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Have a boat under contract with Crusader 454s w/ 1000hrs. If checkout in decent am I nuts for buying a boat with this many engine hours. Figure will have to repower but hoping to get another 500hrs or 5-8 years out of them. The price is right though.
454s Crusaders are top of the line motors should have know problem getting another 500 or even 1000 hr's on them if properly maintained. Don't push past 4000 rpms for any extended period and PREVENTIVE MAINTAINANCE is key. Mine currently have 1100 hr's and running strong.
A well cared for crusader engine can run over 2000 hours ... mine are at 1900 now
and are running strong. I wouldn't let 1000 hours stop me...it is more in the care.
Mine have run trouble free for years for me. Most dependable engine ever.
The only concern I would have is that you may be big on treating them right, you have nothing to tell you if those before you did the same. Engine survey'll give you compression which can reveal symptoms/situations in the making. But you may be on the hook for risers/manifolds sooner than you think because there's no way to look their guts without pulling them.
Survey'll give you insight and no answers. But if you love the boat and can plan for dropping some rebuild/repower cash within 2-3 years instead of 5-8, I'd consider it.
__________________ "You're gonna need a bigger boat" -- Martin Brody
"Kiss my a$$, I bought a boat. I'm going out to sea." -- Lyle Lovett
Thanks guys, yes is FWC. Know the brother of the guy who has owned it for the past 7 years and the mechanic who has worked on it, both say it was well cared for. Planning on doing risers and manifolds now just to start fresh.
As said above, how hard did the last owners run em? You hear a bunch of people talking about running thier boats hard, then you hear them complain when they break at 1000 hrs. 454 Crusaders should last 2000 hours when run/cared for correctly. Thats what you get for the extra Crusader $$. Age is another consideration. 12+ years old in the salt & all bets are off.
The last pair of big blocks that I had were '73 455 olds that had 3500+ hours on them.
As already stated above, the way it was used will determine how much life is left in them versus the hours.
I've seen boats with 300 hours that required a new engine because the doofis owner ran it WOT 100% of the time.
I didn't see what size and type of boat that you are looking at, but I have seen quite a few larger cruisers, 35 feet and up, with big blocks that required repowering at around 500 hours, just due to the constant load that they were under all of the time. And don't forget the tranny's, they're expensive too.
I'd buy it knowing that they would need replacing and make my offer accordingly.
I have a pair of 1989 275 H.P. Chyrslers motors that have 2300 plus hours on them, still running great. I know this is a small block, but just to compare inboard gas motors. Changing the risers is smart, I would also consider changing the transmission coolers too. And keep an eye on the heat exchanger.
Luv my Crusader too.
BUT, I'd base my offer on a repower/rebuild (engines and trannys) being necessary. If you get a few more years out of them it's a bonus.
1000 hours is only getting into the time when a valve job is due. You should have lots of time left before a full rebuild is needed. If they run good and the price is right, I wouldn't hesitate if you really like the boat. Fuel burn is going to cost you though. Big block twins are probably going to get you probably under .75 mpg under the best conditions even on a small boat, which leads me to the comment that I personally will probably never own another gas powered inboard boat. For my use, I'm going to need a twin inboard diesel when I sell my Bertram. Twin inboard gas boats are going to be going really cheap soon - it's already started. Seems like half the inboard boats in Florida are for sale already.
__________________ 30' Chris Craft Tournament Sportfish
As I understand it, the hours don't nearly tell the whole story.
For example, many engines actually do BETTER if they are run frequently than if they are let to sit around for extended periods of time. Hence, if you shop for low hour engines you might not get what you expect - in many cases they'll be in worse shape than engines that are used more frequently. I understand diesels in particular don't like to 'sit around'...
Have an engine surveyor take a look...
On the Chesapeake and we don't often run far, maybe 3-4 miles to fishing grounds and troll on 1 engine for next 5 hours. Fuel burn will blow, but hey who said boats are cheap and I like to be comfortable, we spend a lot of weekends on the hook too. Now if running 40-60 miles offshore frequentl;y that would be a different story!
Location: Los Angeles, FL.or Georgia, depends. In Fl now.
Posts: 5,979
Re: Buying boat with 1000hrs am I nuts?
Quote:
ruizsantana - 5/4/2006 6:47 PM
As I understand it, the hours don't nearly tell the whole story.
For example, many engines actually do BETTER if they are run frequently than if they are let to sit around for extended periods of time. Hence, if you shop for low hour engines you might not get what you expect - in many cases they'll be in worse shape than engines that are used more frequently. I understand diesels in particular don't like to 'sit around'...
Have an engine surveyor take a look...
Buying boat with 1000hrs am I nuts? 
