I'm looking to get a 311, and was wondering what the average hull life people are experiencing. Most hulls in the 311 vintages seem to have around 600-900 hours. How many more before major hull issues begin to appear? Moderate seas etc.

Would 2000 hours be a reasonable hull life? Beyond that?

I live on a small island and will likely start commuting by boat. The 2 ferries are just too costly...

Thanks.

The hull itself will be more of a factor of age and maintenance rather than engine hours. Based on my experience, hull issues could start to appear as early as 15 year if a boat is subject to water in the bilge or other high moisture conditions. If the particular boat is trailered or rack stored, then you would not expect to see issues for a lot longer . . . 25+ years maybe.

Each boat will be unique in that regard, so the only way to tell will be the moisture meter, which you could hire a marine surveyor to check any candidate boat out thoroughly for moisture or other structural issues.