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BOAT advice (Update)
JustC
Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
Well I have been without for almost 6yrs now[:(] and I have the bug bigtime[B)] I found a guy who needs to move a boat and can prolly be talked down,..how much I don't know.
Here is the deal:
20' 1992 Key west with small cuddy cabin
1992 150hp Mariner (havn't fired it up yet) looks good under the cover
trailer with new tires, surge breaks, and power winch (don't know if they need work)
Has internal fuel tank and oil tank with water filter mounted to the stern inside.
The boat has been sitting under the pine trees for 7yrs, and he stated he only took it out 2x and his wife didn't like it. It needs a serious cleaning up and cleaning out. I hit the power trim and it went up and down just fine. The gas guage jumped right up when I turned on the ignition as did the volt meter.
I would be taking a risk on the motor, and don't really want to jump into a money pit right now (rather do an addition). However, the engine is CLEAN inside the cover,...looks like low hours for it's age.
NADA puts boat/motor/trailer at ~$3500, but that is considering one that doesn't need this much TLC. He is asking $3000. I have the power washer and chemicals to get the hull half decent and can do the work myself and with friends, been around the water all my life, even worked on the water. What would you offer???? I was thinking no more than $1500 as she sits right now.[?] He isn't using it and is moving from the house where she sits.
Here is the deal:
20' 1992 Key west with small cuddy cabin
1992 150hp Mariner (havn't fired it up yet) looks good under the cover
trailer with new tires, surge breaks, and power winch (don't know if they need work)
Has internal fuel tank and oil tank with water filter mounted to the stern inside.
The boat has been sitting under the pine trees for 7yrs, and he stated he only took it out 2x and his wife didn't like it. It needs a serious cleaning up and cleaning out. I hit the power trim and it went up and down just fine. The gas guage jumped right up when I turned on the ignition as did the volt meter.
I would be taking a risk on the motor, and don't really want to jump into a money pit right now (rather do an addition). However, the engine is CLEAN inside the cover,...looks like low hours for it's age.
NADA puts boat/motor/trailer at ~$3500, but that is considering one that doesn't need this much TLC. He is asking $3000. I have the power washer and chemicals to get the hull half decent and can do the work myself and with friends, been around the water all my life, even worked on the water. What would you offer???? I was thinking no more than $1500 as she sits right now.[?] He isn't using it and is moving from the house where she sits.
Comments
O ut
A nother
T housand.
Doug says: Get a different boat.
Doug
did he buy it new? If he did, and the motors only seen a few hours use that would make a big difference to me.
like others have said, i wouldn't fire up the motor until you clean all the old gas out and tuned it up.
If he bought it new, I would go as high as $2000 for it, but no more.
remember, it books at $3500 but no one is getting book value this year.
tom
quote: he stated he only took it out 2x and his wife didn't like
did he buy it new? If he did, and the motors only seen a few hours use that would make a big difference to me.
like others have said, i wouldn't fire up the motor until you clean all the old gas out and tuned it up.
If he bought it new, I would go as high as $2000 for it, but no more.
remember, it books at $3500 but no one is getting book value this year.
tom
Tom, from what I understand, he bought it from the first owner who took good care of it. The motor looks clean,..but that don't mean much.
How hard is it to flush/clean/rebuilt outboard carbs?? anyone know??
just talked to the guy who turned me onto it,..said the owner has had it for 7yrs, it has only been under the tree (sitting) for 2yrs. makes me feel a little better.
Water pump might be dry rotted. Hopefully it was fogged or otherwise well stored after the last use.
If it were me I'd check the hoses/belts, buy a big tupperware storage chest to drop the motor in or a hose adaptor, disconnect the fuel line and splice it into a temporary source, open up the carb and clean it up, then see if it would fire up. Fire extinguishers on standby.
If it runs ok, $2000. If not, less.
Now if it were a well kept boat, clean inside and out, maybe $3k.
"Buy a friend a boat and BORROW it from time to time....its a lot less trouble and less expensive than HAVING a boat."
water has pooled, you could easily have dry root in places you likely
won't want to be pouring money into. If the engine has not run in
seven years, Just getting it going will likely be the inexpensive
part. Keeping it running reliably will be another matter. I am
not implying don't buy it. What I am saying is you may well spend
a lot more than you think you will. Boats are where a lot of my money
ends up going. And it is always expensive. I do all repairs and maintenance my self.
If you like boating as much as I do. Don't let fear and common sense
deter ya.
B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand.
Amen Brother!
+1 I am now a friggin' boat mechanic. I bought someone else's headache for a steal, but it cost a little to get it reliable.
I am not the brightest guy though so I would take advantage of the opp.
+1 Carbs will be varnished. If it has any gas in it take it out and put fresh in and a whole bottle of sea foam of course after you Atleast clean the carbs. Get a muff and hook up the garden hose and see if it will run. You may want to check the plugs and replace if needed, they are expensive too.
Yes whole fuel system will be full of crap. From experience of buying the boat that sat around and didn't get used. It is much better to get the boat that has been used more.
The boat that sits has build up on everything. Right down to the oil in the engine. If this boat sat for any amount of time you should replace all of the fuel lines. This may be tedious but worth it.
You will be putting fresh gas in this system, the 10% ethanol in the gas will eat all of the crap built up in the tank and the lines and what makes it past the fuel filter will build up in your carb.
So replace lines hook it up to the hose and then run the seafoam gas throught the system till the filter is somewhat clean. Then you can clean the carb.
If you have been around boats you probably know most or all of this. 90% of problems with idle boats is in the fuel systems.
I was lied to about my boat with the whole trouble free boating add, new this and new that!
I wish you luck!
OH yeah! stating the obvious.If your wife isn't into the whole idea, run away from it, If she doesn't want a boat then she isn't gonna be patient with the time it is going to take you to get it running cherry.
you might be onto a real good deal...then again,you might be volunteering for a massive head ache as most here have said.
went by the marine mechanic's this afternoon. He stated that rebuilding the carbs, replacing water pump, replacing fuel pump, replacing trailer breaks etc would run ~$1000 He also stated he would do the compression test and a good fogging before he even attempted to run it.
Motor was run last time in 07'
Key West boat hulls are ALL fiberglass,..no wood to dryrot[^]
Gel coat underneath the debris looks like it might come-up with some diligent scrubbing and buffing.
Oh,..and don't worry, if he won't let me get it checked out, on my dime at that, then no way I want to even look at it any further.
update
went by the marine mechanic's this afternoon. He stated that rebuilding the carbs, replacing water pump, replacing fuel pump, replacing trailer breaks etc would run ~$1000 He also stated he would do the compression test and a good fogging before he even attempted to run it.
Motor was run last time in 07'
Key West boat hulls are ALL fiberglass,..no wood to dryrot[^]
Gel coat underneath the debris looks like it might come-up with some diligent scrubbing and buffing.
Oh,..and don't worry, if he won't let me get it checked out, on my dime at that, then no way I want to even look at it any further.
Almost sounds like a steal!![:)]
The mechanic said that my description of the engines exterior condition was a good thing (no corrosion under the engine cover or on the hydraulic lift cylinders etc), so the internals was the only concern.
he did state that with the new E10 gas,..that it is so aggressive it will find and release any and all varnish in the entire system directly into the engine,...so getting the carbs etc spotless was a must. He said since jan 08', when E10 came out, 75% of his work since then is directly related to problems caused by E10 gas.
I want to get the boat to him so that if it runs perfect after a cleaning etc, I can still bargain with the owner. he is supposedly in his 60's now, and the wife nor he care to use it. I shall see what bargaining power I have after a check by the mechanic. I also have to wait for the guys property to dry out before I can get the truck back there to haul it out.
Yeah Eric,..I don't need a money pit right now[B)] But I have been on the water all my life, and right now with trophy rockfish season just ending, and bait fishing getting ready to start,..plus a few offshore charters scheduled,..I am REALLY GETTING that bug again.
The mechanic said that my description of the engines exterior condition was a good thing (no corrosion under the engine cover or on the hydraulic lift cylinders etc), so the internals was the only concern.
he did state that with the new E10 gas,..that it is so aggressive it will find and release any and all varnish in the entire system directly into the engine,...so getting the carbs etc spotless was a must. He said since jan 08', when E10 came out, 75% of his work since then is directly related to problems caused by E10 gas.
I want to get the boat to him so that if it runs perfect after a cleaning etc, I can still bargain with the owner. he is supposedly in his 60's now, and the wife nor he care to use it. I shall see what bargaining power I have after a check by the mechanic. I also have to wait for the guys property to dry out before I can get the truck back there to haul it out.
That was it for me,fuel system, now my idle boat is idling![:D]
I hope it all works out. If it has always been in fresh water, it should still give U years of good boating.
rememer, that qoute was for carbs, water pump, fuel pump, and new breaks on the trailer. I would do it myself if I was confident I could do outboards,..but they just aren't in my area of knowledge.
as long as she would show compression correctly,..I would say she was good-to-go wouldn't you??
I don't really know, but I think you'd be hard pressed to lose at that price.
you have never had work done on an outboard apperantly, you could lose alot because the sum of parts far exceeds the price of the unit. a lower end costs more than the whole boat.
Now Mariner engines have a tough reputation for reliability, they are the cheap end outboard.
we talked about all the hole in the water expenses associated with boat ownership (I am always amazed how much damage water does to a boat)
the hardest thing on a boat is for it to "just sit" scary things are internal tanks that havn't been used (when they fail, the repair is intense.) cables rust, electrical wires corrode and break, water gets into wooden stringers, frames and structural supports.
I have the boat bug myself and I am seeing a lot of boats that have sat lately. I have so far, resisted the urge to buy one.
I think I said last time, I was given a boat and even that wasn't cheap enough to maker it worth repairing.
So my advise is to buy a boat you know works well, if you can't do sea trials today, it is a project and will no doubt lead to expensive unplanned repairs. the worst thing that could happen is it sits under your tree because the repairs cost too much.
The rule is, if you can't afford it, don't buy a boat they are a rich mans toy.
On the other hand, that seems like a screamin deal. I am not familier with Key west brand but replacing the trailer is a 2000 bill and a mariner 150 probably runs 4500?
As far as the quote he gave you, just seems a little high to me. If your comfortable with paying his quoted price, by all means, go ahead.
As far as the boat goes, Key West boats are a very good boat. All fiberglass means years of no worry, (as long as you don't run across something to crack it.)
For $1500 or so, you can't go wrong, in my opinion. Spend no more than a $1000 to get it running. And if you get tired of it in a few years, turn around and sell it for what you have in it.
if not, no big deal, the folks have a 25' grady white[:D]
the offer of $1500 was made,..and also stated we wanted to carry it to a mechanic first. we shall see
if not, no big deal, the folks have a 25' grady white[:D]
Your folks have a 25' Grady White, and you're thinking of buying a boat? Have you lost your mind?