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1000 hours.... whos been there and what to expect with 383 hammerhead??


bass10a

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has anyone taken a boat with the 383 hammerhead to 1000 hrs and would you consider buying one with that many?  A family memeber has a 97 centurion with well over 1000 problem free hrs so it makes me think its not so bad annnnnnnnd Thats literally the worst boat i've ever driven/ridden in.  The boat in question has 1000 hrs and is attatched  to an 06 247 that currently isn't on the market but i know the owner and considering.. 

Edited by bass10a
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I don't have a HH, but I do own a 350 with 1010 hours on it and haven't seen a single issue with "the motor". If it has been regularly maintained you should see another 2000 hours from what I have read. If you want to get a good idea of the condition of the internals send an oil sample to Blackstone Labs or some other oil testing place and they can give you a complete run down of what is going on, on the inside of the motor. My test include a check for: excess water and fuel in the oil, iron content and a number of other things. They said my internals looked outstanding @ 830 hours.

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I would probably suggest a compression and/or leak-down test to be sure all is good.  That's a lot of hours for a HH, but the above suggested (blackstone labs) by @wdr and a compression test should tell you all you need to know.  If those pass and it has been problem free, you are likely good to go.

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@bass10a:  Hours are less of a concern than proper care and maintenance.  You will want to get a good history and understanding of how well the engine was maintained, proper winterization procedures, any overheat events, etc.  I suggest a compression and leak down test, check for blowby when running and do a typical inspection to check for component condition, corrosion and cleanliness.  1000 hours is not a point where an overhaul would be expected if there have not been any significant issues that would cause something to fail.

You should do a search on this forum for the Hammerhead threads, there have been some issues that are discussed that should provide you with additional insight.

  • Like 2
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The 383 is probably the least reliable motor put in a Malibu over the last 2+ decades.  247 is also the biggest/heaviest boat it was ever put in, so in general it would have likely seen the most stress.

Though if it made it 1000hrs, why wouldn't it make 1000 more?  If it was going to fail, one would assume it would have hundreds of hours ago.

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3 hours ago, hethj7 said:

Was the 383 really unreliable?  I have just known it to use more oil but never really associated reliability issues with it.  

Some crank issues over the years. Along with oil usage.   It looks to have a very short piston with the wrist pin very low. I don't know that I have seen any piston issues but I have seen other manufactures that have run into issues with the short piston.  I will also say I have no experience with this engine!   

Edited by Sixball
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I just sold my Silver Edition that I owned for  5yrs w/ the 383 and we loved the motor.  It had a ton of torque and never gave us any problems.  If I were buying another 383, the maintenance history would be the most important to me.  The motor will burn some oil, but as long as you monitor your oil, it isn’t a problem.  

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i ended up passing on what was an amazing deal on the surface...25k for a 247.  The whole boat was rough but the kicker was the engine was pretty rough and would hesitate/cut out at 3-4k rpm if you gave more power. It didn't lack power however, felt like it had plenty out of the hole, just the mid range was off.  It also had a new wiring harness according to the owner which was a yellow flag.  Just about everything had been neglected so i didn't trust that engine was the only part taken care of.  Thanks everyone for the input, i read some responses on my way to look at it, i hadn't had time to do the proper research and forum searches i normally would do. 

Edited by bass10a
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10 hours ago, bass10a said:

i ended up passing on what was an amazing deal on the surface...25k for a 247.  The whole boat was rough but the kicker was the engine was pretty rough and would hesitate/cut out at 3-4k rpm if you gave more power. It didn't lack power however, felt like it had plenty out of the hole, just the mid range was off.  It also had a new wiring harness according to the owner which was a yellow flag.  Just about everything had been neglected so i didn't trust that engine was the only part taken care of.  Thanks everyone for the input, i read some responses on my way to look at it, i hadn't had time to do the proper research and forum searches i normally would do. 

New wiring harness is code talk for 'this boat has been underwater' most of the time.  It seems like the old adage of if it was too good to be true...

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