2005 SN - hours??

[beamons]

I am looking at a 2005 SN and the owner stated that it has about 700 hrs but when I check the gauge it read closer to 1100. I also had a tech read it from the ecu and it had numbers all over the place but one did correlate to the 1100ish. I don’t have a lot of faith in the tech but everything points to the hours actually being 1100. The owner states that the boat has not been used for a couple years and strongly feels that the hours are 700ish. There is a filter with the date and hours it was changed on it that collaborates the 700 but the oil and general use doesn’t look as if it has been used since servicing. Is there a way the clock counted if the key was left on or is it always actual engine run time?
thanks for your input beforehand.

[shag]

I think some of those could read more hours if the key was left on, but that's a big difference. The ECU should be the correct amount.

[bturner]

Take it to a Nautique dealer and have them read the ECU. The tach on my boat was sticking so I replaced the tach. I thought since these are computer controlled boats the hours would come from the ECU and be transferred from the ECU or the boat's gauge controller, but nope, I started back at zero. To be honest I have an idea of what the total hours are on my boat but not an actual number. When I go to sell I'll be taking it to the dealer to get an actual read from the ECU.

As far as leaving the key on goes that would be a Ferris Bueller type of belief these days (like running the car in reverse to take miles off the odometer). It used to be true back when the hour meter was a separate gauge and was connected to the same circuit as the the run position on the key switch. These days the ECU knows the difference between key on and engine run time. At least that's how it was explained to me.

At 17 years of age it would be easy to believe that the gauge was changed at least once some time in the life of the boat and quite possibly before the current owner purchased it. Who knows what the owner before him did or told him about hours or if a previous owner to him had changed out the gauge. A 17 year old, old school, real ski boat with 1100 hours would be very easy for me to believe. If it ever did club duty or was a promo boat I'd believe 1100 much quicker than 700.

If you really like the boat offer to take it to a dealer to get the actual number. I'd offer to pay the expense and settle on a number for the boat at 700 hours. If the boat is at 1100 hours make the agreement that the owner pays the expense and come up with another number if the boat is 1100 hours.

The 4th has passed and the season is half over here in the north. Gas is still hovering around $5/gallon and most people are see a recession coming. If you're looking to sell, my old age experience in boat trading is telling me the market will be changing soon and now would be the time to sell. The current owner should be seeing this as well and if they are not some gentile education/suggestions to this position should make him more agreeable to a fair deal and offer on the boat based on a third party verification of hours. If not it's time to walk and find another boat. September is coming and your buyer's position will only strengthen in the coming weeks.