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Engine Use Poll

Total Engine Hours on my Ericson are:

  • Under 1000

    Votes: 9 22.5%
  • 1000-2000

    Votes: 11 27.5%
  • 2000-3000

    Votes: 14 35.0%
  • 3000-4000+

    Votes: 6 15.0%

  • Total voters
    40

CTOlsen

Member III
Total hours

I was told by the agent when I cought my boat from the original owner that he rarely used the boat. Each year, it was motored across Lake ontario and back at the end of the summer, otherwise used little. original parts were all installed as evidenced by the universal copper paint color, with the exception of the alternator. It was estimated to be < 500 hours use in 20 years.
I have used the boat A LOT in the succeeding 10 years, but motoring relatively little. Estimated at another 500 hours.
Engine remains extremely reliablle. I'v replaced the heat exchanger, mizing elbow, and wiring harness. Last winter I replaced the injectors and noticed a nice efficiency and "smoothness" improvement. no plans to replace the engine as long as parts are available.
CTO
 

PDXLaser

New Member
Old engine, low hours?

Hello,
I believe this is relevant. Interested in a 1981 E-38 whose current owner reports 673 hours on the original Universal, (re "old Corvette in the garage"). The boat was apparently moored in fresh water for over a decade, accounting for some of the hours a cruising boat accrues over 10 years. But then, there's the other 28+ years: a mystery. Two questions: 1) How would I verify the engine is in fact this low in hours? and 2) what should I look for in terms of upgrades? The owner has mentioned a rebuilt transmission (strange at these hours unless abused), the addition of a larger alternator (with "one cable"?), and routine maintenance. We're viewing the boat in a couple weeks but thought I'd see what advice might be offered here.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Hello,
I believe this is relevant. Interested in a 1981 E-38 whose current owner reports 673 hours on the original Universal, (re "old Corvette in the garage"). The boat was apparently moored in fresh water for over a decade, accounting for some of the hours a cruising boat accrues over 10 years. But then, there's the other 28+ years: a mystery. Two questions: 1) How would I verify the engine is in fact this low in hours? and 2) what should I look for in terms of upgrades? The owner has mentioned a rebuilt transmission (strange at these hours unless abused), the addition of a larger alternator (with "one cable"?), and routine maintenance. We're viewing the boat in a couple weeks but thought I'd see what advice might be offered here.
A few thoughts: (1) The Hurth transmissions are known to have issues. It would not surprise me at all to know that he had to have it fixed within this many hours, quite apart from any "abuse." (2) Low hours are not necessarily a good thing. Much more important is the KIND of hours on the engine. Low hours spent at idle charging batters is MUCH harder on an engine than higher hours run under load. Diesels hate being babied. Unfortunately, the way it was run may not be immediately obvious. (3) It would be nice if you could do a compression test on the engine. This would give you some indication of the engine's likely overall health. However, it's doubtful that most sellers would let you do that. You could always ask. (4) Running it could tell you a fair amount. Does it get up to its top RPM in neutral? In gear? Does it smoke at idle? Under load? What color is the smoke? Does it start right up when cold or does it require significant cranking to fire it off? (5) Does the engine consume oil? How much?

I guess the one big thing I'd stress is not to get hung up on the whole "low hours" deal. Look more at the signs of how hard it may have been run in the past (with running it at 75% or 80% of max being a GOOD thing, not a bad one), how well it was maintained (maintenance records would be a great help here), and how it seems to perform as you put it through its paces.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Finding the Good and... the Not so good

When we bought our present boat, I had a survey done and also a separate engine survey. Both surveys "paid me back" considerably more that the survey cost.
The mechanic that did the engine survey ran it and checked the operation of the trans. at the dock and then did a compression test. This was a Universal diesel with about 1K hours on it. He found (based on his experience that the exhaust elbow was *invisible to the eye under the shiny paint* corroded thru.... poked a pencil through it! And said, "make 'em pay for this"...!

Given that the hull survey also found that the rudder stuffing box was loose and no longer glassed to the tube, he said pretty much the same comment... :oops:

The buyer grumbled but paid for the work and we then paid the agreed amount.
In many ways our boat was a 'fixer upper' but these surveys found "hidden" problems that had remained unaddressed, and that I had no idea where and what to even look for.

Our surveyor was very experienced and also had crossed oceans under sail. I recall his comment when he pointed out the *bent* hatch lens frame on the size 70 forward hatch, and told me that even I could see that (!) and his job was to check on stuff that I could Not see. It was quite an education and I learned a lot, or at least tried to learn. Following a surveyor around is like being back in school, except now you have an immediate use (!) for your new knowledge.
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
it's doubtful that most sellers would let you do that

I don't know about a compression test, but a seller should allow a mechanical inspection as part of the survey process.

In my purchase the mechanic did a pretty thorough inspection of the engine and related gear (heat exchanger, fuel system, etc) and provided a report. Ran the motor, checked for issues (smoke, blow-back, transmission function, etc). In addition, he pulled an oil sample and sent it out for analysis which (would have) indicated presence of metals or water or coolant in the oil, if there had been issues.

Cost about 100 bucks, IIRC, and well worth it to me to know if there were any "biggies" lurking in the mechanical space.

Bruce
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
PDX,

I'd worry zero about the recorded engine hours. A 40-year-old boat that has been run 50 hours a year ( a fair average) will have 2000 hours. Assume that. Many or most old boats have replaced the hour meter, and who knows when (a new one starts at zero). And maybe there was no hour meter at all for ten years. Many boats don't even have one.

Several thousands hours means nothing to these tractor engines, which are designed to be abused and maintained by owners, frozen in barns, covered in dust plowing fields, pulling stumps in the snow and put away cold and wet.

Get an engine survey. If there's anything wrong it will probably be minor. On the off chance that the engine needs replacement the surveyor will know it, and you can walk quickly away.
 

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
Ours had a meter but I am pretty sure it wasn’t the first one, and positive the 450 hours it had on it was not the sum total.
 

gabriel

Live free or die hard
My 87 E34 had about 2300 hours when we purchased it about 6 years ago and now has about 2550. Mostly in and out of the slip/harbor. I cannot get the rpm up to the ~3200 listed in the manual, it peaks out at about 2500 and I cruise it at 2200 as per the PO's recommendation.

It may be over propped, he installed a three bladed (15-8 R) prop and maybe the 8" pitch is too much, anybody have any comments on this? But with my Univeral M25 XP, the boat is definitely under powered. A good mechanic did go over the engine and adjusted the valves but other than that, his comments were just that the engine was a bit "tired" and otherwise reliable. Sure he said diesels can last 5000 - 10000 hours under normal use but just getting in and out of the slip/harbor was tough on diesels. And for about $20K he could replace it with a "sweet" Yanmar. I will keep the tired engine.



Try this prop calculator:

https://www.vicprop.com/displacement_size.php

The results will show you the needed pitch and dia. in 2, 3 and 4 bladed props.
 
Last edited:

David Grimm

E38-200
My buddy runs a construction business. I went poking around his machinery and he has a Komatsu mini excavator 4 cylinder diesel 9000+ hrs. Runs great. My hours meter wasnt conneted when I purchased my boat due to new alternator. Fixed now and reads 2300 ish.
 

1911tex

Sustaining Member
The worst thing for any engine is running it for a short period of time (less than 45 minutes) as corrosion is a terrible enemy of cranks/cams/cylinder/walls. As a long time pilot, a cylinder probe through a plug hole may yield some results.
 

goldenstate

Sustaining Member
Blogs Author
My Yanmar (which I believe is original to the 1990 hull) has no engine hour meter. And no temperature gauge.

This could be an act of confidence, arrogance, or negligence on the part of the overall system specifier, (Yanmar or Ericson, or some guy in between.) I'd prefer to think it's the former, but I try to pay attention to smells and clean filters.

The boat has lived in the SF Bay area, so I'm going with average day use, 50hrs per year * 30 years = 1500 hours.
 
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