1993 Brendella Pro Comp

[Thedogkeeper]

I am new to the forum and am interested in the pro's advice. I am looking at a 93 Brendella Pro Comp that appears to be in very nice condition. It has about 550 hours and has been well maintained by the owner--an old timer about my age. He is asking $7500 for it--I have a check for $7000 I will give him. I read some horror stories about wood stringers so I am a bit concerned and I plan on having a boat shop do an inspection. Does anyone out there have any opinions about this boat?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

hey dog....welcome to iboats !

its not the boat.......but the owner....

there is no such thing as a bad boat.....just a bad owner.

that is a little spendy for a 93.....but i have seen 70's stock boats better than 05's

wood can and will rot.....most boats have wood stringers.

simply.......weight the boats against manufacturers weight......any anomaly will show.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

btw.....he will bite at 7

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

what are you looking to do with the boat? those models are very well suited for slalom skiing and 'footin but they have fairly limited used outside of that. i have to admit i'm imagining a closed bow with room for really only room for 3 people...driver, spotter and skier. nobody can sit in the back seats while someone is skiing unless they want to lose their head. lol

other than wood stringers, the engines and transmissions in straight inboards are very basic. prob a ford 351 w/velvet drive. there's also a chance that MB switched to composite stringers sometime in the early to mid 90's. most tournament inboard manu's did so around that time.

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Thanks for the input. It is a 285 hp 351 Windsor with a PCM transmission. It is closed bow and the Commander is right with limited seating which is a drawback. We have only a few small reservoirs in Denver so that's where we will take it. I think we'll slalom and tube and I want to teach my 3 year old granddaughter how to ski. The closest is about 15 minutes from home--I just want to spend time at the lake after a long day or week of work. The owner told me he winterized it putting antifreeze in it after draining the water jacket and fogging the engine. He changed oil every year using synthetic and also changed the trans fluid. I'm certain he took real good care of it. Do you agree 7000 is reasonable? Boats are expensive in Denver. I am still unsure about the stringers. I thought I knew a lot about boats but I'm finding I was wrong.

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

take a look for supra sunsport. the comp style boats are fun but not terribly versatile. they sit really low in the water ('low freeboard'). that means you get a wetter ride with side spray and possibly dunking the bow a little. plus there's little interior space or storage.

the price is comparable but sunsports are much more suitable w/room for kids. the open bow sunsports are slick rides. there are still wooden stringer issues until you hit '93 or so. prob cost you closer to $10k for a '93 or newer but composite stringers are worth it. a stringer rebuild with sweat equity will run you $2500. closr to $5k at a shop.

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Thanks Salty, I am going to take your advise. We picked up the check today from the Navy Federal Credit Union--that got me to thinking--I really don't think it is a good idea to pay top dollar for a 20 year old, not highly rated, boat. I offered the seller 7K but I don't think he will take it, at least I hope he doesn't. I will concentrate on looking for a Supra. What do you think about Master Craft, Correct Craft, or Malibu? You are correct, an open bow would be best and my wife agrees.

Thedogkeeper

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

those are all great boats. you can't go wrong with any provided they've been taken care of. that's true with any 10+ yr old boat. the care it has rec'd means alot more than the brand name.

i have an 87 supra and if i were to do it all over again, i'd find a composite stringer boat to start with and never even bother with a rotten floor. are you on the west coast? i'm going to pm you a link to check out......23' composite floors w/454 & trailer. droooool. i have the same boat from 87 but i rebuilt from the stringers up.

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Thanks Salty. You are very correct with everything you say. There was a nice 2000 Moomba on Craigslist for $8500; it was sold before I could even e-mail the seller. Much better idea to have composite stringers and I heed everyone's warning about wood. Unfortunately we found out yesterday our greyhound has cancer and his operation is going to be about $5000. Maybe next year for a boat or at least the end of the season. I feel I have been leading on the Brendella seller but I have to back out on my $7000 offer. I hope there are dog lovers out there who feel as I do about our pets. I will be asking many questions when I find my next boat of interest. Thanks my friends.

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

so sorry to hear that. there would be no boat buying in my house either under the same circumstances.

best of luck with your pup. would like to see a pic.

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Thanks Salty. He just got out of surgery a little while ago and I like the idea about posting a picture.

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Salty,
Our greyhound is doing great. I will post a picture--he is now a tripawd--I'm so happy to have him here. I am again looking on Craigslist for a ski boat since I am so relieved my buddy is okay. Here is the latest interest. A 1995 Malibu Response for $7000-7500. Unfortunately it is a closed bow but it does have new interior. What is your opinion?

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

that's fantastic to hear! i'd do anything for my dogs.

that malibu is very similar in style and functionality to the mb. if you want to do any tubing or ski'ing you'll be loaded to the gills w/3 other people. make them skinny too because you'll have to sit 3 wide whenever there's a rope out. also, notice how low the sides are...if you were standing in it, the sides of the boat would be at your knee. easy for kids to fall out and easy for water/spray to get in.

if you're ok with all of that then it's probably a great boat. i don't know about composite vs wood stringers but it shouldn't be too hard to find out.

closed bow slalom style ski boats are the corvettes of the water. sporty and fast but small and very little room for relaxing.

edit...i took a look around the internet real quick and you don't have much to chose from in CO. might be worth a little road trip. which direction would be best?

 

[Thedogkeeper]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

Again you are correct. I would be worried about my 3 year old granddaughter falling out--I think I will stick with an open bow. Boats in Colorado are high priced and there isn't much to choose from; very dissapointing indeed. I'm not sure about driving too far to look at something that looks good on the net but looks bad in person. I might have to wait longer than I want to find something nice but inexpensive. Attached is Guido.

 

[salty87]

Re: 1993 Brendella Pro Comp

you'll prob have more to chose from at the end of the season. lots of sellers will use their boat for the summer and then try to dump it before they have to winterize and store it all winter. they get a little more motivated.

thanks for posting a pic...love the name, and the collar. you've got quite a pack. dogs are truly amazing creatures. i hope the recovery goes as smoothly as possible and that you've got lots of memories left to make together. he's lucky to have such a caring home. i'm sure he's earned it all.