Impossible to answer
Joe, There are too many variables to really answer the question, but most mechanics I've talked to will say that 1500 to 2000 hours are the most you can expect out of a marine engine - Gas or Diesel. The funny thing is that, in the marine environment, if you DON'T use the engine it will often tend to break down sooner than an engine that IS used often. Moisture and often salt air that isn't "dried out" by engine heat from regular use will tend to rust & corrode components that can lead to premature failure. My point is that you don't want a 20 year old boat whose engine only has 100 hours on it, but you don't want one that has 3000 hours on it, either. If the engine is the original it's certainly going to be worn & you may be able to get a many seasons out of it, but you should brace yourself for the possibility of having to do some major work on it if it does decide to break down. Keep in mind, it's things like this that make a brand new C-30 ~$85,000 and a used one around $20,000. I purposely sought out an old C-30 whose engine was shot. I built the cost of a new engine into the purchase price of the boat, now I have a boat with a brand new motor for the same price of an average boat of my year. This worked well for me, because I was able to do a lot of the work myself. It's not the right approach for everybody. Either way, good luck with your search! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30 Hull# 632
