[Bigsam]

I am looking at a used boat (18ft) that has an older 4cyl volvo penta inboard motor. Maybe 15 years old, older fisherman had it and swears it was one of the best motors made. I am getting it checked out at Custom Craft marine. Any opinions on these motors? Reliable? It looks basically like a Ford Pinto motor. I had one in a Ford Courier and it was great. Does 110 HP sound about right?

 

[Merch]

One thing I remember about Volvo 4s is that the rear cylinder could get corrosion that caused cooling water to leak in through the exhaust, or something like that. The fix was to get it welded and sounded like it could be kind of pricey.

However if you are looking at the boat and having a reputable mechanic look it over they will know the pit falls on a particular motor/drive combination and if nothing is evident in the exam you should be good.

I do think Volvos are good motors. We had an 83 Bayliner years ago with a 125hp 4 cylinder that ran like a top.

Merch

 

[fishkisser]

They were the one to have in their day, a pretty reliable power plant if well cared for ...:smile:

 

[rowmanholiday]

I recently had a 20' Glasply with a 4 cylinder motor (I/O) that I was thinking about purchasing and took it into a marine mechanic to have it checked out. What I was told by the mech was that IF the engine was in good shape, that it would be a good buy because they are dependable. The word of caution from him was that if any work needed to be done that required replacement parts, the cost is pretty high due to the cost of parts. That was a red flag for me.
As it turned out, whoever did the initial motor work, did not do a very good job and the motor was not woth fixing. Kind of unfortunate because it was a nice looking boat and I was really looking forward to having a decent sized boat for "big" water fishing.

Good luck with yours if you do indeed end up buying that boat.

:cheers: