Boat engine 4.3 Volvo penta gl

[Releck]

Thinking about buying a older fishing boat
Has a Volvo penta gl and leg
With 800 hrs on it
Is that low hours for a fishing boat ?
I no boats costs lots to fix just wondering if that would last a long time ?
Thanks for any info
It’s a 22 foot Sangster with 4.3 Volvo penta gl 190 hp
And leg asking 8000

 

[daddystoy]

I hope your mechanically inclined.

 

[Releck]

I hope your mechanically inclined.

Ummm no can change oil starter stuff like that
Your saying it will be trouble ?

 

[DuroBoat]

Yes it will be trouble, ongoing maintenance and you will almost replace every engine part before you become frustrated and sell the boat. Been there.

 

[daddystoy]

Inboards aren't for the faint of heart. I've got one and it has turned me into a boat mechanic specializing in a 302 Ford with 270 volvo leg!

 

[noluck]

Inboards aren't for the faint of heart. I've got one and it has turned me into a boat mechanic specializing in a 302 Ford with 270 volvo leg!

great combo

 

[Releck]

Yes it will be trouble, ongoing maintenance and you will almost replace every engine part before you become frustrated and sell the boat. Been there.

Oh no
Yes my dad has 3.0 merc he is always fixing it
Better to go with outboard ?

 

[Clint r]

Oh no
Yes my dad has 3.0 merc he is always fixing it
Better to go with outboard ?

B bust
O out
A another
T thousand
As rewarding a hobby as boating is I don’t think there’s a way around spending $$$ on any boat wether Inboard or outboard

 

[Wondermur]

Had a 3.0 merc and alpha one leg for 3 years. It was 13 years old when we got it. Maintenance was not bad at all. Changed boats and got a 10 year old f225 which we spent more on in maintenance in first 3 years than the inboard. It’s a dice roll - get a boat with the same motor and leg as your dad and get him to fix everything ;-)

 

[Totally unexpected]

1996 5.7 mercruiser alpha 1 gen 2 ,ten years relatively maintenance free,other then oil tune up,alternator,starter,stuff that goes because of moisture and just the harshness of the marine environment. After ten year catastrophic failure( pinhole in the oilpan),4grand to rebuild my original engine so I think it's all about preference because just to replace 1 250- 300 hp outboard is what?,20 k? I like my mercruiser it's simple my only complaint is the tight engine compartment.

 

[Drink]

My2 bits if this is your first used boat and you’re not mechanically inclined move to an outboard.
Question: Is the boat your considering freshwater cooled? Do you have storage or power to keep the moisture down.
Had both a Sangster and a 622 Campion with 4.3 Volvo Pentas, both well maintained motors crashed at under 500 hours. Both risers and elbows were replaced at $$$ as well. The Sangster had reasonable access for repairs, the Campion not. Winterizing critical to a long life. Gave up and purchased a boat with a Yamaha f250 which in turn was trouble free and way easier to maintain.
Pro, both 4.3’s were economical on gas. That’s allI can think of although Less expensive to replace than an outboard.
The Sangster is a heavy boat and in my opinion a little underpowered. If leaning towards this boat drop in a new enhanced crate engine, look after it and it should be trouble free for a reasonable period of time.
Lots to think about.

 

[terrin]

1996 5.7 mercruiser alpha 1 gen 2 ,ten years relatively maintenance free,other then oil tune up,alternator,starter,stuff that goes because of moisture and just the harshness of the marine environment. After ten year catastrophic failure( pinhole in the oilpan),4grand to rebuild my original engine so I think it's all about preference because just to replace 1 250- 300 hp outboard is what?,20 k? I like my mercruiser it's simple my only complaint is the tight engine compartment.

Did you loose all your oil without realising it?

 

[Releck]

B bust
O out
A another
T thousand
As rewarding a hobby as boating is I don’t think there’s a way around spending $$$ on any boat wether Inboard or outboard

Been there done that was just asking if a Volvo 4.3 with newer leg with 800 hrs was bad
Chat afford a new boat will try my luck

 

[Releck]

Volvo vs merc is like a Honda vs gm

 

[Releck]

1996 5.7 mercruiser alpha 1 gen 2 ,ten years relatively maintenance free,other then oil tune up,alternator,starter,stuff that goes because of moisture and just the harshness of the marine environment. After ten year catastrophic failure( pinhole in the oilpan),4grand to rebuild my original engine so I think it's all about preference because just to replace 1 250- 300 hp outboard is what?,20 k? I like my mercruiser it's simple my only complaint is the tight engine compartment.

Oh nice that’s what I am hoping for
I know boats are expensive
But would like to have a few years
Like you 10
Years I would be in heaven

 

[Releck]

Had a 3.0 merc and alpha one leg for 3 years. It was 13 years old when we got it. Maintenance was not bad at all. Changed boats and got a 10 year old f225 which we spent more on in maintenance in first 3 years than the inboard. It’s a dice roll - get a boat with the same motor and leg as your dad and get him to fix everything ;-)

Thank you I hope I find a good one
Lol he is to busy fixing his
He bought that Sangster with 300 hrs has 3600 hours on it he parks in comox marina

 

[Totally unexpected]

Did you loose all your oil without realising it?

Yeah it ran perfect for an hour then when I was idling waiting for my buddy it dropped oil pressure and started knocking. Opened the doghouse and all the oil was in the bilge

 

[Fishing?]

Inboard or outboard seems to be more of a personal preference.

I like inboards because parts are cheaper and not many specialty tools.
Essentially a car engine with an RV cam shaft.

The legs can be swapped in a couple of hours and rebuilt or used can be very inexpensive. ie; there are brand new Merc Alpha legs for under 2G's.

Here is an example of the "WHY" the added costs, a head gasket ordered from Mercruiser was $125 but the exact same gasket, same sku/part number at Lordco was $13, both were the same Felpro gasket only one came in a Mercruiser plastic bag.

Where there is some added expense is if the engine is raw water cooled and not winterized properly.

Another "plus" for me is the center of gravity is lower and more towards the middle of the boat reducing wave action.
A "negative" I see posted is the space used up by an engine cowling.
The inboard engine is remarkable simple and fast to take out of the boat as the wiring harness comes with it.

I will admit I am not totally familiar with the 4.3 liter chevy engine in boats but if not running at WOT all the time and keeping up oil changes and winterizing I don't see why it shouldn't run for a couple of thousand hours.

Volvo vs Mercruiser - In Europe 90+% of all boats use Volvo, in NA 90+% are Mercruisers. There are tons of after market parts for Mercuiser legs, the engines are usually the same for the most part. 4.3/5.7 Volvo and 4.3/5.7 Mercruiser are the same with minor differences.

Volvo legs have shifted better/easier than Alpha legs but Bravos shift the same, Merc had better hydraulics. Merc also haven't changed too much over the years so lots of used parts where Volvo has had some major changes. Volvo came up with dual props earlier

My 5.7 liter is getting about 10/11 gal/hr at 3000 to 3200 RPM and doing around 30 +/- 3 MPH at WOT, 4400+ RPM it uses 23/25 gal/hr and 43 +/- 3 MPH. At 3300 rpm the engine should run 4000 hours. And remember the hour meter starts when the key is turned on so many of those hours will be lower and run at lower speeds, usually. Inboard boats used for fishing will commonly will have a kicker, well worth the investment.

Cost free is not possible but IMHO if you have some basic knowledge and take what is on the internet with a grain of salt and buy a maintenance manual. monitor gauges, can work in cramped spaces I don't see why the boat you are looking at has too much to worry about.

Check the transom for rot, although the engine will not fall off or out it will cause leaks older boats an be expected to have some rot. There are examples of bad transom rot with outboards falling off but I haven't seen too many catastrophic inboard fails.

 

[Fishing?]

Inboards aren't for the faint of heart. I've got one and it has turned me into a boat mechanic specializing in a 302 Ford with 270 volvo leg!

Is it the ford engine or the Volvo leg? They stopped using Ford engines for quite a while, maybe for a reason?

 

[ziggy]

I have a 4.3 Volvo Penta in my boat. I had issues and the mechanic recommended a refurbished long block from Mercuizer. The first one lasted less than 100 hours as did the second. In both cases Mercruizer paid for a replacement and installation as part of the three year warranty. So currently I’m on engine 4, warranty has expired, so hoping it holds together, so far so good.
I went with the Mercruiser because it was the only option at the time. You can’t buy a crate engine anymore that will pair with the leg, the 4.3 has been replaced by a new engine that won’t match up.