looking for a new boat - do i really need a 4.3?

[rderenzy]

i know this is more engine related than anything, but where do I post a non repair engine topic?
anyway. I currently have a 1997 20' with 4.3 engine
I'd like to get a newer more reliable boat

70% of time its just the wife an myself
25% its with another couple (4 ppl) and we will tube, wakeboard, but not too often
5% with more than 4 ppl

do I really need a 4.3? don't get me wrong I love to go fast.
but the 3.0 boats are soooo soooo much more inexpensive

 

[Scott Danforth]

Until you have to repair it. A 3.0 costs as much as a 5.7 to repair

Do you need a 4.3, only you can answer

However for watersports, the 4.3 is so much better than tge 3.0

 

[R055]

I strongly recommend the 4.3. Also when I was searching for a boat, the 4.3 and 3.0 boats were all in the same price range. You kinda missed the cheap boat door though. Maybe wait till fall?

 

[rderenzy]

---

yea, I can wait. I'm just "browsing" mine needs some work, and has started to leak some oil which has been very frustrating, other wise its a fun nice boat. just want something newer. crazy you found 4.3 and 3.0 in same range. I can get a 2016 with 3.0 for 18k out the door. any 4.3 your looking at 24k or more

 

[rderenzy]

Until you have to repair it. A 3.0 costs as much as a 5.7 to repair

Do you need a 4.3, only you can answer

However for watersports, the 4.3 is so much better than tge 3.0

I get the cost the same to repair, but if I save money on the 4.3 then I have money for repairs
I get its better for sports - but we aren't going pro, and even if we hit the lake say for 5 hours, maybe only 1 hour is towing stuff.
guess I would have to test drive, but you can't test drive water sports

 

[alldodge]

No you don't need a 4.3, my guess is you need a 18 to 20 foot pontoon with a 75 to 90HP OB

 

[JASinIL2006]

Not sure I'd want a pontoon for 2-4 people when skiing and tubing are the preferred watersports...

 

[rallyart]

Operating and fuel costs are about the same for the 3.0 and the 4.3. If you are doing any water sports the 4.3 will probably use less fuel.
If you want a 20' boat, still, then the 3.0 will be good for the 70% of the time you are out alone or with your wife. Don't worry about the other 30% because you won't use it then, as it won't do the job.

 

[Scott06]

I had a 17 ft with a 3.0 for 20 years, loved the 3.0 for its economy and reliability. My new (to me) boat is 21 ft which required a bigger engine(5.0), but when you go out fir a relaxing cruise it is so much quieter than the 3.0. The 3.0 was always working hard, even in a small boat

 

[jkust]

If it were me in your shoes in the conditional tense, I wouldn't accept an entire dealership of 3.0 boats for free if I couldn't sell them immediately. I always go for the biggest power package that I can get my hands on at the time for my vehicles. With negotiation assuming you are a good negotiator and with a bit of timing, everything can be had at a deal. I look at it as you get the best for the price of the least best but it takes some effort. I actually can't believe there are people out there with newer 3.0's as I see them often on my lake because they have loud drone sound to them. Why not just negotiate and get the best engine in a slightly used boat? The answer is because people buy new because they can't finance used and they don't have cash to buy with or at least that is what the folks on my lake tell me. My next door neighbor at my lake home was forced to buy a brand new, entry level brand 60k boat....because he is cash poor and can't come up with even 40k of cash to buy a nearly new and severely depreciated used model and he is also a terrible negotiator in life in general. Old boats are a different story because paradigm was very different back in the day.

 

[Starcraft5834]

spend and extra grand and get the 4.3......... do you really need it.. nope.... would it serve u better, yep... certainly with boats... bigger is better....

 

[lineman09]

i wouldnt even consider a 3.0 for anything over 17ft just sold a 185 bayliner with a 4.3 ....my wife cousin has the same boat in the 3.0... not even close when it came to power and performance ...

 

[JimS123]

I have a 19' bowrider with a 3.0 and this will be our 34th season with the rig. To say I'm delighted with the boat would be an understatement. If I had come across another boat that was better I would have traded it in. I haven't found one yet. Money is not an issue. The engine was propped with a custom SS prop. The performance is optimum.

Our usage and family style is the same as the OP's.

Our son bought a boat similar in size and weight and upgraded to the 4.3. Based on that comparison I would stick with my 3.0.

We are not speed demons. The 3.0 has the top end capability far above what we need and above what our local waters would comfortably permit.

I have a friend that owns a 19' OB bowrider and he powers it with a classic 25 HP Evinrude. It suits him just fine....he is mostly a fisherman. Another friend has a 25' gofast with twin 5.7's and its too slow for him. If he isn't the fastest KID on the block he's not happy. Gotta decide what you want.

 

[JimS123]

i wouldnt even consider a 3.0 for anything over 17ft just sold a 185 bayliner with a 4.3 ....my wife cousin has the same boat in the 3.0... not even close when it came to power and performance ...

"Performance" is a tricky word. I bet the 3.0 actually has BETTER performance. If you mean it doesn't go as fast, then you don't mean "performace" you mean "speed".

 

[roffey]

I grew up with e 2.3? (I think, it was 120hp). The max speed was 37 MPH and I thought this boat was a rocket. We skied and tubed behind it and thought it was great. This was a tri hull bowrider and some times we had a butt for every seat and explored every inch of our lake. Its up to the buyer, he sounds like he knows what he wants and speed is not it.

 

[jkust]

As I said, old boats fall under a different paradigm...you can't compare what didn't exist to old technology from decades gone by. I grew up on a small Bayliner with 85hp that was bad ass at the time....it got about 43mph immediately but of course gps didn't exist in the 80's so bet it was high 30's in reality though I was a young child and it might as well have been 100mph. I actually still have the old bayliner...it hasn't seen the light of day in many years as it sits in storage. It still looks just like a new boat and I'm delighted it has stood the test of time but it is obsolete in every way and doesn't really fit in the discussion.
My point was...it's 2017, a 3.0 is substandard compared to a 4.3 power-wise and a 4.3 is a dime a dozen like the 3.0 and can be had at the exact same price....more than 40% more power for free. As you can tell, i am a proponent of the 4.3...even if there is a single second of ownership where you say....wow, I wished I bought the 4.3. Pretty much every person I know with a 3.0 has it because they bought it new in order to finance it because they didn't have the cash to buy new...i.e. new boats not used.

 

[JimS123]

As I said, old boats fall under a different paradigm...you can't compare what didn't exist to old technology from decades gone by. I grew up on a small Bayliner with 85hp that was bad *** at the time....it got about 43mph immediately but of course gps didn't exist in the 80's so bet it was high 30's in reality though I was a young child and it might as well have been 100mph. I actually still have the old bayliner...it hasn't seen the light of day in many years as it sits in storage. It still looks just like a new boat and I'm delighted it has stood the test of time but it is obsolete in every way and doesn't really fit in the discussion.
My point was...it's 2017, a 3.0 is substandard compared to a 4.3 power-wise and a 4.3 is a dime a dozen like the 3.0 and can be had at the exact same price....more than 40% more power for free. As you can tell, i am a proponent of the 4.3...even if there is a single second of ownership where you say....wow, I wished I bought the 4.3. Pretty much every person I know with a 3.0 has it because they bought it new in order to finance it because they didn't have the cash to buy new...i.e. new boats not used.

IMHO the term "obsolete" is what doesn't fit in this discussion.

My kids grew up in a 14' tinny with 10 HP. We still have it and the kids (now in their 30s) still use it regularly. That boat, plus your old Bayliner may not have the latest mechanical technology, but they are not obsolete. Many people would be perfectly satisfied to own either one.

I bought my 3.0 brand new and paid cash for it. At the time the 4.3 was only a grand or so more, which didn't matter to me at the time. The 4.3 is grossly over-rated. After first hand experience with my son's, I know my 3.0 was the right decision.

Rather than say obsolete, let's just say satisfied.

 

[QBhoy]

Jims123

I would be interested to hear what troubles your boy had with the 4.3....I've honestly had no problems and haven't really heard of any disaster stories about them that weren't related to owners poor maintenance.
I could say the same for the 3.0's....just that they are nowhere near as nice to have in the boat. Much more refined, effortlessly more power, only pennies more to maintain and in some cases better on fuel than the 3.0.
It would be a no brainer for me, given the choice.
4.3 wins every time. Like I say, 3.0's are great...just that 4.3's are better.

 

[Yegboats]

I would take the 4.3 over the 3.0 Can't tell you how many times I've heard "wish I would have went with the larger engine" The only complaints I hear about the 4.3 is if they have a non remote oil filter in a tight engine compartment reaching the oil filter can be a pain.

 

[southkogs]

Do you "need" the 4.3? That answer is "probably not."

Boats are a power to weight vs hull equation. My last boat was a heavy 17.5' with 165HP (70's model OMC) and wouldn't break 35MPH with two people in it on smooth water ... down hill ... with a tail wind ... Current boat is a 2002 19.5 Bayliner with the 3.0 Merc in it, and I can have the whole family (5) on board and hold 43MPH on the GPS.

We cruise at right in the mid 30s between 3,800 and 4,000 RPM (according to the dash tach). Seems to be where the boat likes it. I pull a skier, tube or kneeboard with 3 on board pretty regularly. The Bayliner was really designed for the 135HP engine and it responds well to it. My old 17.5' probably wouldn't have done any better with the 3.0 than it did with the OMC ... wasn't designed for it.

BTW - both engines were nearly as efficient. The 165 OMC wasn't fast, but it was consistent. Effectively both boats cruised at the same speed, but the Bayliner has turned out to be the better boat for towing.

One thing I'll say about the Bayliner with the 3.0 - you can see it in a bunch of my posts about it - It's a loud little mug! At idle, the only way you knew the OMC was running was to see bubbles behind the boat. You could barely hear that engine at idle which was nice for conversation while we were putting along. The 3.0 likes to be heard You don't have to yell over it or anything, but it's definitely it's own part of the conversation on board.

Any chance you can test drive boats with each engine? Really the only way you're going to find out if it's worth it for you is to try it and see how the experience lines up.