Advice on buying a Manta Ray project

I found a Manta Ray project boat for sale. It has a soft floor and motor mounts. the seats are going to need recovered but they aren't absolutely horrible, mostly dirty looking. Also, the outdrive is bad.

I can pick the boat and trailer up for 100$, Is it worth trying to repair or would I be better off looking for a different project boat?

I like the idea of restoring a boat myself, recently I've been helping my pastor restore his 16' trihull bass boat by adding a new floor, new transom, and fixing a hole in the hull. I just wonder if the I/O would be out of my league.

Any information on Manta Ray boats or advice on my particular situation would be appreciated!

Re: Advice on buying a Manta Ray project

hi aarron....welcome to i boats.

this is boat university.

a hundred bucks is cheap for any boat and trailer.

but what about the motor?....

the motor and out drive in an i/o are very expencive....the out drive is approx 1500 if you need to replace it (that is a mercrusier)
if the drive is an omc.....just pass on the whole thing.

the motor can be about 5000 to replace.

and you can build the hull for under 2000.

so its up to you and your time and money and commitment.

here at i boats there is a sub forum called restoration and boat building. in the resto section you will find hundreds of guys doing full re fits....so read read read.
if you decide to tale on this project, we can walk you right thru it !

cheers
oops

Re: Advice on buying a Manta Ray project

From speaking with the owner I'm under the impression that the motor is good. He says he just purchased the boat for quite a bit of money thinking only the outdrive needed repair and it actually needed a lot more work than that.

I think I will try to go pick it up, if nothing else maybe I'll be able to sell the trailer and make my money back, it appears to be a nice matching trailer.

What is a mid 90's manta ray even worth? I'm not really familiar with the brand or quality of the build.