Posts: 258
Location: Mayville, WI | They are measured by the amount of time a motor is running - in tenths of hours. Once you start it up it keeps track total running time.
Some boats have an hour meter mounted in the dash, some don't and you'll need to take the motor into a shop where they can hook it up (similar to a car for engine code diagnostics) and download it from the motor, and the older motors you really have no way of knowing...
Almost all new motors (2 & 4 strokes) are fairly reliable & I wouldn't hesitate to buy one with 200+ hrs on it, saltwater guys regularly run 1000+ on them with no issues. It depends on how it was run, but a full check-down (compression, etc) at a shop will tell you more than just hours. Either way, have it taken it & looked at before buying used, especially private party. |