Opinions on a 1988 18 ft Searay Seville Bowrider

[samander]

Hey Guys,

Im looking at an 88 seville bowrider with a 135 outboard and wanted to get some opinion on these. Hull, motor, and trailer in good condition and is asking $2800. One thing he mentioned is that near/on the ski locker is a bit soft. Is there any way of knowing the extent of what I assume is rot? Can just that area be repaired if the rest checks out okay? Thanks for your help.

 

[tpenfield]

My opinion is that the boat is 27 years old and the soft may not be isolated and it would be difficult to tell for sure. So, assume that it is worse than made out to be.

 

[southkogs]

I agree ^^^^ Some good stuff to help out HERE too.

Welcome aboard.

 

[samander]

Thanks for the feedback! Hard to believe that there will ever be a rot free boat of this age. The attached photo shows where the soft spot is. That is where the ski pole is mounted and gas tank cover. Perhaps this could be soft due to the force on the area due to towing.

 

[Blind Date]

With my '79 CVX18 the rot was a lot worse when I tore into it than what was showing on the surface. But yours could be be isolated. On an OB boat that old definitely make sure the transom is solid. You can run a boat with a soft floor but a weak transom w/OB can be a safety issue. And that's a lot tougher to fix than a floor.

 

[southkogs]

Generally speaking - boats rot from the inside out. So, a soft floor in many cases is a sign of weaker junk inside. It's not for sure, but it's a reasonable assumption if you're not feelin' amped about how well the boat was cared for.

Any idea what the seam in the floor is there? Has the floor been replaced before?

 

[samander]

Yes a good transom is definitely my top priority.
That seam is for the fuel tank access. I was doing some googling about it and saw that others of the same model had the same seam. Perhaps the next step is to take a more thorough look at the floor and other areas that can be accessed. Love the boat itself. Might be reasonable to offer 2200-2400.

 

[southkogs]

If it's a solid boat in decent shape, the price isn't awful - especially if you can get it down closer to $2k.

 

[Chris1956]

I had a boat very similar to that one. It was an '88 Sorrento. Water got under the ski well floor and rotted out the keel. I needed to cut out the ski well sides and floor, make a new keel and reglass it. In this case, I will bet that when they installed the ski well hatch, they cut the deck to make it fit, and never sealed the cut edges. Water got in and rotted the plywood. Maybe it is an isolated incident.

Also significant parts of the floor on my boat were rotted. What I found was that the deck surface had been sprayed with a chop gun, which is not unusual. The gun ran out of chopped glass at some point and the rest of the deck was just poly resin. That was where the deck rotted.

 

[SkiDad]

i agree that the transom is the most important - my dad's 1988 ski boat has a soft spot in the rear for many years now but it has a good transom. You can literately jump up and down on the ventilation plate of the outboard and see if you get any movement in the transom. if you see anything at all move then do not buy it.

 

[SDSeville]

I have a 1986 19' Seville and love it. My restoration adventures started out with a small soft spot by the back of the gas tank. However, since yours is much further forward you may be OK. Pull that big piece over the gas tank and you should get a good view of the stringers. Too bad the only surefire way to test the transom is to drill test holes and check the shavings -- I can't imagine a seller letting you do that.

If it is not completely rotten, the price is not bad.

 

[samander]

Thanks for your input everyone. I will look further into it and report back. Will a few taps of a hammer on the stringers be a good indicator of rot, similar to when testing a transom?

 

[samander]

Hey Guys, had a closer look today. Transom seems solid, but floor will definitely need work from wheel back in the next couple years. Worst case scenario, you guys have any idea how much it would cost to replace floor/stringers both professionally and independently?

 

[samander]

Plus, I have a potential offer of 2000 accepted...

 

[SDSeville]

Well, did you get it?

 

[samander]

Sure Did! I think 2k is a great deal for this boat. She needs some work, will probably redo upholstery, and in a couple years time completely replace floor/stringers. Doesn't seem to be needed yet.

 

[samander]

No Title

Anyone have any suggestions on what type of ski pylon to get and where to install it? Floor limited due to ski locker. Not looking to spend all that much. Just something to tow a couple tubes and the odd wakeboard and ski Here are some photos:

 

[JASinIL2006]

For pulling a tube, you'd probably be better off getting a bridle and attaching it to the transom strap hooks. I think generally you'd want to avoid pulling a tube with a pylon... for wakeboarders and skiers that should be OK., though.

 

[samander]

Ok, maybe I will do both. Has anyone mounted a pylon on the swim grid area?