Anyone here have an hours meter in your boat?  Is it worth installing?  Cost?  Also, how is it installed?  Difficult?  I ma fairly handy.  I am thinking it might be a good idea just to keep track of the hours on my new Merc.  Just wondering what you guys think.

Thanks in advance?

:-/

They are benificial if you try to do your programmed maintenace. You can get a couple of different types. Theres one that uses a wire the makes several loops around a plug wire and it show rpm and hours only when motor is running, they run about $40. The standard meter just hooks to a switched hot wire and a battery negative. It counts in whole and 1/10 hours the whole time the key switch in turned on. They too run about $40. I usually mount them under the cowling on the engine. Be surpised how long it takes to put 50 hours on a motor unless you run the fool out of one like I do.

I guess, I should have asked what kind of new merc.  The Opti's keep track of the hours but you have to have the software to get it out.

i also do not have one on my boat i wanted it to keep up on maintanence   but i just keep a little log for that  the newer motors   have the hours recorded into them   any tech can tell you exactly how many hours you have

I guess, I should have asked what kind of new merc.

It is a 115 EFI 4 Stroke.

any tech can tell you exactly how many hours you have

How can they tell?  Maybe I am missing something.

with the program  that ben mentioned  they hook up to your motor

The software is usually very expensive, it would be much cheaper and easier to just install your own hour meter.  If you do a lot of your own work it might pay you to buy the software because you need it for the diagnostics (much like the what they shops hook to your newer cars) but if not, you really have no need for it.

Next time you bring your boat in to have anything done, even just something little like a new filter, just ask them to check the hours on your engine, they will almost always do it for free as long as your boat is there getting something done anyhow.