brought in?

The ad says the boat has about 750 hours on it. If it's close to that, I'm fine. If it's significantly more than that, I'd be concerned. Thoughts?

[NautiqueJeff]

A 2005 won't have a GT-40. The last GT-40 was installed in 2002.

You either have an Excalibur 330 or a ZR-6 375. Both are GM engines, and both can have their hours read by Diacom software that any dealer should have.

Your gauge issue is likely due to a bad Faria gateway. Get ready to spend $1,000 to retrofit those gauges. See this thread for more info:

Repair for Dead Gauges on 2003-2006 Nautiques Caused by Bad Faria Gateway

[n8urelover23]

Thanks for the info. Great news on the engine and testing the hours. Is the software something that is portable or would I have to get the boat to a dealer?

I saw that post about replacing the gauges and was afraid of that. Something to consider when discussing the price. Is it safe to assume if I have the gauges re-done that it will be a permanent fix with new gauges? I hope so for that much money!

thanks again for the reply.

[bturner]

Define permanent.... Joking aside, yes it will correct the problem with the poorly design gateway box by replacing everything. Gauges do go bad so nothing is permanent but as far as addressing the issue then yes this is the standard for repairing the gauges.

Anyone with the software loaded on a laptop and the appropriate adapters can read the codes on the engine and get engine data. At $1200 for the full kit plus their time I doubt getting anyone onsite to do this cheaply will not be likely. I heard of some marine surveyors using this tool as part of their services but that would be something you would need to look into and probably a good place to start to try and find someone to provide this type of service.

If you're new to boating or don't have good a marine background getting a survey is not a bad idea before pulling the trigger. Any seller should be open to having a survey performed at the buyers cost. I would be highly suspect of any seller that wouldn't.

[n8urelover23]

Thanks for the reply. That's great info!

It sounds to me like this surveyor performs a basic inspection on the boat? Sounds like just what I need since I'm 1600 miles away from the boat.

Just an Internet search to find one?

[bturner]

Pretty much. Look for reviews and see if he has the equipment to check actual hours, a lot don't and rely on the hour meter or will sub that out to a mechanic. A good survey will include a compression check minimum along with a bunch of pictures of the boat and a list of any defects found. Prices vary greatly based on depth of the inspection. The last one we had done on a 38' Formula included a sea trail. I believe the owner paid about $400 for that one. Well worth the money in this case. The mechanic he subbed the engine inspection to found non leaking cracks in both blocks that I didn't see. Basically a $15K save on his part. Getting the engines out of that boat would have been a nightmare.

Too bad, it was a super nice low hour boat.

[n8urelover23]

Great advice!

Thanks so much!!

[hyperlitep]

If the boat has factory perfect pass you can read the boats hours off of that.

[n8urelover23]

Great idea! Thanks!