OMC Drive and Soft Floors

[johndavidross]

Just looking for opinions on these two items. I see a lot of boats for sale that have OMC outdrives and they are in great shape. Would you avoid purchasing one because OMC parts may be hard to find? Am I worried for nothing here?

​Also, I found a boat that is in decent shape for it's age and has a new engine but the floors are soft in some areas. I don't feel like I'm going to fall through but if the survey checks out on the hull and other areas then is it worth it to buy a boat and need to replace the flooring? I'm not sure how much a new floor would cost. It's a 20 foot bowrider.

​Thanks for your input.

 

[Bondo]

I see a lot of boats for sale that have OMC outdrives and they are in great shape. Would you avoid purchasing one because OMC parts may be hard to find?

Ayuh,.... OMC has been outa business for over 2 Decades,....

No way ya oughta be buyin' an OMC I/O boat,....

 

[JASinIL2006]

Also, if a floor it soft, there is a very high likelihood that there are structural problems underneath. Personally, if I bought a boat with soft spots on the deck, I would just assume that the stringers and transom will need replacing. You might get lucky and find they're OK, but unless the boat was built after 2000 or so, there is a good chance the structure is wood and that you'll find some rot...

 

[Starcraft5834]

avoid OMC... if you want a sterndrive- find a Mercruiser....or outboard,, Johnson/Rude/Yamaha/Honda, etc.... parts readily available for those... condition, condition,,

 

[Scott Danforth]

soft floors means everything above the keel and under your feet is rotten (boats rot from the hull upward)

expect $2500 + for materials to fix the rotten boat, not to mention a few hundred hours of work - or pay someone about $5k-$10k

OMC has been out of business for 2 decades, many of the parts have the same part number "NLA"

the only thing worst than an OMC in a rotten hull is a Ford Powered OMC in a rotten hull

 

[johndavidross]

Thanks everyone. I'll stick to my original gut instinct and stay away from these boats.