What to expect at over 300hrs?

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Waco_Jim

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Looking at a 2015 Z9 with a 250 pro XS. The owner says it has 300 hours. Seems to run fine but I just want to be prepared for potential problems.... Since it's over 300 hrs should I be worried about lower unit or power head issues? Over all the boat appears to be in nice shape except the seats need to be recovered.
 
It really all depends on how well the boat/engine was maintained over the last 6 years by the current owner. Ask for maintenance records & receipts to determine if the boat was winterized each year, whether the outboard engine was maintained on a regular basis & talk to the owner's boat mechanic (unless he does his own maintenance of course) - lower unit lube change (I do this every year), impeller replaced (typically every 2-3 years), etc...Also, I never buy a used boat without putting it on the water to see if everything is running well. If a water test drive isn't an option, certainly running the engine with a rabbit ears motor flusher & a hose is better than nothing. Good luck!
 
I bought our previous boat from a French Officer stationed at Key West for the past 6 years. He was coming to the end of his tour and had his center console with twin Honda 130's up for sale. Took the wife and his son and did an hour tour of the waters around Key West. Everything seemed fine. got the boat home and put around 40 hours on the motors. they developed leaks of oil, not lot but enough to see film on the water, then found water in the oil..what a mess. If I could find him I would SCUTTLE his boat.
 
No matter how old the boat, it is still a hole in the water:) Best to you...remember oil and plugs will always tell the truth when it comes to engines.
 
I've lived a charmed life when it comes to buying used boats. Although I now own the 2017 Z-18, bough new. My two previous boats were both purchased used, off the web and paid for based on pics and talking with the owners. Both those werre paid for before I ever saw them in person. One was a 18' Javelin the other a 20' Stratos both of which I never examined until they were in my driveway, both seemed liked deals to act qucikly on. They were both about 5 year models old when purchased. I had both those boats (at different times) for more than 4 years.. Never had to do a thing but routine maintenace. Neither of those ever went to a dealer for any kind of service or repair. I'm not advocating doing what I did but- there are plenty of reallly good used boats out there that already have all the issues resolved before you get to them. Both sellers were quite surprised that I didn't require more of there effort and attention. You can certainly understand a lot by knowing someting about the past life of a boat, its apperance, and how the current owner acts....
 
I've lived a charmed life when it comes to buying used boats. Although I now own the 2017 Z-18, bough new. My two previous boats were both purchased used, off the web and paid for based on pics and talking with the owners. Both those werre paid for before I ever saw them in person. One was a 18' Javelin the other a 20' Stratos both of which I never examined until they were in my driveway, both seemed liked deals to act qucikly on. They were both about 5 year models old when purchased. I had both those boats (at different times) for more than 4 years.. Never had to do a thing but routine maintenace. Neither of those ever went to a dealer for any kind of service or repair. I'm not advocating doing what I did but- there are plenty of reallly good used boats out there that already have all the issues resolved before you get to them. Both sellers were quite surprised that I didn't require more of there effort and attention. You can certainly understand a lot by knowing someting about the past life of a boat, its apperance, and how the current owner acts....
You had much better luck than I finding a used boat. I looked for over 2 months and found a lot of bass boats under three years old with 1, 2 thousand hours on them. How can that be? That's not bass fishing, that's boating. I just bought a 2022 Nitro Z19 just to make sure I wasn't inheriting someone's nightmare.
 
Starbanker,

You will enjoy that boat for sure. Good luck with it.. I'm about 2 years from retirement. It's unlikley that I'll buy another boat at this stage of life. I'm hoping my Nitro will go the distance now.. so far all is good.
 

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