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Cost to rebuild

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alex66

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Hi all. Looking at a 1994 Sea Ray 400 Express Cruiser. Boat is immaculate, well taken care of. Engine hours are high, though - 1400 hours each. The generator has 1200. I assume the engines are Mercruiser 7.4L 310s. Boat price is 61K. Been trying to find out how much it would cost to rebuild those engines? Any guesses? How reliable are these at 1400 hours? Last question, can you negotiate on the price of the boat looking at an engine overhaul in the near future?
 
The normal standard when I was in the shop was the top end was good for 1000 hours and the bottom end should make it to 2000 hours...that said, there are always exceptions so these starting points. Maintenance is a huge factor as is operator habits....good maintenance and many hours at 'trolling speed' are more the exception.

Rebuilt costs fall into two main areas - the piece parts and machine shop labor and are easy to gauge - the other is access to the engines and can be a big cost driver when it is small and restricted.

It may make more sense to get 'new' given as you have a 30 year old starting point....the block shouldn't be an issue (if its fresh water cooled) but the bolt-ons are up there in age...

As far as negotiating - anything you can justify can factor in to the bottom line....and if you don't ask for any adjustment, you will never get one.

One final thought, on a boat that big, its usually worthwhile to get an accredited Marine Surveyor involved....you can find them locally using your favorite search engine...they will find things an untrained eye will never see (or hear)...
 
makomark said:
The normal standard when I was in the shop was the top end was good for 1000 hours and the bottom end should make it to 2000 hours...that said, there are always exceptions so these starting points. Maintenance is a huge factor as is operator habits....good maintenance and many hours at 'trolling speed' are more the exception.

Rebuilt costs fall into two main areas - the piece parts and machine shop labor and are easy to gauge - the other is access to the engines and can be a big cost driver when it is small and restricted.

It may make more sense to get 'new' given as you have a 30 year old starting point....the block shouldn't be an issue (if its fresh water cooled) but the bolt-ons are up there in age...

As far as negotiating - anything you can justify can factor in to the bottom line....and if you don't ask for any adjustment, you will never get one.

One final thought, on a boat that big, its usually worthwhile to get an accredited Marine Surveyor involved....you can find them locally using your favorite search engine...they will find things an untrained eye will never see (or hear)...
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Thank you! It was surveyed last year. I will take a look at it, of course. Lots of great info in your post - I appreciate your help. The owner has replaced the flooring with Sea Deck and replaced the cabin carpeting, and upgraded the sound system. It's an attractive boat, but the engines are my main concern. 62K is a premium price for this year, I guess he wants his upgrade money back. I consider it normal maintenance of an old boat. The owner states engines are well-maintained. Have no idea about user habits. Dunno if the expense of buying new engines is worth putting in a 30-year-old boat. But a well-maintained boat can last 50 years, and this year and model has very high reviews. I assume new engines are around 15K each. Maybe a good negotiating starting point.
 
The concern with 'new' is getting the appropriate power plant...new big blocks are hard to find...Mercruiser used to offer rebuilt by the factory options. Dummy-me didn't fully appreciate the 40' aspect in the earlier post. Personally, a pair of 502's would be preferred for gasoline - diesels would be better with that much mass...Most of the 'new' OEM options will use the GM small block and I don't think they produce enough torque if you wanna run up on plane...they can be geared down but they will be working very hard...

'new' also infers the catalyst exhaust system...and thats a different discussion...when they need changing, it isn't cheap.

if 'well-maintained' doesn't have a log book with a stack of receipts, its just a 'marketing phrase'...

finally, on the cost side, $15K would have bought a bobtail engine a couple years ago...you can find turnkey rebuilt big blocks with about $17K-$18K....and add a few thousand more, each, if you want new gears.
 
makomark said:
The concern with 'new' is getting the appropriate power plant...new big blocks are hard to find...Mercruiser used to offer rebuilt by the factory options. Dummy-me didn't fully appreciate the 40' aspect in the earlier post. Personally, a pair of 502's would be preferred for gasoline - diesels would be better with that much mass...Most of the 'new' OEM options will use the GM small block and I don't think they produce enough torque if you wanna run up on plane...they can be geared down but they will be working very hard...

'new' also infers the catalyst exhaust system...and thats a different discussion...when they need changing, it isn't cheap.

if 'well-maintained' doesn't have a log book with a stack of receipts, its just a 'marketing phrase'...

finally, on the cost side, $15K would have bought a bobtail engine a couple years ago...you can find turnkey rebuilt big blocks with about $17K-$18K....and add a few thousand more, each, if you want new gears.
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Hmm. Sounds like having them rebuilt over the winter is more cost-effective. I don't think anyone would want to take up shop time in the middle of the summer to rebuild two 30-year-old engines to stay with gas. I found Mercruiser 502s for $11,500 each online - just to see what they run. Is it a big hairy deal to switch out gas for diesel? Wonder if insurance is different with diesel engines rather than gas.
 
If there was a diesel option when the boat was made, it's usually not too painful to make that switch from gasoline...

Probably some minor savings...best to ask your agent...

I'm inclined to think you will get a better job waiting for the weather to cool down...much easier to see when sweat isn't filling your eyes..
 
makomark said:
If there was a diesel option when the boat was made, it's usually not too painful to make that switch from gasoline...

Probably some minor savings...best to ask your agent...

I'm inclined to think you will get a better job waiting for the weather to cool down...much easier to see when sweat isn't filling your eyes..
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Great point! I'll check it out. Yup, we are in sweaty season for sure. And every year it gets longer and longer.
 
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