New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

[LippCJ7]

Hello I am looking at a 1987 Beretta super sport with a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder Mercruiser motor with an Alpha 1 outdrive (with 127 hours). I wanted to get some opinions on the reliability of this boat and motor. It's in PERFECT shape, been stored in a barn and priced at $3500.00 with a trailer. Is this too good to be true?

Looking today and need to know what to look for and ask the seller.

Now my personal thoughts are what are you intending to do with this boat, are you expecting to ski behind it or just cruise around, the motor is small for skiing and tubing, it may do it but its not going to be happy trying, no it is not to good to be true, it has a serious limitation, the motor, but if you are just interested in getting out on the water then this will be ok.

Parts to repair the motor may be tough to come by due to the age so that may be something you want to check into, otherwise like any boat make sure you check it thoroughly.

Prepare for the wave of information that is iboats and welcome!!

 

[roscoe]

Re: New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

That motor was a good one, back in the day.

How long has it been sitting?

Boats that sit for years WILL require major work, maintenance and upgrades to be reliable again.

Plan on $1000 to make her seaworthy.


Correct price for that boat would be $2000 +/- if there is no major damage.

If the seller can't sea trial the boat for you, then drop the price to $1400.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

I've got a 1987 3.0 liter GM,, parts are not hard to come by.. assuming that motor is sound, run it,, compression test the motor, pay attention to the trailer.. make sure seller has paperwork for boat and trailer, look at reg GTW (gross trailer weight).as Roscoe said plan an extra $1000 to get it running well. $3500 is to high....$2500 maybe

 

[thumpar]

Re: New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

I agree that the price is too high. "been sitting in a barn" means rubber bellows and hoses rotting. Check the tires too. Some things are better when used more often. Do you know if it was winterized before being stored?

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

With 127 hours on a 1987 boat is saying it sat too much not to need a lot.

 

[pckeen]

Re: New member dleetch has a few questions on a prospective boat..

Boats that sit will deteriorate as well: figure on bellows, rubber cracking, the carbs may be clogged and need cleaning; cables may be seized. Look at this thread for advice on looking at a used boat.