Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

[Jester5000]

Hi all,
Thanks for letting me join the forum - a great wealth of knowledge here!

To my question now. I'm potentially looking at buying a 1998 16' Alumiunum Lowe Sea Nymph model 166SCX, with a '95 Evrinrude 90hp E90TLEOR, and trailer, but the seller is stating the seams are leaking and need to be resealed.
It's a consignment sale so no additional info on the extent of the leaks, or where specifically.
I looked it over superficially and noticed "ripples" with gaps in parts of the seams. I took a few pics so I will try to post. None of the rivits were missing or looked worn or loose.

So, would you buy before being able to put in the water? And if really leaky, would Gluvit from underneith solve that problem? (also, how do you tip a large boat like this on it's side to apply the epoxy properly?). Is it easy to remove the floor if required?

If anyone is willing to offer advice or opinions, I'm all eyes.

btw, any comments on the engine?

Thanks,
J.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Read thru these threads, you'll see a SeaNymph pulled apart & put back together:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restor...to-590579.html

1988 Sea Nymph GLS - 17'

1980 16' Sea Nymph SS 165 Rebuild (swapped)

W/out seeing the seams, esp the ones w/ ripples, I wouldn't hazard a guess as to what might be necessary to seal it up. Gluvit might do it, and it might take more then 1 application. Then again it might not.

My 1st reaction would be to clean it up on both sides & apply Gluvit to the interior of the seam, the run a small bead of 3M 5200 along the exterior of it. Gluvit is thin & runny, so unless you spend a long time baby sitting it and touching it up as it runs, it'll likely be a mess on the exterior of the hull. The fish won't care though.

Roll & tip is done regularly to work on the bottom of a tin boat's hull. Many also flip it upside down while the interior is out of it (makes it lighter) and work on the boat hull while it's turtle'd

Some suspend the boat from above instead.

Good luck w/ your pending project, welcome to iboats & see about posting those pix

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Leaky aluminum boats are easy to fix.

Do NOT apply gluvit to the outside of your hull, gluvit goes on the inside.

The deck (floor) is easy to remove and you'll need to check the floatation foam for water logging anyway.

To the seller I'd really play up the leaky boat thing as a big deal to get the boat for as cheap as possible, but it's not really that big of a deal.

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Thanks for the advice and info so far!

Here are a few pics:



Hope this helps,

Thanks!!

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

All of the above is correct. I am happy with my Sea Nymph. It used to leak like a sieve an now rides dry as a bone...

However, I will say that while leaks are very easy to fix in aluminum boat, it may require a full gut rebuild to get to the "easy fix." In many cases you want to have all the structure and foam out so you can have access to seams and any rivets that need to be replaced. Like Jig said, you want to apply the gluvit from the inside.

Also, depending on the severity of the leaks, a leak test with all the structure out is sometimes a great method to spot leaky seams and rivets and eliminates a lot of the guess work.

So, all that said, if it is priced as a "full gut rebuild" (and the motor is a runner) then maybe go for it. However, if it is priced as "all it needs is a little TLC/lipstick" then you may want to think about it.

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Hmmm...being on consignment, it's "as is". The motor supposedly was winterized and no issues with it. The price however is $5600 tax in. Really wondering if it's worth it if I have to gut it.

Also, I've seen numerous posts where it was suggested/advised to put Gluvit on the outside of the hull too (ie, tip the boat, let the epoxy really get in). Why should one NOT use Gluvit on the outside? Is it just that it doesn't last?

Thanks.

 

[SnapperMassacre]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

5600??? no way....keep looking....im still looking and Ive passed on quite a few.....full teardown....no more than 1k or 1500. just my 2cents

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Also, I've seen numerous posts where it was suggested/advised to put Gluvit on the outside of the hull too (ie, tip the boat, let the epoxy really get in). Why should one NOT use Gluvit on the outside? Is it just that it doesn't last?
Thanks.

It's runny, and tough to apply neatly, on the interior it'll mostly be covered by your interior finishes & deck. But as I said before, the fish won't care if there's some drips & runs....

$5600 is too much for a leaker...

There isn't really enough info in 3 pix to determine the extent of the problem or what might have caused the wrinkles in those chines. It may be a factory blem that occured when the angle/channel was bent around the length of the chine..

This is probably the best shot:

And the rivets 'above & around' the wrinkle gaps don't appear to be missing..............

However, having said that, SINCE the boat's a leaker, and IF the leaks are near these gaps, then I suspect that chines got wet, didn't get well dried out before a small amount of water froze & expanded behind those gaps, creating them..........

 

[lokonn]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Sounds like an awful lot for a boat that leaks. Gotta believe that if the fix was no big deal the po or dealer would have done it and flipped it for an even higher price. My opinion would be pass.

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Thanks for all the input. As reluctant as I am, I have to agree with everyone. I certainly don't have the time to gut it, and I'm sure this isn't the last boat that will come up for sale. I guess I thought, a little epoxy from the outside should fix things nicely. Guess I was wrong
Glad I asked for opinions.

Thanks,
J

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Read thru some of the tin boat resto's here:
Starcraft Rebuilds and Restorations

Lots of good info, and you may find that a tin boat tear down & put back isn't as bad as you think it might be...........

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Yes, a little gluvit/epoxy/silicone (or other "goo" of choice) on the outside of the hull is band-aid fix we see often - just not a best practice for safety and/or longevity.

To answer your question, you could put gluvit on the outside of the hull, but you get better coverage down in the seams from the inside. Also, gluvit is not U-V tolerant.... So, it will break down over time unless you paint over it (which would mean you would have to prep and paint the entire bottom of the boat...unless you were willing to live with a spot paint job).

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Thanks for the explanation.

Just curious, what should one expect to pay for a leaker like this? (keeping in mind the rest of the boat is in great shape)

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Depends on how harsh you want to be w/ the seller. It is even more complicated because they aren't the owner, but motivated (via commission) to max out what you'd pay....

Do you have to spend a single dime on the trailer? Tires/lights/jack/winch etc? A 1995 90hp runner w/ power tilt & trim could demand a big portion of the $5600 asking...........

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Good point. Everything else seems to be fine for now (rust on the trailer that would need attention eventually, and a frayed winch strap). Motor is untested, but supposedly winterized and was running in August. The prop is the only other part that would need replacing since it's badly scuffed up.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Doesn't sound poorly maintained, but also doesn't sound like it received meticulous attention either.

If it leaks, how long has it leaked? And in the water, how bad is it really leaking?

Since it leaks, was it used much while it was leaking? If so, you can definitely count on needing to do some extensive inspection of any & all flotation foam. Unfortunately, there's no good way to do that w/ out destructive measures to get access to do those inspections.

Read thru some tin resto's, as I suggested earlier. Some tin resto's start just like the glass resto's do: small areas of concern that quickly balloon into full guts. Once the foam has gotten wet, it offers no substantive value for flotation or support of the deck, and can hide all kinds of problems that would never be seen or expected unless you pull all the foam.

The only way to do that, is to pretty much gut the boat. If you have to gut it, then except as reference, an intact interior is worth a negligible amount.

That leaves you the bare, gutted hull, the trailer & motor to value. No where near $5600.

NADA, Kelly Blue book & other online resources can offer a range of prices, but it's hard to be specific about a boats worth unless you are standing next to it & have crawled all over in & out of every possible crevice. Then stand back & throw a dart, because it's still a carp shoot sometimes.

In Canada, tin boats often go for much more then they do here in the US.

If you & I both go look at the same boat, we might value it differently, possibly by a great deal, based on many factors.

Used boats are tough, seasoned boaters & people who have done extensive rehabs on boats previously, can both end up paying too much for a boat that is in significantly worse condition then they thought.

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

...just got some additional info on the boat. Apparently after about 6 or 7 hours on the water, when the boat was trailered and the plug was pulled, it gushed like out of a barrel for quite a while...
:grumpy:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Well, that is what the plug is for: Letting the water OUT of the boat :facepalm:

That's sort of important info, IMHO. And drops the 'value' considerably. He's got it @$5600? That's 6 or 7times what I'd offer. And I'd stay well BELOW $1200.

If it's a dealer that will do all the reg & title work, maybe just below $1400. That's at least $100 (if I lowball the purchase price for tax purposes) & a good bit of my time here.

But that would require me being allowed to float test it, including firing the motor, to see it's inflow of water 1st hand...... And requires a trailer in almost perfect condition.

 

[gddavid]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

I haven't looked close at modern riveted boat construction (my last was a 1950's lone star so 1990's is late model to me) but it seems odd that the chine is constructed the way it is. I would expect the lower section of aluminum to be on the outside of the joint and wrap around the chine rather than the topsides coming down around the outside.

 

[Jester5000]

Re: Would you buy a leaky Lowe??

Thanks. The point was, the boat took on a heck of a lot of water in that time, translating into, gut job required in order to fix properly...
Oh well...keep looking.