Purchase advise/opinion needed 1997 240 Dancer

F

FiremistSLK_old

Member
Feb 18, 2012
71
Rhode Island - USA
Boat Info
240 Dancer (1997)
Engines
Merc 5.7L, carborated, 250 HP, Alpha Drive
I have been looking for a 240 Dancer for over a month and have found the perfect one! Owner has $$$ and it shows in that the boat looks 2 years old, not 20 yrs old! It is so clean and in perfect condition I am wondering if he just put lipstick on a pig. I have made arrangements for a through survey but was needing opinons on the engine condition. It is the original 5.7L Alpha, (Carb. not MPI) with 535 hours. Run mostly in brackish/fresh water in Elk River and Delaware River for first 15 yrs. and most recently in Meteconk River/Barnegat Bay in NJ. Boat has been in current owners family its entire life. I need an opinion about the engine. Surveyor says these engines can rot or corrode from the inside out. No way to test for that. I never heard this before. Survey will be completed next week to include an engine survey and compression test. Should I be concerned with the age and hours on the 5.7L?
 
I have been messing around with boats and reading this forum for a long time.....

I have NEVER heard of any engine block 'rotting or corroding' from the inside to the point of engine failure regardless of fresh or salt water use....now exhaust components are a different story...if they are exposed to salt or brackish water they definitely can and will corrode away to the point serious engine damage can be done from water ingestion....the exhaust components must be inspected regularly and replaced as needed to prevent this from happening....

if the engine (and possibly part of the exhaust system) is cooled by a closed cooling system then the chances for excessive internal corrosion is greatly reduced.....

500 hrs. on that engine is nothing to be concerned about if it has been serviced properly.....

I had that same engine in a previous boat but it was used in fresh water....it was a great overall engine....I had problems with the Thunderbolt V ignition system but the engine always performed well....

cliff
 
I agree with Cliff-never heard of one rotting from the inside out....engine survey with compression test will tell the story.

Bennett
 
They invented closed cooled systems for a reason, yes it is rotting from the inside out. How long that will take who knows. Heads will usually spring a leak first. Rust chunks can also effect cooling.
 
Cliff, Thanks for the reply. The exhaust risers and manifolds were replaced 4 yrs ago. I will let the surveyor determine if he wants to remove them to check them. My previous boat was also a 1997 240 Dancer with the 5.7L and she ran like a top! That boat was also 17 yrs. old when I purchased it. JOHN
 
scoflaw said:
They invented closed cooled systems for a reason, yes it is rotting from the inside out. How long that will take who knows. Heads will usually spring a leak first. Rust chunks can also effect cooling.
Click to expand...

is there internal corrosion going on when water (fresh or salt) is flowing through and engine?....yes....even with closed cooling with antifreeze there is some degree of corrosion happening although at a MUCH slower rate....that is why closed cooling was invented....to drastically slow the corrosion....will the internal corrosion on a raw water cooled engine ever totally destroy the engine?.....very unlikely that will ever happen.....at least for as long as you and I are around to observe it.....if you can show me pics of an engine block destroyed from internal corrosion I will stand corrected....

remember...without pics it didn't happen....;).....

cliff
 
To all who have had an interest in this thread... I will post my comments on the survey results when I get them. Thanks all for your input.... JOHN
 
Survey will tell the story, but agree with the comments, I would not be overly concerned about the age of that motor as long as it has been maintained. It's actually a very solid simple engine being carbureted. Also, there really are people out there who keep boats in pristine condition - if he has just cosmetically fixed it up, a survey will show it.
 
CliffA said:
is there internal corrosion going on when water (fresh or salt) is flowing through and engine?....yes....even with closed cooling with antifreeze there is some degree of corrosion happening although at a MUCH slower rate....that is why closed cooling was invented....to drastically slow the corrosion....will the internal corrosion on a raw water cooled engine ever totally destroy the engine?.....very unlikely that will ever happen.....at least for as long as you and I are around to observe it.....if you can show me pics of an engine block destroyed from internal corrosion I will stand corrected....

remember...without pics it didn't happen....;).....

cliff
Click to expand...
My nephews in laws drove their 2000 Ford F-250 diesel down to Florida last fall. About half way down the engine quit. They had it towed to the local Ford dealer. At first they thought it had a blown head gasket. What they found out was that the engine was completely rotted out from the inside out. The dealer blamed it on using cheap antifreeze.
 
OK Here it is! Survey was done and the vessel is in as good a condition as it looks! A few safety issues need to be addressed. 1. No fire extingushers. It needs two. 2. The fuel filler hose and engine feed hoses are non-compliant due to age (21 yrs. old) and there are no information marks on the hoses. They need to be changed. 3. No CO monitors on board. USCG says there needs to be one in each berth. I'll need two. 4. The tether is missing from the emergency kill switch. 5. The aft mast light is missing. Must have one for night or low visibility cruising. As for the engine... 5.7L w/Alpha drive. Compression test was excellent. Lowest reading was 130 highest was 140! Maintainence documents show the risers and manifolds were replaced two years ago! The RPM and voltmeter gauges are not working. There is not a galvanic isolator on board. All other systems were "A-OK". I'm going to ask the seller to correct the safety issues (1, 2, 3, and 4) before I complete the sale. I'll take care of the rest. You would think he would want to do that, but you never know. If he says "No" to doing the repsirs, how much $$ am I looking at to get it all done? Thanks... John
 
Numbers 1, 3 and 4 are no-brainers. I'm sure the owner would throw a hundred dollars at it to close the deal. I'm not sure what your engine room looks like but replacing fuel lines could be a bit spendy depending on routing, access and the marina doing the work. I'd imagine that work to be in the $500-$1,000 range if it's anything like the usual engine room access? Based on the age it might not be that easy to find a mast light. A custom built aft light could also be pricey?

Did you have the outdrive inspected as well? Bellows, gimble, all the good stuff?
 
Sounds like you found a really nice boat. I bought a similar '97 240 Sundancer three years ago with 765 hours on it and love it. Mine is the EFI version and now has 1170 hours on it.

I have a Coast Guard Auxiliary inspection done every year and they only require one fire extinguisher for that size boat. None if the boat has an automatic fire suppression system which mine does not.

Have you visually inspected the fuel lines? They might be fine and replacing them would be a significant expense.

There is also no mention of carbon monoxide detectors in the births - unless there was an onboard generator, why would you need CO detectors?
 
Thanks for the replys. I checked with the guys at Marine Max about the fuel/fill hoses. They said if they are not leaking (they are not), then they are not a safety issue. Granted, they could be replaced because of their age, but this is a maintainence issue. I will look into replacing them. There is no gen on board and I do not plan any overnights on board, so I agree. I don't need the CO monitors. I will place one in the fwd cabin though, just to be safe. This boat also does not have a Halon system in the engine compartment. The surveyor did mention that there is a fire suppression access panel in the compartment to cover this requirement. The seller says he has the fire extingushers and the aft mast light for me. Lastly, the seller gave me a $300 allowance to replace the inoperable gauges. Looks like I'm a happy new boater!
 
concerning the need for CO detectors, if your engine is running it is producing CO all the time...CO can build in the cabin and cockpit even while the boat is moving because of the "station wagon affect'....having camper canvas installed (if applicable) greatly increases this danger...

also remember your boat is not the only one producing CO....if you are at a marina or in a raft-up and someone close by has their engines and/or genny running then the CO created can flow to your boat and build up to possible dangerous levels, especially if you have camper canvas installed.....

I keep two CO detectors in the cabin (we sleep on the boat a lot) and one in the cockpit near the seating section......

if I go cruising on someone else's boat when their camper canvas is installed and they don't have a CO monitor in the cockpit I take one of mine on the cruise....you might be surprised how high the CO can get in the cockpit and cabin due to the 'station wagon affect' during a slow cruise.....

cliff
 
Point well taken, Cliff. Being that the CO monitors are not that expensive and the grandkids will be on board alot, I will definately install them!
 
Cliff,

What type of CO detectors do you use?
 
Well, I got the boat in my driveway.... final cost to bring it here myself was ..... One day rental from Enterprise: F-250 diesel Super Duty with all insurance coverages, $20 towing package charge and unlimited miles: $115. Diesel fuel for 486 miles @$3.15 gallon: $105. Tolls: NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Tappan Zee Bridge: $29.25. Total cost to bring the boat up to RI from NJ: $249.50. Sweet.. By the way, the F-250 was so smooth at 65 MPH with the 7,500 lb. boat back there, I didn't even feel it. What a nice truck... Gotta get me one..
 
FiremistSLK said:
Well, I got the boat in my driveway.... final cost to bring it here myself was ..... One day rental from Enterprise: F-250 diesel Super Duty with all insurance coverages, $20 towing package charge and unlimited miles: $115. Diesel fuel for 486 miles @$3.15 gallon: $105. Tolls: NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Tappan Zee Bridge: $29.25. Total cost to bring the boat up to RI from NJ: $249.50. Sweet.. By the way, the F-250 was so smooth at 65 MPH with the 7,500 lb. boat back there, I didn't even feel it. What a nice truck... Gotta get me one..
Click to expand...

Pictures or it never happened!
 
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