1990 Howard 21' River Cruiser

[Ramjetfish]

Hi All,

New here .... I am about to purchase a 1990 21' Howard with the Mercury 454 and Bravo I drive. Currently the boat is sitting up near the Lake Tahoe area. It has 618 hours and is very well maintained. My question is about the longevity of the engine. How many realistic hours can I assume from the engine? The gentleman who owns it now has had its oil changed every year including plugs and wires and drive oil. I don't know about the manifolds or risers. It's always been a fresh water boat used for cruising / skiing. He is asking 23k for it .... this used to be my grandpas boat, which he bought new in 1990, so I'm bringing it back to the family as I have a lot of great memories with this boat. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[River Dirt 2]

Hi All,

New here .... I am about to purchase a 1990 21' Howard with the Mercury 454 and Bravo I drive. Currently the boat is sitting up near the Lake Tahoe area. It has 618 hours and is very well maintained. My question is about the longevity of the engine. How many realistic hours can I assume from the engine? The gentleman who owns it now has had its oil changed every year including plugs and wires and drive oil. I don't know about the manifolds or risers. It's always been a fresh water boat used for cruising / skiing. He is asking 23k for it .... this used to be my grandpas boat, which he bought new in 1990, so I'm bringing it back to the family as I have a lot of great memories with this boat. Thanks for the input everyone. View attachment 1130584

Welcome!

Looks great, don’t let that one get away!

 

[Outdrive1]

Love the colors. Matches my old school Magic.

 

[obnoxious001]

30 years and 618 hours is a lot on a marine engine, factor in rebuild cost and see if he will drop the price.

 

[mjc]

When I sold my first boat it had a 454 and almost 900 hours and ran perfectly.

 

[Bajastu]

It will be good to see something different on Canyon Lake than the typical wake makers. Nice boat.

 

[Bajastu]

There’s a guy that lives on Blue Teal with a Howard as well.

 

[Ramjetfish]

30 years and 618 hours is a lot on a marine engine, factor in rebuild cost and see if he will drop the price.

What is the expected cost to rebuild the 454 .... it's carbureted. Not looking to add HP, it will be used as a cruiser / ski boat. Wouldn't mind adding fuel injection to it.