This Old Boat article series is being supplied to help new buyers appreciate what to take into consideration and exactly what to anticipate when purchasing a 25-30 year old boat. Despite the fact that these old yachts are actual antiques doesn't mean that they don't have many years of good quality operation remaining. If correctly serviced and enhanced, boats can last another 25-30 years.

You've been on the lookout for several weeks and have yet to come across that "ideal" vessel yet. It appears that just about every single old vessel you view seems to look like just a different old worn-out yacht. That 1982 Grand Banks you viewed the other day had old Caterpillars that have seen better years. They had 3100 hours on them. Are excessive hours undesirable for a diesel engine? And yet what do people mean by high hours? That is a very good question.

A good number of diesel authorities will tell you which diesel-powered motors will last a long time to come. I have acquaintances that run an 18 wheeler nationwide. They tell me that truckers can normally put over 200,000 miles on the tractor/trailer every year. So at an average of approximately 60 mph puts over 3300 hours per year on the engine. And if the truck is six years old there will be about 19,000 hours on the motor.

Marine diesel motors are manufactured to much closer tolerances than are gas engines. They will often deliver, if well taken care of, 15,000 hours of demanding performance before needing a major overhaul. In theory, a well taken care of diesel boat engine might endure your entire life span. Given that the customary pleasure cruiser runs only approximately 100 hours each year at most, the fifteen thousand hour diesel would likely last approximately one hundred fifty years. That should certainly be adequate!

So what is the reason that we boat owners get all worked up about boat engine hours? Once again, good question. I think it is really a boater thing. We boat owners are inclined to get worked up about even the little things.

Vessel engines are run in a totally different manner than tractor/trailer engines in a number of ways. We probably don't idle as much yet the vessel motors are constantly under a load while cruising. Having an engine under load places a little demand on it however if it's a diesel, that is a positive thing.

Diesel boat engines like to operate under load and continuously. The longer the idle time between runs the fewer hours they will deliver prior to needing significant repairs and maintenance. Although diesel boat engines can add a significant price to purchase a boat, they should really be considered for the reason of their strength, economy of operation and safety concerns. Diesel fuel in addition has a much higher flash point than gasoline and does not have the same risk of fire which gasoline has.

As you are thinking about buying a used boat with diesel engines, I always recommend taking oil specimens. The oil analysis will give you a complete understanding of the internal overall health of the marine engines. You will then be aware what you are purchasing and will confirm that the prior owner did without a doubt service the engines properly. Conversely, the regular marine gas motor runs for fifteen hundred hours prior to necessitating a significant overhaul. The quantity of hours that a marine engine will operate without problems is primarily based on the amount and quality of maintenance over the years.

The usual gasoline marine motor will work just fine for the first 1,000 hours. It is at this moment in time the marine engine will start to show signs of issues. If these problems are not addressed right away, they can turn out to be big issues quickly. Perhaps surprisingly, a vehicle engine could run basically twice as long (3,000 hours) as your boat gas engine. However, vessel engines work under the most horrible environments of salt air, wet bilges, stop and start actions, serious loads and quite often just total neglect. Not servicing a marine engine will definitely enable it to give up the ghost early.