I looked at the boat...........edit

[nvardis]

Hey guys! I am so new to this. I read the manual at the top. Good Stuff!!

I found a local boat for sale in my area for cheap and i was thinking of picking it up Wednesday. Can you guys tell me about it?
"http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/boa/399945429.html"

I have already arranged a meeting with the seller. It has an onboard motor it looks like. Is that ok?

Is this a good beginners boat? I know 0 about them. This one really caught my eye because i kinda like this style of boat. Help me out !!!! haha...give me some suggestions man i could really use them.

I will be using the boat in the Allegheny/Ohio/Monongahela rivers because i will be doing all of my boating in Pittsburgh, PA!!!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

That boat has an inboard/outboard where the engine is beneath that dog house in the back and an outdrive on the back.

If it is your first I would hope someone from iboats is closer. A 1981 could turn out to be golden or it could turn out to be junk. Get someone closer to help you.

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

If it's in good shape, it would be a very nice first boat. That's a pretty big if, and I'd reccommend you take someone along who knows what to look for. There are expensive problems that are easily hidden to the untrained eye.
I don't own one, and can't comment on them extensively, but I've read here that OMC parts are pretty expensive and sometimes hard to come by. Maybe someone more informed will chime in.
Nice looking boat, I hope it checks out for you.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

It's an Old OMC,......... Don't Buy It.........

OMC is Out of Business,.......

Find another boat with a Mercruiser or Volvo for Power if you want an I/O.......

 

[QC]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

I'm with Bondo and I actually like Stringers (old OMCs) although I'll never buy one. Run the opposite way!!!! If you get that as your first boat it will be your last. Don't mess up the best pastime you may find in your life. Let us help you more. Great time of year to buy a boat. There will be plenty of good deals available. That isn't one.

 

[nvardis]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

hmmm


haha....now im confused.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

hmmm


haha....now im confused.

don't be confused man. just don't get that boat. the omc is obsolete and your settin yerself up for a hard time........when i was buyin a boat last fall. i had 2 main criteria. one was no omc and the other was no mercruiser 470 style engines........if they had them, that was the end of looking at that boat no matter how cool it was.......

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

He can buy OMC parts from Johnson / Evinrude. Don't lie to the man. I wouldn't steer away from a decent boat just because it has an obsolete engine. Evinrude techs still work on OMC engines.

First thing to find out is if it is an OMC 1.6, 2.3, or 3.0 . I'd bet on the 1.6, but check for sure. There are a lot of these old engines around that can be had for a decent price. Parts CAN be cross referenced with Johnson Evinrude parts, and are comparable in price to Volvo Penta and Mercury. I would NEVER own a Mercury engine, but that's all a matter of opinion. I'm sure they are as good as the rest, but I'm an Evinrude man.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

If you're going to buy a boat with some obsolete parts on it then at least start looking for donor parts to replace the ones that may go, particularly in the leg.
There were a lot of those around in the 70's+ so you would in all likelihood find some used parts kicking around. If you do buy this boat don't wait until you're backed into a corner with a (likely) problem. As QC pointed out..that will spoil your boating experience big time and it will probably be your last.
Patience is a big part of boating try to avoid panic purchase...particularly on your first boat.
Good luck, let us know what you decide.

 

[darkmann]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

You'll be fine. I'm just like you and just picked up my first boat on Saturday - 29 foot SeaRAy. I love it. I go really really slow for now until I get used to steering and controls. One thing I would absolute advice: get a marine surveyor to look at the boat before you buy. You'll not regret it!!! Unlike a car which I know a ton about, I have no idea what to look for in a used boat and I just didn't want to take any chances. For an xtra $600, you'll have some peace of mind!!!

 

[aerwin]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

no thanks, to much work, obscolete drive and way to much money. I even have an omc drive. I have to baby it, I had to learn how to work on it and I have to get parts when I can in case i might need them.
looks like upholstery is shot. carpet prob is too. engine probably worn out. if the boat is on the heavy side then that v6 has probably run to death. the outdrive, at the minimum, probably needs a total seal kit, ball gears, water pump and posibly a shift cable. without the shift cable, your looking at $350 for parts, thats if you buy them, labor would be at least $400. im sure you could do better than that. even if you put that $2000 down on a good used boat at a dealer. it would be better than that time bomb

 

[nvardis]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

What if i can get him to go lower and everything looks decent with the boat? I want something i can work on/get ready for next summer. Whats a good price for that boat? He said its been winterized since last year and ran great then. How do i know for sure?

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Just bought my first boat a few months ago. At the time I did not know a single thing about boats. I knew the seller and believed him to be a maintenance oriented kind of guy. Took his word for it that it that everything was "fine" when he put it away season before last and bought it. $2500. Right out of the gate I clean it up and it wont shift. Shift cable bellows was torn, and lower shift cable was seized up. Paid someone to fix it as I was anxious to start boating...had him do all bellows, gimbal bearing and water pump. Now I have a $3,250 boat. Point is the seller who I do trust , after having a boat for 7 years did not know a thing about boats so his word was worth less than nothing. Figured out later that his son ran the boat for another potential customer a few days before and ran it without the muffs on it because he was a dope to. I'm still happy with the boat and dont regret buying but just dont expect to pay 2K or less and be running problem free . You might...but you definitely might not.

I'm sure the real experts here can give you more to check (I think I even saw a nice checklist of things to look for when buying a boat) But if you cant bring someone who knows boats to go look at it I would think at a minumum I would:

Check the 3 rubber boots (bellows) that go through the back of the boat from the engine to the outdrive to make sure they are not torn or cracked. If they are shot the only way to change them is to pull the drive off which will cost you.

Have him start the engine for you. (make sure he puts cooling water to it through what they call ear muffs)

Make sure it shifts into and out of gear.

If you really want to get into it check compression. You can get a kit for about $40 and if you are going to get into boats you'll need it.

just my .02 worth

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

by the way I would believe the rest of these guys and run the other way....but if you have your heart set on it......

 

[tommays]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

The problem is that people think and old BOAT is like and old CAR ,and that they can get running with some mix and match new and junk yard parts



Well The BOAT parts are all special with NO car like mix and match


And your unlikely to find a qualifed dealer as they are no MORE other than the dealers that used to sell them and still service




Tommays

 

[ziggy]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Whats a good price for that boat?

i dunno. maybe if he gave a thousand with it to get ya started buyin yer used, obsolete parts that may be servicable.......

He said its been winterized since last year and ran great then. How do i know for sure?

dunno about that either. lotsa folks here with good running winterized boats here, .......ya know for sure by a survey. or. i did the best i could when i got mine. my scenerio went something like this.
before i got there the questions were. what engine, what drive, got a soft floor. does the transom move when ya jump on the drive. what's the compression, does the drive hold pressure, does it hold vaccum. next went to look at it. i layed on the floor and looked underneath from bow to stern. checked for loose hardware, any holes in the boat where water could get in. ie, anything screwed to the transom. look at all rubber parts to see if their intact. then fired it up in the driveway. test everything to see it work. then a lake test for 2.5 hours. then a compression test and drive pressure test again. then wheel and deal and it was mine.......roughly that's how it went. i went on line and for a list for used boat buying to help me look things over + talked about it here on iboats with our fellow boaters....

if i were lookin for a boat now. my main criteriea would be the same. a solid transom and floor and once again. NO OMC, NO mercuiser 470 version engines..........

.but if you have your heart set on it.....

i think a change of heart would be in order.....there's lots a boats out there that will be easier to deal with.......like anything that is common ie mercruiser and volvo. and the company that made it is still in business.........

 

[salty87]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

how many boats have you gone out and looked at? ...as in climbing aboard and looking around, kicking tires. you need to see as many as you can to know if it looks like a boat YOU want. that's gonna require seeing what's out there.

also, promise us you will have the previous owner take you for a test ride and let you drive the boat before you think about buying. drive it hard, it's not easy being a boat.

that looks like a good project candidate. it might not even qualify as a good project depending on the specifics.

do you have a budget in mind? does it include things like new belts/hoses/tune-up/life vests/fenders/lines/registration/insurance/gas/tow vehicle? an unexpected siginificant repair will kill any entry level budget.....go into it with both eyes open. you don't want to be in the position of asking questions about the boat you've just bought. you want to do the homework first.

stick around and keep asking questions and most importantly, go look at more boats.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

If you are new to boating, consider looking at boats that have outboards rather than I/O. Outboards are easier to fix, easier to swap out for any other brand if you need a replacement, and used outboards are a good deal.

If you have a bad I/O, you are stuck with getting it fixed, or replacing it with the same brand/unit. Swapping between a Johnson outboard and a Mercury outboard is just a matter of changing the throttle cables and/or the control box.

And keep looking on Craigslist. I think you are getting a much better deal than any boat on ebay you have to bid on.

 

[nvardis]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Thanks for all of the advice guys. Well appreciated.

I spoke with the owner today. He has offered to de-winterise the boat, and take me for a ride this week. Im going to give it a shot and bring a friend with me who knows alittle more than i do.

Who knows...


I have taken everyones advice and will def. keep my eyes and ears open. Thanks guys! I will be back for sure!



-Nick

 

[aerwin]

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

Re: Picking up my first boat Wednesday..maybe...

you will see how well this boat was taken care of by the way the owner drives it and puts it in and remove it from the water. if he tells you the outdrive has to be put all the way down, he might be ok. if he says it dosn't mater then he doesnt know what he is talking about. the temp should be rock solid, usually 160 deg is the most common. slamming the drive into reverse is very hard on it also and it will literaly pull the outdrive from the water. alot of full throttle driving will show that he has ran this boat hard, try to pick up on the things he does, check the bilge also, there shouldnt be hardly any water there. personally I wouldnt pay more than $1200. and thats if it has been service regualrly and in great mechanical shape