As some of you know, I had a problem with the engine on our new-to-us Allmand 31. The damping plate on our Universal 5416 shattered after 3 days of very heavy use, causing the boat to lose propulsion, tearing the rear seal on the engine, and possibly wrecking the transmission (the jury is still out on the transmission). My wife is, understandably, not happy about the problem with the engine (truth be told, neither am I, but since it's more "my" boat, I'm more understanding). When we bought the boat, the marina said that they had a diesel mechanic look over the engine (it was a bankruptcy seizure) before the boat was moved from it's old home to the marina. That gave us a lot of comfort that the engine was in good shape, and we didn't hire a diesel mechanic to survey the engine. She thinks the marina misrepresented the engine's condition. I disagree; I think that the damping plate is one of those parts that you wouldn't normally inspect when getting ready to move the boat a few hours away. I don't think someone hired to do a diesel survey would take the bell housing off and inspect the damping plate, either. So, what say you? Do you think the marina was shady, or do you think that the damping plate problem was one of those things that would have happened even if there had been a proper engine survey?