1999 4100 gas engines

[True North]

Good morning, looking at purchasing a 1999 4100sca. My concern is the small horse power 454 gas engines. 310hp. The boat weights in at 30,000 pounds. That’s a lot of weight for gas engines. Can anyone with one of these give me some details and their thoughts on how the boat runs with these engines.

[shrew]

Are you sure it's 310HP. There was a 330 HP 454 and a 454HO which was around 385. I've had 2 friends with older Carver 36/370 with those 385HP engines and another in a Silverton 392.

I'd be more interested in the hours and maintenance over time. Most of these engines get from 500-1,500 hrs. 2,000 is possible, but not common, especially with the loads of a big boat. One friend with the Carver 36 got well over 1,500 hrs on the engines. They can also typically be rebuilt.

I share skepticism of a boat that large with gas engines. I'd personally be leaning towards diesels. However, I've had a diesel for 9 years and I'm biased. Service, maintenance, and repowering are significantly higher on diesel than on gas.

You might consider the cost of repowering gas, vs overall cost and cost of maintenance on a diesel and decide which works better in the long run. Fuel burn will also be a consideration.

If I were doing weekends and 1-2 weeks a year and doing short distances and only did 6 months a year (like most of us in the northern states), then I would have no issue going with gas.

If you plan on travelling extensively, then definitely diesel.

[CapPap]

I have a 2001 3500 SCR with twin 454 310HP engines. Boat dry weight is ~16,000 lbs. I'm not winning any races, but I'm satisfied with the power. They do like the gas though.
I realize this is not an even comparison, for what it's worth.