1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

[jkrtiger]

Hi Guys. Good day to you all.

I was wondering if with yalls expertise you could help me decide if this is a good deal or not? I would appreciate any information from your observations!

Anyway, I have decided to buy my first ski boat and this is one I have come across within my price range. The listing is at $4000 with tubes, skis, etc. I have gotten down to $3400 through email. Please let me know if you think this is a good boat for that price. The boat has gone thru an interior restore as you will see from the pictures.

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

Moved to General Boating for more help.

A 17' with a 4.3 is a great package. It all comes down to whether it was restored correctly or not. It looks fantastic. If all the new wood was sealed properly with fiberglass I'd say it's a good deal. If not, it will rot out again in short order. Where are you located? It makes a big difference on boat prices.

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD

I am located in the South. I am sorry about posting in wrong section (I did read the Sticky!). I do see that the boat has MI tag letters, does it matter than the boat was at one time up in the elements of extreme cold.

The reason I am concerned is because I looked at a 1998 Bayline Capri (3.0L) yesterday for $3800. It seemed to be in decent shape but didn't come with a cover or anything which would cost more for me upfront. Also, the guy couldnt get the boat to start at all. He said he was a boat mechanic so I found it odd that he did not think this thru before having me come out. This boat is 8 years newer but was dirty as hell. The guy just seemed shady so I decided to pass. However, I know the deals are out there; I am just looking for the right one for me and don't want to be left holding the bag and buying a junk boat! Who does.

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

Hi Guys. Good day to you all.

I was wondering if with yalls expertise you could help me decide if this is a good deal or not? I would appreciate any information from your observations!

Anyway, I have decided to buy my first ski boat and this is one I have come across within my price range. The listing is at $4000 with tubes, skis, etc. I have gotten down to $3400 through email. Please let me know if you think this is a good boat for that price. The boat has gone thru an interior restore as you will see from the pictures.

View attachment 83001View attachment 83002View attachment 83003View attachment 83004View attachment 83005

My topic got buried. Feel like I'm talking to myself. Anyone there. Bueller? Bueller?

 

[stackz]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I've got a 1990 1560 with a 90hp outboard.

looks like a lot of the same features as my boat.

if everything is working and solid, they are fun boats but you WILL need a set of trim tabs if it doesnt have any. hull design is the same for these for the year (yours is just 2' longer with a bigger engine). its gonna lean without trim tabs.

oh yeah. I hope the guy has pics with the floors removed showing that he did in fact remove the old flotation foam...that stuff in my boat weighed an extra 400lb as it was all sopping wet and I can guarantee you they used the same foam in all the boats of the same year.

oh yeah, the factory "stainless" steel hardware is definitely NOT stainless...hope thats replaced as well and all the rust stains are gone. I paid $2200 for mine in unrestored shape.

the boats are made by a sub company of doral yachts if you didnt know.

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I've got a 1990 1560 with a 90hp outboard.

looks like a lot of the same features as my boat.

if everything is working and solid, they are fun boats but you WILL need a set of trim tabs if it doesnt have any. hull design is the same for these for the year (yours is just 2' longer with a bigger engine). its gonna lean without trim tabs.

oh yeah. I hope the guy has pics with the floors removed showing that he did in fact remove the old flotation foam...that stuff in my boat weighed an extra 400lb as it was all sopping wet and I can guarantee you they used the same foam in all the boats of the same year.

oh yeah, the factory "stainless" steel hardware is definitely NOT stainless...hope thats replaced as well and all the rust stains are gone. I paid $2200 for mine in unrestored shape.

the boats are made by a sub company of doral yachts if you didnt know.

Thank you for the information. Does this picture show you anything regarding deck being removed?

 

[stackz]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

thats identical to the factory original floor in my boat down to the way the seat mounts are glassed in and with the grey coloring on them as well as the reddish resin on the main floor.

maybe he has some pics after he tore it all up and went with new before putting down carpet? though if he's trying to pass that off as being redone then he's one hell of a master at authentic restorations and being able to "age" the look on it lol.

I only have a few pics of mine with the original floor as I was tearing it apart for reference:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=307815&highlight=thundercraft

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

That picture lead me to believe that the deck was still solid and they were able to just redo everything above deck. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.......

 

[stackz]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

That picture lead me to believe that the deck was still solid and they were able to just redo everything above deck. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.......

I agree, could be very bad if all the foam is sopping wet and the floor just hasnt rotted out completely yet.

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I agree, could be very bad if all the foam is sopping wet and the floor just hasnt rotted out completely yet.

Is there anyway of telling? These restore pics are from 2 years ago. At least I know the guy bought the boat and has run it for 2 seasons. If the foam is "sopping wet" would it have caused noticeable damage over the past couple of years and if so what's the best way to check. I mean if the deck is still stolid 2 years later, can we make the assumption that the foam is not sopping wet.

I've been worried about the bellows possibly being rotted or needing replacing; havent really given much thought to sopping foam. However, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

 

[stackz]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I mean if the deck is still stolid 2 years later, can we make the assumption that the foam is not sopping wet.

no clue. I only realized how bad the foam was when I pulled up the floor after finding a weak spot by where everyone would climb in/out of the boat. that was the ONLY soft area but the rest of the flooring on the underside was black mold/mildewed and wet to the touch but solid/dry on the top side.

in the end its up to you but I'd seriously ask the guy if the floor was pulled up and replaced or if its still original as you have reason to believe it is still original.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

Unfortunately you can't really check into the foam very much until you own it. Best you can do is check the deck VERY carefully for soft spots. And check out down in the ski locker as well as you can. Should be able to get a somewhat decent look at the stringers from there. It looks like a nice boat (now) for a fair price. It's just the concern about what else may have been damaged when it was obviously left out in the elements for a while.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I paid $5500 for this 86 in 1990... Only 4 yrs old and came with cover, skis , life jackets SS prop. Trailer w brakes I D K... It seems like the price is kinda high to me,,, maybe i got lucky. These pics are as it looked last year, If that one your looking at is $3500 mine might still be worth near what I paid for it 20 yrs later. Sorry, I guess i am kind of bragging... My bad

 

[jkrtiger]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

I paid $5500 for this 86 in 1990... Only 4 yrs old and came with cover, skis , life jackets SS prop. Trailer w brakes I D K... It seems like the price is kinda high to me,,, maybe i got lucky. These pics are as it looked last year, If that one your looking at is $3500 mine might still be worth near what I paid for it 20 yrs later. Sorry, I guess i am kind of bragging... My bad

Great looking boat Paul. The guy was asking $4000, I told him I was thinking more around $2800 then he replied back with $3400 for everything. I havent gone to see it yet, but maybe flashing the cash will get him to come down a bit. I agree, I do not really like the idea of $3400, but we shall see. He also said that the water pump needs replacing and he has no idea the last time the bellows were replaced so Im thinking they will need to be replaced too. I may be in over my head here.

 

[seaboo]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

Most any i/o I bought I replaced the bellows and (raw) water pump right after a "shakedown" drive or two. I just feel more confident KNOWING a starting point for future {important) maintance then just going off someones word. If I do not see a receipt for the work, I assume it's time for it. imho it should be a planned for expense.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

Sadly catching up on a bunch of deferred maintenance on an I/O can really cost ya.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: 1990 ThunderCraft 1750 SD (Good deal?)

Great looking boat Paul. The guy was asking $4000, I told him I was thinking more around $2800 then he replied back with $3400 for everything. I haven't gone to see it yet, but maybe flashing the cash will get him to come down a bit. I agree, I do not really like the idea of $3400, but we shall see. He also said that the water pump needs replacing and he has no idea the last time the bellows were replaced so Im thinking they will need to be replaced too. I may be in over my head here.

Thx for the compliment... I havnt looked personally but everything i read says there are nice boats going cheap. Whatever you decide, good luck My T-Craft has been really good to me ! I guess It all depends on the market where you are.