5 replies to this topic

[Willowhaven]

Hello Everyone (or should I say anyone!!).

Hopefully someone is reading this and may provide some advice.

This question has likely been asked before, but I'll be darned if I can find much information. The question is why do I see people referring to older boats with so few hours on them. I am considering a 2004 Sportster 150hp purchase. The owner claims is was very well maintained and has "probably around 300 hours on it". The dealer indicated about 40 hours per year is average, so I figure this boat should have 200-240 hours and that 300 is a little high.

Having said that, I understand that the Rotax engines can last a fair amount of time. What confuses me is when I hear so many people talking about their boats and making reference to 40 hours, 60 hours, 90 hours etc. If the average is 40 hours per year, I would imagine most people would be boasting of several hundred hours on some of these older machines-but this does not appear to be the case. I am completely new to the world of boating but believe that the Sportster is the best boat for me for reasons that I will not get into. I will be going to view this boat (which is out of town) in the next few days, I was just wondering if there is anything someone can tell me about expected engine life and this number (300) of hours as advice. I cannot find any information from Bombardier or Rotax on this issue - not even a vague reference. Being a complete newbie, any information/opinion is greatly appreciated.

[ssmedt]

if the engines check out as OK then i would not be too conserned. now i am a little more familer with the 2 stroke engines and i know that the supercharged 4 stroke need a supercharger rebuild about every 100 hours but if you say it is 150 hp then it is not supercharged so you would not have to worry about it. i am sure that someone will chime in on maintnence info for non-supercharged 4 stroke engines. I have no idea how many hours are on my boat but i am guessing well north of 300 and still going strong (knock on wood)

[Willowhaven]

Thanks for the response.

I intend to take the boat for a test drive tomorrow, and if all seems Ok at that point I will take it to a dealer for an inspection. They will check the compression and also read the hours on the engine. It turns out that the seller was just guessing at 300 hours (the boat has no hour meter). I have a feeling he was over-estimating. If all goes well the tests will be good and the technicians will have good news. Then, if I can negotiate a slightly better price, I will be able to join these forums on a permanent basis as a new jet boater!

[Kevin Leclair]

Sounds good, hope all checks out well. Keep us posted!

[Willowhaven]

Thanks again for all the replies. As it turned out, we took it for a one hour test drive and fell completely in love with the boat. I had never been in any type of speed boat before, and it was exhilarating. Immediately afterward, we quickly settled on a price pending a technical check. It was hard to attempt serious negotiation when I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Took it to the techs the same afternoon (yesterday) and had them report back to me this afternoon. Result was that the boat had only 146 hours vice the owners 300 estimate. Compression was also spot on. Only real points were minor (cracked boots, seats, engine compartment a little dirty). There were also 3 recalls outstanding which I will attend to next year during the pre-season check since the dealer has to order new parts and this season is pretty much over anyway. The boat is currently in my garage and i will be taking it up to my cabin tomorrow after work for the long weekend. Hopefully the wx forecast holds up and we will be doing 360's out on the lake.

Thanks again for the advice.

[ssmedt]

I am glad that everything seems to be working out for you. I hope you have tones of fun with the boat