DanTheMan99

Looking at an Onslow Bay repowered in 2017 with 350 verados but am concerned about the 1200 hours that the engines have. I don't want to have to repower the boat anytime soon but I want to be able to run it 30-40 miles out and not have to worry about reliability. Is this something I should be worried about? What is the RELIABLE life-expectancy of a well maintained verado? Look forward to hearing from you all...

MayhemFT

Buddy sold a quad set of 350s at 2100 hours a few years ago and the guy that bought them is still running them. I think they have close to 3000hrs now

Flatout71

You have 3000 - 4000 hours left, perhaps a lot more. Enjoy.

mikeeb18

On the bright side someone putting that many hours in that time probably was on top of the service and they didn’t sit around any. Rather that than 5 year old motors with 150 hours

wmalloy382

No, that is not a lot of hours

wfe5015

The 1200 hours is not a big deal. Those motors will go til 3000 no problem and depreciation curve won't hurt you much more. No need to repower unless you wanted to. Assuming it is priced in the 125-135k range its a good deal especially for the market that we are in.

From the Helm

My 250's run like new at 1250 hours, I have no intention of re-powering.

Schmaltz~Herring

Had my 300's for 1350 hours went on a Contender 35 almost 2 years ago, still percolating.

bgreene

5,000 hrs is quite possible

bsh102

1200hrs on the pins, yes. 1200 hrs up and down through the rpm range, No.

Extractor

Of course says the guy from Connecticut. Part time boater

ALL OUT

Depends on who you ask. Had a head gasket blow without any explanation on mine with 1279 hours. 3 years of Platinum warranty left but Mercury doesn’t cover gaskets. New powerhead was $20k so now I have a pile of parts.

stf

I have 900 hours on mine and they are doing great. My friend did 5000 hours on his gen1 250s. Gen5 should be more durable. Do the maintenance and they are good for a long time.

SEARAT36

First thing, you run that bitch till it plows up. Then there is no question. 2nd you can get new motor for 20k. If you payed 20k for a powerhead , sorry but you got took to the cleaners.

TeamBalla

Change Oil every 100, sometimes sooner if you run them harder. They will last a long time...

I sold my Everglades with almost 2k hours on GEN1 250's. You couldn't tell a difference from day 1 I got the boat. All Original.

Flying_Norseman

Hours is not the issue with these motors, maintenance is. If seller has service records you’re golden. Find a local Mercury Premier Shop and do the 300 hour service right away, then you’ll know how well maintained they have been as well. Those guys has been fantastic in my case anyways. Mine has 1300+ hrs and we frequently go 100+ miles offshore, without any concerns about the engines.

ALL OUT

I have over 50 diesel motors between tractors and power units so I always check the oil before operating. I saw that my oil was a little milky so I called the dealer and they said bring it in but don’t run that engine. Well hindsight 20/20 I would of run it till it blew. Warranty will cover a rod threw the block but not a head gasket. Go figure. And no I didn’t buy a new powerhead.

Loneshark211

This is all surprising to hear. Regardless of motor brand, I’ve always considered 1000 hours to be a hull in need of a repower. This is refreshing!

Scottinline1

Do a lot of outboard manufacturers not cover head gaskets? Not even the first 1000hours ?

davidwademarine

I’ll be in Venice, LA later today handling some boat-side electrical work for a few of our charter captain customers. Their Verado use ranges from (unless it’s a brand new boat) 1000-5000 hours. Most will repower or buy a new boat after year 3 and they’ll be near or over 5000 hours.