cerhai

mods can we at least keep this here for one day. this thread get so much traffic I have a question just about ready to pull the trigger on a boat 20 foot 1998 Bayliner runabout with a merc cruiser 5.7 motor I do not know anything about these motors just wanted to know if they're reliable and if they are good on the mileage. how comparible with this be to a 4.3 v6 Mileage wise. wish boats came with the ecoboost lol

natorade

The 5.7 mercruiser is as time tested as the 4.3. Just like any of them, you have to look at how it's been maitained (oil changes, water separator, belts, etc.). Also the outdrive at that age needs to be pulled and looked over.

I wouldn't think of buying a bayliner though. cheap construction and will crack in half before the engine gives you a problem.

Jjayf

It's a boat, with a 5.7. It ain't going to be good on fuel mileage. I had a volvo 4.3 on a 20 footer and burned about 1/2 of a 30 gallon tank per hour on river at cruising.

RLXXI

Boats and fuel economy in the same sentence? ROFL not even on a good day, a boat is a hole in the water you throw $$$ into period.

I don't know the quality of Bayliner but I can tell you that Chaparral makes one of the best built boats bar none. I have a 91 1600SL Chap bow rider ski boat with a 96 Suzuki oil injected 75hp 2 stroke and it's as solid as the day it was built, I can run wide open throttle (40mph) for 4 hours on 12 gallons of fuel.

Make sure there are no soft spots in the decking and make sure the transom is solid, and as already mentioned make sure the trim/tilt is working and by all means ask for a test ride. If they refuse to launch for any reason RUN!


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Joecav

I have a crownline 202br with a 5.0 motor in it and it burns around 3 gallons an hour if we are skiing, tubing or boarding. Even more if I'm cruising around going 45-50. Fuel doesn't last long in boats! As for the boat being a bayliner, I wouldn't say it's junk. They are just cheaper boats. Not everybody can afford a brand new mastercraft. My buddy has a bayliner and it runs pretty good. The 5.7 will definitely get you moving on the water if that's what you're looking for!

Jjayf

I need a boat like that!! 3 gallons per hour in a 5 ltr? Did you miss a zero there?

Joecav

No, I didn't miss any zero. It's only a small 20 footer and the motor isn't a high output or anything!

All Hat No Cattle

The 4.6 will give you noticeably better mileage than a 5.7. But, if you plan to put 6 people on that boat you will find the 4.6 lacking in power getting out of the hole. If you plan on doing any skiing or tubing, it will be even worse.

An old boating adage is "No boater ever complained about having too much power in his boat". Go to any boating forum and read the complaints about underpowered boats.

For a comparison of real-life mileage comparisons try this:
http://www.boattest.com/index.aspx

As for the quote above, that calculates out to 15 gallons per hour. Exactly how fast do you consider "cruising"?

My 6,000# Ebbtide with an 8.1L(496 cu. in.) gets 3 mpg, which is 10 gph at 2500 rpm and 30 mph. That is from a GPS based fuel flow meter. Now at 50 mph, well, lets just say it burns a lot more.