2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures included

Hi Guys,

Struggling to find a ski and fish... well a half decent ski and fish with a 4.3 L engine! I do not know to much about Caravelle's whether they are good boats? bad boat? what they are worth? etc!

The dealer is telling me they are good boats but again who would trust the a sales rep giving info on a boat he is selling!!

His add is...
"18.0' CARAVELLE 187 SPORT FISH AND SKI 2004, Bowrider! This beautiful Fish and Ski bowrider comes with the Mercruiser 4.3 L engine and has only 182 hours. It is in excellent condition! Some notable features are: snap on bow and cockpit covers, bimini top, Sport seating with rear bench and captains chairs, woodgrain look dash, cockpit lighting, (Fish and Ski package which includes trolling motor, front casting deck, pedestals and chairs, fish finder), tilt steering, ski storage, cooler, glovebox, Sony AM/FM stereo with 4 speakers, extended swim platform, automatic bilge, hour meter, dual batteries and more!"

It really does seem to be in good shape... the pictures look nice and

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

argh... can't seem to add pictures to the post! iboats attachment is not working... here is the boat and pictures... he is sending me more.

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Unspecified/187 SPORT FISH AND SKI/TROY/Ontario/24_11955354_/?ms=boats

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

Very nice looking boat. I would want to see maintenance records. Regardless of hours years hurt items like bellows too. I would think this is high but I am cheap. What are comparable boats going for in your area?

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

I dont even know what a bellow is! I am cheap!

2006 tahoes fish and ski beat up a bit not like this one the guy was asking $17800 and it also had the 4.3 L. talked him down to $15,000 but it didn't have snap in carpets, seats were cracking, floor looked like it was gone soon.

Good fish and ski are going around this price

More thoughts please?

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

Looks nice and has lots of features. Price seems ok ... but i am sure it books out for that... or close to it. Then he probably added some, since it's prime time for buying a boat. The Tahoe compared to Caravelle... i would go Caravelle. Tahoes seem to drop in value quicker than others. Just my observation. Not bagging on tahoes. Also, just for reference, my 01 Glastron is pulling $11,500 on nada. Bellows are the rubber flex joints between the boat and the drive. They must be intact to prevent water intrusion into the drive ujoints or even the boat bilge. AKA- IMPORTANT!

EDIT---> Just looked at the ad again... this is not in the US is it? Dealership says southwestern Ontario. If that's the case... aren't things usually a tad higher up there? If so, the price may be in line with the norm. But sharp lookin boat. If you don't buy it, someone else will.

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

IMO, Caravelle makes some great boats. My last boat was a Caravelle, although much older than the one you are looking at. It was a solid boat and handled and drove far better than my father's 2001 Stingray. If I'm not mistaken, they are all wood free now as well.

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

I would try to talk them down 14 to 15 sounds much better. Make sure the out drive has been serviced.

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

Caravelle has a decent reputation and they make some nice looking boats. That price seems pretty high for a carbed 4.3.

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

That seems high to me, but I was looking at a different type of fish and ski (OB, Bass style hull) when we were in the market. If you are thinking 80% pleasure, 20% fishing, this would probably suit you well. Just be aware, the 18' will feel small if you do much fishing at all, especially if there's more than two of you. Still, as other's have said, it's a sharp looking boat!

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

DuckHunterJon said:

That seems high to me, but I was looking at a different type of fish and ski (OB, Bass style hull) when we were in the market. If you are thinking 80% pleasure, 20% fishing, this would probably suit you well. Just be aware, the 18' will feel small if you do much fishing at all, especially if there's more than two of you. Still, as other's have said, it's a sharp looking boat!

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Good point for the OP, Duck....I had a 19' fish and ski....all the fishing stuff takes up a bunch of space...if you're not kickin it, you're movin it to get to something under it!

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

I can't comment on the price as canadian boat prices all seem silly high to me. But I can say that if the boat is priced comparably to others in your area, it looks like a fine boat to me. The full fiberglass liner and snap in carpet is a great feature and a 4.3 will perform great in that boat.

Re: 2004 Caravelle Ski and Fish -Need info on quality and price PLEASE! pictures incl

ezmobee said:

I can't comment on the price as canadian boat prices all seem silly high to me. But I can say that if the boat is priced comparably to others in your area, it looks like a fine boat to me. The full fiberglass liner and snap in carpet is a great feature and a 4.3 will perform great in that boat.

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Thanks everyone for the commments... I think EZMOBEE said it right. I am not sure where you all are located. But the Canadian prices for boats seems to be higher than other places... referring to the U.S.

I've probably seen every boat on the internet in the great lakes, ontario, kijiji, boattrader, autotrader, and a lot of marinas... it is VERY VERY HARD to find a good fish and ski boat around here... let alone a fish and ski boat with a 4.3 L or better!!!!!!!

Most boats I've found are like Tahoe fish and skis in the price range of $16000-17000 and it is the Q4 some with a 4.3 some with the 3.0 so when I found this i thought well maybe this might be an option.

I just found this boat too... maybe you guys can comment on this boat, the caravelle vs this 2008 Q5I SF Tahoe? again more than I'd like to spend but here it is...

http://www.crateslakecountryboats.c...iew/Details/2008-Tahoe-Ski-n-Fish-Q5i-SF.aspx

Thanks again