a few months ago i traded a 72 flh for a 27'bayliner that needed some work..then 2 weeks ago i traded my 97 f150 for a 94.5 f350 7.3 powerstroke diesel, crewcab, dually to tow the boat with.. i didn't relies how cheap and easy wrenching on a harley was compared to bigger toys.. just maintenance on the boat is hundreds of $$ i need a $340 coupler by spring so i can put it in the water.. on the diesel truck,i paid $120 to get it towed to my house after calling a half a dozen companys to find one capable of towing it(got the truck knowing it needed some work). paid $60 for some injector o rings, injectors are $300x8 so im keeping my fingers crossed they don't go out.. paid $60 for 5 glowplugs. $60 for 4 gallons of oil for an oil change. went to 3 different tire places before one could patch a tire on a dually rim. now i have an injector cup leaking fuel into the coolant..cups are $20x8, you have to pull the valvecovers,injectors, and a dozen other things just to get to them..and you need a $400 tool to take the old cups out..a shop gets $2-3k to do the job,so i will be laying across the engine again for a full day or two. and i still have a rough idle,sounds like a couple of them $300 fuel injectors might be in my future..i would rather tear my 01EG down to the the frame again and back together twice then repair this giant, expensive, filthy, school bus engine..
it isn't even fun like working on a HD..this is kind of like back at the bike shop when i was doing 10 steering knuckle recalls a day on atvs covered in cow sh**. except i'm paying for all the parts

 

Bet ya wish you never traded,huh?

 

i am not a "boat guy"....

 

Bust Out Another Thousand

Heard that on TV. From what friends that have them say, it's the truth.

 

Fortunately it's one of our company trucks, but our F650 needed injectors this summer, ($2500,) and now the head gaskets, EGR Valve, EGR cooler and oil cooler are getting replaced. This one is gonna' cost us another $4,460. (It's got the International 6.0L)

I couldn't afford to own that truck personally!

 

the ford 6.0's and 6.3's are a pile a crap right along with the 7.3 powersmokes.. f'in junk.. i don't know how they keep selling them to companies like they do.



jimmy, i beleive theres a crush sealing ring/washer that sits on the end of the injector nozzle for it to seal against the head.. sometimes they will stay in the head when you pull the injector. if left in, with a new ring on the injector, you can end up with a compression leak, misfire, noise etc... it will sound similiar to a exh leak, maybe a valve tap type noise..

 

wait till you see how much money it's gonna cost you in gas to run that boat

 

I'm in the business and from what I see it is either a love or hate relationship of these diesels. Nothing quite like them when they are new but man let me tell you, if they aren't maintained AGGRESSIVELY, they can quickly turn into a nightmare!

As for the boat, when I got back into boating years ago I bought new for the exact reasons you are experiencing right now. When I was a bit younger it was no big deal to spend 10 to 20 hours a week getting the boat into good enough shape to spend a day out on the water. I have no wishes to be doing that any more. The first 4-5 years on a boat are generally the easiest on the wallet. - RULE OF THUMB / A BOAT IS A HOLE IN THE WATER INTO WHICH YOU THROW YOUR MONEY! Even a new boat will require maintenance from the getgo. Things break. Blowers, batteries, hydraulics - If not a labor of love, I would suggest trading in every 3-4 years!

 

As I recall there is an old saying "the 2 best days in your boating career are the day you buy and the day you sell" everything in between is a black hole money pit.

 

I concur