I NEED HELP

I agree fully that he didn't pay for an engine survey, and that there is no way a hull survey is going to be able to tell if a mechanical item will fail (neither will an engine survey for that matter)

However, I'm taking him at his word that ALL the surveyor wrote and said was the "The engine appears and operated well indicating it is in good condition" nothing else, no caveats, no warnings like the surveyor above puts in his survey, no nothing...we have the whole story.

If that is the case and then both engines failed within a couple of hours, that just is not a good survey. Not responsible for damages, but that just is not a good survey.

Captinmb, did he check the oil after you ran it?? (assuming for at least 20-30min). Did he check the temps with a heat gun while it was running?? The surveys I've always had assumed (correctly) that the person had just changed the oil, etc, and checked for milkiness after running at WOT. In my last boat the surveyor found that an impeller was going bad, put it in the report and I had to have a mechanic replace. There's no guarantee period on anything except new,
 
Maybe at this point you should put the past behind you and start learning form this forum. You need to start asking questions about how to make sure the new engines are properly installed, what the warranty provides, and how to care for them (what to check, what to look out for during the year, when to have serviced, etc.) There are certain ongoing basics for which you are responsible.

Again, good (better) luck.

Capt Tom
 
So you got your boat surveyed, which included a sea trial. During the sea trial the engines both operating correctly and even the gauges worked. The oil was checked for the presence of water and there was none. Now you go out in the boat weeks later and one engine blows. A few weeks later the other engine blows. There are several reasons why they can blow. But to be honest with you, it's not the surveyers fault. He did his job and the limit of his liability is surely spelled out in the document he provided you. Typically it is zero.

Now onto the reason for the engine failures. Not being there, it is difficult to speculate. What were the engine temps at the time? Were they being over-reved at the time? Is the boat severely over-propped? Maybe the previous owner "babied" them and never opened them up to full throttle to expose a problem such as inadequate water flow, bad manifolds, etc. Maybe the previous owner knew there was a problem and took steps to hide them.

Now I'm rambling on like an old man, so I'll leave. I feel bad for your problem, but you're just going to have to rebuild the other engine and take it on the chin. Get it fixed now and then concentrate on having some fun with the boat.
 
As others said, best thing to do is get it fixed, then learn all you can about maintaining and operating the boat so as to maximize the life of the new engines. Buying a 17 year old boat, esp one probably used in salt water (Long Island) is a gamble no matter how you look at it. Many boats in that age range either have had engine work done or will need it in the near future. If they were raw water cooled in salt that's a good lifespan! Make sure you maintain the exhaust system, engine oil and outdrives meticulously. Don't take short cuts on winterizations either. Those are the things that wind up costing you big money later on. So now when the weather clears enjoy the boat!
 
WOW this turned out to be a good topic!!!

Thanks for ALL the advice... i've leand alot... Im chalking this one up and will hope and pray my luck gets better.
The jasper engine arived today... lets see how it go's. I am going to speak to my Mec.and find out How and Why this happend..

after all is said is done ill have two re-ferbed engines....

im sure when im floating in the bay on a hot July day.....it wont be bothering me to much...

Thanks again

Mike
 
Congratulations on a very positive attitude. Learn all you can about everything, expect problems, inspect the ER daily and above all have fun. Somebody very smart ones told me every hour you spend looking for problems in your ER will save many more hours fixing problems away from home.
 
Along with the other advice, if the Jaspers did not come with accessories already mounted, then I would immediately replace the raw water impellers.
you might also want to replace the oil & tranny coolers. There is a good chance they are the originals & are overdue. While doing all that, check the oil & tranny lines for drying out or cracks.
Just trying to spend more of your money.
Al
 
Mike since you spent all this money and learned a hard lesson why not Fresh water cool the new engines? You did mention the Bay?
 
I've noticed that "luck" has been mentioned numberous times in this posting. My experience has been that "luck" usually has little to nothing to do with these type of problems. DON"T DEPEND ON LUCK.
"Things" allways happen for a reason and you can definately improve your "odds" by doing your homework and researching everything you can before making a final judgement or decision on anything, especially the purchase of a seventeen year old boat. Using a surveyer is prudent but you still have an obligation to become knowledgeable enough to apply what a surveyer may tell you.
I allways watch the engine guages and listen for any unusuall changes while running. Based on what you've described and assuming all guages were indicating normal operation and engines were not pushed beyond acceptable limits when the failures occured, I would have to say the only cause of a catostrophic engine failure as you decribed would be from water ingestion due to failed riser/exhaust manifold system.
Its an expensive lesson to have to learn but please don't become discouraged as the boating life can be quite rewarding.
Hang around an read as much as you can on this forum and you will learn much from some of the best and most experienced boaters around, that is as long as you stay away from the "nbr" section.
Best "luck" and wishs'.
 
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