Why do boat engines need replacement so soon compared to car engines that last so much longer?

Question

I am shopping for used boat, but see that boats made within the last couple years aleady have replacement engines, why is this

Answer 1

Many times the case is poor maintenance, 1). engine compartment too hard to get to. 2) not changing impeller at regular intervals ---overheating. 3) not maintaining charge on battery for auto bilge----- partial sinking from rain or leak into bilge
4) maintaining oil level/change----seized block 5)dock /marina workers not experienced doing these maintenance chores for you while away. The list goes on along with suggestions from above

Answer 2

A boat engine is under a constant load. It is comparable to an automobile engine going up a steep hill all the time. The next time you drive your car and find a really steep hill, stop completely then accelerate up the hill. You can feel how hard your car's engine has to work just to get to normal speed. It also has to keep working the whole time or the car will immediately slow back down. That is what a boat engine has to do all the time.

Under normal operating conditions, in a car or truck, once you get it up to speed, the engine will barely have to work until you want to speed up. Not so with a boat. It has to work 100% of the time or the boat will immediately drop off plane or slow to a stop.

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Answer 3

Many of these boat engines (esp. in inboard or inboard/outboard boats) are specifically designed for marine use but based on the same block that you find in a car. On the surface, there's no reason why a boat engine won't last as long as a similar car engine. It's been my experience, though, that boat owners rarely keep up with the maintenance requirements of an engine that's used infrequently and sometimes in harsh conditions (e.g. salt water). Also, car engines don't get exposed to debris sucked into the cooling system, running at wide open throttle into the rock bottom of a lake, etc. Either car or boat, maintain it and (manufacturing defects aside) it should last. If you're not willing or capable of maintaining your boat, buy a new boat with a multi-year warranty and make sure you have enough money left over to budget for routine annual maintenance.

Answer 4

The vehicle will overheat if the coolant is too low. The percentage will be roughly 100%. Add some coolant but keep an eye on this. There is a certain amount of evaporation that can occur but can also mean you need to explore the cause of the loss of coolant. I was against the "new" premixed 50/50 coolant when it first came out. It does not save any money so I considered it a rip-off. I realize, however, that millions of drivers do not realize that "tap water" is very bad for aluminum engines. Minerals in tap water will build up around water ports and WILL cause a problem. The 50 /50 mix will have the correct ph balance as the water used will be more pure.

Answer 5

2 main reasons; 1 bad maintenance 2 faulty engineering. I've seen boat motors throw a rod through the block and still have the cross hatch honing in the bore (in cars it's usually gone in 10000 miles). Boat motors aren't regulated like cars so often badly engineered motors will go on the market. My Friend had a Mercury 225 that was like this. Ask around the boat shops and they'll tell you what motors are good and which ones to look out for.

Answer 6

It because boat engines are operated at higher rpms constantly, to give more speed and power. Those higher rpms put a lot of wear and tear on the engines and cause them to need replacement very quickly. I was watching a show yesterday and they were talking about race boats. They said that the ones with the piston engines are run at higher rpms than they were designed for. The engines in race boats are engines that used to be in aircraft and automobiles and they said you'd be lucky if the engine stayed on for 15 minutes without self-destructing.

Answer 7

Boat engines are under a constant load at any RPM. They are pretty much direct drive as aposed to a car that has a 3,4 or 5 speed transmission that takes the load off of the engine through gearing.

Answer 8

Unlike a car, a boat engine is under constant load. A boat engine works much harder than a car engine. A car engine is rated in mileage and a boat engine in hours.

Answer 9

I'm no expert, but my common sense approach would be this.

1) a boat engine operates at much higher RPMs than compared to a car engine. Most cars shift by 2500 rpm. Boats routinely operate 5,500 rpm.

2) if used in saltwater, corrosion is an issue.

Answer 10

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