ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

[greg]

I am looking at a 2003 boat with a 330 hp engine. The dealer told me this was used as a ski school boat. He also said the oil changes were always done on time.

The engine has high hours on it 964 hours. I was wondering how many hours should one expect to be able to put on this engine before a major overhaul is required?

Also when I have an inspection done what should I look for?


Thank you in advance.

JD

[Andrew]

RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

what kind of engine is it?

[Hollywood]

RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

Excaliber most likely. The hours dont' bother me as much as the overral condition of the boat. If it was beat on, and not cared for I wouldn't want it with 200 hours.

[aaron]

RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

I have a 2003 SANTE, 500 hrs first year, 100 hrs in 2004 , 2005 and 2006.
Boat sounds as new, pulls as new.Looks almost as new.
If a boat looks good, and the engine oil is changed regularly, and the prop and hull looks
clean , shd be a good boat notwothstanding the hrs.
Havent even changed any steering or throttle cables, and even the spark plugs are clean!
However, lookout to spend at least $ 1500 to $2000 for cables, impeller, fuel pump(2) water and oil filters, relays, perfect pass motors, Basically get these things done or get a rebate for them. Afterall, the ski school probably got the boat quite cheap and has loads of spares.

Dont think a major overhaul is due til at least 2000 to 2500 hrs

Last but not least, doesnt the boat still have a valid 5 yr "bumper to bumper" warranty?notwithstanding that it was an ex ski school boat?

[DanielC]

RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

If you drive your car at 60 mph, for 1000 hours, you get 60,000 miles on your car. I know, boats are harder on engines than cruising down the freeway at 55 (or 70). My 1997 ski has 1825 hours on it, and is still running great. I would suggest that the motor is in better shape internally than a boat that saw occasional use, and sat few weeks between each use in the summer, and only has low hours on it, and only got one oil change a year.

[ag4ever]

Re: RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

Last but not least, doesnt the boat still have a valid 5 yr "bumper to bumper" warranty?notwithstanding that it was an ex ski school boat?

I don't think the warranty is valid for boats put into this service. I know they do not warrant the boats used for ski shows, and I think the ones at ski schools are the same. You might want to verify if the warranty is still valid.

[Rick]

RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

I bought a ski club boat from Belle Aqua in California It was 3 years old and had 1264 hours on it. I talked to the mechanic and he said in the summer he was changing the oil every Saturday. I have now owned it for 3 years, put 200 hours on it and it runs perfectly. It has the GT 40 310 HP engine. PCM told me that a rebuild is reccommended at between 2000-2400 hours. The only problem I had was the carpet was filthy due to algae in the lakes. I bought a little green machine from bissel and about the 10th time i shampooed the carpet it finally came clean. Alot of times a ski school boat is a good deal because it is set up well. Mine was used for practice before 2 Malibu opens and I know its gone into 41 off. There is even a video from the local TV station advertising the 2004 Malibu open showing Chris Parrish skiing behind my boat.... Malibu was not amused.

[Andrew]

Re: RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

If you drive your car at 60 mph, for 1000 hours, you get 60,000 miles on your car. I know, boats are harder on engines than cruising down the freeway at 55 (or 70). My 1997 ski has 1825 hours on it, and is still running great. I would suggest that the motor is in better shape internally than a boat that saw occasional use, and sat few weeks between each use in the summer, and only has low hours on it, and only got one oil change a year.

i partially disagree. at a ski school, the boat will spend 99% of its time at about 2000 rpm. (which for most suv's is about 60mph in overdrive) ur car however will exceed 2k rpm just about everytime u get in it unless ur just puttin around town. also, u have to take into account the added stress that is caused by the transmission shifting. so, the way i figure it (in my farout/abstract logic) with the minimal amount of rpm change due to the one speed tranny and the fact that the engine rarely exceeds 2krpm, i would think that the boat engine would have a far longer life than the car engine, but thats just my $0.02.......

[aaron]

RE: Re: RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

I am not very technical but i agree with Andrew. I have had thousands of hours with different inboards all running between 2000 and 3000 rpm ( pulling boarders 99% and skiers 1%) and the engines still have excellent compression.the only thing that fails the engines are usually the add-onsand externals like relays, fuel pumps, high pressure fuel lines, even the transmission.

[Andrew]

RE: Re: RE: ENGINE LIFE OF A 330 HP ENGINE

yeah, u just made me realize that it is a SKI school lol. a "ski" boat would spend more time at about 3k rpm instead of 2k, but i still see that as less stress than a car....

[greg]

thank you all for your replys.
Greg

[greg]

One last question. Is it correct to assume that it is very difficult to sell a boat with 1300 hrs on it? I guess you would also have to really discount it.

thank you for your answers in advance.

Greg

[aaron]

It may be alittle more difficult but a 1300 hrs engine, with extensive maintenance and bills to prove replacement, and decent compression from all cylinders, is a better bet than a 400 hr boat with no records