All, had my survey today. The surveyor found high moisture content right next to drain plug bung. If this is the only place this is moist, is this something I should automatically pass on? Other thing he found was that the engines would only reach 4,300 rpm, and had a top speed of 46 mph. He says he feels that the throttle cables were corroded, which could have caused the lack of full WOT... With its 23 pitch props, is it conceivable that this could reach anywhere around the already low 60 mph top speed of this model, seeing it is already reving at 4,300 at 40 knots?

Thanks, it appears everything else turned out very positive...

My 272 with small blocks runs 58 at 4500 with 21s. GPS speed

Moisture in that area (transom drain) is not necessarily a show stopper. . . . but combine that with the low boat speed and I think there is more going on.

the RPM's are OK, but the boat speed should be well into the 50 mph range, most likely a lot higher. So, that could mean that there is water in the boat or the engines are having issues. It is more likely the boat is heavy(with water), since the engines are reaching near there spec RPM, assuming they are the std 454, not the mags.

I would pass on this boat, unless more were known and the price was right and you were willing to fix the issues.

Tpenfield, the surveyor used a moisture meter on the rest of the hull, and says the spot next to the drain plug was the only moisture detected... It sounds like it must be engine related... Thanks for the input...

Remove flame arrestors push throttles all the way forward and see if the carbs are opening all they way. Are the motors mags or 330s. That makes a large difference.

how much moisture,,10% 20% does it bury the the needle? a lot of boats show some moisture and its normal..
is it propped correctly?maybe too big of props?timing off? cables out of adjustment?
If you like the boat these are things you should look into ,,if not then move on..

Sounds like you hired the wrong surveyor

The combination of 4300 rpm and only 46 mph boat speed is still troubling. The 4300 rpm is in the spec range for a standard 7.4 mercruiser (4200-4600 rpm), but if the engines can achieve that speed, the boat should be going a whole lot faster.

If the WOT rpm's were lower, then it would more clearly indicate an engine issue.

Despite the moisture meter readings, I think there is more to look into . . . Is the bottom of the boat clean, etc?

I've got a nice 1990 292 we just traded for a week ago, check out my website for details and pics

http://www.performanceboatcenter.com...sp?boat_id=703

Glenn
Performance Boat Center
573-216-3235