1276 engine hours on a two year old boat

[Heg]

Hi
We are looking at a 2014 catamaran. Two Volvo DL 30 engines. One has 1276 hours and the other 1260 hours. And -no , it is not ex charter. One owner from new.

Should we be worried? Will it affect re-sale if we decide to go ahead with the purchase?
Thanks

[Island Time O25]

Every diesel mechanic I've spoken to have said the same thing - diesels don't suffer from overuse but from under-use and under-maintenance. As long as the owner can show/prove regular maintenance the hours should not be a problem. In addition they can be a great bargaining point.

[donradcliffe]

Sounds like the owner was one of those cats motor everywhere people, but maybe this particular design doesn't sail well.

Its like buying a car with relatively high mileage--you would expect to pay less for a car with 200k than the same age car with 100k, but not necessarily half as much. The next buyer will look at the total hours and assume the engines need replacement at somewhere around 5000 hours.

You can cut down on your engine use by sailing more, and using some other means (solar or genset) to charge the batteries.

[boatman61]

As has been stated earlier.. they've only just been run in.. I bought a 5yr old boat with 3250hrs on the Yanmar.. not a hint of a problem in the 2yrs I owned her.
Good maintenance is the key and regular use.. as for swopping out at 5000hrs.. man.. you got more money than sense..

[paulajayne]

Look after it - service it and it will last.

My 37 year old engine on the boat has only 564 hrs but gets serviced regulary. (wind is free).

My Audi A6 has a 1/4 million miles on it and still goes on strong.

[fatherchronica]

The previous owner may have used the engines for battery charging and did not keep track of how many hours he used them, that would account for the difference. Also, in regard to whether the vessel did not sail well on some point of sail, likely to windward, it is also likely the owner never sailed. We used to know a school teacher who had an Ericson 26 who did not know how to sail and built a phobia up in his mind about it. He motored around Ventura Marina, California 10 or 20 times a year for about 25 years and never raised a sail. We had dock mates in the same marina a few years ago who moved aboard a trawler and began taking lessons on another boat, and we ran into them recently and they have never taken their boat out and bought a motorhome. I told them the story of teacher as a warning, but I believe they may already be in a mindset that will prevent that boat from being moved ever again, while they are owners.

[sailorchic34]

In my book, 1200 hours in two years is a good thing. The engines are barely broken in at 1200 hours and will have no measurable wear in the cylinders. What kills an engine is sitting for years. Then the rings of the cylinder with an open intake valve will rust a bit from non-use.

It's not a problem.

Though you may want to have the mixing elbows de-carboned and degunked. I might change the seals in the raw water pumps too at 1200 hours, though they should be good for another 500-1000 hours. It's a maintenance item.

[a64pilot]

Some would have changed the hour meters out and told you they had 50 hours each.
You would have never known

[Cotemar]

Heg,


1276 hours on a Volvo Penta D1-30 engine is nothing.
Those are 5,000 to 10,000 hour engines with proper maintenance.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by boatman61

As has been stated earlier.. they've only just been run in.. I bought a 5yr old boat with 3250hrs on the Yanmar.. not a hint of a problem in the 2yrs I owned her.
Good maintenance is the key and regular use.. as for swopping out at 5000hrs.. man.. you got more money than sense..

So how many hours did you put on in 2 years, and were the engine hours a factor when you sold her?

For comparison, I averaged about 250 engine hours and 8,000 miles each year when I was full time cruising. I would think over 600 hours/year would mean you had a charter boat or a power boat. I did replace the 4108 after 5,000 hours with a Beta, not because the engine didn't run well, but because I was tired of cleaning up after oil leaks.

[Stumble]

Personally I think comparing engines based on hours is a bit simplistic. I would much prefer a cold start counter. It's the number of times an engine has been started that really wears them out, so long as they never turn off almost no damage is done.

[roverhi]

I would question the sailing ability of the boat and/or the owner. Might want to get in touch with the owner and feel him out for why so many hours in such a short time. We didn't put that many hours on the engine in our old boat in 10 years and that was after SAILING to French Polynesia and back.

As far as the hours, wouldn't bother me. As others have said, it's not the time the engine is running but the sitting that limits diesel life in a sailboat.

[Tingum]

That is less than two hours a day!

[buzzstar]

It may mean the sails and related paraphernalia have been used and stressed less. If the proper engine maintenance has occurred (and is, preferably, documented either may be a solid vessel to consider. Someone mentioned two hours per day, but on the same theory it could mean ~ fifty straight 24 hour days.

[Rorzech]

There's only 2,000 hours in a working year 8 hrs a day 5 days a week 50 weeks a year.
1,260 hours is a lot of hours for two years IMHO ! I bet that the sails still have the factory wrinkles in them.