Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
 
Old 02 March 2016, 13:11   #1
Member
 
Budgie1's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Dorset
Boat name: BlueTube
Make: XS500
Length: 5m +
Engine: Mercury Opti 75hp
MMSI: 235098668
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 227
Engine Hours

Friend of mine is thinking about buying an 1999 75hp Mercury, ad suggests it has been very well maintained, however it has clocked up 975 hours would that put you all off viewing?
__________________
Budgie1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 13:23   #2
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Liverpool
Length: no boat
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 219
Do a thorough compression test .Get a simple boroscope down the plug holes would also give a good idea. While your at it what do the plugs look like? Have a look at the overall condition of the wiring etc. Gear box oil?? Take it for a spin and haggle. Its probably in better condition than one just sitting doing nothing!
__________________
matata is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 14:18   #3
Member
 
Dry Run's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: portsmouth
Boat name: Hullabaloo
Make: Humber
Length: 8m +
Engine: 225 Optimax
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
RIBase
Where are they geting the figure of 975hrs from?
__________________
You get what you settle for!
Dry Run is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 14:38   #4
Member
 
Budgie1's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Dorset
Boat name: BlueTube
Make: XS500
Length: 5m +
Engine: Mercury Opti 75hp
MMSI: 235098668
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 227
I assume from a simple hours counter dial on the dash Steve, won't be computer read out as its an old school carb engine .... Don't know how accurate they are?
__________________
Budgie1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 15:18   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,934
if you leave the ignition key on they keep counting up. i noticed that with my last boat (mariner 100 4 stroke) that whilst key was in it kept counting so you could literally have hundreds of hours that the engine has never seen, depending on how they left the ignition when out...OR they could have fitted the gauge at 500 hours and you are miles short, can't tell.

however, if it is clean and tidy and passes the usual checks then it wouldn't bother me.
__________________
Xk59D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 15:32   #6
Member
 
Budgie1's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Dorset
Boat name: BlueTube
Make: XS500
Length: 5m +
Engine: Mercury Opti 75hp
MMSI: 235098668
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 227
Simply in ignition Xk59D? Or in and turned on?
__________________
Budgie1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02 March 2016, 21:12   #7
Member
 
Country: Australia
Town: Dalmeny
Make: zodiac
Length: 5m +
Engine: outboard
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1,257
I've bought engines that were stuffed at 250hrs (Honda 90 4 stroke) due to poor maintenance and the fact the engine was used for short trips at high rpm. My mate who works as a mechanic to house boats has put 3000hrs on his less than 2 year old Yam 70f on his work punt and claims the engine to be like new still.

By the way some of the house boats had Honda engines which had done 9000 hrs without fault. Comercialy used engines which run every day for many hours will have a much longer life than the average angler who uses a boat once a week.


Jon
__________________
jonp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03 March 2016, 16:57   #8
Member
 
Country: USA
Town: Oakland CA
Length: 3m +
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,653
Quote:
Originally Posted by Budgie1 View Post
Simply in ignition Xk59D? Or in and turned on?
I think he's talking about key in and turned on. Not necessarily motor running. Depends on the way the counter works - if it's simply counting the amount of time it has power or if it actually detects the motor running.

jky
__________________
jyasaki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03 March 2016, 18:56   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,934
it depends on how they have been wired, the "proper" way is only when ignition is on but motor not running. i know my motor when i sold it has about 10% less hours than the counter showed due to this.
__________________
Xk59D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2016, 17:10   #10
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: bicester
Length: no boat
Engine: outboard only
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 913
975 shared by 17 years =57.35294 hrs per year. I would check all of the above suggestions. The tickover will be crap, so never tuck the leg under, allways have it straight up and down. When ticking over.
__________________
uncle al is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2016, 19:57   #11
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Margate / Ramsgate
Boat name: Bumbl
Make: Scorpion
Length: 8m +
Engine: Yanmar diesel
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,837
These are pretty good engines. Wouldn't frighten me. Compression check on an older engine a pretty good idea Tho.
__________________
Daniel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2016, 20:55   #12
Member
 
Budgie1's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: Dorset
Boat name: BlueTube
Make: XS500
Length: 5m +
Engine: Mercury Opti 75hp
MMSI: 235098668
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 227
Just doesn't add up ..... The seller has owed from new, only used eight times in the last five years so that's mega hours before hand could believe it if commercially owned but for a Sunday afternoon 'ski' boat ? .... Equally can't think of a scenario where ignition could be left on long enough to have significant difference to engine hours? Perhaps inadvertently left with ignition on for a few days until battery drained? .... Must be something like that? Thinking it's worth a punt if the complete rig looks well maintained, compression ok etc .... Hours would make good bargaining point
__________________
Budgie1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05 March 2016, 21:03   #13
RIBnet admin team
 
Poly's Avatar
 
Country: UK - Scotland
Boat name: imposter
Make: FunYak
Length: 3m +
Engine: Tohatsu 30HP
MMSI: 235089819
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,632
Quote:
Originally Posted by Budgie1 View Post
Just doesn't add up ..... The seller has owed from new, only used eight times in the last five years so that's mega hours before hand could believe it if commercially owned but for a Sunday afternoon 'ski' boat ? .... Equally can't think of a scenario where ignition could be left on long enough to have significant difference to engine hours? Perhaps inadvertently left with ignition on for a few days until battery drained? .... Must be something like that? Thinking it's worth a punt if the complete rig looks well maintained, compression ok etc .... Hours would make good bargaining point
Why is it infeasible to rack up closer to 90 hrs a season on it for the first 11 years?

If the hrs have actually been the time when it's in the water, it's only 18 five hr days a season. IF that is how it's wired, and driven for two hours each time, has an hour of bobbing around skiers, is launched and spends half an hour on the pontoon whilst people faff with kit, and half an hour turned on whilst being rinsed down and tidied up on the trailer it could be reading double its actual hours.
__________________
Poly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06 March 2016, 00:03   #14
Member
 
Country: UK - Scotland
Town: north ayrshire
Boat name: charlie girl
Make: S/R5.4/regal3760
Length: 10m +
Engine: Suzukidf70 2x6lp 315
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,027
A well used well serviced engine will be a far better bet than an un used un loved low hours engine that has sat under a damp sheet growing Moss half its life .It's a fairly low hours example in reality
I'd be more concerned about its lack of use in recent years than it's regular use previously
Do all the checks and get it out on the water for a good hard run before you commit and you should be fine
__________________
beamishken is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 11:54.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.