New here and buying my first boat.

Hey everyone just looking to get some help with the purchase of my first boat. Im looking at a used 97 reinell with a 4.3 v6 and a penta outdrive. Went and looked at it yesterday and everything looked great except for the skeg fin and prop. The fin is slightly bent and the prop edges are kinda chewed up. The guy who owns it now is the second owner and says he bought it like that. He is asking 5k for the boat with the trailer.

He told me hes had the boat at the lake about 10 times and hasnt had any problems with it. He says it steers fine and there are no noises that he can hear. I will be going to the lake with him tomorrow night to drive the boat myself and see how it handles. I also have a friend who is a boat mechanic going with me to help.

Just wondering if I should skip this boat and look for another one? Should I take it to a boat shop and have them check it out? What are some things I can look at myself? Any help is very appreciated!

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

This is from another member here:

Here is some advice I would give to anyone buying a boat.

□ What ever you do don?t buy any boat without a test drive.
□ Make sure the engine is cold and has not been previously warmed up. You will want to see how it cranks and runs after it has been sitting for an extended period.
□ Always check all fluid levels before test drive.
□ After the test drive ck all fluid levels again for color and consistency, looking for any water intrusion or fluid level changes.
□ Make sure bilge area is dry before and after test drive.
□ When test driving, don?t make a quick trip out and back, give it a real test drive. Put it thru the paces, run it hard, hit some waves, run it long enough to show up any problems.
□ Pay special attention to how solid the boat feels when you hit a wave, if it feels loose/shaky it may have structural problems.
□ Check closely for any soft flooring. Reach under the floors and try to dig your hands into any exposed wood.
□ Stop and restart the engine several times.
□ Make sure everything on the boat works, gauges, bilge pump, blowers, lights, wires are still in their looms, etc.
□ Make sure all thru hull fittings are tight, in good condition, and well sealed.
□ Make sure all deck hardware i.e. bow rails, cleats, tow eyes, windshield, seats, and etc. are solid on their mount.

Don?t just accept it. Don?t buy while you?re overly impressed. Take your time and look it over well.

Paying someone to look at it is the best option. I guess it depends on your buddy's experience level. Also, I would want to check the propshaft runout for possible damage, if the shaft is straight, I would use the prop and skeg condition as a bargaining chip. If you buy the boat, get a replacement prop and the bent one becomes your spare. Skeg can be repaired too.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

The fin is slightly bent and the prop edges are kinda chewed up. The guy who owns it now is the second owner and says he bought it like that.

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Sure he bought it like that....not. If he did and didn't repair it...well I guess it just goes to show you how good he took care of his boat. "Bent" ....or do you mean gouged up a bit. If it is bent to one side or another theres bigger headaches involved here. I would give him a refundable deposit and take it to a marina OF YOUR CHOOSE to be inspected. If you spend $200 for a full on inspection; it is better then racking up $2000 in repair costs once you own it. If it is just gouged up a bit & depending on how far down the damge is on the skeg, you can buy just the skeg and have a piece of the old one cut off and the new one welded on to make it whole again. They will grind the weld flush so you or they can spray paint it again making it as good as new.

As far as the prop goes...Depending if it is a stainless prop (silver color) I would allow for atleast an additional $500 - $800 to repair the skeg and buy a new prop.

He says it steers fine and there are no noises that he can hear. I will be going to the lake with him tomorrow night to drive the boat myself and see how it handles.

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With him or your buddy driving you should lift/move the engine hatch and really listen for noises while in motion and on plane. When taking a test drive, I always stay out for atleat an hour.

I also have a friend who is a boat mechanic going with me to help.

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Not to sound negative, but if your posting here about this, I would be willing to bet your "friend" isn't a trained marine mechanic. Just remember, your buying the boat and the headaches that go with it, not him. Boating is an expensive sport as it is. Bringing him is a great idea if he is mechanically savvy. If he gives you the thumbs up, and you feel confident, I would give the man a deposit and take it to a PREDETERMINED boat shop / Marina for a full inspection.

Good luck!

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

RepoMan207 said:

Sure he bought it like that....not. If he did and didn't repair it...well I guess it just goes to show you how good he took care of his boat. "Bent" ....or do you mean gouged up a bit. If it is bent to one side or another theres bigger headaches involved here. I would give him a refundable deposit and take it to a marina OF YOUR CHOOSE to be inspected. If you spend $200 for a full on inspection; it is better then racking up $2000 in repair costs once you own it. If it is just gouged up a bit & depending on how far down the damge is on the skeg, you can buy just the skeg and have a piece of the old one cut off and the new one welded on to make it whole again. They will grind the weld flush so you or they can spray paint it again making it as good as new.

As far as the prop goes...Depending if it is a stainless prop (silver color) I would allow for atleast an additional $500 - $800 to repair the skeg and buy a new prop.



With him or your buddy driving you should lift/move the engine hatch and really listen for noises while in motion and on plane. When taking a test drive, I always stay out for atleat an hour.



Not to sound negative, but if your posting here about this, I would be willing to bet your "friend" isn't a trained marine mechanic. Just remember, your buying the boat and the headaches that go with it, not him. Boating is an expensive sport as it is. Bringing him is a great idea if he is mechanically savvy. If he gives you the thumbs up, and you feel confident, I would give the man a deposit and take it to a PREDETERMINED boat shop / Marina for a full inspection.

Good luck!

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The fin has a slight bend to it, no chunks missing. The prop is black so im sure it aluminum but I could be wrong.

The test drive is tomorrow night and ill make sure the engine cover comes off so we can hear any noises it may have.

Im posting here because of the questions I have. My "friend" has worked on boats a bunch and has worked for a few different marine places. His father is also a marine mechanic and runs a repair business out of his home. I will talk to the owner and see if hes willing to let me take the boat and have it checked out.

thanks for your input

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

I just cant imagine buying a boat with a bent up skeg and prop and leaving it that way the whole time you own it. Maybe once to the lake to see how it goes but at least put a new prop on it for petes sake, they aren't that much for an aluminum. Depending on how bad the prop is it could produce a vibration that might feel/sound very bad when in reality it is just a trashed prop. Print the above checklist and study it while enroute to the lake much good info there.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

I think I am goin to pass on this boat and search for another one...

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

The price seems pretty good if the boat is as clean as you say, might be worth a test run, give the guy a twenty for gas if you decide to pass and you are only out a few hours and twenty bucks.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

He is not willing to go any lower on the price of the boat. I dont wanna spend 5k for a boat that needs outdrive work. Its a clean boat just dont want the troubles unless I can get it for around 4k.




Theres some pics

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

Ask if you can tow it down to the lake and back BEFORE you pay for it!

http://www.toughboats.com/video.cfm?...BubbaCRevLegal

It did not float, so I brought it back!

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

5K seems like a fair price for the boat. With a boat that old though you are taking a bit of a gamble because you do not really know how the boat has been treated for the past 13 years. More important to me than the condition of the Skeg and Prop would be the maint history. Does he have any. Skegs get beat up over time, it is a fact of life, for 100 bucks you can get a nice looking stainless skeg guard and for another 100 bucks or so you can get a new prop. Have a mechanic check out the drive and look for metal shavings and run out on the prop shaft. Volvo makes a very solid drive and they are built like a tank so if it has been properly cared for you should have no problems.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

I bought mine with a couple of knicks on the prop and the skeg was slightly bent and never had a problem with the out drive in the 4 yrs that I have had her. She sounds like she is worth looking at and taking her out for a run, keep an eye on the temp gauge too while your out there 160* is the worst it should get, if 180-200 then it needs an impeller (most likely), watch the gauges.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

The guy has ZERO maintinence records for the boat and neither did the owner before him. The owner now hasnt done any service to it from what he said. I passed on the boat and im searching for another one. If I have to wait until this winter to buy then I will im not in a hurry.

Re: New here and buying my first boat.

TiMe_1 said:

I passed on the boat and im searching for another one. If I have to wait until this winter to buy then I will im not in a hurry.

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Good luck hope you find what you looking for.