Hi there! New to this site, and actually new to boating. Trying to find info and opinions.
2 years ago, my wife and I decided to buy a boat for the first time.
We found a gently used 2003 Larson 180 sei with a 4.3 VP sx-m. The engine only had 47 hours on it, and the rest of the boat and interior were pretty much mint! Very nice shape. We paid $12,500 for it.
Fast forward to August 2019. We were at our favorite lake, Lake Koocanusa which is a dammed lake, and it was lower than usual, we hit an underwater ledge doing 25 mph. I immediately shut down the engine, raised the trim expecting to see the prop ripped off but It wasn’t. Since we were close to camp, and it was late evening, I decided to fire it up and head back to shore.
Pulled it out of the water, and found a nice hole in the bullet of the lower unit. So not only was it physically damaged, but I also ran it with no oil for 3-4 minutes. Yup, seized it up. I’m a rookie!!
Went through insurance, and they wrote it off. $14,500 for a complete out drive and labour to install. We received a cheque for $11,000. But here’s the weird part.. They gave the boat back with no out drive. So we have a nice boat with 58 hours on it, but no outdrive so it’s useless!!
So here’s the question. Do I try to part it out? Or find a used VP outdrive (expensive), or is there a way to convert to a Bravo simply because of cost, or would that cost more in the long run ( drive, transome, cables, etc)
I’m mechanically incline, and I know automotive mechanics, so I feel I can do the work myself to save some money but I’m not familiar with boats.
Not sure what to do!
Sorry for the long post!!
2 years ago, my wife and I decided to buy a boat for the first time.
We found a gently used 2003 Larson 180 sei with a 4.3 VP sx-m. The engine only had 47 hours on it, and the rest of the boat and interior were pretty much mint! Very nice shape. We paid $12,500 for it.
Fast forward to August 2019. We were at our favorite lake, Lake Koocanusa which is a dammed lake, and it was lower than usual, we hit an underwater ledge doing 25 mph. I immediately shut down the engine, raised the trim expecting to see the prop ripped off but It wasn’t. Since we were close to camp, and it was late evening, I decided to fire it up and head back to shore.
Pulled it out of the water, and found a nice hole in the bullet of the lower unit. So not only was it physically damaged, but I also ran it with no oil for 3-4 minutes. Yup, seized it up. I’m a rookie!!
Went through insurance, and they wrote it off. $14,500 for a complete out drive and labour to install. We received a cheque for $11,000. But here’s the weird part.. They gave the boat back with no out drive. So we have a nice boat with 58 hours on it, but no outdrive so it’s useless!!
So here’s the question. Do I try to part it out? Or find a used VP outdrive (expensive), or is there a way to convert to a Bravo simply because of cost, or would that cost more in the long run ( drive, transome, cables, etc)
I’m mechanically incline, and I know automotive mechanics, so I feel I can do the work myself to save some money but I’m not familiar with boats.
Not sure what to do!
Sorry for the long post!!