Buy a boat with a bad starter?

[timharper89]

Not sure if this is in the right place, but I just saw a listing for a boat in what appears to be great cosmetic condition for a good price. The listing says "starter is bad". Is there a way to check it out with no starter? I know you could throw it in the water and check for leaks, but you can't check much mechanically without a starter, right? If I can throw a couple hundred dollars at a starter and have a good boat, I'd like that. What do all you experienced folks think about this?
Boat is a 1990 rinker Captiva 206, unknown what motor. Listing says "mercruiser i/o" . I currently have a four winns sundowner 195 with a 4.3l mercruiser. Been thinking we'd like the open bow vs the cuddy

 

[Paintman1960]

I would have a hard time buying a boat without being able to see and hear it run, way to many variables for me

 

[racerone]

A bad starter indicates they had trouble starting it.----Burned it up.-----Or perhaps boating newbies that did not read the manual on how to start the motor !!

 

[todhunter]

Sounds like a trap to me.

 

[timharper89]

I would have a hard time buying a boat without being able to see and hear it run, way to many variables for me

I was wondering if it took the same starter my current boat had if I the seller would let me swap them out to test things. I feel similarly. I was trying to think of a way to be able to test it before buying somehow

 

[timharper89]

A bad starter indicates they had trouble starting it.----Burned it up.-----Or perhaps boating newbies that did not read the manual on how to start the motor !!

Could they have caused more damage by trying to start it a bunch? Doesn't seem like that would happen, but I don't really know for sure. It would be great if it was the solenoid. I could just connect the terminals and get it to turn over

 

[timharper89]

Sounds like a trap to me.

Could be. I'm not going to buy without checking it out. I was wondering if there was a short term trick or something to check it out.

 

[Paintman1960]

I cant change my starter without pulling engine, maybe you can,

 

[timharper89]

I cant change my starter without pulling engine, maybe you can,

I am pretty sure it's just on the starboard aft corner of the engine. I haven't tried to take it off, but I cleaned the terminals on it, and I don't remember it being hard to access

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... To Me,.... A boat with a bad starter ad, translates to, for sale, boat with a bad motor, 'n/ or drive,.....

 

[jonny rotten]

Is there a solenoid on the starter you can override with a screwdriver?
Could be someone fried the starter cranking the crap out it with a carb that needed to be cleaned....or a frozen starter shaft that I had on my old boat. A new starter and I kept the boat for another 5 years

Sounds like a " you never know" type of deal.
All comes down to your risk level.
If everything looks clean you may steal it......or not
Price it accordingly

 

[timharper89]

Is there a solenoid on the starter you can override with a screwdriver?
Could be someone fried the starter cranking the crap out it with a carb that needed to be cleaned....or a frozen starter shaft that I had on my old boat. A new starter and I kept the boat for another 5 years

Sounds like a " you never know" type of deal.
All comes down to your risk level.
If everything looks clean you may steal it......or not
Price it accordingly

I wondered if I could check it that way. Hoping it might be ignorance rather than malintent. But it is a bit of a drive, so I was looking for any ideas, like this one, to make it run...

 

[racerone]

You often see it in November / December.-----Boat is for sale and has been winterized.-----Will not try and start it for you as it is winterized.-----Also means , good luck with it in the spring if you buy such a unit.

 

[tpenfield]

Often a hydro-lock is mis-diagnosed as a bad starter.

 

[timharper89]

Often a hydro-lock is mis-diagnosed as a bad starter.

Wouldn't that be temporary? It would crank after the water leaked around the piston rings, right?

 

[Paintman1960]

Rods could be bent up, I'd be very skeptical, till either you can hear it running, or he gives it too you ,lol

 

[Lou C]

Wouldn't that be temporary? It would crank after the water leaked around the piston rings, right?

Not if they rusted to the cyl walls!
If the owner is too cheap to fix the starter which is like at most 150-175 in parts I’d say that’s a risky deal. This thing would have to be basically free for it to make sense. Plus the rest of it is 31 years old! What about wood rot in the structure etc!

 

[tpenfield]

Wouldn't that be temporary? It would crank after the water leaked around the piston rings, right?

As stated, usually hydro-locks cause damage to the rotating assembly - connecting rods, crankshaft, etc.

so, if someone selling a boat said "it just needs a new starter" . . . it could mean that the engine no longer turns over due to a bent connecting rod.

 

[racerone]

It simply means-----" The motor can not be started today "-----You pay your money and take your chances.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the chances that a 32 year old low end boat only needing a starter are slim to none. The motor may or may not be salvageable as indicated the comment above. Additionally, most likely there is some structural issue to the hull as well.

we are just trying to indicate that a 32 year old boat is probably more of a project that will cost you thousands of dollars to be made safe and usable than you realize it is. none of us really care if you want to blow your money. however we see it all the time here. i bought this boat for $. however i have this soft spot/bad starter/leaking block/freeze plug/etc. and we see that persons hopes and dreams crushed as they now have to take a loss to scrap out a boat, or sink many months and thousands of dollars into the boat