Engine 3500 hours?

[Ssscrudddy]

I'm looking at a boat today, just wondering though, should I be worried if an engine has done 3500 hours?
It's supposedly built in 2004, & has 6 batteries & an inverter which is enough to power a 3kg washing machine. I dont know (yet) if it has landline electric.
So I'm thinking that maybe it hasnt (landline), meaning the batteries have only ever been charged from the engine.

Therefore should I be worried about 3500 hours, or more importantly if it's only been used to mainly charge then batteries, should I be more worried? It's a Vetus 4.17

[NB Lola]

Hi

 

In my view, 3500 hours is very low for a 2004 boat. I am a leisure boater and my 2 year old engine has done 700 hours. If I think about it, I travel 5-7 hours per day so at the higher number I have travelled for 100 days in two years. Using the same, simple maths, since 2004, the boat you refer to has done 388 hours per year, or 55 days at 7 hours per day, on average over the 9 years since built. I am ignoring any unknown elements.

 

Very low hours in my simplistic view.

Edited September 11, 2013 by NB Lola

[mrsmelly]

I'm looking at a boat today, just wondering though, should I be worried if an engine has done 3500 hours?

It's supposedly built in 2004, & has 6 batteries & an inverter which is enough to power a 3kg washing machine. I dont know (yet) if it has landline electric.

So I'm thinking that maybe it hasnt (landline), meaning the batteries have only ever been charged from the engine.

 

Therefore should I be worried about 3500 hours, or more importantly if it's only been used to mainly charge then batteries, should I be more worried? It's a Vetus 4.17

Hi

 

Though vetus marinisation is crap the unit is based on a mitsubishi engine which are exellent. 3500 hours is barely run in. The engines on one of our boats at work have done well in excess of 35 thousand hours and are still running without fault. Change the oil at 100 hour intervals as stated and it will out live you.

 

Tim

[Ssscrudddy]

Ok thanks peeps, that has put my mind at rest. Obviously unknowns are just that & I wont know what they've done, but I did download & read the manual.

[Grace and Favour]

Ok thanks peeps, that has put my mind at rest. Obviously unknowns are just that & I wont know what they've done, but I did download & read the manual.

I would suggest that more important than the 3,500 hours - is how frequently the oil and filters have been changed - - if assiduously maintained then as others has suggested, 3,500 hours is not a problem

[Captain Fizz]

As above, it depends more on the frequency of oil changes.

Is the boat in your neck of the woods? I will be up near you from Friday, happy to give a second opinion.

[Ssscrudddy]

The boat is in Whilton Marina on the A5 erm GUC, but I have no transport, & there is only a bus on Wednesdays.
The engine compartment looked nice & clean, so probably never had an oil change!

I cant really tell with this. The boat was a bit mucky, I would have thought if you are selling a boat you would make an effort to give it a really good clean inside. But the engine area was clean, & the easiest access I have seen yet, & it maybe has been well maintained, there was certainly plenty of sign of wear & tear on the bits that needed lifting to get to the engine.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Ssscrudddy

[Captain Fizz]

So what was your overall impression of the boat?

Did you start the engine?

Whilton do like to make excuses (flat batteries) for not starting engines, but it pays to be persistent .

Will this be your first boat?

[Guest]

If the Vetus has done 3500 hrs cruising, and has had regular oil/filter changes, I would buy it personally. If however it had done 3500 hrs in neutral charging batteries, I would be getting an oil analysis done. The Misubishi base engine is a tough engine, and have been known to do many more than 3500 hrs.

[Ssscrudddy]

Yes it would be my first boat & I know nothing apart from what I've read, most of it here. Been looking for a few years, finances have only just come together.

First impressions were, the windows seemed a little mucky (from damp) inside the metal grooves holding the glass, & this will bug the hell out of me until I work out how to take them apart & clean/fix them (I'm not a clean freak tho). With this said I saw a 2013 boat that was 10 times worse. No other particular signs of damp that I could tell.
The fit out was very amateurish, & didnt quite manage to follow the curve of the roof at one point. Rounded corners on windows squared off, lots of bits of attention to detail weren't that good. Didnt particularly bother me, but certainly didnt make me go ooh I like this, also didnt make me go urgh I dont like this (like most boats 'urgh' have done so far including 1 brand new boat that was £60k above my budget!)

I thought they could have done a better job of cleaning it if they want to sell it.

However it also had a lot of plusses that came to light as I was looking. Steel doors at the front (glazed) instead of wood. Every boat I've looked at so far has been a bit akward to get in & out front & back, some worse than others & I assumed this was just going to be the norm. This particular boat simply wasnt akward at all. Engine compartment very easy to get to, everything else has been a real pig faffing about moving stuff around etc.
It ticked lots of boxes for me, eg full size double bed instead of those miniature fake 'double' beds. It's got the proper toilet for a boat (those other peeps are just wrong!!!! no dont start that's why I'm not saying what it is). It's got bits that would be nice to have if possible, but weren't a deal breaker if it didnt have them.

I havent heard of the gearbox, TMC 60, when I googled it the 1st thing I saw was a foum thread complaining about clunky gearbox with this engine, Vetus 4.17, & after reading it all 1 thing that stuck in my head was dont idle this set up for more than 10 mins at a time.
Now combine that with the fact this boat doesnt have a landline electric hook up, but it does have 6 batteries & a 2kw inverter enough to power the washing machine, does make me wonder if it's just been idling to charge batteries.

I would put in a landline electric.

The brokerage are supposed to be doing their own hull survey this week, can this be trusted? I would get my own full survey done anyway, but it would be nice to know if it's any good before I spend my own money, by then it would be a commitment to buy & hope nothing is wrong with it.

I havent asked them to start the engine yet

[Captain Fizz]

I will be about in your area next week if you would like a second opinion, my boat is going back in tomorrow after blacking.

I could meet you at Whilton on Wednesday if it would be of any help.

Cheers,

Simon.

[Mike Jordan]

A brokers survey would be the last thing I would trust! Don't even let them recommend a surveyor, get your own.

If the fit out looks amateur to you that may be the reason the boat is still available to you. If they won,t start the engine before getting a deposit-walk away!! The parts that you can't see are often the really important bits, has it been insulated properly? or is that a poor or non existent job as well. Putting right a boat which has been badly fitted is a very expensive task.

Tread carefully or you will be skint for ever! there are lots of good boats out there and quite a few lemons.

[Captain Fizz]

Is this boat on Whilton's website and what's it's name?

[Pete & Helen]

Is this boat on Whilton's website and what's it's name?

Looking at the site I think the only boat that fits the description is IONA http://www.whiltonmarina.co.uk/used-narrowboats/details/2683.aspx

[Ssscrudddy]

Yep, thats it.
Edit. Found an earlier advert for it from July, so I've emailed & asked for details. I've also asked if the guy sold it to Whilton.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Ssscrudddy

[Ssscrudddy]

I will be about in your area next week if you would like a second opinion, my boat is going back in tomorrow after blacking.

I could meet you at Whilton on Wednesday if it would be of any help.

Cheers,

Simon.

Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I've decided not to bother with it. There are other boats out there.

 

For example, I've just seen an advert for a NB called On Schedule. I went & had a look at it & it's perfect, ticks every box.

They even have a blog about it here

[blackrose]

Hi

 

In my view, 3500 hours is very low for a 2004 boat. I am a leisure boater and my 2 year old engine has done 700 hours. If I think about it, I travel 5-7 hours per day so at the higher number I have travelled for 100 days in two years. Using the same, simple maths, since 2004, the boat you refer to has done 388 hours per year, or 55 days at 7 hours per day, on average over the 9 years since built. I am ignoring any unknown elements.

 

Very low hours in my simplistic view.

 

As youve said, 3500 hours over 9 years is an average of 388 hours/year, while your 700 hours over 2 years is 350 hours/year. So which boat has done the lower average hours/year?

Edited September 15, 2013 by blackrose

[NB Lola]

Not sure that answers the OP question. As a leisure boater I was providing some comparative analysis.

[blackrose]

Not sure that answers the OP question. As a leisure boater I was providing some comparative analysis.

 

Except your analysis sounded wrong. Unless you were saying that the boat had very low engine hours while yours were even lower? Normally if you're trying to illustrate what you think is a very low figure then you'd contrast it with an example of higher figure, not a lower one.

 

Also I wasn't trying to answer the OP's question - he's already decided on another boat.

Edited September 15, 2013 by blackrose

[Bunny]

we are a 2005 build. Have 12.1/2 k hrs on a Beta Marine. Reasonable reg oil change. Used no oil or water even after heavy use (Ribble crossing ect ).Not overused in neutral/battery charging. Shore power most winters, C/C every summer.Bunny.

[Ssscrudddy]

Im the OP. I was asking about a boat. I couldnt find out enough info about the engine hours.
I've since found a boat that I can find plenty of details about, & it has been cruising lots. Same age etc.

My original question was trying to find out if the 1st boat had just beeen running the engine just to charge batteries (which is bad IMO). I am now not going to get that boat, & I think that is just what it has done

[blackrose]

Im the OP. I was asking about a boat. I couldnt find out enough info about the engine hours.

I've since found a boat that I can find plenty of details about, & it has been cruising lots. Same age etc.

 

My original question was trying to find out if the 1st boat had just beeen running the engine just to charge batteries (which is bad IMO). I am now not going to get that boat, & I think that is just what it has done

 

It's not too bad if the correct specification of oil is used, but the engine would also need to be used in gear at higher revs for a proportion of the time. It's difficult to tell unless you know people who know the boat or you are able to view a log of the boat's travels, but if you suspect it's just been sat in the same area for many years and you have no idea if it's got the right oil in the engine then perhaps it was good to move on.