Buying a boat

[Dimps99]

I am looking at buying a different boat. I am real small potatoes, guys. I just have a little 15 foot Alumacraft with a 25hp Johnson on it. I would like to have more room and a deeper boat. I am looking at a 16' Sylvan Rodmaster with a 60hp Johnson on it. It is from the early 80's, so it has some years on it. It looks clean and in good shape. It is well equipped. Question: it is offered on my local Craigslist. How do I handle an interview? I go to see it, what do I ask? What do I expect? If it's a boat from a friend or an acquaintance, I get it. But I don't know the guy, if I buy it, that's it. Any advice here, guys?

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard


read this http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...eeding-help-buying-a-boat-a-buyer-s-checklist

 

[ezmobee]

Go look at it. Decide if you wanna buy it. Make an offer but make the offer contingent on a successful sea-trial (an outboard will run and sound great on the hose in the driveway even if it's not firing on all cylinders). You go on the sea trial and if everything is satisfactory you buy it. If there's issues you either walk or adjust your offer accordingly.

 

[redneck joe]

to add to ^^^ - do a pressure test on the motor. With that kind of boat most anything wrong is not too hard or expensive to fix but a weak cylinder ain't cheap. It's just like buying a used car.

 

[Maclin]

Insist on an on the water trial, more than 10 minutes though. They can drive, better if they let you after some orientation, just watch everything that is going on, all gauges, noises, all that. Make them stop after a good run and let it idle for a bit, again watch what all they do when that happens, look for any thing like throttle movements to keep it going, etc. Make them do some deep water takeoffs, just everything you will do when it is yours. That boat should rip pretty good on holeshot. Watch how it idles up to the dock, all that.

When you go look at it, just watch the mannerisms also. If it does not seem like a normal reaction to things asked that are completely legit and one needs to know make a mental note. Boat sellers may not tell all, amazing I know

 

[Stumpalump]

Ask about the title and paperwork before you drive to see it. 16' aluminum boat with that vintage 60 will be excellent.

 

[tmaxx26power]

Im also a new boater and I highly suggest a test drive. On my quest for a boat several "test rides" didn't work out so well, I walked away with my money still in my pocket

 

[titaniumneck]

Transom, transom, transom. You can take a rubber mallet and hit it all you want but really does no good. Look at it from the inside, outside underneath, and over top. I have went with a couple different people to look at boats because they're newbies at boating. 1st boat was easy, seller says its all good, I ask to trim 90hp Outboard up so I can take it loose from transom saver, seller says "oh, battery dead, sorry can't do it". I brought my own battery, get motor up and off transom saver, transom was so bad I thought the motor was going to fall off, grabbed lower unit and you could lift the motor up and down easily, so with permission from seller I undid the outside livewell nut and pushed in livewell tube, stuck my finger up and into the rotten wood of transom freely with water pouring out the transom wood. My friend had all but given this guy the money before I looked at it. Boat was worthless. Seller was pissed as hell that I told my friend not to buy it, seller said some stupid crap, and I called him a crook because he knew the transom was shot, but wasn't going to tell my friend nothing.
2nd boat, different friend, just about the same problem, and the floor under the carpet was about to cave in. Oh the seller had it all looking good, but his batteries were dead also, Hummmm.

 

[Dimps99]

Thank you very much for the help - I really appreciate it.