Thread: Engine TBO
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Old 01-07-2018, 10:22 AM   #7
Ski in NC
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City: Wilmington, NC
Vessel Name: Louisa
Vessel Model: Custom Built 38
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 6,194
I do engine surveys (or call it assessments, inspections, whatever) and the above posts have it about right. Run time hours have little bearing on engine condition, well until you get up in to the super high hours. 3500hrs is no where near that. What takes these engines out is corrosion both inside and out, running outside of the desired operating envelope, and sudden catastrophic death from things such as overheats or loss of lube.

Wear from hours almost a non issue, unless you are talking about a boat that runs on plane for a big part of the duty cycle (sportfish, fast cruisers, etc).

The condition of the engine can be assessed to about an 80% level of confidence regarding its condition. Real hard to get that last 20% without tearing it down and inspecting each part, but that is simply not practical.

Since the consequences of an engine failure on a boat are no where near as severe as on an aircraft, it is usually ok to roll with knowing 80%.

Different brands and models of engines have different weak spots so no way to tell what to look at except in the most generic terms.

Post what model engines you are looking at. Most likely someone here owns the same and can tell you what to look for.
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