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| How long should a boat last? https://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23491 |
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| Author: | 240 Joe [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | How long should a boat last? |
I have a 2006 H240 with a 5.7 Volvo duo-prop and 960 hours that i bought new in 2007. Every year I have the boat serviced according to Volvo specifications and winterized, shrink wrapped and stored by Lake Norman Marina, the former Four Winns dealership (now Cobalt). I have had very little trouble with it until 2019 when I had to replace the power steering actuator- $1300, water pump assembly- $700, U-joint bellow/gimbal bearing-$600, shift cable- $400. I need to keep this boat another 10 years but is that realistic? What other repairs may happen in the near future? |
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| Author: | byron [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
I'm not sure if this will help. I have a friend of mine with a 1999 25' Four Winns 5.7 duoprop which is used often, I'm guessing around 1500 hours on it as it does'nt have an hours meter. The only major thing I can remember him changing were the manifolds and risers every five years along with the bellows at the same time. He does tune up biannually along with the sea water impeller. He did mention the sea water pump body a few years ago. This boat is raw water colled run in brackish water on Lond Island. I see that your in a lake which is a plus if your raw water cooled. Keep up the good maintinance and go for it. You did'nt mention manifolds and risers. |
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| Author: | 240 Joe [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:20 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
Nothing done to manifolds and risers. We are on a deep inland lake and boat is cooled with lake water. I replace the impeller every 2 years although it never shows any wear in that time. when I visit this website I see entries about boats from the 1980s and 1990s still being used so I have hope my 2006 will go another decade, or so. |
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| Author: | chevymaher [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:34 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
I am one of those 80's boat guys. Mine made it till 4 years ago. Used all the time. And it was left in the elements literally. Take care of it and it will last. My boat was used abused and put away wet literally. I restored it and now it is indoors and babied. |
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| Author: | 240 Joe [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
thanks, Byron and Chevymaher, my 240 is in the water at our community dock (no lift) for 7 months each year then shrink wrapped and stored for 5 months. Children and now grandsons are learning to navigate the lake. I figure the grandsons will be involved for another 12 to 15 years. |
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| Author: | byron [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
On those manifolds, If you see any rust between the manifold and the elbows it is the first sign that the thin gasket there is leaking. Keep in mind that when you shut down the engine, water stays in the manifolds at a point above that joint. If that gasket should leak internally it will let the water drain down inside through the exhaust valves and into the cylinders. These elbows should be pulled at least every five years to inspect the passageways in the manifolds and elbows and to check this gasket. I had a 2006 Larson 260 with a 5.7 and had it happen, luckily I caught it in time. I have a 2015 Four Winns now with cats. I hope I get more than five years on the manifolds as the manifolds, cats and elbows run around $6000.00 parts only. Good luck with the grand kids, my two are 9 & 11. They love the boat. |
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| Author: | TX H210SS [ Thu Jan 09, 2020 10:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
The next thing will be fuel pump, but you can change it yourself for around 500 to 600...mine is a 2008 with not much use and I still do routine maintenance yearly. Walk around a boat show and look at prices compared to part replacement cost and you will fall in love with your boat all over again. Everytime I go...I'm convinced I'm in the best boat around:)...plus no cats on those exhaust is a huge plus. |
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| Author: | babbot1 [ Fri Jan 10, 2020 9:53 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
Kinda like other things, if you take care of it, it should last longer. Fiberglass should last forever. Its really any wood construction and the engine you have to keep an eye on and can be replaced and fixed but could be cost prohibited. If yours has wood floors make sure it is always dry before you cover it to avoid rot. As for the engine, well maintenance is key and luck is a big part too. Definitely pull your risers and inspect. Even in fresh water they rot, just not as quick. Its not too difficult and a cheap gasket to replace. Someone else said to inspect every 5 years. The rule of thumb in this area is every 3 years of raw water engines. There are tons of boats much much older than yours still running strong. Ours is a 2002 and I hope to keep it running for many many years too. |
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| Author: | LouC [ Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
As long as the boat is stored properly you can easily get 30+ years, most damage is done because of leaky covers, non vented shrinkwrap, etc. If you can store it inside it could look good a really long time. On the mechanical side, it really depends on how well you keep up with maintenance. That is especially true with I/O boats that require more regular maintenance than outboard boats or straight inboard boats. If you neglect maintenance (fluid changes, drive R+R etc) you will be faced with expensive repairs eventually which will motivate you to get rid of the boat. The only other thing that can limit how long you keep it is parts availability. Certain parts start to become NLA, after 15 years or so. I've seen this with a lot of OMC parts, that I sometimes have to search around for and buy used. It also happens with both Merc and Volvo, items like ECMs for fuel injection systems, ignition modules, etc become NLA after that time period. There are ways around these issues, if you are a good backyard mechanic, an EFI engine can be converted to a carb, while it costs a fair amount, it can be done for less than the cost of an EFI control unit even if you can find one. The beauty of doing that is now you can deal with the aftermarket (Holley & Edelbrock) both of which have very wide availability of carbs, fuel pumps and rebuild kits. Even for my Rochester Quadrajet, I can get most parts pretty easily even though they have not be built, since 1990. OMC and early Volvo electronic ignition and EFI parts, are very hard to find as are some Merc ECU units for the fuel injection. So there you have it. |
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| Author: | Misterfu02 [ Sat Jan 11, 2020 5:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
It'll last as long as you're willing to continue maintaining it. Even if the transom rots out, you can still replace that. Engine blows? Drop a crate motor in. Sterndrive grenades? Replace or repair it. Keeping the boat dry and protected from the elements, along with routine maintenance and timely repairs, will keep any fiberglass boat on the water for decades to come. Case and point. There's an identical boat to mine on the lake here. It has been outside and wet slipped since the owner bought it new in 2006. The gelcoat is faded, the interior is worn, but it still runs. I forgot how many hours the guy said are on it, but being a lakeboat that only gets used Memorial-Labor Day, probably not much. Now mine was kept outside too, but it was stored on the trailer and it was maintained accordingly. Always waxed/detailed, and covered so that the elements were kept out of the interior. I bought it in 2018 and keep it in a garage when not in use, and even go so far as to wipe out the bilge and ski locker before tucking it away for the night. I get compliments every time I take it out. I'm looking at a shift cable in the spring (my fault), as well as a bellow replacement in addition to the usual routine stuff. I checked out a replacement boat last year - a 2019 H210 with a 4.5L V6. It was $ 80,000 + and I know without that V8 sound I wouldn't be happy with it. The depreciation is so steep on new boats, you can repower your old one every year and still come out ahead financially. |
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| Author: | chevymaher [ Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:58 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
Misterfu02 wrote: And even go so far as to wipe out the bilge and ski locker before tucking it away for the night. It is a sickness I share. There is a 12 step program and we have meetings at the pier when the weather is to nasty to go out. I am that guy I wash it and dry her trailer and all everytime I dunk her in the nasty ohio river. Vacuum the whole nine yards. |
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| Author: | Surface Interval [ Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
We bought a 1995 Four Winns 190 Horizon new and ran it almost every weekend mostly in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. We cruised, pulled skis, tubes, and other toys, fished, or just floated. Much of our boating was on the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers near St. Paul, but we also went to lakes near Minneapolis, in central and northern Minnesota, and in Iowa. We made 4 vacation trips down the Mississippi as far as McGregor in northern Iowa. For us, a day on the river could mean 40 to over 100 miles. We put over 2100 hours on that boat and it still ran great when we sold it. We never had an internal engine or out-drive problem. We trailered it every trip and stored it inside when we were not boating. As previously stated, take care of it and it will last a long time. |
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| Author: | 240 Joe [ Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
Thanks to all above for your advice. I think I will keep this boat for several more years. I didn't mention that 2 years ago I had the decals removed and the exterior wet sanded. It's shiny again and looks really good after good detailing and a lot more up to date without the scraped decals. Has anyone painted the exterior? I took it to a shop highly recommended by my dealer for boat painting and saw several higher dollar boats he had painted there in his shop. He quoted $5,500 to paint the exterior black sides, the white exterior above the black, and the rear swim platform (except for the rough area where you stand). But upon inspection of the boat he would not do the work. As many have noted on this forum, the H-240s list to the starboard when in dock. Mine has always listed enough that about 2 inches of the black side is under water at rest. The shop owner noticed the list, contacted the paint manufacturer who would not grant a warranty if any part of the paint that was below water on a regular basis so he declined the job. I'd like to hear from anyone who has painted their boat. What brand of paint was used? Any blisters? How long did it look shiny, like new? |
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| Author: | babbot1 [ Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
240 Joe wrote: Thanks to all above for your advice. I think I will keep this boat for several more years. I didn't mention that 2 years ago I had the decals removed and the exterior wet sanded. It's shiny again and looks really good after good detailing and a lot more up to date without the scraped decals. Has anyone painted the exterior? I took it to a shop highly recommended by my dealer for boat painting and saw several higher dollar boats he had painted there in his shop. He quoted $5,500 to paint the exterior black sides, the white exterior above the black, and the rear swim platform (except for the rough area where you stand). But upon inspection of the boat he would not do the work. As many have noted on this forum, the H-240s list to the starboard when in dock. Mine has always listed enough that about 2 inches of the black side is under water at rest. The shop owner noticed the list, contacted the paint manufacturer who would not grant a warranty if any part of the paint that was below water on a regular basis so he declined the job. I'd like to hear from anyone who has painted their boat. What brand of paint was used? Any blisters? How long did it look shiny, like new? I don't have a painted hull but the "new" rage is to wrap the boat. My friend has his 45' cruiser wrapped and it looks fantastic. It's a basic grey and looks like a gel coat color. He just bought the boat and the owner said the wrap is about 5 years old. The only issue I can see is dock rash will kill it so you have to be more careful. He as special fender covers to keep it from scratching. I believe he said to do his 45' was about what your quote is for paint. But you know how boat people exaggerate things, could be more could be less. HA! Not sure I would paint a white hull white. I would leave the white gel coat and paint or wrap the rest for color. A lot of new boats come painted instead of gel color. I believe Formula boats is one of them. The other option is to put a bottom paint on the boat if it doesn't have it up over the water line, then paint the rest of the hull. Black bottom paint and black hull side should look pretty close. |
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| Author: | LouC [ Mon Feb 03, 2020 12:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: How long should a boat last? |
240 Joe wrote: Thanks to all above for your advice. I think I will keep this boat for several more years. I didn't mention that 2 years ago I had the decals removed and the exterior wet sanded. It's shiny again and looks really good after good detailing and a lot more up to date without the scraped decals. Has anyone painted the exterior? I took it to a shop highly recommended by my dealer for boat painting and saw several higher dollar boats he had painted there in his shop. He quoted $5,500 to paint the exterior black sides, the white exterior above the black, and the rear swim platform (except for the rough area where you stand). But upon inspection of the boat he would not do the work. As many have noted on this forum, the H-240s list to the starboard when in dock. Mine has always listed enough that about 2 inches of the black side is under water at rest. The shop owner noticed the list, contacted the paint manufacturer who would not grant a warranty if any part of the paint that was below water on a regular basis so he declined the job. I'd like to hear from anyone who has painted their boat. What brand of paint was used? Any blisters? How long did it look shiny, like new? I had ours done in red Imron about 8 years ago. Mine has bottom paint that extends up above the water line so the Imron is never in the water and no blisters despite it being in the water (salt) 6 months out of the year. It still shines and I’d never ever have another colored gel coat boat. Either white gel coat or Imron for me. Formula boats does all their colored hulls in Imron Here's a pic from this fall on the mooring behind where we live... https://www.dropbox.com/s/4nofq83p8n1fm ... g.JPG?dl=0 |
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