MTribe08
Senior Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2008
- Messages
- 680
Hi Gang,
I'm helping a friend find a boat for him and his family. He hasn't put nearly the amount of time that I have on this site reading your advice on what to look for when purchasing something and so I'm trying to steer him in the right direction here.
I came across an add in craigslist for a 1991 19' Monterey open bow 4.3L Merc. $3,000 The add was very vague and had no pictures, but I called him and we went to take a look. The boat had zero signs of deck rot..solid everywhere. The interior was in great shape for its age and the engine and drive look very clean with no indication of peeling paint from an over heat.
So, we offered the guy some non-refundable money to take the boat home tonight and bring it to the water in the morning. Wanted to get a real good look and check the oil conditions and look for other problems. He agreed and let us take it.
The good:
1)Very solid Deck
2)Interior is in good condition
3) 4.3L Engine appears to be well taken care of.
4)Gel Coat could use a buffing but is actually in very nice condition
5)Brand New Prop
6)The Hull is is in good shape and shows no sign of any current or previous damage
7)Trailer is solid, bunks and winch in good shape.
8)Lower unit oil is in good shape with no signs of water intrusion
9)Bellows look solid with no signs of rot or cracking.
10) Beat on the transom quite a bit and is very solid.
12) has a new CD player installed.
13)Trim motor works great with no problems lowering or raising the drive.
The Bad:
1)Carpet is pretty worn and needs to be replaced.
2)The previous owner had a trolling motor mounted on the bow. The holes need to be filled in and smoothed out.
3)The outdrive has a chunk of the cavitation missing from a rock/log incident.
The prop spins nice and free and the shaft shows no sign of being bent and otherwise appears ok. But not sure what to look for other than that??
4) Some cracking just below the windshield on the passenger side..maybe a half dollar in size.
5)Speakers need to be replaced
6) Will need to get a new bimini top.
7)Bilge pump does not appear to be working.
Concerns/Questions
1)Will the missing piece of the cavitation plate affect performance? Is it possible to fix or maybe just put some sort of aftermarket fin on there?
2) the boat has been sitting for about 2 1/2 months and the oil in the engine looks and smells ok(no signs of water) but the level is high? Could this be due to it sitting for a while? We will watch the oil pressure closely tomorrow.
3)Can't find a lower unit reservoir on the motor, did the Merc's not come with one in 1991?
Pricing:
He is asking $3,000
Nada Value: 2000-low retail
2300-Average retail
The boat looks to be very well taken care of..we are told the previous owner to this one was the original owner and only used it to fish in and stored it in doors otherwise.
If the boat runs well on the lake and you guys seem to think it sounds ok..we are thinking that $2,500 would be a fair price. Thoughts?
Please chime in quick if you have any thoughts..we are taking it out mid morning and said we would have the boat and or Money back shortly after.
Thanks for your time,
David
Here are some pictures
I'm helping a friend find a boat for him and his family. He hasn't put nearly the amount of time that I have on this site reading your advice on what to look for when purchasing something and so I'm trying to steer him in the right direction here.
I came across an add in craigslist for a 1991 19' Monterey open bow 4.3L Merc. $3,000 The add was very vague and had no pictures, but I called him and we went to take a look. The boat had zero signs of deck rot..solid everywhere. The interior was in great shape for its age and the engine and drive look very clean with no indication of peeling paint from an over heat.
So, we offered the guy some non-refundable money to take the boat home tonight and bring it to the water in the morning. Wanted to get a real good look and check the oil conditions and look for other problems. He agreed and let us take it.
The good:
1)Very solid Deck
2)Interior is in good condition
3) 4.3L Engine appears to be well taken care of.
4)Gel Coat could use a buffing but is actually in very nice condition
5)Brand New Prop
6)The Hull is is in good shape and shows no sign of any current or previous damage
7)Trailer is solid, bunks and winch in good shape.
8)Lower unit oil is in good shape with no signs of water intrusion
9)Bellows look solid with no signs of rot or cracking.
10) Beat on the transom quite a bit and is very solid.
12) has a new CD player installed.
13)Trim motor works great with no problems lowering or raising the drive.
The Bad:
1)Carpet is pretty worn and needs to be replaced.
2)The previous owner had a trolling motor mounted on the bow. The holes need to be filled in and smoothed out.
3)The outdrive has a chunk of the cavitation missing from a rock/log incident.
The prop spins nice and free and the shaft shows no sign of being bent and otherwise appears ok. But not sure what to look for other than that??
4) Some cracking just below the windshield on the passenger side..maybe a half dollar in size.
5)Speakers need to be replaced
6) Will need to get a new bimini top.
7)Bilge pump does not appear to be working.
Concerns/Questions
1)Will the missing piece of the cavitation plate affect performance? Is it possible to fix or maybe just put some sort of aftermarket fin on there?
2) the boat has been sitting for about 2 1/2 months and the oil in the engine looks and smells ok(no signs of water) but the level is high? Could this be due to it sitting for a while? We will watch the oil pressure closely tomorrow.
3)Can't find a lower unit reservoir on the motor, did the Merc's not come with one in 1991?
Pricing:
He is asking $3,000
Nada Value: 2000-low retail
2300-Average retail
The boat looks to be very well taken care of..we are told the previous owner to this one was the original owner and only used it to fish in and stored it in doors otherwise.
If the boat runs well on the lake and you guys seem to think it sounds ok..we are thinking that $2,500 would be a fair price. Thoughts?
Please chime in quick if you have any thoughts..we are taking it out mid morning and said we would have the boat and or Money back shortly after.
Thanks for your time,
David
Here are some pictures
)
