What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

I am driving to Pine Bluff Arkansas tomorrow to take this bad boy http://www.oodle.com/view/Regal-2500-LSR/1386872977/dallas/

for a sea trial. I have never owned a boat so I don't know what to look for or do during a sea trial. Any advice?

Mike

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

Welcome to iboats! Nice Boat, By the way, good choice! Just use common sense, take a look at the engine bay, & bilge, before you start out, & after you get back, for any oil, gas, water leaks, or overheating, keep a close eye on the gauges, to make sure they stay in the proper range, at all times. Listen for any strange noises from the engine or drive. Take the helm when you're ready, on open water, and see how it handles at all speeds, do a large figure 8 at low planing speed with it, to check the steering. Shift it through the gears at idle speed, to see if it appears smooth. Finally if you're comfortable with it, Open the throttle full, and see how she drives, check the speedometer, & tach, it should be able to reach a maximum of 4600-4800 RPM, or at least 4200-4400 RPM. A Bravo 3 has twin props in a set, they can get expensive to replace, make sure all is well with them. The 5.0/240hp engine is usually a good strong, dependable, economical design.
That's all I can think of now, I'm sure there will be others along with suggestions as well that I missed, or they want to add, Good Luck, Mike

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

That's alot of boat for a first-timer. 28' with a 9+' beam. I hope you have a good tow vehicle.

Since you are new to this it is really not anything we can direct you to read this close to the water trial.

My absolute best suggestion is take along a long time boater who knows their way around. There are tons of things to check and most people will spend the money on a survey. I think that would be the absolute safest way to approach this boat.

Ask for maintenance records too.... that's a very nice boat.

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

Specifically in relation to the Bravo 3 drive... pull the props off to inspect the rear bearing carrier for signs of excessive corrosion. Especially if the boat has been slipped in the water (which I doubt it has, cause it has no bottom paint on it).
My only other suggestion is to take along the same load that you plan to have on the boat regularly. If the performance is just "adequate" with two people aboard, and you are normally going to have 6, then the boat won't perform well for you. Bravo 3 propsets can be found used on ebay for $350, but not always. So if you have to change propsets, it gets a little expensive.

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

Bob_VT said:

That's alot of boat for a first-timer. 28' with a 9+' beam. I hope you have a good tow vehicle.

Since you are new to this it is really not anything we can direct you to read this close to the water trial.

My absolute best suggestion is take along a long time boater who knows their way around. There are tons of things to check and most people will spend the money on a survey. I think that would be the absolute safest way to approach this boat.

Ask for maintenance records too.... that's a very nice boat.

Click to expand...

Hey Bob, it's a 25' boat (24'-10") actually, not a 28 footer, and I don't see the beam listed? Not too bad a size for a beginner, it should respond well with that hull design.

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

It has an 8', 6" beam. Look for excessive side to side play in the drive. You should have no more than an inch and a half of play at the very end of the drive. Any more and the repair can get pretty expensive.

I highly recommend a survey and a thorough inspection by a certifeid mercruiser mechanic. It would be money well spent.

Re: What do I look for on my very first sea trial tomorrow?

Oops hit the wrong spec button.... I looked at the 2800 Yup 25'r w/8 1/2' beam