Used Boat Disclaimers: "boat has not been used in years"

[Mr B]

Diesels can sit for a long time with out being run, Take farmers for instance, some of Their diesels only get used once a year, They just sit there for the rest of the time,

My 300 HP cat diesel in my RV has been sitting there for 18 months while I did the wiring in it, I had driven it for 4000 miles before I parked it out in the open,
Because of the steepness of my drive it some times sucks air and gets a blockage,
I got the mechanic up, He bled the injectors and it turned over a few times then fired up,
Its running like a dream now, No problems,

My 25 HP Chinese Tractor sits in the yard exposed to all elements, It usually fires up first go, Occasionally I get a flat battery from sitting there too long, A bit of a charge and away it goes,
My Diesel welders were the same, They sat out in the open 24/7 year round, Started first hit every time,

But Im glad you brought it up, As my 27 HP Westerbeke in my Catamaran has been sitting in the grave yard for over four years and I was a bit concerned with starting it up on the hard,
If I put a hose on it, It can blow back into the engine, So I am led to believe, So I didnt start it up,
I was going to wait till I put it back in the water before starting it,
It has a hydraulic leg, only the intake is below the water line, But that will be all repaired and made safe before it goes back into the water, I will also put a stop valve on it Just in case I need to remove the hoses in the future,
I bought my Boat and My RV sight unseen and off the internet,

The RV I didnt see for 8 months after I paid for it, It came from Texas, Went to California for modifications and right hand drive to comply with Australian SDR's,
It sat on the wharf in Japan for 3 weeks while it changed boats,
I paid $2000-00 extra for the previous owner to drive it from Texas to California, which made me a bit relieved,
One it was registered and two, It would be some what reliable for the PO to drive it 1500 miles,
Yes Im happy with my Purchase,

The Boat I bought sight unseen from Fiji off the internet, Now that was a bigger worry, But I paid for it myself to be dragged out of the water and the top Surveyor in Fiji went over it with the full knowledge that I intended to sail it to Australia from Fiji,

I am very happy with that purchase too, Even tho I didnt get it all the way back to Melbourne, Crashing it on the way in a violent storm,

[jeepdoesrubicon]

I have successfully used the hammer on the starter on several occasions when the engine has not been fired in ages!

[RaymondR]

Whether it turns out to be a good deal or not depends upon a number of factors which include: the condition of the engine, the range of skills you possess, how much work you are able to put into restoring it to good condition, material costs etc, and how much you pay for the boat.


Some engines, like Perkins, can be rebuilt fairly inexpensively others not. If you have metal working skills steel boats can be restored to pretty well as new condition fairly economically.


However, buying a boat sight unseen off the internet sounds like a recipe for disaster and I think the least one would need to do is put it in the water to see if it floats and run the engine. You can tell a lot about and engine and drive line just by running it, looking and listening.

[Dave22q]

Boats and diesels are reasonably hardy. That said it would be foolish to buy any boat without a survey and sea trial. If not enough money is involved to justify a survey you are better off finding the nearest floating boat for sale. Not all boats float, not all engines run. If the seller is unwilling to do the simple checks RUN AWAY!

[leftbrainstuff]

All those comments equate to the boat has not been maintained.

Diesels left unattended suffer from poor quality fuel, coolant and any ingress of sea water.

Diesels invariably will have a long life whennfed clean air, fuel and oil and when run under load at the correct temperature range.

When starting after a long period stuck rings and gummed or corroded injectors or pump will become obvious.

Once running its possible to diagnose by exhaust smoke.

Prior to starting a compression and bleed down test, oil analysis and close inspection of cooling passages, zincs, ancillaries will give an indication of condition.

Pulling the sump, injectors and pump can also allow further inspection.

The picture of a clean and well maintained engine room was the clincher when buying our Liberty 458. Any engine room that is filthy, a jumbled mess of wires and hoses implies poor maintenance.


Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[pcmm]

Any engine that hasn't been started in a few years is always a huge unknown. Was it winterized properly?? If not there could be all sorts wrong with it. I bought a project boat last year with a "fresh rebuild" that had been done a few years ago! whole engine was a ball of rust and would only barely turn over after a few weeks of PB Blaster. In the end we yanked it for a rebuilt Yanmar!

[bjymd]

I put a bid on a boat that had been sitting on a mooring ball for a year. At the time of the survey the broker said everything worked. While running the engine, generator and air-conditioning we got high temp alarms on the engine and generator after a half hour run and the air quit. The surveyor opened things up below and found barnacles throughout the raw water intake system and fish in the strainers. The seller refused to lower the price because he was " under water with his boat loan. I moved on and just finished negotiating a deal on a larger, better boat ( on survey) for much less. Buyers beware.

[IdoraKeeper]

What is said in an advertisement merely indicates a boat is for sale. The boat has to speak for itself. Surveyors operate from their own personal perspective i.e.. they are not you.They don't have any idea what you know or what your skills are. A boat that has sat for years is unlikely to be a turnkey operation. A buyer who views a boat as an investment is in a difficult perhaps unwise position. All boats are in continual need of repair and upkeep. No amount of money will substitute for a person of knowledge and passion acting in the best interest of the vessel.

[Badco_67]

I would also be leary of the fuel source if it's been sitting a while, and would at a minimum change the filter, and would prefer to rigg up temp clean fuel source.....

[scareygary]

I took a chance on a boat that had sat on its trailer for at least 3 years at the brokers. When the price dropped to less than 5 K, including a double axle trailer and Yanmar diesel with only 500 hours, I started negotiations. Said I'd buy it when the diesel ran to my satisfaction. Problem was, the batteries were toast, and I could not splash it or run it since it wasn't MINE, and the owner would not spend another dime, as he was giving it away as it was. Catch 22. I didn't want to buy it til it ran, but couldn't work on it to get it running until I bought it!!!!!

I took a chance, and jumped. Bought it, replaced batteries, checked oil, replaced the impeller, found that the seawater strainer was broken from freezing, and a freeze plug had popped on the block. Fixed those, and the thing runs like a champ. I think I got quite a good deal, after all, but was perhaps a bit lucky.. I just figured that there was enough value in the MaxProp, the trailer, furler, and other gear that I could have scrapped it and made money on that deal. I never have that luck at the casino.....

[Cheechako]

My first boat of any size was an incompleted project. It was a 1974 hull. It was mostly complete except for interior work and pumps etc. The interior was roughed in in plywood, but galley, finish hardwood etc wasn't done. I bought it in 1982. So the Volvo MD2B engine had sat for 8 years, but had reportedly been run on occasion, but rarely. Being young and inexperienced I didn't worry about the engine. Amazingly the engine was just fine, ran well, no leaks or oil burn. I got lucky.


To run an engine on the hard I have just put a garden hose in the top of the sea strainer letting it overflow just slightly.

[woodguy]

If water was left in the cooling system over the winter in a cold climate the block or other critical systems could be shot.

[foufou]

I have let car engines sit for as long as seven years with no winterizing. Started up and ran just fine. All comments about impellers and hoses, oil, and coolant are spot on. And the extra humidity on the waterfront may be a factor. With appropriate precautions many of these neglected engines might be fine. It's a case by case evaluation that will tell the condition of the engine

[George DuBose]

All about the engine? What about the condition of the deck? Was the boat at least covered when stored? Engines can be replaced or repaired, decks are a bit more to do.

[Cadence]

On the hard, all of the advise I've read was good. If the engine had set up for awhile I would just remove the raw water impeller and run the engine after hand turning. It takes awhile for the temp. to come up, watch the gauge. The impeller probably needed replacement anyway, from age and lack of use, just keep it out of the heat exchanger that way.