swampyankee
Contributing Member
I'm out looking at older boats, mostly because I'm a cheap SOB that doesn't mind working on fixing stuff and don't like the uber-sculpted styling of late model boats.
I found a 23' cruiser type boat with Merc 5.7L/Alpha 1 drive. A bunch of guys I know all say I/O's are unreliable, and to avoid them. But there are gazillions of boats, old and new out there running single and twin I/O, so I'm thinking with proper maintenance, how bad can they be.
So my question is, is an Alpha 1 drive on a 5.7 pushing a 4000 lb. pocket cruiser looking for trouble? If not, what should I look for when inspecting the drive? take an oil sample and check for metal particles? Check for looseness in the drivetrain? Noises? Shifting?
Most likely I won't be able to sea trial the boat, especially when looking this time of year. But I don't expect to be paying top dollar either. Any advice (no bashing allowed)?
I found a 23' cruiser type boat with Merc 5.7L/Alpha 1 drive. A bunch of guys I know all say I/O's are unreliable, and to avoid them. But there are gazillions of boats, old and new out there running single and twin I/O, so I'm thinking with proper maintenance, how bad can they be.
So my question is, is an Alpha 1 drive on a 5.7 pushing a 4000 lb. pocket cruiser looking for trouble? If not, what should I look for when inspecting the drive? take an oil sample and check for metal particles? Check for looseness in the drivetrain? Noises? Shifting?
Most likely I won't be able to sea trial the boat, especially when looking this time of year. But I don't expect to be paying top dollar either. Any advice (no bashing allowed)?