2001 3300 SCR - top issues of concern?

[denemante]

Hi all - I am 80% sure I'll be the owner of a 2001 3300 SCR shortly. I've owned many boats in my life so I have experience, but never owned a cruiser.

I've already spent a few hours on this forum reading about general issues others have come upon. They all seem like typical "boat" stuff, and are generally common sense.

My concern is about any major potential system failures, or issues which could potentially make the boat unusable, or even cost many thousands to fix. Of course, engines are perhaps the biggest potential issue - they have about 600 hours each, but the current owner gives them, and the outdrives, a clean bill of health.

In this strange "covid era" - boats are super hot and people are paying above asking price for everything. In normal times, I'd have a mechanic check everything out, or get a "survey" overall. That's not required in my state, nor for insurance, plus they are all booked and weeks behind. So I'm in a "buyer beware" scenario and if I don't act quickly, I'll lose the boat and may get stuck on land for another year or two. And I've been looking for a year. Sucks, but that's the deal today.

Considering engines/performance, if a mechanic isn't available, might I drive the boat under power for 20, 30, 60 minutes and if all seems well, it may be well? Are there engine issues that might not become apparent on a quick 10 minute test drive?

Advice in general about this beautiful boat?

[mmwjr]

I would not let the risk of losing it drive me to potentially make a big mistake. Absolutely take it for a test ride and once it's warmed up very the engines can achieve they specified WOT for < 30 seconds. Check the oil to see if it's clean. Remove the drive(s) drain plug to inspect the magnet for metal. Tell owner you'll pay to refill them. Inspect bellows for crack inbetween the folds. Try your best to get a survey or have the yard mechanic give it a look over.

[donald]

+1 On what Mike said, plus take an IR thermometer with you and ck temps on manifolds, t stat housing, and elbows.
An old mechanics trick is to pull and ground the coil wire and crank the engine, if it spins steady and does not sound like it is hesitating or speeding up then at least you can tell the compression is close the same on all cylinders.
Don

[Uncleted]

I have a 2002 Maxum330 SCR. I had a fuse blow on the toilet. Checked all the fuses. Had everything apart. Hooked to jumper and toilet and switch worked fine. Finally found out, there are fuses crammed in with the battery switches under the sink in a tiny area. 2 days working. Toilet blew fuse again and I rebuilt. I am having problem now with one engine. starts fine, after a minute or so alarm sounds and RPM drops 100. Did this at slow speeds and sometime will stall. Then took on a short trip, went to dock and no problem even going slow down river. After docking, I tried again thinking it's fixed itself. same thing again. fuel pressure good, ICM unit good, computer switched and checked good, fuel filter changed twice, full tune up with wires, plugs, rotor and cap, good. No one can find problem

[Uncleted]

I have a 2002 Maxum330 SCR. I had a fuse blow on the toilet. Checked all the fuses. Had everything apart. Hooked to jumper and toilet and switch worked fine. Finally found out, there are fuses crammed in with the battery switches under the sink in a tiny area. 2 days working. Toilet blew fuse again and I rebuilt. I am having problem now with one engine. starts fine, after a minute or so alarm sounds and RPM drops 100. Did this at slow speeds and sometime will stall. Then took on a short trip, went to dock and no problem even going slow down river. After docking, I tried again thinking it's fixed itself. same thing again. fuel pressure good, ICM unit good, computer switched and checked good, fuel filter changed twice, full tune up with wires, plugs, rotor and cap, good. No one can find problem

[yahoo82]

The engine bilge can tell you a lot. Empty it before you go out and put some oil absorbent pads under the engine to show any oil or fluid leaks.

Check steering arm cavity for signs of rust/water intrusion. If you have alpha 1’s it’s a big job to replace the swivel pin seal.

Check for any evidence of waste tank leaks. I know a few people who had discovered unseen cracked fittings long after they purchased the boat … not fun.

Bring a flashlight and inspection mirror and crawl through every cubby and access point to see the hull. When I purchased my boat I almost didn’t have it hauled for the survey and discovered hull damage under the aft cabin that was letting in water. The surveyor would never have looked in there. I put down a deposit and PO paid to fix it before I bought it.

Sight along the hull joint wherever you can for good sealant and no signs of drips.

Run every system on the boat.

Run the boat with the engine bay open. Have the owner put it in forward then reverse and look for engine movement that could indicate compromised mount or stringers.


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[Uncleted]

Check outdrives out of water. See if they have movement from side to side. I checked that on my boat when I bought it as I had problem with one I owned before. Gimble rings can be bad if you have much movement and cost about $2500 each engine. PO went half after he had his mechanic check.

[shrew]

It's a 20 year old boat with Gas engines with 600 hours. If replacing an engine is a show stopper for you, then don't buy a boat. You are at the magic age and hours for a repower. Anywhere between 10-20 years and 500-1000 hours.

Sure you'll find many that claim higher. I know a guy with original 1993 454's with 1500 hours. However, that is absolutely the exception.

Have a Purchase and Sale subject to Survey and Seatrial. Set the terms for expiration out beyond the dates quoted from surveyors. ALL buyers will have the same problem, unless a buyer would be dumb enough to wave the survey. The requirement from the state or insurance should not be your driving factor here.

Don't take a sellers word on ANYTHING. ALL sellers will claim "I runs great, just needs a little <blah>"