Engine hours .... different readings on twin engined boats

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markspark7

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I have a twin engined boat like a lot of peeps on here , but the hour meter is different on each engine.
Ones around 1000 and the other 1300. how can they be so far apart??? why aren't they almost the same and is this normal????

cheers:encouragement:
 
Last boat I had was sold with 1050 on port and 1100 on stbd. Both meters and engines were original and I don't recall driving around in circles very much.

But 1000 vs 1300 seems a big difference unless one has been replaced at some point.
 
Ours has similar eng hrs difference. Simply when I bought the boat the hours meter didn't work on the Port, but miraculously cured itself last season. So now both Port and STBD hours meters work, but there's a large difference between them both.
Explanation for yours could be as simple as that aswell.
 
We are river based and often run on one engine, as the starboard engine works the power steering and charges the domestics it often gets more use but my difference is only 10-20 hours not hundreds. Although it could add up I guess if you weren't bothered about keeping them matched.
 
Chris_d said:
We are river based and often run on one engine, as the starboard engine works the power steering and charges the domestics it often gets more use but my difference is only 10-20 hours not hundreds. Although it could add up I guess if you weren't bothered about keeping them matched.
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Boat has had about 25 years on the river although i'd never think about running on one engine....is this common practice??
 
Not everyone does it but it is good practice, keeps the engines loaded and halves the hours. However can cause issues with which engine charges what batteries or heats the water etc.... so you end up running one more. River based boats can clock up a lot of hours, 6-8 hours a day for a weeks holiday is not unusual which might be a years use for a lightly used coastal based boat.
 
makes sense now i think about it. supposed you could switch both engines on for closed quaters manouvering, mooring etc.
I'm used to being out on the deep blue rather than pootling around on the river so I certainly wouldnt think of runnong on one engine at sea;)
 
Could the ignition on one engine be used for something like engine room fans which get left on temporarily (even with the engine off)? Most likely though one engine run for hot water?
 
Are they Volvo Penta with LCD hour counters ? One may have been replaced and would have started again from zero - they are prone to fault.
 
no. their the dreaded bmw 636:ambivalence:with mechanical hours counters. I think it must be that its been run on starbd only whilst on the river which also does leisure batterys and water. Enine room has its own extraction system .
 
markspark7 said:
no. their the dreaded bmw 636:ambivalence:with mechanical hours counters. I think it must be that its been run on starbd only whilst on the river which also does leisure batterys and water. Enine room has its own extraction system .
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Those engines are fine providing they have had the Mercruiser cooling upgrades, although they will be old now.
 
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