1984 sylvan sportster 18’ i/o

[chishola1]

I recently bought a 1984 sylvan sportster 18’ i/o with a soft spot in the floor. I have read enough that I am confident in replacing the floor (I works not turn down advice/pointers though). I would like to restore her to her former glory but have not been able to find any pics other than the original ad online. If anyone has this boat could you post whatever pics you have that show original color, seats, engine housing, etc? Also is any brand/site better/worse than others for interior parts like carpet and seats?

 

[havoc_squad]

Do only what is necessary to get it to look as good and properly running as you are willing to financially accept in case you need to sell it later on. As you will likely will have to eat all the costs that exceed the price you paid for it and the materials you used to restore/repair it versus the fair market value.

Keep this in mind because unless you have some unicorn that everyone is lining up to pay top dollar, your boat is not worth more than what the fair market value says in proper running condition. The only exception would be certain extras that can be removed that can somewhat modify the price more/less the item value of boat fair market value. (Kicker motors, very new late model fish finders, etc.)

As a buyer I won't even make an offer if someone lists a stupidly overpriced restored boat for sale that they are wanting to get rid of (Like $7000 for the one in your photo). It's usually a waste of time to speak with them because they have unrealistic expectations of how much it actually is worth.

Many people have made bad financial decisions spending several times more than what a boat is worth on the fair market to restore and finding out they will never get even close that money back when they sell it. (Think of dumping $7k into restoring a boat hull that is only worth $1.5k after restoring)

 

[briangcc]

Going off what my uncle's Sylvan has, you're probably pretty close now to what was there originally....well beyond the artificial turf floor. I'd wager it was brown indoor/outdoor carpet at one point, probably worn through and replaced due to age.

That's probably as far as I'd go as these aren't classic cars where the correct carpet, upholstery, numbers matching engine, etc all matter and increase value.

Of course you're welcome to pull out all the stops....pull up cleats, LED lighting, fishfinder/gps, reupholster the seats with "Sylvan" embroidered in, etc but don't expect a large return for your very large investment in these "bling" items.