HELP!!! need some good, sound advice

hey folks,

VERY new to boating but have read MANY MANY forums esp on here.
here is what my wife and i are looking at.

a gentleman is wanting to trade my Fully running MC for a boat. heres some of the things on the boat, and YES i went and test drove the boat, however heres what ive found.

its a 20.25 ft. 1987 GALAXY Admiral 212 CC.
it DOES have a (dreaded- Mercruiser 470-165 hp. however rebuild...) 4cyl motor mounted up to an Alpha one drive. Hull is in Decent shape, i believe the floor has been replaced in the boat, Solid no soft spots, and ran quite well in water. (30Mph) and kept at 164degrees. HOWEVER... it DOES have the dreaded Coolant Leak from the Camshaft. not terribly bad. HOWEVER.. and a big however , i called him today and mentioned that the motor is making me say NO way... he claims he has a friend with a VERY Strong 1992 Mercruiser 3.0. he is willing to drop in and claims will bolt up with no problems. the shifter/throttle seems a little sloppy, as it kinda dies out when you shift into forward, however (can be minor adjustment at the linkage, or new cable i learned) the trailer is in good shape, and one that is extendable.
needs Bimini top, and cover, looks like its sat out a little bit from what ill have to repair(the wood under the seats what youd staple the seating vinyl to) cuddy is in decent shape, however no cushions, but it would primarily be for the wife and kiddo to get out of the sun... Needs Bilge pump as last one is bad, (20-50 @walmart. EASY) but did not take on a great deal of water.
the gentleman seems honest and sincere, and really has no need for 2 boats, due to having a 26ft boat already.

i know not having photos is a bit rough for all to assume. PLEASE PIGEON HOLE THE CRAP OUT OF THIS and PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU ALL THINK. good move? bad move? a money pit?
PLEASE HELP!!!

thanks all!
ryan

Re: HELP!!! need some good, sound advice

All boats are money pits.

What you really have to figure out is 1) how much is your MC worth to YOU and 2) how much is the boat worth to YOU.

That being said, the major factor in the seaworthiness of any "decent" boat is the motor. I honestly don't know what an MC is or how much it'd be worth, but the boat and motor sound like they're nothing but trouble. Any update? Did you get the boat?

Re: HELP!!! need some good, sound advice

MC= motorcycle?

sounds like a project boat to me. do you want to be on the water or working on a boat? how would you feel knowing his MC is running great but you've got problems with the boat?

taking on a great deal of water is a bad thing. with an i/o that's often coming through the bellows and the transom is absorbing whatever it can. check the transom very closely.

Re: HELP!!! need some good, sound advice

If were talking mid eightys honda 750 or like than it's a pretty even trade, although anything harley davidson and your loosing on the deal, your family will get more enjoyment from the boat but thats if your not having to fix it everytime you go out thats no fun.