Glastron SSV-176... would a soft spot keep you from buying? NOW WITH PICTURES!!

[ptbrakefield]

I've gone through all of the checklist info on buying a used boat...

I've found a GORGEOUS, original 1979 Glastron SSV-176. Everything is original and in phenomenal condition. The floors are solid except for one spot in front of the rear seats which dips down a little. The proximity to the transom and the fact that it's the most likely place to store unseen water with a boat tilted up have me worried, but the fact that except for that one area everything else is solid keeps me thinking about it. The asking price is $1600, but they would accept $1200... with two new batteries, 6 life jackets, and two anchors thrown in.

Would/should that one spot keep me from buying?

Also... it is rated for 140 max according to the literature but has a Merc 1500 on it... too much? Or not enough difference to matter?

Paul in Alabama

 

[jkust]

Do you want to be a boater or do you want to spend your very limited and precious time on a project that will cost you far more $ to fix than you realize in your initial excitement? Soft spot in the plywood likely means unseen additional stringer rot, etc. I don't know where you are financially so if you truly have a $1200 budget then likely, any glass boat you buy at that price will be a project. If you are not limited financially then my suggestion is walk away for a truly solid boat.

 

[Chris1956]

Well, you really need to like that boat to buy it, for the reasons Jkust stated.

If the issue is just a soft deck, with minor stringer damage, the cost of repair materials will not be very much, and the repair (if you know how to do it )will be a couple of days. Some plywood, some poly resin, acetone, some FG cloth, SS wood screws, a grinder, sawzall, drill, skil saw and chistle will likelt be all you need, along with brushes, latex gloves and mixing cups. If you have the tools, likely a couple of hundred dollars (at Wallyworld) will see it thru, not including new carpet or other upgrades. Of course, if the transom is bad, that is a whole different repair.

 

[roffey]

$1200 is likely a starter boat and in need of fixing but... maybe you can just use it as it is and see if this is something you want to do. If the motor starts then the trailer and motor are likely worth the asking price. Just make sure you have a reliable boat to call on for the first couple of times on the water, lol.

 

[ptbrakefield]

All great advice, and thank you... unfortunately, $1500 or so is my budget at this time. I'm buying "end of season" to try to get a little more boat for the same or less money than I might in the spring. I have every tool listed above and a rudimentary knowledge of how to use fiberglass. I am a quick learner and do most things myself. Youtube and I are great friends.

The comment about it being just one soft spot and not THAT much trouble to fix was one of the reasons I asked the original question. Unfortunately, until the floor is pulled up, there is no way to know. I LOVE the styling of this particular boat... and the motor and trailer are pristine. I'm leaning less toward it now... but, on the other hand, it might be as good or better than anything else in my price range. It has obviously been stored inside for most of it's life because it has very very little sun fading.

 

[jkust]

That's a tough budget. Many times the response with a small budget is to look at an aluminum boat that doesn't have the same amount of hidden rot concerns. It is so rare that it is just the one spot but that there is more rot that just hasn't reached the surface yet. The thing you can't really get past is the amount of personal time it takes to do the job right especially when it is your first time. There's never a single moment that I have for a project like this and I know that's the case for so many people. Good call though shopping after the season like this. There's a million boats out there waiting for you at this very second so don't get too attached to any particular one.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Good chance that the small spot in the floor is the tip of the iceberg and more rot is lurking below. Unless you can see underneath (by looking at stringers from a ski locker or from the engine compartment), you should probably just assume there is rot in the stringers and transom, too. (It is a 37 year old boat, after all...) Buying this boat would certainly be a roll of the dice.

If you're not willing to spend $2000-$3000 and several hundred hours of your time on a rebuild, you should think long and hard about buying the boat.

 

[ahicks]

Agree 100%. That soft spot is like finding 1 ant in the kitchen - just the tip of the iceberg.....

 

[Maclin]

Those boats had a fuel tank access panel installed after the stringers and floor was all glassed in. They were treated I guess, then screwed in last then carpet came. So depending on where exactly that dip is it may not be a killer. I am just going by this, where you mentioned "proximity to the transom" as a trigger to even mention this.

My last boat, 1980 Glastron SSV167 had this arrangement, I got it 4 years ago. The panel had dry rotted away into small pieces of layers of plywood mostly. Pulled up the carpet, the rest of the floor and stringers were insanely solid and still sealed. I fitted a new piece of plywood, sealed it as best I could and lined up the holes and put the screws back in the same holes. That boat had been treated very well though, inside garage type storage it's whole life before me as 4th owner. Not sure why that panel failed along the way but the transom, floor, bow and everything was still solid as heck,and the Mariner 90 ran a flawlessly. I paid $1650.

I am not saying this is the problem with the boat you are looking at, but if you could get a little better look at it and see if the spot lines up with the tank, and is far aft enough to not be in front of where the front of the tank mounts to the spar then ask them if you can pull up the carpet and take a look. THEN if no more warts are found, AND it starts and idles without too much finesse, AND it passes the water trial, well, you get the picture.

Good luck!

 

[mr 88]

To answer your question about the HP rating I would not worry about it. The Mercs 1400 and 1500s were the same engines so you could always get a decal kit for the 1400 if you wanted to make it look legal. Merc changed the decals from 1500 to 1400 when they came out with the V version of the 1500 so they wouldn't be competing with themselves.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

For $1200.00 buy it and use it as is for a season. If you boat for 4 months it's like renting for $300.00 a month or 10 bucks a day. Then after next year. or this because I don't know your location, decide if it's worth restoring. Operating my 19 foot aluminum costs me at least that a month to run. Now I am going to be brutally honest, if your budget is only $1500.00 for a boat you can't afford to keep it running.

 

[Stumpalump]

Crawl under the boat below the soft spot then push and thump on the hull. If it flexes or sounds funny compaired to the rest of the hull then steer clear. Run a straight edge or look for hook in the hull as well indicating degraded stringers. I did stringers and floor in an old Glastron. Once they rot and crack it's generally not as simple as a sheet of plywood. Look for signs the floor has not already been replaced. It's common to just slap a new floor over an old rotten floor. Heavy, old wet rotten mess. Yours may look good but that's because the finicky merc was probably gummed up half its life. I don't buy mercs and I don't buy plastic and glass covered plywood boats but if it fits a tight budget and gets you on the water then it's OK. It will teach you the merits of other construction materials and non merc powered boats.

 

[roffey]

i'm going to open a can of worms here but,,,,, if the OP can get the boat for $1200 he can just run it the way it is. If it need a fix just do what ever band aid fix that puts it back on the water. Worst case is he gets stranded on the water and gets pulled back to shore. I say worst case as I am assuming the transom and hull are good with no rot,,, yet...

yes I know I am stirring the pot a little here, I just think not all boats need to be restored.

 

[Blind Date]

At $1200 the boat has basically bottomed out value wise. You could probably use it for a few years and sell it for what you paid for it, even with the soft spot in the floor. My '79 Glastron Carlson had a soft spot in the floor when I got it. Ran it for 4 seasons & could of ran it another 4 if I'd wanted. So a little rot doesn't automatically mean it needs a complete rebuild before you can use it. I checked mine for stress cracking on the bottom of the hull where i knew the stringers were. It had none of that so I bought it and just treated it gently. With an outboard I'd just make sure the transom is good and solid. Sounds like the boat has been taken care of it's whole life so it's probably still pretty solid.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

For $1200.00 buy it and use it as is for a season. If you boat for 4 months it's like renting for $300.00 a month or 10 bucks a day. Then after next year decide if it's worth restoring. Operating my 19 foot aluminum costs me at least that a month to run not including fuel.

Now I am going to be brutally honest, if your budget is only $1500.00 for a boat you can't afford to keep it running. I cringe when people tell me they can only afford around 1500 bucks for a boat, ( we sell old boats) drive a hoopdey and live beyond their means. The boat sits in the driveway all year cause dey got no gas. Sometimes I refuse to sell them one, but they insist.

 

[Bayou Dave]

I agree with those that say buy it. For $1200 it is worth it IMHO.

 

[jkust]

I'll concur with the above along the lines that if your budget is what you say, you may get into a position to quickly realize boating is more costly than you anticipated. Just the accessories alone can be costly. Pricing out one wakeboard, bindings and a rope can be had of your budget. A couple of auto inflatable life vests, an anchor a fire extinguisher maybe a new trim pump and it adds us fast. I would consider the price of that boat as a down payment.

 

[SDSeville]

I say buy it and get out on the water. You aren't going to get much for $1200, so if this is as nice as you say except for the soft spot it sure seems be worth it. Just realize that some hard might be in your future.

A few years back I bought a boat that looked great "except for a small soft spot". I wound up spending another $3k and 100 or so hours on restoring stringers, transom, upholstery, paint (sand, cut, and polish) and a bunch of engine parts. However, I spent a little at a time as I had extra money here and there and the $3k really didn't seem so bad. In the end, I had a pristine boat that I knew would last a long time. Yes, I had $4200 into it, but it was nicer (and will last longer) than almost anything you see on CL in that price range.

 

[ptbrakefield]

Thank you again for all of the responses...

I will have plenty of money to operate the boat; that will not be a problem. I just refinanced my house and have a new car, so I'm just not going to overextend my credit by taking on more. The refi kind of hit the savings.

I live in central Alabama and am surrounded by Alabama Power impoundments. We go to the lake almost every weekend. We are just tired of riding on someone else's boat. I am also looking at a 1979 Stingray that I truly believe has lived inside when not in use for most of its life. It has a four cylinder I/O. I haven't seen it with my own eyes yet, only in pics, but I have talked to the owner a lot. I am supposed to look at it tomorrow. It is a gorgeous boat, but it only has two seats.

The Glastron in my original post is now $1100... he said they have found a pontoon they want and really need to sell. It and the Stingray and another boat, a 1980 Arrow Glass with a 115 Merc are all within 30 minutes of each other. The Stingray is advertised at $1000 (she sent me a $900 offer though) and the Arrow Glass at $1200. The Glastron is the nicest boat so far as accessories, seating, etc. The Stingray has a nice top but the other two do not. I know NOTHING about I/Os and have shied away from the Stingray because of it, but it is so nice that it might be the best buy of the three despite the lack of seats.

 

[Maclin]

The outboard boats, In my opinion, generally have a better chance of being solid and not needing a whole bunch of stuff that an I/O can hide. Number one is, with an outboard there is no big hole below the waterline in the hull requiring detailed maintenance to keep the water out. With an Outboard there is significantly less chance of transom problems when compared to the I/O where an owner has neglected those very specific I/O maintenance items. With an outboard, if it starts and idles right away, and has good smooth acceleration and can run at speed for 20 minutes or so, then return to a solid idle it is probably good. With an I/O engine even if it does all that there are a whole bunch of things between the engine and the prop that may not have been maintained that can show up on your first solo trip. Can cost 3 times what the cost of the boat was initially.