Should I be suspicious - new engine

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Hi all,

Long term lurker but first time poster.

The short story is my wife and I are looking for a boat in the 24' range that is four berth, from about the year 2000. We were hoping to start seriously looking next January - March and would be first time owners. I have been looking at S24's, Rinker festicval Vee's etc.

As I like to be prepared I have been keepng an eye on boats for sale in the local area for research and have found a 1999 Sea Ray 240 with an engine replacement, it has 5 (five) hours on the engine.

My question is why would someone go to the trouble and vast expense of replacing an engine and then only use the boat for 5 hours ? I asked the agent but he couldn't give me a decent answer other than the owner got fed up of the expense... should i be suspiscious ? The engine is a 5.7 litre GM vortec.

I'm going to see the boat tomorrow as it has so few hours, we may bring our boat ownership forward a few months. (Subject to survey)

Thanks.
 
Not suspicious, but very wary.

There could be many legitimate reasons for this and the first is that a worn engine wont sell a boat and detract potential buyers and if it is economical to replace the engine to up the value and make it more saleable to potential customers, and remember the age of the boat itself.

It may be a bereavement sale and the agent would prefer not to proffer such information unless pushed, or it could be a change in financial circumstances or even age or disability related, so do some digging and research the history of the boat.
 
Hi
It’s perhaps not to be a concern. It’s actually fairly common to see boats like this have a newer engine than the boat. The main reason for this is usually after frost damage during winter. The owner then discovers said damage at the start of the season. Claims the insurance and a new engine is thrown in.
I often used to wonder after seeing the odd early 90’s boat worth less than 10k...but powered by a lovely 2000’s modern fuel injected engine. The engine likely being worth an equal or greater amount than the boat. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would do this. Then the local mercruiser dealer told me that it’s his bread and butter every spring time. Great way for the dealer to make money. The all singing and all dancing new engine is recommended to the insurance company as the modern equivalent, then paid for by the insurance.
To summarise, you might be on to a winner. As long as it was done correctly. If it wasn’t a like for like replacement then I’d perhaps be making sure that the drive ratio and prop are suited to the newer engine. A smaller original engine would have a different ratio and or prop.
 
Just check what “new” means. Is it actually new and can you see the bills for it.

What was replaced precisely ? Just the block or the accessories. The answer does not matter that much but it must be reflected in the price.

I would want to understand the warranty from the engine provider as 5 hours is not that long after major work for issues to arise

On a boat that age regard it as a positive. Just understand the details.
 
As jrudge says just check that the price reflects what was replaced, ie do not pay as much if they just replaced the block but kept all the other things like exhaust risers heat exchangers etc. If all the mechanical parts are brand new and of good provenance and a good job was done then it'd be a huge benefit compared to the 20 year old mechanical bits in another otherwise similar boat.

Basically If the replacement was done correctly I'd see it as a positive thing.
 
Morning, thanks all for replying. Also, sorry about the spelling mistakes, I was incredibly tired and didn't proof read my post.

I'll take all the advice and words of wisdom above, I'm looking at the boat after work so hopefully I can check the paperwork.

Hot property, that is indeed the boat.
 
This is actually very common and not suspicious at all. People with no experience buy a petrol engine sterndrive boat like this without realising the cost of maintenance, or even what maintenance needs to be done on a regular basis. The maintenance isn't even based on usage, but age. If you skip things like replacing the bellows or the risers, you can soon find you need new gimbals or, in this case, a new engine. At that point after spending £7K getting a new engine fitted and still finding that they hardly ever have time to use the boat, they decide to sell.

Other things you need to check; when were the bellows changed on the outdrive? When was the leg itself serviced, oil changed and new impeller (if its the Alpha as shown in that link)? The leg is supposed to be removed from the boat and pressure tested and you are also supposed to check the engine alignment at the same time. All these things need to be done on a regular basis, or it will lead to big bills further down the line.

The engine is new, so no major expense will be needed for a few years at least, after which you will be looking at new exhaust risers etc.

Nice boat the SeaRay 240, perfect for day cruising, with a very nice cockpit layout (in the one in the link). You'll probably get a fuel burn rate of 1-2 litres per mile at 20ish MPH. How much is petrol in the marina you are looking at? If they don't sell petrol, you are looking at lumping jerry cans down to refuel whenever you want to use the boat - again another reason the owner might be fed up and simply want rid of it.
 
I had an engine blow once.

Successful but stressful insurance claim.

“We” decided to sell the boat as we had two, this one being much faster than “we” really wanted ... my wife was right :nonchalance:

Brand new engine fitted by an authorised dealer with the warranty to commence from the date of a successful sale.

Sold easily.
 
Try selling a boat with a knackered engine.
Engines dies, want to sell boat. Can’t. Put new engine in and test for a few hours then sell boat.
Honestly, if you are wary of a new engine don’t bother, buying a second hand boat isn’t for you.
Stick to camping
 
Again, thank you for the extra contributions. (being new the mods have to review every post before it goes up) so sorry for the apparent delay in replying. Certainly plenty of questions to ask the dealer and things to check out in the paperwork.
 
Whitelighter said:
Try selling a boat with a knackered engine.
Engines dies, want to sell boat. Can’t. Put new engine in and test for a few hours then sell boat.
Honestly, if you are wary of a new engine don’t bother, buying a second hand boat isn’t for you.
Stick to camping
Click to expand...

Really!! So you wouldn’t bother asking why a boat had a new engine?

Maybe he doesn’t camp!
 
As a first boat purchase you will either get the bug or will give up boating entirely.

A key part of your requirement seems to be 4 berths. OK a 24' boat may have 4 berths, but otherwise not enough space to swing a cat by a short tail, unlikely to have hot running water (a basic requirement for most SWMBOs) so if there are four of you going boating you will rapidly get fed up the lack of space, and home comforts. This means you will likely want to sell the boat in short order, e.g, just a few months.

So we all have to have a first boat to learn this for ourselves. But once bought you then have to sell it on before you buy the next one. A petrol engine will not assist with this task, and any sign of a dubious history will have would be buyers running away (this next person will be you now !).

If you have not done it, then I would suggest a weekend cruise with someone like Jon Mendez on a mid 30 - 40' boat, so not only can you learn something useful, but you can also understand how limited space on a boat is.

Okay Steve Dunstable puts us all to shame with his routine 100 mile plus in a day jaunts on his beloved "Thanks Mum", but normally two up and home by bedtime.
 
superheat6k said:
As a first boat purchase you will either get the bug or will give up boating entirely.

A key part of your requirement seems to be 4 berths. OK a 24' boat may have 4 berths, but otherwise not enough space to swing a cat by a short tail, unlikely to have hot running water (a basic requirement for most SWMBOs) so if there are four of you going boating you will rapidly get fed up the lack of space, and home comforts. This means you will likely want to sell the boat in short order, e.g, just a few months.

So we all have to have a first boat to learn this for ourselves. But once bought you then have to sell it on before you buy the next one. A petrol engine will not assist with this task, and any sign of a dubious history will have would be buyers running away (this next person will be you now !).

If you have not done it, then I would suggest a weekend cruise with someone like Jon Mendez on a mid 30 - 40' boat, so not only can you learn something useful, but you can also understand how limited space on a boat is.

Okay Steve Dunstable puts us all to shame with his routine 100 mile plus in a day jaunts on his beloved "Thanks Mum", but normally two up and home by bedtime.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, we have gone back to a 24fter (Sea Ray 240 as it happens) having gone up to 31ft previously.
Its our second ownership of this type of boat. They both had hot water!
We spend up to three weeks on ours quite happily. A petrol engine in on this size and type of boat is normal so maybe not such a barrier to resale.
In fact to me once you get to over 15 years old as ours were, the easier and cheaper repairs to the petrol do appeal to us though frankly they have never given us much trouble, but we do look after them.
So I am not saying Superheat is wrong, just that different people have different views, and different budgets and only you will be able to work out whats works for you....
 
dpb said:
On the other hand, we have gone back to a 24fter (Sea Ray 240 as it happens) having gone up to 31ft previously.
Its our second ownership of this type of boat. They both had hot water!
We spend up to three weeks on ours quite happily. A petrol engine in on this size and type of boat is normal so maybe not such a barrier to resale.
In fact to me once you get to over 15 years old as ours were, the easier and cheaper repairs to the petrol do appeal to us though frankly they have never given us much trouble, but we do look after them.
So I am not saying Superheat is wrong, just that different people have different views, and different budgets and only you will be able to work out whats works for you....
Click to expand...

Everybody quickly slams the petrol inboards as “problematic and expensive to run”, but really which high speed marine engine isn’t?
Many threads on the forum are relating to the horrors of electronic Diesel engines and ridiculously expensive replacement parts. The guy selling this Searay has probably fitted a Vortec US imported long motor for the price of a D series Volvo cooler, regarded as normal maintenance?
The Mercruiser engine pictured is the earlier carb version without the later dry-joint manifold riser option, usually 260 hp, although specs call it 300, which is the rating for MPI.
 
If petrol wasn't so scarce and then expensive to get on the water in my neck of the woods I would seriously consider petrol should I need to re-engine. With big outboards becoming more popular I am surprised petrol availability and prices are so slow to meet this market. The fuel economy with the modern petrol engines in the outboards that I am getting reports back on is becoming largely comparable to the equivalent hp inboard diesel rating and if a inboard petrol can replicate that in a sub 36 foot boat then I'd say petrol were it more freely available would edge diesel out as my preference.

Edit to say in a sports cruiser
 
superheat6k said:
As a first boat purchase you will either get the bug or will give up boating entirely.

A key part of your requirement seems to be 4 berths. OK a 24' boat may have 4 berths, but otherwise not enough space to swing a cat by a short tail, unlikely to have hot running water (a basic requirement for most SWMBOs) so if there are four of you going boating you will rapidly get fed up the lack of space, and home comforts. This means you will likely want to sell the boat in short order, e.g, just a few months.

So we all have to have a first boat to learn this for ourselves. But once bought you then have to sell it on before you buy the next one. A petrol engine will not assist with this task, and any sign of a dubious history will have would be buyers running away (this next person will be you now !).

If you have not done it, then I would suggest a weekend cruise with someone like Jon Mendez on a mid 30 - 40' boat, so not only can you learn something useful, but you can also understand how limited space on a boat is.

Okay Steve Dunstable puts us all to shame with his routine 100 mile plus in a day jaunts on his beloved "Thanks Mum", but normally two up and home by bedtime.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you know what most wives would want or expect but never mind. But for accuracy My S24 has hot and cold water and most 24 footers do also from the main Builders of Sports Cruisers.

Also remember that once you go over 24 foot you are generally into 2 engines
 
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