HELP! 496HO extended warranty?

[Big Bear]

I'm finally picking up my new boat next Sat. and I have 1 more decision to make. Do I spend $3800 for the extended warranty on my 496HO and Bravo XR.How well are these motors holding up? I would like to Whipple the motor in the future which would void me or I would have to wait 5 years. The boat is an Advantage 28 Victory so it is a big boat. Will the size of the boat put undo stress on the motor and drive. I know if I drive sensibly that will help make it live longer. I upgraded to the XR for the Whipple down the road, so the drive should be worry free with the stock motor, I hope. Any .02 on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Finally I can say, "SEE YOU ALL ON THE WATER!!!! :D

[CAHotRodBoy]

Hey Big Bear,
I think it depends on how much work you're going to do yourself vs farm out. I know I could rebuild a BBC for less than $3800. Now, the outdrive is a different story but I can't emagine it would cost that much. If you have to pay someone, Bob teague for example, I think the cost would be much higher. And if you don't want to wait 5 years to slap on that Whipple, well...
I'm upgrading to a 29 footer with twin 454's with ext'd warranty to 2007. I intend to leave them stock (except for K&N, headers, bolt-ons) and I don't want to spend a lot of time in the bilge (I got enough other projects :D ) so the ext'd warranties are worth it to me. If it breaks I'm going to bring it in and say "fix it!".
I run off shore with a bunch of guys with big boats and there does seem to be a lot of breakage. My buddy has a 38 Scarab with twin BBs, big blowers, #6 drives, etc. His recommendation: leave it stock and reliable!
So I guess my .02 is: If you want to enjoy the boat in stock form, get the warranty. If you want to hot rod it with the Whipple, save the money for the driveline (mods / repairs).
Where do you do your boating? We should run together sometime!
PS: Congrats on the new boat! :) :) :)
[ August 02, 2003, 04:36 PM: Message edited by: CAHotRodBoy ]

[FIREMAN]

The XR drive was a wise choice. I Have a 28 Cat with the 496 Mag HO. Last weekend I was in the middle of a poker run and the Bravo one X drive grenaded. My mech. at HalfTrack Marine in Havasu Springs says that it was due to the size of boat ( 28 Cat ) and 425HP at the prop and over really needs the XR drive, especially if your gonna through a whipple on it. You can also look at re-tuning the computer for an extra 5-6 mph.
Headers and ehaust will do alot too. I'm trying to track down a Micro Tuner for it right now.

[CAHotRodBoy]

FIREMAN:
The XR drive was a wise choice. I Have a 28 Cat with the 496 Mag HO. Last weekend I was in the middle of a poker run and the Bravo one X drive grenaded. My mech. at HalfTrack Marine in Havasu Springs says that it was due to the size of boat ( 28 Cat ) and 425HP at the prop and over really needs the XR drive, especially if your gonna through a whipple on it. You can also look at re-tuning the computer for an extra 5-6 mph.
Headers and ehaust will do alot too. I'm trying to track down a Micro Tuner for it right now. Fireman: I hear this kind of stuff alot. Is your motor stock or modified? Why don't boat builders use the XR's with the higher hp motors to begin with?
My new boat has twin 454 MPI Mags (385HP)with Bravo 1's. I think with bolt-ons and tuning I can see 400+ HP. The boat weighs 6800 lbs. Think the drives will hold up? Does having two engines ease the load on them?

[TrojanDan]

Big Bear, simple question, can you afford the $3,800? If so, pay it for piece of mind. That said, we have over 130 trouble free hours (knock on wood) on our 2002 29' Magic with the 496 HO and X drive. If I could have afforded it, maybe I would have bought it but I believe they were asking around $5k for 5 additional years. "F" that! I can fix it for less.
Didn't you spend some extra jack on your trailer too from what I remember? Spend the money on usefull stuff like gas, insurance, and beer! :D ......and stop the worrying about trailers and warranties. Hope you enjoy your boat. :cool:

[jet496]

I have a 2001, 21 ft Ultra Stealth, jet drive, 496HO with over 200 hours on it. Never had a problem.

[mmered8299]

Big Bear....What good is a Warranty when something goes wrong and you call up a certified mechanic and he tells you he is 3weeks out! So you have to call your buddy who is an excellent mechanic, just not a merc. one, and pay him to fix it. Now your back out on the water the next day, not 3 weeks!

[MASTERKENDOG]

BB,
I have 20 hours on my 496 HO and a Bravo 1 X. Let me tell ya a story...1st the "hub" which spins the prop was the wrong one.(Essex saids it was Merc. & Merc saids "ah, we will look into that") Regardless the hub was for the bravo 1, no "X". Bravo one is rated to 400hp and the bravo one X is rated to 450hp per the Mercury website. That happened on 4th of July 1st thing in the a.m. 4 hours later I get it to the guys over at Lake Mohave Resort boat shop got me running in 1 hour, and they were way cool, I paid for the warranty part just to get back on the lake, at 3pm!!!! Then 1 week later, Friday the 14th, the coupler breaks, and I get towed in by Mr. Minor who owns Conquest/Group one Marine and was nothing but an super awesome guy! :D (went way out of his way to tow me) Towed me from south of Red Rock (on Havasu below Copper Canyon) to Nautical Inn!
Back to the 496 mag HO, so now my brand new boat has been in Bullhead for 1 month :( and I may get it by this friday August 8th! argue Well I guess it sucks to be me, hadn't even gotten a full week on the damn boat and its in the f#@kin' shop for 5 weeks! I'm buying a back up boat!!!!! Oh yeah the coupler is about $450. and then there's the labor, apparently a 2 day job, at $75 an hour, yeah about $1700+ "under warranty" wadda ya think now?!!!!!

[Big Bear]

Thanks for the .02 guys. I am leaning towards not getting the extension so I can Whipple without waiting 5 years. I know there are always horror stories and just plain bad luck, so I guess I would be rolling the dice that anything gonna happen would hopefully happen the first year. New boat, first boat, I know I will have a lot to learn. Hopefully not the hard way. Hey CAHotRodBoy, I plan on running at Havasu til I get a chance to check out other places. What do you recommend for a local spot for a 1 day Sunday thing? I've heard good and BAD about Castaic.

[El Chingon]

Big Bear:
I've heard good and BAD about Castaic. Try Lake Pyramid about 20-30 minutes further north. Water is still warm throughout September and early October. :cool:

[CAHotRodBoy]

Big Bear:
Hey CAHotRodBoy, I plan on running at Havasu til I get a chance to check out other places. What do you recommend for a local spot for a 1 day Sunday thing? I've heard good and BAD about Castaic. BB:
I'd do Pyramid. Castaic has 35 MPH speed limit and is filled with a**holes! Lst time I went to Pyramid (early May) I got there around 9AM and had no trouble getting on. It did take me over an hour to trailer though. That was around 3-3:30PM. I think the dealis to arrive early and leave late. Either that or leave mid day. Let me know if you want to do a run. I'll PM you with my #.

[Big Bear]

Thanks guys, I had heard you just about had to camp at Pyramid to get out there on a Sunday. After this weekend we are off to the midwest for 2 weeks vacation and then we have Labor Day right after we get back. Being a rookie, I wont hit Havasu this year, not til I get some experience on the water with the new boat. We will have to see what Sep. and Oct. bring. Sounds like a great plan for a Sunday though.

[6 Dollar Boat]

BB, I would think twice or maybe 3 times before putting a whipple or any boost to a 496 HO. I know of problems people have had with head gaskets after 70 hrs. With only 3 lbs of boost. Check these boards you may find some old threds regarding this. I have a 255 Hallett and will keep the 496 HO stock till I sell next year.

[Kilrtoy]

That is way too much money, The dealer is ripping topu off. At best that should cost 1800.
3800 you could get a new motor....... eek!

[Big Bear]

Yea, I've pretty much decided to save the money for partying and the inevitable first f#*k up. Hopefully the latter will be a long time coming. Should know tomorrow if I can pick up my toy on Sat. I may not have made all the right moves but I'm sure as hell going to enjoy the shit out of my new boat and worry about more horsepower and other trick shit later. BRING ON THE BUTT FLOSS AND PASTIES!!!! :D Hey Kilrtoy, where did you hide the big 1000?????

[Kilrtoy]

In the THONG PATROL in the sandbar

[Trailer Park Casanova]

We bought a new boat this year and looked at the extended warranty this way:
We didn't buy it because it's too expensive, and the $3600 cost would go a long way towards replaceing the motor if anything should happen.
I kept $3600 betting that I won't have to spend 6 grand.
The only gas Mercs we've heard having any trouble are the Scorpions (scoreing piston), and they now come with a free 3 year X warranty.
The rest of the Merc lineup is a pretty good bet nothing will happen.

[Essex502]

Interesting thaat the price went up so much since we purchased our boat in 2000. Merc 502 Mag in 2000 - extended warranty was $1,700. Was it the motor or was it that we bought it 3 years ago?
Is the warranty offered a Mercruiser extended warranty or a 3rd party warranty?
Ours even covers towing back to dock if required.
I'd shop around.