Engine Hours

[blade]

Probably another one of those 'how long is a piece of string' questions, but here goes anyway - what would be the typical engine hours for a 4 year old 36 footer. I appreciate there are a number of variables that would determine this but some ball park figure would be helpful.

 

[SlimRick]

I have recently bought a 28 footer which was re-engined in 2007. It has 56 hours on the clock but like you say, there are so many variables that this wouldn't necessarily be representative of others.

 

[awol]

I would guess that anything much over 200 hours/annum would be a lot - say about 1000nm. My donk has averaged 143 hours/annum for its life so far.

 

[mph]

Probably another one of those 'how long is a piece of string' questions, but here goes anyway - what would be the typical engine hours for a 4 year old 36 footer. I appreciate there are a number of variables that would determine this but some ball park figure would be helpful.

4 years old? low (ish) usage could be around 300-500 hours
High usage could be anything up to 2000 hours, especially if it's based out in the Med/used a lot

 

[Norman_E]

Hours don't matter too much if its well maintained. I would rather have an engine with a couple of thousand hours on it that has had oil & filter changes every 50 and all its other maintenance properly done, than one with 500 hours and poor or non existance maintenance.

My Yanmar has 5,100 hours on it and never misses a beat (13 years old and 7 of them in charter use), but it was always meticulously maintained. In the last six years of my ownership it has run about 100 hours per year, so I expect it to last me out.

 

[jwilson]

Probably another one of those 'how long is a piece of string' questions, but here goes anyway - what would be the typical engine hours for a 4 year old 36 footer. I appreciate there are a number of variables that would determine this but some ball park figure would be helpful.

I worry more if hours are low. Average privately used yachts might be 75-150 hours a year, chartered boats 200-400. I have met hard-driven engines with 4,000 hours plus that run beautifully, start instantly, no smoke, but also find engines with well under 1,000 hours that don't start well, burn oil etc. On a boat we sold some time ago we had to advise the owner to get it stripped and rebuilt at 800 hours before the boat would be saleable. It was a bitch to start and laid down a substantial smokescreen, even after an Italian tuneup run at full throttle. The owner was surprised, as he said he usually never revved it past 1500.

On cars, a repmobile with 90,000 motorway miles might be nicely run in, but Aunt Ethels' car with 3,000 shopping miles could be waiting to die.

 

[Tranona]

Pattern of usage and servicing are the main considerations. At 4 years old should be nothing wrong with it. As said, typical leisure hours will be low, but low speed running and running for short durations are the killers. Should have at least an annual oil change if low hours.

 

[vyv_cox]

My Yanmar is about 12 years old. For the past 7 years we have cruised the Med full time for half the year, before that used for holidays and weekends. The hours run are currently 1890.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

And my Yanmar 55hp is 20 years old 7000hours and does not use any oil between services, starts on the turn of the key

 

[blade]

Thanks all for information so far - as expected varies quite widely.

 

[Heckler]

Probably another one of those 'how long is a piece of string' questions, but here goes anyway - what would be the typical engine hours for a 4 year old 36 footer. I appreciate there are a number of variables that would determine this but some ball park figure would be helpful.

Bene 381, I fixed the hour meter last year, The season started March 28th when I motored from pwlhelli to milford, I have done 75 hours so far.
Stu

 

[Loggo]

On the Thames (last year) and the Trent (this year) we seem to fall into the 160-180 hours per year area. This seems rather more than some of our contempories who cruise for an hour then moor for a few days.

 

[R32Stbrigid]

I have a Yanmar 3GM30F with 4000 hours in 17 years. Oil / filter changed / Serviced regularly, starts on the button, no smoke etc etc ......

 

[KellysEye]

You don't say how old the engine is but another way of looking at it is modern engines are lifed for around 8,000 hours. Older engines such as the Volve MD series were totally overbuilt and will run forever subject to proper servicing.

 

[Latestarter1]

Purchased a bunch of Yanmar 4 JH powered gennies ex MOD, all very well maintained, however all pushing 16,000 hours.

Last one sold two years ago, are they still running, apparently so. Kubota would do the same.

 

[Malo37]

Don't worry about engine hrs. The very worst thing you can do to a deisel engine is not to use it, second worst is to run it consistently under no load or light load, third worst is not to maintain it. Look after a modern diesel and it will do at least 6000 hrs before it needs a major overhaul after which it will do another 6,000 hrs.

 

[Golf Charley]

Med charter boats tend to average about 400 engine hours per year, on 5 months of charter

 

[vyv_cox]

Med charter boats tend to average about 400 engine hours per year, on 5 months of charter

Flotilla lead boats do a great deal more than that. I know of several that have done in excess of 15,000 hours, both Yanmars and Volvos, still going strong.

 

[Ian_Rob]

My Volvo D1-30B has done 218hrs from new in April 2008.

 

[ITH]

Engine hours

When I bought my (then) 20-year old Nauticat 35 (VP 2003T diesel), she had 1025 engine hours registered. In the four years since, including taking her from Holland to Sicily, the engine hours have doubled.