Another "Should I buy this?" thread

[laserbrn]

I am looking at potentially buying a 19' 1984 Seaswirl open bow boat. This will be my second boat and I'm not really looking for a restoration project.

The owner says that the boat is in good condition and is ready to go. Doesn't need any work. I asked about the floor/deck and he said the previous owner already replaced it and it's rock solid, no weak spots. He said he glassed over the deck as well which made me a little concerned. Is that a pretty normal thing to do or is that what you would do if you just wanted to do a "patch" job and make a sturdy deck that's all rotted out underneath?

The boat looks to be restored as in the interior is redone and the exterior has been repainted. I'm pretty knowledgeable about the motor and it's easy enough to check the compression and look over the motor to make sure it's pretty sound, but I don't know how to check for rotted boat if the floor itself has been hardened/sealed.

Any suggestions on how you guys found out and the things you wished you'd looked for?

Thanks

 

[444]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

You have to seal the top of the deck somehow, you can't leave it bare wood. I would expect the top of the deck to be glassed over. If the deck was replaced, spend your time checking out the transom. Transom is a pita to change and it could be someone did the floor but left a questionable transom in place and decided to unload the boat.

 

[laserbrn]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Hmmm...How would you suggest checking the transom other than visual inspection? I assume it's been painted with the rest of it.

 

[444]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Is it an i/o or ob boat?

 

[laserbrn]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

outboard

 

[laserbrn]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Here is a link to the CL ad. I've talked to the owner a few times and he claimes that everything on this boat is working. This boat is unfortunately about 200 miles from me so getting it completely looked over by a mechanic would be pretty tough.

It's pretty difficult to go wrong at this price though if the boat is in any kind of decent shape right? I'm figuring if the floor is strong and sturdy and the motor is strong it's far enough along it's "restoration" that I'll be glad I spent a few dollars instead of finding something for $500-$800 and having to completely gut it and start over.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/boa/2382553650.html

 

[mike64]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Grab the OB motor and shake it up and down vigorously. There should be no flex in the transom. Also look for stress cracks in the gelcoat of the transom. Even if the boat's been painted you may be able to see cracking. Take a close look at add-ons to the transom, like fishfinder transducers or kickplates- see if the bolts or screws holding the add-ons are loose or if there's scraps of leftover windowpane silicone that they attempted to waterproof the screw holes with. Inexpertly added stuff is a big cause of rotten transoms. Get a good look at the inside of the transom and see if you can see anything leaking from through- bolts.

 

[444]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Look where the motor is bolted to the transom. If the wood is soft, the wood can look squished in where the bolts are. Imagine torking a bolt down on a piece of sponge. Squished in like that. A little bit is okay but the worse it looks, the worse it really is underneath. Shaking the motor up and down looking for flex is a good one too. 19' is a lot of boat for a 115hp evinrude. See if you can water test it to find out if the boat runs the way you want and stick your head in the bilge area while off plane to check for leaks.

 

[laserbrn]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Thanks for all of the advice. I ended up buying the boat yesterday. The transom seems sturdy and solid. It's not the greatest boat in the world, but it's mine. I may check the transom plaque to see what the max horsepower is. I'm sure at some point I'll swap to something larger as it's an old two stroke that I'll want to swap with a nicer, newer, smoother running 4 stroke. I do a lot of trolling and I know this 2 stroke isn't going to be very happy and it'll be fouling plugs left and right.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

I do a lot of trolling and I know this 2 stroke isn't going to be very happy and it'll be fouling plugs left and right.

You'd be surprised. My fish-n-ski has an '81 Johnson 90 and it tolerates trolling and slow running extremely well.

 

[mike64]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Nice boat! Really clean looking in that pic for an '84.

 

[444]

Re: Another "Should I buy this?" thread

Hope it works out well for you. You will however quickly find out it won't be financially viable to repower this boat to a 4-stroke instead of just buying a different boat w/ a 4-stroke.