The good news is that I finally placed a deposit on a boat, a 22 foot 1986 Sea Ray Cuddy. The bad news is I made the deposit without hearing the boat run.
It appears to be a well maintained craft. Unfortunately owned by someone who never actually took the boat out. (Claims, it?s too big for him. I believe him.)
He bought it, had it tuned up, oil changed, new battery--that kind of thing. Ran it on muffs at the dealer.
Cut to 6 months later: I?m trying to buy the thing. Give him a deposit. Next day I meet him for the river trial.
Glad we stuck a hose in her at his house first. Turned the key, nothing. Has a brand new battery in her, he?s got the receipt. (Have to find out why he changed the battery originally? Did it fail to start previously? Is there an electrical issue? Hmmmmm!)
We hook up a battery charger. Cool--juice is flowing enough to work the blower. Lower the stern drive. Can't raise it for some reason with the up switch. Will with the trailer switch.
Won?t start, though. Bummer, not a good way to try a river trial.
We took it to a mechanic who was about to close. Had to leave it until this coming Monday. Double Bummer!
If there?s a silver lining it?s that I wanted to have the boat looked at anyway, after the river trial run. This way I guess the compression check and other examinations will take place first.
The questions are:
Would this kind of intro to a boat scare you away?
Should a boat with a new battery sitting for 6 months start right away? (The owner wondered whether any of his grandkids, who sometimes climb aboard the boat in his garage could have left something on.)
Can the accessories on an 86 Sea Ray Overnighter be turned on without the key, say the blower or bilge when it?s not taking on water?
Lastly, this trimming up and down of the drive. Up didn?t work. Down did. The trailer switch did work although its motor was quite noisy. Any idea of why? The owner suggested that one of the hydraulic pistons might be bad. That makes no sense to me because I would think that the same mechanism that raises the drive with the ?trailer switch? would be the same to raise it with the ?up trim switch?.
It appears to be a well maintained craft. Unfortunately owned by someone who never actually took the boat out. (Claims, it?s too big for him. I believe him.)
He bought it, had it tuned up, oil changed, new battery--that kind of thing. Ran it on muffs at the dealer.
Cut to 6 months later: I?m trying to buy the thing. Give him a deposit. Next day I meet him for the river trial.
Glad we stuck a hose in her at his house first. Turned the key, nothing. Has a brand new battery in her, he?s got the receipt. (Have to find out why he changed the battery originally? Did it fail to start previously? Is there an electrical issue? Hmmmmm!)
We hook up a battery charger. Cool--juice is flowing enough to work the blower. Lower the stern drive. Can't raise it for some reason with the up switch. Will with the trailer switch.
Won?t start, though. Bummer, not a good way to try a river trial.
We took it to a mechanic who was about to close. Had to leave it until this coming Monday. Double Bummer!
If there?s a silver lining it?s that I wanted to have the boat looked at anyway, after the river trial run. This way I guess the compression check and other examinations will take place first.
The questions are:
Would this kind of intro to a boat scare you away?
Should a boat with a new battery sitting for 6 months start right away? (The owner wondered whether any of his grandkids, who sometimes climb aboard the boat in his garage could have left something on.)
Can the accessories on an 86 Sea Ray Overnighter be turned on without the key, say the blower or bilge when it?s not taking on water?
Lastly, this trimming up and down of the drive. Up didn?t work. Down did. The trailer switch did work although its motor was quite noisy. Any idea of why? The owner suggested that one of the hydraulic pistons might be bad. That makes no sense to me because I would think that the same mechanism that raises the drive with the ?trailer switch? would be the same to raise it with the ?up trim switch?.
