1967 Starcraft Imperial V - what's it worth?

[pmes]

Hello,

A friend wants $1,000 for his 1967 Starcraft Imperial V, but it hasn't been started in 5 years and last time he ran it, it wouldn't go into reverse, so I'm leery to spend $1,000. When not in use I believe it's been garaged it's whole life, so it's in fair shape. I'm guessing it's got the original Merc 150 and comes with a tandem axle trailer. He claims to have fully winterized it when he put it away...other than that I don't know much about it. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

Sorry to say, but we don't know any more than you. Any pics? I kinda doubt a 48 year old boat with issues is worth a 1000 bucks unless it looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. IMHO

 

[pmes]

Thanks for your input. He said the pics are lost on a dead laptop. I saw it about 2 1/2 years ago...it's nowhere near showroom, but good for such an old boat. The floor wasn't mushy and I don't recall it looking sun baked...like cracked vinyl and bleached/shrunk up wood type stuff. It's kinda like finding an old car with no rust, but a lot of dust. It wasn't abused but was used regularly...a solid contender for a fixer-upper. Any suggestions for a counter offer?

 

[GA_Boater]

A lot can change in 2 1/2 years.

 

[pmes]

Unfortunately, the boat is nearly 600 miles from me, but his mom lives near their cabin and can go take pics...what specifically would you like to see if you were in my shoes? I'm just a guy who likes the idea of owning an unusual old boat...I've no idea what to look for. Thanks again for your input.

 

[jbcurt00]

If the boat was 600mi away, and I had to talk someone into going to take pix so I could see it before I pay them to buy it, I wouldnt.

Pix are often only good for general overall condition. I doubt his mom will take the time to give it any more then a brief inspection, if at all.

A 1967 fiberglass boat could appear anywhere in the horrific to perfect spectrum while being drastically different in actuality

Unknown current condition motor that didnt have reverse several years ago has nearly no 'value'.

Not to be too harsh to your friend but he's not even in the ballpark at $1K. Thats 10 times what I'd pay an hour from the house.

Pix might bring that up some, but not likely enough to reach half his asking, IMO.

 

[pmes]

No Title

LOL. Here are the pics she sent me...who knows what the boat's "wooden skeleton" is like.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

what is worth $200 to one person can be worth 1000 dollars to another person. that's my input and it's a cool looking older boat

 

[jbcurt00]

Admittedly, that's not what we typically see posted.

But it is 600mi away, and those are general overview pix. No where near enough info to base a long road trip on, let alone an agreement to buy it. W an unknown condition motor/outdrive that for sure doesn't have reverse. $1K still sounds high.

As Gone noted, how high depends on the buyer plus the buyer's and seller's markets. Since the boat is so far away, the buyer's local boat market may or may not have boats priced similarly to the seller's local area.

The other thing is how big a deal is it going to be spending $1K to buy a buddy's boat and having major problems (mechanical or otherwise) w the boat?

I don't know about the Imperial specifically, but many of the older Starcrafts had wood-free hollow fiberglass stringers. Although, they do suffer delamination from the hull sometimes.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

Id say I need to bring 4 spare tires, 4 new bearings for emergencies on a 600 mile trip. then the fact the engine is known to have issues and most likely needs replacing/major rebuilding I would offer him half his asking price. Plus you have fuel cost. And unless you plan on being up driving over 24 hrs, you got hotel and food on top of it.

 

[pmes]

Luckily my in-laws are right in the middle of the route, but yeah, the tire and bearing situation makes me nervous and we all know powertrains don't like to just sit for years. Based on the MN DNR sticker it hasn't been out for 7 years! I'll have to talk with him about that too. + boats are cheap in Minnesota because there are so many. Thanks again, guys, for your input. Great forum!