900 Hours on 1995 Boat, too high?

[megsi99]

I posted awhile ago about our search for a ski boat and we're interested in a 1995 MC that has about 900 hours on. Does that seem high, or about average? And if it's high, is it a reason to walk away? It looks super clean and well taken care of, so that's really the only drawback we've found.

 

Edited to add listing: https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/boa/d/zeeland-mastercraft-prostar-19-boat-190/6821030159.html

[Ilivetoski]

a bunch of people are about to tell you that’s low for that old of a boat but it depends on how it was maintained. If it was kept up with well that’s nothing to worry about. If it’s been spotty I wouldn’t touch it

[DW]

I think you will find that to be close to average. Maintenance is the key, to ease your concern run a compression and leak down test to confirm engine health.

[BraceMaker]

IMO not a ton of hours!

as mentioned condition condition condition.

 

The boat is nearing 25 years old at an average of <40/hours a year. But it could have easily been in storage for a number of those years, or here in Michigan it isn't uncommon for a boat to only see 10-50 hours a season.

 

The difference between a boat on a lift with a ratty cover always wet and one that is cared for over 25 years is huge.

[Keith_Menard]

1400 on a 2002 Gekko and (knock on wood) the engine is still solid. It was well maintained.

[Jmoski]

Look at the maintenance log for engine oil, transmission oil, fuel filter, proper winterization, etc. As other have said the hours are not an issue if taken care of.

 

Gel coat looks to be in great shape as far as one can tell based on the pictures. If it’s a garage queen that’s a plus.

 

My buddies 1986 MC has over a 1000 hours and it’s running strong.

 

Love the corvette engine!

[Jody_Seal]

Probably just broken in if it had scheduled maintenance. Down side lt1, reverse cooling engine and most of the indmar replacement parts are nla especially the ignition side. But hey! A new PCM 5.7 e-controlled engine would fit very nicely in place of the obsolete lt1...

Nice looking boat.

[aspski]

My 2001 sunsetter has ~950 on it. No problems at all

[BraceMaker]

@Jody_Seal - of course the MC Owners community has been busy finding replacement options so I haven't seen one taken out of commision due to lack of substitute parts.

[Jody_Seal]

@BraceMaker

I have replaced two lt1s in 10 years due to lack of ignition parts.

Though on the honest side these engines were in roached condition as were the boats.

[keithh2oskier]

Just looking at the pictures of the gelcoat, interior and engine that looks like a maintained boat. If someone is going to put that much time and attention to detail on the cosmetics (think hours of cleaning) I would expect they don't miss a $30 oil change.

[BraceMaker]

@Jody_Seal crank position sensors?

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Here's a much better option:)

 

 

https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/20376/for-sale-the-ultimate-bare-bones-slalom-tug

 

[Orlando76]

As indicated, if the 900 hours was put on evenly throughout its 24 years then it’s probably purrfect. Sitting for a few years is way worse than steady maintained use.

 

@Bruce_Butterfield ugh, debatable. If you want a hammered and hard 16.95 vs a smooth and easy and still legal 17.16 seconds then yeah that ZO is better deal.

[megsi99]

Thanks for all the feedback, super helpful. The comments about parts for the lt1 are concerning, so we'll consider that too.

[BraceMaker]

@megsi99 I'm curious which parts he was having trouble locating - not that it is as simple as walking into a mastercraft dealership and saying I need a XYZ but there are quite a few resources now.

 

MEFI-1/2 ECM's are available from http://technicalservicesin.com/

Crank position sensors have a solution through either them or chinese/russian part mfg.

In tank fuel pump tweak has been worked out.

The overheat issues of LT-1's have been sorted.

 

So I guess if I were to want either a SN 351 GT40 or a MC LT-1 either way you can now get the parts.

[vtmecheng]

Here's my $0.02. The gel coat looks good in the pics, as does the trailer. Being Michigan, that probably means climate controlled storage and is good. The engine looks really clean and free of rust spots, which not only means good storage but someone took care of it. That said, the interior is listed as new so you can't use the vinyl or carpet as a judge of how things were cared for. I agree on the compression test and having a mechanic look it over. Also, pull the dip stick to see if the oil is that nice amber color, though you really don't know if that was the obligatory pre-sale oil change. Pull the oil fill cap off to look under it, you will see lots of moisture and a light brown buildup if it is not cared for.

[pcmcon729]

To put marine engine hours in perspective, my '16 Ram 2500 6.4L has 2200Hrs and 75000 miles. 250 of those hours are at idle, similar to ski boats. Boat engines are essentially marinized truck engines which are built for torque and durability. Modern V8 engines are built to withstand over 200 K miles without much wear and tear. One could say that boats are used for all stop and go under load, but this is taken into consideration by the design engineers. Also, boat engines are inhaling very clean air vs vehicles used on a roadway, and boat engines run a hell of a lot cooler as well. When I'm in Ft Lauderdale, I ski over at McGinnis' . They once had a CC 200 with 6500 hours, 4500 on the original engine. Boat ran perfectly. They have since upgraded. Bottom line, if it's been cared for, even just reasonably, engine hours are not a concern.

[Kelvin]

@Live2ski @pcmcon729 Was that McGinnis CC200 Red White and Blue? I think I bought that boat. I put a newer 6.0L engine, new upholstery, new seadeck, new steering cable, throttle cables and muffler in it. My son now uses it for his collegiate team. Its been a great boat for them. I sold the original (to me) 5.7L PCM to @eleeski either as a replacement for the engine his collegiate kids burned up or his 79 American Skier.

[Ski_Dad]

hours are no big deal, but I think that price is a little high with it not having Perfect Pass installed ?. Maybe you can use that as a bargaining piece. Love my LS1.

[Golfguy]

I would agree that the price is a little high. I just sold my 1999 LT1 with 1250 hours, it ran like new.

 

[Jordan]

I have a 1993 Prostar with an LT1 with 1600 hours...runs like a scalded dog. Don't let the hours scare you if you think it has been well cared for.

[skimtb]

I have ‘94 LT1 w 975 hrs. Maintained very well since 2002, I think ok before that....

Runs as new. I can’t see it having issues for 1000 more hours if maintained.

As above, it screams, not that it goes faster than 34mph very often.

Also as above maintenance is key. 900 maintained hours is potentially better than 500 abused or neglected.

[RichardDoane]

+1 on the price being too high. Interested to see what it actually sells for. Sold my 92 MC 205 in 2010 with 1440 hours. Still ran strong. $9500.

[MDB1056]

Hours not too high. Price is.

[BlueSki]

You should get a discount given the photo of three teenagers and an extended pylon. We all know there is a material decline in the IQ of a teenager when surrounded by his buddies.

[megsi99]

@Golfguy @RichardDoane @MDB1056 thanks for the heads up on price, since this is our first ski boat we're not entirely sure what's fair pricing. what do you think a solid offer would be?

[RichardDoane]

@megsi99 - trailer condition matters as well. Create a little list of what's available in similar age/condition boats and create an average price. Call the guy and feel him out, he may say, "if I could get $10 I'd be happy". Definitely know how much you'll spend to put a PP system on that boat. You can get those prices on skier to skier .com and use that as a bargaining tool.

[skimtb]

@megsi99 sent you a pm

[Nautibynature]

Post on CL is gone, what was the asking price?

[megsi99]

@Nautibynature weird, here's a new link. $13,800

 

https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/boa/d/zeeland-mastercraft-prostar-19-boat-190/6879210732.html

[Intheday]

Hours are funny things.

When I was buying a boat they were important (500 hrs)

Now I own the boat the hours don’t matter as long as it runs sweet (1100 hrs).

Guess they will become important again when I come to sell it but in reality I will be selling a boat over 20 years old by then.

What’s important is the family and friend time in it and behind it.

 

Well maintained they can run into the thousands of hours.

[foxriverat]

He also has it on the MC forum https://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?p=1478753

[foxriverat]

Another high hour boat in your area. If it was well maintained its a great price and a great wake with PP and heater. I have exact same boat and color. https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/d/commerce-township-2000my-malibu/6880445930.html

[cruznski]

The 900 hours on the LT1 is not the issue with that boat, it's the price and the lack of PP. Those are just great slalom boats to train on.

[swc5150]

If the pics are of the replaced seat skins, they're either factory or someone spot on re-created them.