what 's consider high hours on a motor

[cool change]

hi everyone been awhile. your opinion on what you consider HIGH hours for a outboard motor. I own a 2000 yamaha XO66

 

[Grouper Duper]

I had one just like that and sold it still running with nearly 4000 hours.

 

[Jargon]

In researching my future purchase, my understanding is that 50 hours per year is considered ‘pleasure boating’ and beyond that is how you can tell how intensely the boat was used.

 

[Bloodweiser]

I think there are high hours maintained motors and high hours non-maintained. that goes with also low hours non-maintained motors. Bottom line if purchasing a used motor , i would get a certified shop to scope it out. but , if its your motor and you know the history of it, I wouldn't be concerned with hours as long as it still runs good.

 

[seasick]

I agree that hours by themselves don't mean much. A new motor can be poorly maintained and/or abused.
In fact, a 10 year old motor with 500 hours would probably be a better bet than a 10 year old motor that was never used since the later probably sat without any maintenance.
I am aware of outboards in commercial applications running 6000 hours or more. In most if not all of those cases scheduled routine maintenance periods were strictly adhered to.
At the same time I have seen relatively new motors beaten to death. I call many of those operators the "Two position Throttle" crew. For them it's idle or WOT!
If buying a boat with a motor, I always tell folks to look at how well the boat has been maintained and if it shows care by the owner, there is a better chance that the motor(s) were properly maintained also.
A ship/service log is helpful also and just by itself shows care on the owner's part.
That said, if a boat looks really clean, too clean perhaps, it was probably detailed prior to sale and for me that can be a red flag in some cases.
A compression test cab provide some assurance especially if you or the mechanic inspects the plugs for signs of problems.
One more thing: Standalone hour meters are not to be trusted. If the seller states the engine hours, unless they can show some sort of proof, that data can't be trusted either.
Jargon is also correct stating the typical annual hours for most pleasure boaters. I believe the stat is that 90% of pleasure boats run less that 100 hours a year.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I'd add that Fresh vs Salt, Trailer vs bottom paint, Midwest vs Florida are important clues.

Also, a 20 year old 2 stroke is a 20 year old 2 stroke...doesn't matter the hours. I just sold a pair of well running salt water/bottom paint boat 2000 OX66 225s for $5500

 

[Fishtales]

pretty hard to put more than 125H a year on in the NE. I'd say age before hours.

 

[cool change]

I agree that hours by themselves don't mean much. A new motor can be poorly maintained and/or abused.
In fact, a 10 year old motor with 500 hours would probably be a better bet than a 10 year old motor that was never used since the later probably sat without any maintenance.
I am aware of outboards in commercial applications running 6000 hours or more. In most if not all of those cases scheduled routine maintenance periods were strictly adhered to.
At the same time I have seen relatively new motors beaten to death. I call many of those operators the "Two position Throttle" crew. For them it's idle or WOT!
If buying a boat with a motor, I always tell folks to look at how well the boat has been maintained and if it shows care by the owner, there is a better chance that the motor(s) were properly maintained also.
A ship/service log is helpful also and just by itself shows care on the owner's part.
That said, if a boat looks really clean, too clean perhaps, it was probably detailed prior to sale and for me that can be a red flag in some cases.
A compression test cab provide some assurance especially if you or the mechanic inspects the plugs for signs of problems.
One more thing: Standalone hour meters are not to be trusted. If the seller states the engine hours, unless they can show some sort of proof, that data can't be trusted either.
Jargon is also correct stating the typical annual hours for most pleasure boaters. I believe the stat is that 90% of pleasure boats run less that 100 hours a year.

hey seasick been awhile .. glad to hear from you , I asked the question because my 2000 Yamaha 200 hp is going on 1200 hrs. I always maintained her, however every year that goes by im putting more and more money into her. example.. last year fuel pump, 3 sensors, year before that oil pump, and electrical parts etc etc etc .. when is enough, enough

 

[wrxhoon]

Unless a boat is used commercially you can't put enough hours to kill the engine . Time is what kills them, a 20 yo engine is well and truly done if you want it to be reliable . I don't know about you but I take my boat a long way offshore and I want to know that she will start and run to bring me back. You can take some more risk if you boating in bays, inlets and lakes I guess.
As as hours go I know boats with 4 yo engines and 5000 hours still going but that will be well warn like a car with 300k miles .
Keep in mind boat engines work very hard imagine a 4X4 driving in sand all the time it is about the same load.

 

[seasick]

My yami on my 208 is 20 years old. I really haven't gotten to the point where things are falling apart but it is obvious that some things have more 'wear' than one might like. Recently, I have been working to find and hopefully fix a leak in my tilt pump system. I had resealed all three cylinders and the pump housing two seasons ago but this time I am unsure where the fluid is coming from. I did make one change but I can't say for sure if that will make a difference. I will let you know.
Of course, I thought about a replacement tilt/trim system but new ones run about $2k and its just not worth putting that kind of money into that motor. Used is an option but I might just end up with someone else's problem. At some point it will be time to make a big decision; Repower or move on to a newer boat. The recent stock market 'crash' may put the kibosh on that plan. ( I have to look up what the derivation of 'kibosh' is).
Well, just rambling on. Getting quite bored 'sheltering' here in NYC.

 

[Ky Grady]

I'll add my thoughts on my personal situation. The current motor on my boat is a 3.3 F225 with 1280 or so hours on a 16 year old motor. Not extremely high hours considering the boat lived most its life in Florida. I bought the boat knowing that it was a saltwater boat and over the past 3 years since purchasing, it has run fine. I initially did the exhaust, oil pump and speedy sleeve when purchased and have serviced it regularly each year replacing plugs, thermostats, impeller, fuel filters, oil and filter and looked up the exhaust housing each service as well with no changes, meaning no reoccurrence of dry exhaust corrosion. I did replace the lp fuel pump early on but that was all. So far, so good.

After dealing with my fuel tank issues of rot and corrosion, it makes me wonder how the motor was actually maintained. I'm about 80% on my trust level on the motor just because of the condition that I've found the rest of the boat in. The motor has not give me any reason to question it other than it's previous ownership.

I'm hoping to repower this fall with the 4.2 F250, which will be better suited for the weight of the 228 and that being the max HP for my '04 hull. It will be new and I will know how it will be taken care of going forward.

 

[cool change]

My yami on my 208 is 20 years old. I really haven't gotten to the point where things are falling apart but it is obvious that some things have more 'wear' than one might like. Recently, I have been working to find and hopefully fix a leak in my tilt pump system. I had resealed all three cylinders and the pump housing two seasons ago but this time I am unsure where the fluid is coming from. I did make one change but I can't say for sure if that will make a difference. I will let you know.
Of course, I thought about a replacement tilt/trim system but new ones run about $2k and its just not worth putting that kind of money into that motor. Used is an option but I might just end up with someone else's problem. At some point it will be time to make a big decision; Repower or move on to a newer boat. The recent stock market 'crash' may put the kibosh on that plan. ( I have to look up what the derivation of 'kibosh' is).
Well, just rambling on. Getting quite bored 'sheltering' here in NYC.

 

[cool change]

I have the 208 also for about 5 yrs, thinking of selling and starting new. The one main reason im not listing it is because I know I will not find another boat with a factory GW hardtop

 

[seasick]

I have the 208 also for about 5 yrs, thinking of selling and starting new. The one main reason im not listing it is because I know I will not find another boat with a factory GW hardtop

You can get one on a new hull

 

[HTHM]

What is the issue with bottom paint?

 

[SkunkBoat]

What is the issue with bottom paint?

in this context...a boat with bottom paint has been kept in the water for season after season..in the case of Florida, all year/ year over year.
That would tend to lead to more corrosion.

 

[HTHM]

in this context...a boat with bottom paint has been kept in the water for season after season..in the case of Florida, all year/ year over year.
That would tend to lead to more corrosion.

Thank you for the explanation, I only do fresh water, and 3 months out of the year it is solid.

 

[seasick]

One thing to clear up. When we talk about bottom paint on this forum, we usually mean anti-fouling paint. You can paint a hull with paint that has no antifouling additives but for recreational boaters, it;s often no paint or anti-fouling.
On some surfaces and materials , paint will slow corrosion but on fiberglass, the purpose is to prevent or slow down marine growth like barnacles and slime.
Anti fouling paints can actually add to corrosion when they use copper based additives and those additives contact other metals like aluminum. There are anti-fouling coatings specific to aluminum too.

 

[VeroWing]

You can expect to get at least a couple thousand hours on an outboard that is maintained properly, and up to twice that.

 

[seasick]

"You can expect to get at least a couple thousand hours on an outboard that is maintained properly, and up to twice that."

That is the key, maintained properly. That is often not easy to determine especially when you are looking at motors that are not rigged on a hull.