Speaking of Starters....
- Thread starter shemandr
- Start date
Find out how long the OEM starter lasted and then what was it replaced with. All starters are not created equal; quite often a boat owner will replace the original starter after many years of service with an aftermarket starter costing less than half. The quality control in these replacements and the components used are not as good and they can fail prematurely. Usually they come with a fair warranty and the manufacturer will replace free of charge. They can go through a couple in a short time until they find a good one. That is only one possibility, if the boat is taking on water and the engine is getting wet corrosion may be the culprit. Another possible cause would be a damaged flywheel which can jam the starter gear. Without knowing details about each starter and the type of failure it is impossible to render an opinion on the boat and engine.
Sounds like an I/O boat. I/O boats can and do go through starters like they are dirty socks... Why? Engines sit so low in the bilge, right in the stern where all the water collects, that they corrode away in no-time due to the super humid environment. On some of the GM based engines it's not uncommon for them to become submerged on a fairly regular basis.. If this is an I/O boat I would strongly urge you to focus on outboard powered boats, for numerous reasons....
The other possibility is undersized starter wiring, weak batteries or mechanics using cheap Chinese knock-off starters...
The other possibility is undersized starter wiring, weak batteries or mechanics using cheap Chinese knock-off starters...
You could not pay me to own an I/O boat, especially one used in salt water. I get to live vicariously through my customers with I/O's and it has only served to solidify that I would never own one especially on the ocean. Remember with an outboard the aluminum can be raised out of the water to eliminate or greatly minimize corrosion. You can't do this with an I/O.
Just the fact that I predicted this was an I/O should say something... There are plenty of good boats out there with outboards and real inboards to choose from...