[mrfizban]

You guys have been a big help in the past and I wanted to run my proposal by you. I've got a friend whose uncle wants to give his boat to a new family as he is retiring and going to buy something more geared for his fishing tastes. I've got a young family and want a bow-rider. The boat in question is a 1989 Starcraft SS180 18' aluminum Outboard with an 80HP Mercury. He also has some like 9.9HP trolling motor or something like that that I'm not too interested in. He's taken good care of it, it's been covered and he is the original owner with all documents. It's only been in the water about 6 times over the last 2-3 years. He already bought a battery for this year and it started right up. Looks pretty good inside and out. The deal I proposed was that since the low NADA blue book is $2,900 (I just said "blue book") I'd give him $2,600 plus take it in to get tuned-up and get into like-new condition for me and my family. I'm expecting a tune-up and clean-up will be around $300. Does this sound right to you guys? Or am I missing any key things here? Thanks again guys.Jeff

[Barlow]

don't drop it off and say, "have at it", unless you know what they're planning on doing..price is respective to time and materials ... don't guess you'll either be very shocked or very upset (possibly both) .. ask the folks doing the work.. It always makes me chuckle when people guess at what it should cost them for my services in my industry using my standards.. just a little .02 babble from here

[mrfizban]

Thanks for the info Barlow. I've made a few calls and I'm sticking with the "tune-up" portion and it seems to be abound $250 or so. The seats are all in good condition and everything, but there is mildrew everywhere. Do many boat maintenance people clean up something like mildew and if so what does that end up costing? Thanks again.

[prockvoan]

That mildrew cleans up easy.One cup of bleach to one gal of water mixed in a sprayer.Just spray it ,let it sit for about 5 mins,wash it off with fresh water.Let the sun hit it for a few days.

[biloxiriver]

Make sure you rinse it a lot after you put the bleach on. It works great but will do some damage if not thoroughly rinsed out.

[richg99]

I'm sure the boat shop would clean your boat up for you ...at $60.00 to $80.00 per-hour labor! One of the great things about owning a boat is that you can do dozens of little things yourself. One of the worst things about owning a boat is that you have to do dozens of little things yourself... AND...if you don't like doing those things, be prepared to pay a professional for his time.Owning a boat is like owning a house or a car. Either you pay to have it done, or expect to spend some loving time doing a lot of things yourself. It is a labor of love for many of us...and a pain in the AXX for others...personally, I love it. RichG TX

[jtexas]

One thing that kind of surprised me was learning (from the repair manual) that a "major tune-up" includes pulling the cylinder head - that's gotta be expensive. My dad put his '79 in the shop just before he gave it to me, close to $300 for minor tune-up, carb rebuild, sync & link, couple other little things, included compression test & test tank run-up. Probably about like the bill of work you got quoted for.I'm not saying it wasn't a good value for the $$$, just saying be careful what you ask for.Echo what richg said, part of the satisfaction of boat ownership is all the stuff you get to do to it. A while ago somebody here said "...if you're handy (and now that you're a boat owner, you better be)...." Ain't dat the truth!

[crazy charlie]

I would suggest a compression test before you close the deal.If that does not check out,you no longer have a good deal.Charlie

[mrfizban]

Thanks guys. I guess I never thought of just getting my pressure washer and hooking it up with some bleach 10 parts to 1 and seeing how that worked. Good advise guys.

[bmetros]

I recently purchased a 1989 Starcraft BV 180 with a 1989 80hp merc. It would be great to see some pictures and maybe compare statistics on props etc.

[rogerwa]

Have the shop replace the impeller as well unless you have proof that it was done recently.Also take it for a water test if possible. I've seen engines run fine on land and have stumbling and other problems when applying a load.Also when the post above said sprayer, I think he meant a bottle sprayer and not a power washer.

[Bond-o]

One thing that kind of surprised me was learning (from the repair manual) that a "major tune-up" includes pulling the cylinder head

The older inline Mercrys Don't Have a Head........The Head,+ Block are 1 pc.......Jeff,...... Go For It......That'll make you a decent Hull,+ an 80hp will make it move out Real Nice........

[Solittle]

Years back I had a 19' Glastron fiberglas bow rider with an 80 hp Merc on it. It wasn't the fastest boat in Miami but it was quite adequate for my young family of 5 at the time.