2008 Tracker Avalanche 18 SC

[bwfish]

I'm looking at a used Avalanche with a Merury 150 Nitro Series EFI, 70 lb TM. Motor has 250 hours. I won't be able to do a test ride but will do a compression test and driveway motor run with muffs. I'm mostly seeing great comments on the limited reviews and owner feedback. I've seen a few porpoising issues reported on earlier years and mention Tracker made a change to correct at some point in the production run of the boat.


Any feedback from Avalanche owners here would be greatly appreciated.

 

[airshot]

Why not a test ride? You are opening the door for major issues without a test ride. Perhaps a test ride warranty with the tittle, must pass a test ride later in the year or a refund would be in order. Unless it is dirt cheap, I would pass without a test ride.

 

[bwfish]

The smaller lakes still have ice right now and neither of us want to put a bass boat on Lake Michigan lol. He's hesitant to drive an hour+ away. If I wait until some warmer weather he may sell it since he's got the ads up.

I've never bought a boat before, new or used. Is a test ride the norm everywhere? If you go into a Bass Pro that's, do they tow to a nearby lake for test rides? I know a new boat will have warranty, but curious about how often boats are bought without a test ride.

 

[airshot]

New boats are another story, used boats.....I have bought small boats with just an engine test run, but larger boats....???,,,These can get expensive real fast if you miss something. How much are you willing to gamble? I have more than 50 yrs experience as a boater and in most cases I know what I am looking at and the last boat I bought was 5 yrs back and yes I did a test ride. You might consider having a professional marine surveyor go thru the boat and motor for you as you mentioned you knew nothing about boats. There couple hundred dollar fee might be well worth it if they find anything wrong. I am quite sure many boats are bought without a test ride.....one reason we have this forum here is to help those people fix their boat after their purchase.

 

[WIMUSKY]

No reason you can't dump it in Lake Michigan on a calm day. I've had my 16' on Lake Superior on the main lake not just the harbor. You wouldn't buy a car w/o test driving it, correct? Same thing.......

 

[Silvertip]

Why do people insist on test driving a used car regardless what the asking price but pass on test driving a boat that has the potential for far more problems than they are able to correct themselves. This is simply economic suicide. Anyone that refuses to allow a test of a boat is either hiding something, or they don't want to sell very bad. Saying it runs great but no test ride is a pretty good sign something is rotten (literally). In some cases, a ridiculously low asking price may be worth the risk, but only if the buyer has the resources and ability to repair things himself. Remember, an engine that seems to run fine with no load (as on muffs) can run terribly in the water under load.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

And a hull can't be tested in a driveway. No splash no cash.

 

[bruceb58]

I didn't test drive my Wellcraft when I bought it. Of course it only had 70 hours on it and 2 years left on a warranty.