Considering GS22 with new engine

[cam05210]

I'm in conversation with a dealer on a 2018 GS22 and initial call it was brought to my attention they are in the middle of doing a full engine replacement due to water in the cylinder heads (?). It is a brand new motor they are replacing it with. The boat was traded in and they think it was caused by poor winterization but nonetheless, while I'm skeptical of buying a boat with this kind of repair, but also it might be a good opportunity to get a brand new motor to match the excellent exterior condition. Would anyone have any hesitation with something like this yourself and would there be any warranty coming with this replacement from the manufacture? Thanks for your thoughts.

[G23 GonZaga]

Is there any warranty on the new engine? find or look for signs of the boat been under water even just the back of boat. inside the conmparments including the engine it should be clean and no rust. Check the oil in the transmition. if everything checks and they give warranty I don't see a problem. If the boat has been submerged I will walk about from it. You don't get water in the cilinder heads just for no winterization. Blown up parts due to ice expanding yes but just water to cylinders nope!!!

[jpwhit]

“Brand New Motor” is far too vague to be able to offer much advice.

Is it a new short block, long block, entire new motor with all peripherals?
Same model motor as in the boat before? If the boat had an EX343, that’s no longer available. Switching the model of motor is more complicated.
New transmission?
New vdrive unit?
Who is providing the new motor? PCM or someone else?
Sometimes a replacement motor only comes with a 12 month warranty.

Sometimes a major failure is signs of a mechanically abused boat. And while a “A New Motor” may sound good, it really depends on how much is actually new and how good the local service techs are at putting all that back together. When the boat is originally built, the entire engine, transmission, and v-drive unit is fully assembled and tested at PCM and shipped as one completed unit to MasterCraft. They drop the whole thing into the hull and then do the alignments with the running gear. In this case all that will be done by the dealer service techs. And while it’s not rocket science, and some service techs are excellent, I’ve seen others that either can’t or just don’t care to do a quality job.

[SANonTellico]

You say the boat was traded in, is this at a proper Nautique dealership or at some used boat dealer? It makes a difference.

A Nautique dealer will have mechanics that have been properly trained by Nautique and are very likely to know what they’re doing. There certainly are some very good private shops out there but there are plenty of bad ones also.

Regarding parts, it will most likely be a reman engine which, again, if it’s at a Nautique dealership they will probably get their parts directly from PCM or their certified supplier. Certified reman engines will meet the manufacturer’s specs, it will be as good as new and I would expect it to have a warranty.

Swapping an engine may sound quite complicated (it is) but with a properly trained technician there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.