Can you buy a new boat without the outboard engine??

kozman01 · #1 June 28th, 2004, 01:26 PM

If i was to purchase a new Sea Ray, Rinker, Glastron, etc. in the 18 footer range and had another motor, like one purchased off of iboats, can the boat be bought with no engine and is it economically feasible? Thanks!

ThomWV · #2 June 28th, 2004, 01:31 PM

Sure you can do it, but do you want to? Its not that rigging an outboard is a big deal, but a lot of guys either can't or won't do it and the dealership will charge you an arm and a leg to hang and rig someone else's engine on someone else's hull. I also think there are price savings on most of the packages simply because the motor manufacturer's give price breaks to the hull builders who have entered into agreements to hang their engine's exclusively. But to answer your question properly, I don't know of any hull manufacturer that wouldn't be more than happy to sell you a hull out the back door anytime you wanted it ... well, you might have to get in line for some of them, but the line isn't that long and its getting shorter every day.

Terry H · #3 June 28th, 2004, 02:03 PM

I bought a new aluminum hull and put an older motor on it 4 years ago and saved 10k,the motor would have cost more than the hull...if'n I wanted a new motor I think the bargain is with the boat/motor package...

kozman01 · #4 June 29th, 2004, 06:01 AM

Thanks. I was just looking at some of the prices for a few years old Yamaha/Suzuki, etc. and realized I could get more motor if I went a few years older and if I was purchasing from a place like iboats, I know the engine would be what it claims to be. Thnaks for the input!

Tufan · #5 July 1st, 2004, 08:30 AM

Not only you could buy a brand new boat with out an engine, you can ask the dealer to pre-rig the boat for you based on your engine spec's.

Mercathode · #6 July 5th, 2004, 06:46 PM

Kozman

By a new motor! Ya can't beat new!

Mercury140-I6 · #7 July 6th, 2004, 12:16 AM

When I got my 1996 Glastron GS-160.

It would have come with a 70hp Sussuki or something like that and would have cost 13k.

I wanted more power, so I got the boat and trailer for 4,200, on the way back home to get a 1973 Merc 1150, I passed a Merc dealer and stopped, he had a 79 Merc 115 for 2,800 installed and that included the controls, prop, PT/T.

Couldn't beat it, twice the hp at alomst 1/2 the price.

Hope this helps.

Craig

achris · #8 July 7th, 2004, 12:34 AM

I've done it the other way 'round. Had an older baot with a 'dead' engine. Binned the engine, kept the boat, put brand new engine in it. Saved about $20K on a new package.

How much horsepower Craig? As much as won't kill you

(and I love those old I6s)

Chris.............

Arnold96 · #9 July 9th, 2004, 06:26 PM

Merc man that is one sweet looking prop spinner. My oh my the memories that thing brings back.....

Mercury140-I6 · #10 July 9th, 2004, 06:56 PM

Thanks Arnold. If you were closer, I'd take you for a ride.

Craig

BillP · #11 July 10th, 2004, 05:28 AM

I think you will find a few that won't let you buy just the hull. I tried to buy a Pathfinder flats boat about 3 yrs ago and they wouldn't sell without a motor. The dealer said Pathfinder had an agreement with the mtr mfg to do it this way. Many of the pkg deals have the motor mounted at the factory. Best way to find out for sure is call the factories...

swist · #12 July 10th, 2004, 07:22 AM

Unfortunately the manufacturers you cite (Sea Ray et al) are big production boat builders - build em, rig the motors, and move em on out ready to go - If you want a motorless hull, you will have to custom order it, as it is unlikely to be in the dealer's stock. And, just as in cars, you never get a better deal on a custom order than taking one off the lot.

Now if you confine your search to smaller builders, you may find a lot more flexibility. And you may in fact get a better hull anyway. I'm not much of a fan of the brands you list anyway, and one of the reasons is that doing anything out of the ordinary is just not in their business model.