LouC wrote: Looks great, can't believe the year vs the condition.
Graham the only way around it is for us salties to man up and quit buying as we call em here in the US 'lake boats' which are boats more designed for freshwater. You'd do well with a salt water style walk-around boat (raised cuddy style, outboard power). Even if you're not a fisherman, the boats designed to live in salt are much less work to maintain. Now that we are forced (if you buy new or nearly new) to accept newer I/Os with EFI and Cat exhaust systems here in the US, that is what it took to overcome my reluctance to move to modern 4 stroke outboard power (great engines but very expensive to buy and repair).
Come on Lou! We've heard that story from you already. Some of us like our FW I/O boats, even in Salt water or mixed use. I have absolutely no interest in a center-console fishing boat, or an overpriced Keywest dual console. My last I/O "lake boat" made it to 25 years old with a great deal of salt use, and I only averaged about $400/year doing my own maintenance on the boat and trailer. That includes refurbishing the floor and upholstery, buying covers, etc.
If you admire "real marine engines" so much, then go ahead and buy one. Your attempts at convincing the rest of us is like going on a forum for customized vans, and telling them how much more practical a pick-up is. While true in many ways, some people prefer a customized van, even though they are quite aware of the existence of pick-ups.
The extra work it takes to clean up my boat after salt use is how it got the name "Knot Easy", but I like the comfort/plushness of the Horizon. I like my small block Chevy and Volvo Penta SX drive and find it insulting when someone implies that it is not a real marine engine. In my 4 decades of boating, I have had 5 outboards and 2 I/O's and have done a lot of work on each of them, so I do know what the differences are.
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