5900 Engine Hours on Ten Year-Old Boat

[stevensuf]

yanmar 4JH3E, some say they can get 10,000 hour on them, would this put you off the boat?

[skipmac]

Depends on the price for the boat and the overall condition of the boat besides the engine. I would certainly use that to reduce my offered price to the seller.

Don't know the specifics on this particular engine but a well cared for, commerical grade diesel can easily give you 10,000 hours. I would try to find a local mechanic familiar with this model and have a good checkup including oil pressure, compression and maybe an oil analysis.

Just in case, you might want to research cost for repower.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Don't know the specifics on this particular engine but a well cared for, commerical grade diesel can easily give you 10,000 hours.

The Yanmar 4JH3 series engines are recreational grade, and not commercial grade engines.

I have one of these myself (but a 4JH3HTE 100hp variant) and am likewise interested in people's views of their life expectancy.

I suspect that the life expectancy of marine diesels is probably less related to hours, anyway, than it is to time, maintenance, and type of use, with very light or very heavy use considerably shortening life expectancy, as well as very intermittent use with long periods of disuse.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

yanmar 4JH3E, some say they can get 10,000 hour on them, would this put you off the boat?

Yanmar says you can get 20,000 on them.

[stevensuf]

well looking into it, many report 10,000 hours to rebuild, again maintenance has a lot to be said, but hey a ten year old engine with 800 hours could fail, as many say rust n corrosion of unused engines will kill them much quicker, the boat is pretty damn cheap and in reasonably good condition considering it was ex charter, rigging hasn't been changed so that will need done.

[Dustymc]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I suspect that the life expectancy of marine diesels is probably less related to hours, anyway, than it is to time, maintenance, and type of use, with very light or very heavy use considerably shortening life expectancy, as well as very intermittent use with long periods of disuse.

Absolutely. Little diesels run pretty much forever as long as they're RUN. I put around 30,000 hours on a little Isuzu in a former life, then slapped rings and bearings in - just because, not that it seemed to need them - and, as far as I know, it's still running. With regular fluid changes and proper operating temperatures, there's just not all that much to go wrong.

The Westerbeke in my boat has about 1500 hours on it, and it's WAY more of a basket-case than that little Isuzu ever was. 50 hours/year! That's no way to treat an engine! I've got the exhaust and heat exchanger boiling right now - looks like someone somewhere along the line mixed antifreeze with SALTwater, or had a McGyver moment and pissed in the "fresh" water side, or ??? In any case, the "fresh" side is full of crystals of SOMETHING, and I got it HOT (my "it's hot, stupid!" buzzer works - that's good to know...), and I'll be absolutely thrilled if we make it to 3,000 hours! (If we do, it won't take another 30 years!)

So, given decent logs indicating that 5900 hours hadn't all been spent at full throttle, or just running an alternator, or put on in the first year, or all on the same oil, or under some other strange circumstances, I'd take it as evidence that you've got a very solid engine. With identical treatment from here on out, I bet your 600h/yr engine outlasts my 50h/yr engine.

[zeehag]

dang--not even broke in yet.....

[Cheechako]

From a buyer's perspective that engine is worn out. It might go 10k hours, but it's not a Perkins or a Caterpillar. It might go one more hour. If you really need that boat, pay the market value less the cost of an engine. JMHO. Do you want to have the engine as a worry in the back of your mind while you are cruising?

[stevensuf]

well the boat is about 30,000 dollars cheaper than its nearest rivals, im sure if push comes to shove if i need to fork out for a new engine ill still be winning, if im lucky on it keeps going even better

being ex charter id say a fair amount of the hours are for motoring , most charters move all the time not staying put like full time cruisers, so i doubt much of the engine hours would have been done for battery charging, looks the oil has been changed very regularly from the history available, might try and get an oil analysis, anyone know offhand anywhere in the uk that does it?

[S/V Alchemy]

Good grief, did they ever sail?

Get that oil analysis and look for the usual suspect signs...metal particles, carbon where it shouldn't be, sounds of engine "slap" in the drive train.

Everyone who says "don't worry...it'll go 10,000 hours" is correct.

Everyone who says "hell, mate, it could pitch a rod tomorrow" is also correct.

So much depends on whether it was babied, merely properly maintained, or abused. Also, was it ever winterized? Brits don't usually need to lay up engines, but in Scotland, I'm pretty sure it can and does freeze on occasion. Here in Canada, improper winterization is the leading cause of diesel damage after "too few running hours related to 10 minutes at wide open throttle followed by shut down four times a day".

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

well the boat is about 30,000 dollars cheaper than its nearest rivals, im sure if push comes to shove if i need to fork out for a new engine ill still be winning, if im lucky on it keeps going even better

being ex charter id say a fair amount of the hours are for motoring , most charters move all the time not staying put like full time cruisers, so i doubt much of the engine hours would have been done for battery charging, looks the oil has been changed very regularly from the history available, might try and get an oil analysis, anyone know offhand anywhere in the uk that does it?

Is that 30k cheaper than it's nearest ex charter rivals? i guess it depends on bottom line. dont know what brand of boat it is, but remember, the real selling price is probably 40% lower than the asking price. at least it's been maintained, and regular use isnt a bad thing at all. good luck!i

[MarkJ]

For gods sake all charter boats have high engine hours. Theres no litany of failed engines. If there is it would be on the internet, this forum for starters.

Do some research before you crap on about ex-charter boats engines falling apart.

Of all the reasons why people balls it up when buying boats I have not heard of endemic engine problems from 'high' hours.

Of course they don't get winterised. They are all in places where they can be chartered, not kept snow bound.


Mark

[psneeld]

Have a friend that just replaced both yanmars in his mooring cat that he took from the charter fleet.

Both had problems between the islands and NJ....a simple journey...

My Sea Tow boat has 5000 hours on a gas 454 cu in carbureted engine and appears to be strong despite it's extremely hard use.

So who knows...pure hrs info is useless...without knowing maintenance and actual use...it's all a guess...from 5 hours to 50,000 hours.....

[stevensuf]

Well when you think of it, id say one thing most charter companies will do religiously is oil and filter changes, they are responsible for maintenance and a new engine is costly.

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

For gods sake all charter boats have high engine hours. Theres no litany of failed engines. If there is it would be on the internet, this forum for starters.

Do some research before you crap on about ex-charter boats engines falling apart.

Of all the reasons why people balls it up when buying boats I have not heard of endemic engine problems from 'high' hours.

Of course they don't get winterised. They are all in places where they can be chartered, not kept snow bound.


Mark

Be in the Boat repair bussines for 21 years and after deliver some charter boats from France to the Caribbean i can say that a charter engine is abused and mistreated, in part by the company and the charter partys,

First come the delivery captain with a tight schedule to deliver the boat , the yanmar is fresh brand new , the dealer say break in the engine carefully, the captain have 3200 miles to sail before the next charter is booked , the captain just give it up with the break in and push the engine hard, the boat arrive in the caribbean , charter company change fluids and belts and etc... charter guest arrive , pulling the pedal to the metal, 2 months in the new yanmar and log in the clock 300 hours.

This is just one example, yes charter companys take care of the maintenace of engines , but is mostly related to fluids, belts, pumps, and all the extras around of a yanmar or volvo block.

How many times i see the delivery cap moving a boat from island to island at full speed in engines with out a crap of sail up!!

I take a tour at martinique boatyard in le marin 5 months agoo and found in the garbage bins 2 yanmars and 1 volvo 30 hp , one of the yanmars have a hole in the crankshaft block, probably a rod or a bearing , the other one is seized , the volvo seize the camshaft , i ask around what happen with this engines and a worker from the boatyard say the engines come from the a couple of charter companys... no repair , just trhow the engine and a new one in order,,, i can say that this engines from outside looks very new, no rust around or oil leaks ..


20.000 hours in a yanmar?? how many rebuilds before ...??

Cheerss...