Im in the middle of pulling the trigger on this boat.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]33527[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]33528[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]33529[/ATTACH]
It appears to be a solid boat and negotiations are complete. The last thing is a sea trial which is scheduled for next week. Any experts on here that would like to tag along or discuss other things to look for? I would compensate you in some way for your time and expertise. A professional survey is $435 and does not include any mechanical checking, just visual and an appraisal - which doesn’t seem worth it.
To give you a background, its always been fresh water. Its an original 454 Mercruiser (365 or 385 hp) with Bravo 1 drive. 25 pitch prop and should do 70mph+ in good conditions. The interior is not perfect but passable for now and has small stress cracks on top of the windshield.
Just figured Id run it by here to before I finally commit and drop the cash
684 hours, not bad, but I’d look over the motor very closely; oil, compression check, look at the plugs, pull a valve cover if he’ll let you, etc.
Do a tap-test on the transom, make sure it’s not got any rot; pull up the corners of the carpets, check those areas for rot, go over the electrical and just look to see what shape everything is in; etc.
What’s the year? Any wood in the construction? If so, check for soft floor spots and rotted stringers.
Check exhaust manifold risers for rust.
Check for any water leaks in the cooling system, mainly at the raw water pump.
Check steering cable.
Try to get a peak at the wiring and see if any spots have corrosion on the connectors or anything.
Check all accessories for functionality (bilge, lights, cabin features, etc…).
Check all gauges
Check stereo
Feel the boat out for vibrations.
Turn it hard at high cruising speeds (30-40mph) and see how it feels. Is it solid, does it track around a turn as expected?
Fill it to the brim with gas and check for leaks on the gas tank.
Compression test the motor.
On the trailer:
check the tires
check the brakes
check all lights and wiring harness for corrosion
check for significant rust
Thanks for the replies. Most of that stuff has been checked, but you guys have brought up other things to look into.
The floors are solid, the transom is good. Engine bay looks clean and wiring appears to be good. He literally walked up, put in a battery he had on a trickle charger and it fired right up.
Heres some videos I happened to find in my search of the exact same boat from the previous owner.
Man that thing is hauling some ass for a single screw boat. Any mods to the engine? Sounds phenomenal.
I love my wakeboat, but It’s a 20 foot boat with a 335hp motor and can barely muster 40mph lol I guess that’s the difference between an I/O with a high pitch prop and an inboard with a low pitch.
The motor is stock. It did/does sound nice, no ticking, good idle. It appears solid like I said, but a sea trial would really determine whether I take it home
Welp, went and ran her today for a few hours. Passed these tests and took her home. Keeping it at the rents place for now but, so far life is good. Pulled 63 on the gps at 4500 rpm going up the river. I think with perfect conditions and a little more rpm this can do 70 like people claim.
The location that I like due to proximity to my house, and location on the water, is Rich marina. I haven’t checked the rates for 2015 yet, but I was down there last week for a work cruise and it looked decent. NFTA boat harbor is also on my radar if I can find a slip.
I had my boat at Rich last year, the only complaint I had is that there is nothing really going on there. Cant beat the location though when you live in the city.
I’m curious about marina rates on Erie. Next year, I’m likely keeping mine up in Wilson, since it’s about 10 minutes from my house. Good marina “scene” there also. Couple of restaurants, bands, shops, and stuff going on every weekend. Downsides are that most of the interesting lake activity is on Erie, and cost (about 2400/season).
