Sea trial

Capt.G said:
What would they look for salt? Metal?
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They check for all kinds of stuff in the oil that will give you an idea of the overall health of the engine. Including moisture, contamination, and the materials that the bearings and other wearable metal items are made of.
You should have the engines, generator, and transmissions oil checked.
Here is a link to a lab:
https://m.blackstone-labs.com/

Look over their website for a better understanding and more information.
 
If oil was changed in fall, oil samples today would be useless. Should have at least 10 run hours on oil before sampling.

Its one of the pitfalls of buying in cold climate in the spring, most people change oil as part of winter layup.
 
Capt.G said:
Any codes Also records temps rpm etc. To compare with factory gauges and infraed temp.
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Also, If I remember correctly, the only thing that can not be reset is the total hours.

-Kevin
 
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KevinC said:
[QUOTE="Capt.G, post: 985987, member: 47849"
Any codes Also records temps rpm etc. To compare with factory gauges and infraed temp.
Click to expand...
Also, If I remember correctly, the only thing that can not be reset is the total hours.

-Kevin[/QUOTE]
 
swaterhouse said:
If oil was changed in fall, oil samples today would be useless. Should have at least 10 run hours on oil before sampling.

Its one of the pitfalls of buying in cold climate in the spring, most people change oil as part of winter layup.
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Yes it has been changed
 
sea trial did not happen today :( it was a poor presentation of a boat ready to go.
started up port engines alarms going off trim error code first thing. and 7 or 8 active fault codes on both engines nothing in red or yellow ( waiting for report from him) port water circulation pump leaking, all 4 manifolds and spacers can not touch by hand engines running on dock. the starboard thermostat housing hot can't touch. power steering reservoir close to empty
hot water tank not hooked up and bottom rusted. no fresh water in tank to test system. boat was dirty on top.
also hrs run at full throttle was 13hrs is this high or normal on a boat with 290 hrs.?? we stopped there and told the broker to tell the seller to have the engines serviced by a merc service center and correct the above before we go further.
I woke up with a great high with a plan of driving this home on Friday to aggg. and I don't even own a boat yet lol. is the above a big deal? is it costly? Should I walk away from this.
 
with everything you listed you found concerning the engines in the first few mins there is no way I personally would give this boat further consideration....if someone can't take care of the most important component of a boat (the powertrain) there is no way in hell they give a damn about the rest of the boat and there will almost definitely be other problems found there.....

just my opinion of course....

cliff
 
13 / 290hrs at WOT seems like a lot to me, especially in a 30ft cruiser. It's only 4% of the total time, but think about 13hrs at WOT on a gas engine? Most people don't run WOT for extended periods - a couple of minutes here and there. Anyhow, that is not the big problem here. The fact that the owner and broker would allow the boat to be shown in that condition is the bigger issue.
 
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Just an observation on WOT and my boat. I'll typically run WOT for a few minutes during 2 or 3 runs a season. Mainly to get a baseline for the season and check how things are running. Then maybe for a few minutes during a run for giggles. I have to be in a mood to burn a lot of fuel. I get nervous when running WOT too long.

I always go WOT when getting up up plane. That will last 30 seconds or so then I throttle back. I will need to go WOT more often if pulling a tube. I did have to run WOT for a while 2 seasons ago due to a very heavy load (full fuel, water, 4 persons, RIB with motor) and clogged injectors. It was the only way to get any decent speed, an even at that I was barely on plane.

Given my own use, 13 of 290 hours at WOT seems like a lot.

I think it's good you seem to be rational and willing to walk away if there are significant problems with the boat.
 
scoflaw said:
Don't sound good. Asking price would help
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49k.
I just got the codes. it doesn't seem as bad as I was told.
active faults steer ckt lo, pitot ckt lo, steer ckt lo, low drive lube, trim ckt hi. yes issues is presentation
also the cooling system needs addressing.
 
Hmmm........ run......lots of boats out there for 49k
 
I’d walk. If he lets simple things like that go those motors could be toast, not to mention the boats other systems
 
As others have said, 13 hours at WOT is too much. No need for that. And this boat has way too many issues to still even consider. Walk away now. The current owner obviously doesn't care even enough to get it show able before survey and sea trial, and that's a pretty good indicator they didn't care about much else when it came to this boat. There are plenty of good boats out there to be had. Save yourself the headaches and go find one.
 
Even assuming the above issues turn out to be minor, you have to wonder about a seller who didn't even bother to address the obvious. Its like looking at used car that hasn't been washed for weeks. It doesn't speak well for the treatment that car has had over its lifetime
 
What attracted you to this boat ? Must have some good points. If the owner doesn't care much about this considering what you've posted, maybe it can be had at a bargain price.
 
Low drive lube.......There are numerous potential issues here.

Could be as innocent as a little air purging from the system which is common after servicing the drive lube, to something major like leaking seals and big $$$
 
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