Buying a boat that’s sat for 5 years

[ppranger]

Hello everyone,
There’s a gentleman in my town who has a 1997 Four Winns deck boat for sale. It’s a Candia FS 214. It has a 150hp Johnson outboard on it. The boat has sat outside for about 5 years and is in rough shape so I’m a little hesitant on getting it. The hour meter says it only has 260 hours on it, but it has two flat tires on the trailer, the seats have stitching torn, and it’s missing the gas cap (has rain water been getting in the tank all this time??). There’s also stress cracks around the transom. The guy selling it claims that he just had a tune up done on it and put a new water pump on the motor and that it’s lake ready. He is asking $8500 for it. What would this boat usually be worth in good shape? I really don’t want a boat that I have to worry about getting stranded on the lake with.. any input is appreciated

 

[JimS123]

The boat is worth -$6,000. In other words, if you got it for free it would cost you 6 grand to make it safely seaworthy.

The guy let it rot and now has visions of grandeur that its worth money.

 

[roscoe]

run away

 

[JASinIL2006]

Pass.

 

[tpenfield]

If you are looking for a project? . . . sure . . . but $8,500 would not be the price.

Cracks around the transom would be indicative of some structural issues. It does not sound like this is what you are looking for.

 

[ppranger]

If you are looking for a project? . . . sure . . . but $8,500 would not be the price.

Cracks around the transom would be indicative of some structural issues. It does not sound like this is what you are looking for.

I attached some pictures of the cracks I’m talking about. Truthfully the transom seems solid best I could tell, but how much should somebody be worried with cracks like this? There aren’t any on the outside of the transom, just these on the inside

 

[roffey]

I agree with the posters here, you would be best to walk away. The boat has not been cared for and him is telling you he just had it tuned up is likely a lie as the tires are flat and no gas cap.... what kind of tune up did he get?

Hmmm I smell something funny, lol

 

[ppranger]

I agree with the posters here, you would be best to walk away. The boat has not been cared for and him is telling you he just had it tuned up is likely a lie as the tires are flat and no gas cap.... what kind of tune up did he get?

Hmmm I smell something funny, lol

He says that both tires recently went flat because they got hung up on a fence when he was backing it up and tore them. The motor has new plugs, wires, water pump, and fuel line/bulb

 

[JimS123]

Hello everyone, I really don’t want a boat that I have to worry about getting stranded on the lake with.. any input is appreciated......What would this boat usually be worth in good shape?

Your own words disqualified this wreck. After seeing the transom cracks that should further discourage you.

Book values for this boat in GOOD condition are between 6400-7400. So right off the bat the PO is off the chart in his expectations.

 

[ppranger]

Your own words disqualified this wreck. After seeing the transom cracks that should further discourage you.

Book values for this boat in GOOD condition are between 6400-7400. So right off the bat the PO is off the chart in his expectations

 

[ppranger]

That’s what I tried telling him. The NADA value I came up with was around $6900-$7900. He showed me the NADA value he had printed out. He added a bunch of options on it to raise the estimated value to $11,000.

 

[roffey]

At the end of the day we here can't really say as it's impossible to get a good idea of condition from pictures and being thousands of miles away. Looking at the positive parts the outboard will be easer to work on and apart from the interior condition the boat looks like a nice comfortable ride and will be fixable.

Let us know what you decide

 

[ppranger]

At the end of the day we here can't really say as it's impossible to get a good idea of condition from pictures and being thousands of miles away. Looking at the positive parts the outboard will be easer to work on and apart from the interior condition the boat looks like a nice comfortable ride and will be fixable.

Let us know what you decide

Thanks for the input. I value everyone’s opinion here, but am having a hard time ‘running away’ because it’s a good size boat and is what I’ve been looking for. I’m not really worried about the upholstery on it or the motor. I’m concerned about the cracks on the front of the transom. Every deck boat I’ve found for sale that’s in great shape that’s a late 90’s - early 20’s sellers are asking around $14k

 

[Captain Caveman]

It sounds like were are all telling you that it's a money pit. You are trying to convince us why you should buy it. You are going to win this argument.

I am with everyone else, having bought enough boats, that this boat is going to cost you a lot more than you think and is not anywhere close to a deal. You are likely dealing with a budget issue that won't let you pay the going rate for this type of boat in good condition. You are heading down the road to over-pay for a boat that will cost you just as much (or more) as the others in the end. The only difference is that this boat has a smaller upfront cost but a giant question mark for the costs in a month or a year when it breaks down. You are taking that risk in order to buy something with a cheaper initial price.

The seller is looking for a sucker. Don't be that guy. That's my 2 cents. Good boats are pricey for a reason.

 

[JASinIL2006]

This is an expensive time to buy a boat (both springtime and the COVID situation have prices inflated considerably). Used boats are going for a premium now, so book values may not mean much.

I would be much more concerned about structure issues for a boat that admittedly has been left outside and not cared for properly. The likelihood of structural rot and/or soaked floatation foam is very, very high. That means your $8500 boat may come with the need for a lot of additional work to make it safe. If you don't have anyone knowledgeable to help you inspect the boat for problems, you'd really be better off taking a pass. It's very easy to buy a boat that looks OK, yet has serious issues, especially for an inexperienced buyer who is emotionally invested in getting a boat.

 

[JimS123]

Thanks for the input. I value everyone’s opinion here, but am having a hard time ‘running away’ because it’s a good size boat and is what I’ve been looking for. I’m not really worried about the upholstery on it or the motor. I’m concerned about the cracks on the front of the transom. Every deck boat I’ve found for sale that’s in great shape that’s a late 90’s - early 20’s sellers are asking around $14k

Looks like its going to be a done deal. We all wish you the best of luck. Please come back in a year with an update on how much additional money you had to spend to get her reliable.

 

[guitarsnlikker]

Lake ready? Good luck.

 

[tpenfield]

You came looking for advice (right?)

Don't get into an argument with the seller over value on this boat. Since it has not been run/used in 5 years, everything is suspect. Let someone else throw their money away on this gamble.

The seller has an ego issue about the boat, let it be his problem, not yours.

 

[jhande]

I don't know much about boats but that one sounds like an expensive money pit.

Yes I bought a small money pit boat but it only cost $400.

 

[briangcc]

I had a long post listing a bunch of cons but they're pretty much the same as everyone else.

I'll sum it up this way: I wouldn't consider that a water ready vessel under any definition....well maybe submarine as that's what you'll have when the transom fails as its rotting.