Buying My FIRST Boat! Need help analyzing!

[rbiankowski]

Boating friends! I need your analysis regarding this boat I'm going to look at this weekend. I am a newbie buyer (1st time) but I've been doing a ton of research. I feel like I hit the jackpot here but the boat is priced like $4000 under its actual value.... Can you please provide your thoughts?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1601434969971030/

It's a 2000 Four Winns Horizon 190 with a Volvo Penta 5.0 I/O. Boat looks to be in great shape from photos. The family selling is very nice and compliant, has all paperwork, title work, manuals etc. If visual inspection goes well this weekend then I will be having a certified marine mechanic inspect it early next week.

 

[Scott Danforth]

cant access facebook at work, however here is a link to the iboats check list in the stickies https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...eeding-help-buying-a-boat-a-buyer-s-checklist

 

[Maclin]

Looks good, and is definitely undervalued. Get them at ease and in a chatty mood as soon as you can and keep them talking, you will learn a lot more about why the price is significantly lower than it seems it should be.

 

[southkogs]

Get it on the water if you can. That can be tough this time of year, but actually running the boat will tell you a lot about it. See that checklist Scott posted.

Welcome aboard.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Take along a second pair of eyes, preferably a buddy who knows boats.

Look everywhere on the boat. Stick a smartphone or camera into ski locker, hatches, engine compartment, etc. to see as much of the boat as you can.

Probe below-deck structures (stringers, motor mounts, transom core) with a pick or screwdriver tip, looking for soft spots. Step on every square inch of deck looking for soft spots.

The checklist mentioned above is really helpful.

Good luck! You might have found a deal. (Just don't fall in love with it before you check it out. It's not uncommon for the boat to look very differently than what the pictures show.)

 

[Maclin]

.... (Just don't fall in love with it before you check it out. It's not uncommon for the boat to look very differently than what the pictures show.)

THIS is important. Be ready NOT to buy

 

[aspeck]

It certainly looks clean and neat from the pics, but if it seems too good to be true, it probably is ... go in skeptical so you can come out happy! All of the above comments are spot on. The more eyes that look at it the better and a boat mechanic to survey is a must for a first time boat (or any boat after that). Keep it a practical purchase, not an emotional one ...

 

[tpenfield]

Looks nice on the outside. Be sure to open up the engine compartment and other areas to look on the 'inside' for any potential structural issues. A sea/lake trial would certainly be a good thing to have.

 

[Scott Danforth]

looked on the phone, looks good. penty of open water on 'bago in the land of beer and cheese to take it for a seatrial

 

[rbiankowski]

Looks good, and is definitely undervalued. Get them at ease and in a chatty mood as soon as you can and keep them talking, you will learn a lot more about why the price is significantly lower than it seems it should be.

Will do. Something I'm fortunately good at is judging character in person.

 

[rbiankowski]

Get it on the water if you can. That can be tough this time of year, but actually running the boat will tell you a lot about it. See that checklist Scott posted.

Welcome aboard.

Thanks for the post! I have plans to at minimum have a full inspection and put it on hoses. Will see about getting it on water too.

 

[rbiankowski]

Take along a second pair of eyes, preferably a buddy who knows boats.

Look everywhere on the boat. Stick a smartphone or camera into ski locker, hatches, engine compartment, etc. to see as much of the boat as you can.

Probe below-deck structures (stringers, motor mounts, transom core) with a pick or screwdriver tip, looking for soft spots. Step on every square inch of deck looking for soft spots.

The checklist mentioned above is really helpful.

Good luck! You might have found a deal. (Just don't fall in love with it before you check it out. It's not uncommon for the boat to look very differently than what the pictures show.)

I'm a chronic deal finder so I've learned my lesson plenty of times with previous truck shopping about making emotional decisions. It's tough to leave it at the door with this one though, first boat! I will do my best Good advice for the soft floors.

 

[Ristin]

While searching for a used boat I often found the posted pictures to be from the boat's glory days. I was looking at a house boat on Craigslist and she looked fantastic in the pictures. After a few moments I realized I had seen the boat before. She's been sitting in a storage yard that I drive by several times a week for a couple years now. She's looking shabby now which is unfortunate.

 

[Maclin]

A few years ago I went 300+ miles to look at a boat. It was a 1980 Glastron SSV167 bowrider, this was in 2014. Looked good in the pics, the CL ad was written very well. It was during the winter in Kansas so there would not be a sea trial, but it was an outboard boat so to me about 2/3's of the problems with that were out of the way. And it was only $1800. Anyways, I took a battery with me in case the seller said battery died, can't start it or similar excuse. Brought my muffs too, things like that. Well, he had the motor in a barrel, ready to go. We talked some, fired it up, sounded great. Looked the little bowrider over pretty good, it really was almost a creampuff. Some small things here and there but all surfaces were shiny, upholstery still had the gold color, floor was absolutely solid, wheel turned smooth lock to lock, throttle control super smooth. The more I got to know him it was like I was buying it from myself more or less, EXACT same set of values. I towed it back home, was a wonderful little boat, sold it last year for about what I had in it. I hope your experience is positive also, if not this one then the next one!

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Best rule about buying anything you can’t live without is to do the inspection test drive it make sure you like enough about it to justify buying it and then walk away from it for at least 24 hours 48 or more is best with exception of knowing for sure this is the exact boat you want at the right price meaning you’ve shopped for it hard. I buy a lot of cars some personal some business some were impulse investment the ones I have won on were bought with a lot of research or time out period the ones I loose money on or have regrets all were bought without following my own rules.

I have never felt regrets about my boat purchases because I shop very hard for them know exactly what I’m getting and won’t sign on the dotted line without stepping back and looking at it a second time. My last boat purchase I stepped on and off it about 6 times. Different cituation than yours all together but same rules apply. If you go back and it’s hooking itself up to your trailer hitch on its own so be it. Sometimes you’ll find a few flaws day two that the pre purchase jitters hid.

 

[roscoe]

My opinion, IF it is in excellent shape, its a little undervalued, but not 4 grand, maybe 2.
If its in ok shape, price is about right.

Key to this being a deal, would be if he can show you receipts for outdrive/bellows/ etc service and or replacement.

Not gonna be a good experience or a deal if you have to stick $1500 into it, or the transom has hidden rot.

Still awful early for many boats to be for sale in the area.
Lots of boat will be for sale in the next 5 weeks.
The only guys out are a very few river fisherman.

Lack of rain has kept the rivers cold and iced in.
Looks like the river just opened up in Winneconne last week, not sure if the launch is still iced in though.
I don't know, maybe there is more open water than is showing up on the satellite photos.
Still ice fishing on Partridge in Fremont.
Ive some reports of the river being 3-4' low. The Rat is too low to access the Wolf according to a friend that lives in Winneconne.

Maybe make a deal contingent on a sea trial Easter weekend, as it should all be opened up by then.

 

[R055]

Looks like a pretty good deal. Didn't four winns already start using composite material for stringers and sealed floors at that age? Do you should be good as far as rot goes. Good boat deals don't last long so while I would definitely check it out and make sure it's good, I would also go for the sale quick as soon as I can confirm all is good with a sea trail. Missed a sweat deal 3 years ago when I was looking for a boat because I didn't think someone would grab it in the middle of January. Didn't really rush to do the sea trail.

 

[tpenfield]

Looks like a pretty good deal. Didn't four winns already start using composite material for stringers and sealed floors at that age? Do you should be good as far as rot goes. Good boat deals don't last long so while I would definitely check it out and make sure it's good, I would also go for the sale quick as soon as I can confirm all is good with a sea trail. Missed a sweat deal 3 years ago when I was looking for a boat because I didn't think someone would grab it in the middle of January. Didn't really rush to do the sea trail.

I believe the question on Four Winns construction came up last year, and I recall that the transition away from wood was later than 2000. So, probably wood. Certainly worth a look.

 

[briangcc]

My '05 Four Winns was touted as wood free. I seriously doubt it though as the cleats I installed required drilling through the cap and I hit wood there. Not exactly what I would call "wood free". Considering the age I would definitely be cautious.

 

[rbiankowski]

Update-

Went to see boat on Saturday morning. Boat is definitely in excellent condition cosmetically. Two - 1 inch scratches. Trailer tire needs some air. Missing two boat cover hooks. Speedometer doesn't always work seller claims. Seller has all receipts, documentation, manuals, title etc. Full inspection will be Thursday at 8am. Floor seemed to be solid, I don't have much experience with walking boat floors but there weren't any soft spots. Definitely a wood floor though, not composite.