O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

[robbyr1]

With alot of help from this great site, I'm buying a boat. I'm going 7.5 hours away from Wisconsin to Minnesota to pick up a 2001 Glastron SX 175. It's in pretty good shape with low hours on the motor (cabin boat, used about 20hours a year). He is going to run the motor for me with a hose, I believe, as we can't put it in the water (no time and no lakes nearby). I think I know all the right things to ask & what to look for. The first thing I asked about was the trailer as I am driving a long way home; he just re-packed the bearings and put new tires on. Can you guys give me your ideas on what to look for?

Thanks,

Rob

 

[lprizman]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

have you had it professionally checked out?
motors may run fine in the driveway,,underload out in the lake or ocean different deal.
bring a small rubber mallet and or ball peen hammer light bumps all around the hull and transom for detections of rot and soft spots.
push and pull on the transom for loosness
do a compression test.
open every hatch / compartment look for any size of water intrusion and or standing water.
check all the elemnts, steering, trim etc...
If it were me, no sea trial or survey,,no go.

best of luck!!

 

[DavidW2009]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

"..low hours..."
"we can't put it in the water (no time and no lakes nearby)."

This is similar situation when I bought my Bayliner. I'm beginning to think there may be a correlation between boats owned far from a lake and low hours.

Combine that with an owner that kept it covered in a garage or carport and there may be a nice boat at the end of the trip.

Check for any hairline cracks in the hull and transom.
Check for telltale water stream while running the motor (if it's an O/B)

Don't be afraid to bargain on the price, especially if the owner doesn't seem to know what he is doing.

 

[204Angler]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

While checking the hull and transom for soft spots and cracks...also check the floor for soft spots. While you are rifling through the compartments...if there is a bilge access cover, remove it and shine a flash light down there to see if you can see any standing water. While you are in the back doing your compression test, kneel down with a standard screw driver and remove the drain screw for the lower unit oil. Check for anything that shouldn't be there. It may appear to be very very slightly milky. That is just microscopic metal flakes from normal wear on the L/U gears---OK. If it is blatently milky, frothy or have visible-to-the-naked-eye metal shavings...that is a bad thing.
Trailer: Check that the leaf springs aren't rusted to the point of flaking
Check that the axle(s) are straight
literally kick the tires to make sure tires are alligned on hub. If they aren't, when you kick the tire (one side, not center) it will get knocked crooked. THat's bad before your long trip.
If you get the boat...stop every 50 miles or so and check the hubs. Make sure they aren't excessively warm. You should be able to keep your hand on them. If you pull your hand away and say "crap, that's hot"...that is bad.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Your going to need a spare bearing anyway, so pick one up BEFORE leaving Minnesota. Perhaps the seller will get one for you if you ask, seeing he would have the model number etc. Also ensure you have a spare tire and tools to change tire and bearing.

 

[robbyr1]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat UPDATED WITH BAD NEWS!

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat UPDATED WITH BAD NEWS!

So I drove to Minnesota to get the boat (thanks for the ideas on what to check) Great Boat, in great shape interior, exterior & motor. I had him run the motor on the trailer (we backed it up to a river). So I went home feeling REAL good about things.

I went to take her on her maiden voyage the next day in Pewaukee Lake (good thing I just brought a buddy, not my wife & 2 year old). We put it in the water & ran out to the middle of the lake, the my buddy screamed "STOP". I turn around and there is TONS of smoke coming out of the engine compartment. I turn the motor off, put on a life jacket and start shaking. I called the guy I bought it from & asked if he had any ideas (I was hoping he said he spray painted something and that's what was smoking.) He said the check the hoses for the water intake, maybe he switched them when he hooked everything back up. Yes, he did switch the hoses!

I switched the hoses (with the only thing I had, a penny, in 25 MPH winds) and started back slowly. I got back to shore with the temp gauge still going up (it didn't top out at 250 degress, but it was between 225 & 250).

So, not a great start to my boating life! I'm hoping that I didn't do any serious damage, but I'm bracing for the worst. I'm trying to find someone to check it out thoroughly, compression test, etc. without charging me an arm & a leg. Most people I talk to said for sure the impeller is toast (that would explain why the temp kept going up after switching hoses) but I'm hoping for the best. Wish me luck!

What damage do you guys think I did?

Sorry for the long-winded post but my stomach is in knots and I wanted to tell someone. Thanks!

 

[robbyr1]

Updated With Bad News

Updated With Bad News

Trying to change title

 

[lowkee]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat

With alot of help from this great site, I'm buying a boat.

Congrats on coming here before you buy a boat. Not all are so well prepared

Most people I talk to said for sure the impeller is toast (that would explain why the temp kept going up after switching hoses) but I'm hoping for the best.

An impeller would be one of the cheapest issues you can have. You have to let us know what engine you have or we'd just be guessing. A little like saying "The button on my toaster is broken, what is the part #?"

PS: To change the title, edit the title in the first post. (it times out, so you can only edit it for so many days)

 

[robbyr1]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Good call, lowkee, sorry. It's the Volvo 3.0L.

 

[Bronc Rider]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

You will get more help if you post this in the I/O section. Provide them with your engine and outdrive info.
Most of the rubber parts are going to be ruined.If the engine re-started it may be fine after you replace all the parts.

 

[642mx]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Don't forget to change the oil too...

 

[cribber]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Sounds like ya smoked the raw water impeller and if you didn't max out the temperature you should be okay. An easy fix as long as you flush out the cooling system. You should be able to get advice on how to do that down in the I/O section. If it had that distinct odor of burnt rubber you're okay. While you in there go ahead and give it an oil change too so you start with everything fresh.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Too bad about that first ride. At least two lessons learned there:

1. Wear your pfd so you don't need to think about putting it on if something goes bad. Often there is no time.

2. Carry a basic toolkit in the boat at all times. Been caught out on this one myself.

As for the actual problem. I don't understand how an impeller that's submerged can get burnt up. Unless I'm mistaken that it would be submerged. But I think so if the boat is in the water and the drive is down. Obviously your reversed hoses didn't help but I wonder if the smoke is from some other source.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Well my take on this is !!. You never leave the dock before the motor are up to temps. . You cooked your impeller & exhaust couplers .

 

[sewerrat]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

The good part is the part of the state you are in. I boat on Pewaukee lake almost every weekend and there is a plethora of excellent boat mechanics in this area. It doesn't sound like anything too bad and most of the parts that are toast should probably have been replaced as part of your normal maintenance.
Good luck and happy boating

 

[nitsuj]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

As for the actual problem. I don't understand how an impeller that's submerged can get burnt up. Unless I'm mistaken that it would be submerged. But I think so if the boat is in the water and the drive is down. Obviously your reversed hoses didn't help but I wonder if the smoke is from some other source.

I don't know about all Volvo's and drives, but on mine, the impeller isn't in the drive. It's on the engine, so if the hoses were swapped, I guess the impeller could have run dry. The Volvo cooling system is new to me, but I would assume you could run it dry if you have the hoses hooked up wrong. But as long as you didn't overheat the motor, and it doesn't sound like you did, the impeller is about as bad as the damage will be. Cheap easy fix.

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Don't sweat it to much... As mentioned your impeller is probably toast. You will see a plate held on by four screws with two hoses coming out of the box. It will be below the powersteering pump and to the left. Remove that plate and the impeller will pull out with some screw drivers and pliers. Pull it out and if it is shreaded replace it and hook the hoses up correctly. If the impeller is not shreaded then you have something else burning up. For what its worth I burned mine up just recently and had very little smoke coming out. If its the impeller your looking at about $40 and 10 minutes. If its something else then your guess is as good as mine. Let us know what you find out.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Let us know what you find out. Sorry to hear about the Maiden voyage. Hope it didn't do too much damage, sux I know, but you'll get through it and chalk one up for a learning experience.Some times thats how we learn, the hard way

 

[Shizzy]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

I hate to ask, but what part of Minnesota was this in that there wasnt a body of water nearby? they do call it "the land of 10,000 lakes" after all.

 

[lprizman]

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

You were able to dunk it in the water to start it w/ the seller???
taking it for a ride w/ seller would have avoided this and or helped your purchase negotiations

It is what it is now,,,best of luck..