525s ?
 

Im looking at a boat with 525s in it. 2004 with 280 hours. I have read so much bad stuff about the headers its making me reconsider making an offer on the boat. I cant imagine dropping $60K on the boat knowing that I will need at the minimum new headers and what ever else. Im at a standstill right now.

Any input on this purchase?

there are tons of threads on the 525's. in a nut shell:

1. Check the headers
2. Springs get weak if top end hasn't been done
3. Probably time for new head gaskets

Do your homework and inspection on subject boat. Factor in above items when making an offer. If the deal doesn't make sense walk away. It's that simple.

Here is the early 525 header info in a nutshell. Boats with a salt water history have a higher rate of header failure. Staggered boats have a higher rate of failure. If there are hot spots on the header by the head, the header has overheated due to poor water flow and has a higher risk of failure. The headers just need to slightly over heat to discolor, in most cases the engines will not have set an alarm. Here are some things to look for and ask about: Has the Mercury Header Flow Service Bulletin been performed on the headers? This routes all the water thru the header and eliminated a bypass hose. Has the owner changed impeller and housing at a minimum once a season? By changing the impeller/housing at least once a season the owner has helped to keep the headers as cool as possible. At 280 hours the engines should have had valve springs done at a minimum by now and is approaching a top end re-fresh. Has the owner addressed that properly? Have the headers ever been pressure checked? If so, how often? A seller who has done preventative maintenance and tests will be selling a better boat. Before final purchase have engine test done, pull some plugs, check the oil. The good news is there are alternatives to $5-$6k/pair in CMI headers. Half the price but not as rock and roll looking, so there are alternatives. Keep in mind, a 10 year old header is just that and nothing lasts forever in the boating world.

60k for pretty much any boat in decent shape with 525's and 280 hrs is pretty cheap.
The engines alone are worth over 30k.

I had a conversation this week with a guy that just spent 82k rebuilding a pair of 525s and XRs....I said for 82k he file have gotten brand new 520s and new drives with 2 years of warranty! He said like everything, if he knew the total cost going in he would have done things differently! I suspect he thought he would do it cheaper but once it got rolling it was a case of, we'll change this and the bill kept escalating.

Where is this guy?? I'll detail his boat for 10K.

Thats the base price. He's gonna need some extras/upgrades. You know, a 2nd coat of wax etc.:party-smiley-004:

I am right now doing complete re-builds due to header failure $38,000 with new headers. Call Eddie @ Young Performance, great guy who will ell u what they will need at this point. That does sound like a good price (maybe).

After re-reading this, like Griff said, a 525 boat for $60k is either a smokin' deal or a smokin' pile of sheet.

Another problem with the 525's is the rod bolts. When they give way, it takes the short block with it. The rod bolts were changed later, but your 04 will have the old ones like my 05 did. Also, the head gaskets suck in the early 525's. Basically your opportunity for failures are rod bolts, head gaskets, springs, and headers. Other then that, they are great:) That said, there are a ton of guys out there with 500+ hours on older 525's. I just wasn't one of them...