Re: Thinking about a 70's boat purchase.. ideas welcome
Looks Good!
I have a similar boat. The Tri-Hulls (what this one and mine are) tended to be made in 2 sizes: 15' and 17'. My dad had an 18' but it was i/o. Mine is a 15' with a Merc 650. It's adequate for skiing. (I'd LOVE your outboard - it's the max size for my boat. ) How big are you and how many people in the boat? I'm small at 5'6" and 140lbs; my wife & I and 2 kids are OK on the 15 footer. But when I add another adult it gets tight. Though there are seats for 8, the 15' is "mini". As my son and his buddies approach their teens, I'm going to need a bigger boat. So measure and decide.
Here's what I would check:
(Other places on this forum you'll see more of what to check for on the motor.)
Make sure you are starting with fresh gas, mixed with the proper amount of 2 cycle oil.
Barring anything fancy, do a compression test of all 3 cylinders. (Remember to tag the plug wires so you remember what goes where.) Should be within 10% of each other, and all over 100psi.
Look at the plugs. Look for the same things as on a car.
Inspect the prop for dings. If there's anything severe a bent or severely dinged up prop can mess up the bearings.
With muffs on, and NO ONE NEAR THE PROP, turn up the water and start the engine.
Oh - NEVER start the motor out of the water. At LEAST have "muffs" and a garden hose on it.
Make sure the motor "pees" out the side at all rpm levels. But don't run it on the muffs for too long.
Inside the boat, walk slowly over the entire floor. If you find a soft spot, that implies that water has gotten under the carpet, has rotted the wood floor and probably the wood "stringers" under the floor. That's gonna mean some real work to fix it. Someone who knows what they're doing can probably do it in 2 -3 days (4 hours per day). Took me 3 weeks.
Sit on all the seats to check the condition of the foam underneath. Crunchy is bad.
Oh - I detect a potential problem. You don't have back-to back seat pairs, yet there's a water ski pole. Unless your passenger seat can swivel 180 degrees to face backwards, you shouldn't be towing anybody. Is that gas tank bolted down? Could it be moved? A gas tank is NOT a good foot rest, for a number of reasons.
Make sure the boat is mounted securely to the trailer, then tow it to the water, with his vehicle or yours. If it's a long drive, you might want to squirt new grease in the wheel bearings, first.
Take the for a test drive. try a couple of fast water-ski type starts. Make sure to try reverse, too.
If you like the boat so far, and if you have a smaller vehicle than the one you used to tow the boat to the water with, ask the owner to let you try towing it out with your vehicle. Give him your DL as collateral! (My dad found his dream boat, only to discover that his truck (with a 6 cyl) couldn't pull the boat out of the water!)
Check the bilge for water.
Now, you have a pretty good idea of the general condition of the boat. It won't be perfect. That's OK - just price out what it will cost to do repairs before you make an offer. For instance, a soft spot on the floor could be something you're willing to tackle, or it could be a deal breaker if you're not handy. Bad seat cushions or upholstery: The driver & passenger seat pairs are easily obtainable @ about $170 per pair. The bow cushions, on the other hand, require someone with upholstery skills.
I wish you the best!
Dave
