06 4460 with gas motors. Are these a good option?

So this is an age old question and everyone is going to have differing opinions. Generally Diesel engines are considered to last longer than gas, considered more reliable and are safer due to the fuel being less flammable. The maintenance cost's are higher (filters, oil, etc) and typically if something breaks on a diesel it is not for a DIY'er unless they have a good working knowledge of diesel engines.

Having said that those 8.1 engines should be sufficient for a 4460. I have a 4060 with 8.1's with IPS drives and have never felt it to be underpowered. In fact we reached 40mph on the sea trial on a calm day. My 4060 has a dry weight of 19,000 and I believe the 4460 was 22,000 so they are of similar weight.

Personally I would not shy away from gas or diesel for casual boating if is the right vessel and of a good condition and price.

Now if you were looking for a loop boat where you are putting on a significant amount of miles and hours I would suggest steering towards diesels.

As far as maintenance questions I would get all the records available and look at them closely; survey, sea trial and oil samples are a must. If you are concerned about handling all you can do is take the vessel on a sea trial to determine how it feels to YOU. Everything else is just other peoples opinions.

Good luck in your search and remember to take the time to enjoy the process!!

We bought a 2007 4460 almost 1 year ago with the Merc 8.1’s. We have never felt it was underpowered. It was docked in Charleston so we travelled the current river, took it into the Ocean and the ICW. Both cruising at low throttle and running at 3000-3500, it always ran well for us. A bit hard on gas, but it’s 44’...

Three suggestions: (1) obtain full maintenance records; (2) compression tests and (3) have the oil analyzed.

Growing up, my dad loved the 41 Chris Craft double cabin. He owned two. He knew gas engines pretty well, so he always opted for getting the biggest boat he could stick a pair of gasoline engines on. The 41 Chris Crafts fit his bill perfectly. Those boats were basically floating condos.

The first one came with the Chris Craft 427 gasoline engines. These were marinized versions of a hearty Ford block. The second one had a pair of MerCruiser 454s, which most of you know were marinized GM truck engines. We changed the oil and oil filters religiously. The only problem we ever had was when a fuel dock sold us gas that had a high water content. Other than that, we never had a single problem running gas engines on the 41's.

Performance: You could get it on a plane making just over 16 knots at abut 3000 RPM. The 4 barrels kicked in at about 3200 RPM., and that's when the gas mileage really took a dive. We'd aim to cruise at around 17 knots, which meant 3100 RPM per engine. 90% of our trips were in the upper Keys, but my brother and I took the second one to the Bahamas. Confidence in the engines was never an issue.

If the hours aren't too high, the maintenance records look good and the engines perform, it sounds like this could work for you.

Regal said we could expect 0.6 mpg. Reality is we are never above 3000 rpm and mostly less than 1500. We didn’t put many hours on the boat due to Covid and waiting for lessons, then grandkids home school, then we wanted new canvas... and then I went back to work and we moved the boat. Expect to get more use next summer as it’s getting bottom painted and repainting the hull to a different color.

We love our 4460, what sold my wife was the bedroom configuration. What sold me was the large hardtop that gives a real feel of security. We bought ours for $151 (less then 300 hrs on motors), but spent a fair bit in new tops, new props, changed all hoses in engine compartment, one cool fuel module and we did all plugs and wire. Then my wife wanted to add the washer/dryer and the galley fridge she couldn’t get clean so we replaced. Hence why I went back to work.... we also swapped out some lights in the hard top, problem with too much time is you can always find a project that’s fun..

Thanks, Hawker for confirming that!  You got the boat at a great price; especially, considering the low hours...  I really like it as well.  The layout I think is simply perfect and will suit my needs well.   I am going to see her next week... so I am very looking forward to this. I probably will need to take some classes as well.  We will see... :-) 

jlas:

Good luck.

We get 28 knots and for your 10 mile cruises on fresh water lake go with the 4460 gassers. The VP 8.1's are Bullitt proof if you take care of them. We have 1000 hours on ours and nothing but oil and filter changes, sea water impellers, batteries! Manifolds and risers still fine! Get a full survey!!!