Never owned a Volvo .... considerring

[Tafflad]

Hi ... always had Mercruisers for my I/O boats.
Looking at ordering a new boat ... all my boating in in salt water ... and it will be another 21' bowrider, used for recreational towed sports.
Last 3 boats have been Merc 4.3L & Alpha drive - performance has been adequate for needs.

Researching and see many benefits of the Volvo Aquamatic power option - lighter weight, better torque, sealed freshwater cooling, and long standing support of salt water protection, and reported reliability
(Plan B would be Mecruiser 250hp & Bravo III)

I am looking at V6 240hp DPS package, or .... possibly V6 280 DPS

Couple of Questions ...
# Is it worth paying the extra (~$2250) to get the 280 variant
# Are running costs on 280hp going to be much higher than 240hp ,
# Read in some posts that spares are expensive - is this true (Servicing spares is what I'm interested in)

 

[Scott Danforth]

yes

if you run all the time with the throttle mashed - yes

boating is expensive

 

[alldodge]

I see VP making some good equipment, maybe even better then Merc in areas. The parts are expensive just like Mercs are on the other side of the pond.

The reasons I stay away from VP are;

finding someone that knows enough and is willing to work on it,

I'm getting older and don't have a lot of issues working on Mercs and can find more folks with knowledge to discuss issues

 

[BRICH1260]

VP makes a good engine and drive. In many ways better than Merc in my opinion, save for maybe the XDP series of drives. The problem that you will find is that there are not as many dealers and mechanics. Part prices are generally a little more expensive, but you will learn where to buy to get a better deal, the internet is a good tool as you are not held hostage to your local dealer`s prices anymore. I suggest you learn your own engine and drive and do a lot of the basic mechanical and winterization yourself.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Stick with the Mercruiser.
Volvo makes a great product, along with that also comes the expense.

 

[garbageguy]

We have run Merc's, VP's, various OB's, a direct-drive, etc. The VP SX Cobra on our 1998 25 ft small cruiser is great. I like how smooth and tight it is, check and lube it yearly, never a problem. The marina the boat is at is a VP dealer, just in case. Fresh-water cooled engine.

We have replaced the u-joints, not sure if that's a VP vs Merc consideration.

I really like the VP.

On your 3 questions: Yes; I don't think so; "spares"? a spare drive? sure that would take some $, possibly more than a Merc, service on a VP might be more than a Merc, I think in the long run that's debatable, as said, boating is expensive

 

[Lou C]

Well from what I've seen and heard...here in salt water...boats moored or slipped in salt water...the Volvo drives are not prone to the rusted steering arms, and loose hinge pins & transom leaks that affect Merc drives left in salt water. I have the Cobra whose design Volvo copied and in all the 15+ years it's been moored in the salt I've had none of those issues. In fact when I can no longer get Cobra parts I am going to convert it over to an SX drive which is possible because of the similaritiy in the transom designs.
I would survey your area and see how many Merc dealers there are vs V/P. If there is only 1 V/P vs like 5 Merc dealers that gives you much more choice.
Lastly if you are comparing parts prices for an Alpha drive vs a Volvo SX or SXA keep in mind they are not comparable. The Volvo shifts much smoother, it has the ability to handle much more power and is easier to service (impeller, bellows). The Volvo drives start at the level of the Bravo series, the Alpha is a step down from that. The engine management parts like the EFI fuel pumps etc are expensive. In my case I'd go with an SX drive and keep the simple carbed engine with points distributor from when it was born as an OMC....

 

[alan ber]

Present boat has Twin Volvo Penta 4.3 GXI gas engines.
Boating is expensive, Parts costly
VOLVO is foreign , like a Mercedes only Volvo Penta parts will work ,
Cant go too West Marine ( who wants too ) and find a part , ON LINE PARTS DIST BEST
Some after market available but limited .
EXAMPE in my case , Fuel pump cells VP SPECIALY PART - EXTERNAL ELECTRIC PART - $ 900 each , GOT 4 years in salt ,
was going too rebuild with new cells but found on Amazon China exact replacement $ 199.00 - SO FAR GOOD

Steering actuator leaking , SEAL - There is a company that does rebuilds but wont do VP , - HAD TOO BUY VP part

SERVICE = my area might be the exception , but being based fishing community Space Coast of Fla , Majority of engines Diesel or OB
Try finding a guy too work on gas engines at a marina ,?
My boat is 30 ft , I have a trailer and will tow for service I cant do
Exhausted all local options too find service people
Marina does not offer repairs , but will only allow service people on property that are legit business , showing insurance , and must pay a daily entry fee that is passed on too boat owner ,. NOT SHADE TREE GUYS and dealer guys only work on diesel ,
VP DEALERS - if you have one close that can maintain , boat not too big ,( trailer ) would be OK
I use my boat multiple times each week all year in FL and find my choice of engines was a poor decision
Gas IO engines are DINOSAURS

BOTTOM LINE - Mine are Chevy Vortec 6 cylinder engines , all accessories mounted onto engine are VP

I would never go VP , If your going IO I found Mercruiser lot easier .

 

[Scott Danforth]

Alan, you know that the new 4.3 VP engines share nothing with your 4.3 GXI engines other than displacement and that the base motor came from GM

the fuel pump is a carter/airtex unit in a VP box. any good hydraulic cylinder shop can repair the steering actuator

the new LT (Gen V) based 4.3 is direct injected and variable valve timing, and spins to 5800 RPM vs your Gen 1 based 4.3 which spins to 4800 RPM

The OP also lives in the UK where Volvo dealers are more prevalent than the Mercruiser dealers.