The reality is (tillers boats excluded), most weekend anglers don't crack 50 hours per year on the main motor, very avid anglers between 50-100 hrs, and rare to find those few guys that are doing 100+ hrs in the northern states. The other part that comes into play is water access. Take ND's biggest resource, Lake Sakakawea, and there are few stretches of shoreline that don't have an access at least every 10-15 miles, more less multiple boat ramps in that stretch. Most people don't need or like to make long runs to fish on the average day. On one of my biggest usage years, my boat literally touched the water 40+ days and I made many 20-30 mile one way trips and I still only hit about 80 hours on the main engine. So seeing 2-4 year old boats with a couple hundred hours on them isn't out of ordinary expectation.
TBH, the boats, engines, and electronics we are all using today are unbelievably superior to what we had even 20-years ago. Marine quality these days on these top tier boats is so much better, from wiring, composite stringers, floors, and transoms that won't ever rot; to modern 4 stroke efi engines that are expected to run 4000+ hours and tough coated steel or full aluminum trailers that aren't rust buckets after 5 years. A properly cared for and maintained boat from today could easily last most people a lifetime even though most won't ever keep them even 5-years. Frankly, anything that's been decently cared for and manufactured in the last decade will make many a great boat. Electronics can always be upgraded and that's probably one of the biggest areas of change.
I hope to update from my 2018 in the next year or two and it has nothing to do, or even the modest thought that it's unreliable or falling apart. Frankly, like many, I just have the yearning for something new and I'm a sucker for sparkly boats, lol.
