Buying a used 1988 Regal Sebring with 4.3 Mercruiser

[Chris51280]

Hello fellow boaters. I'm in the process of looking into purchasing a used 1988 Regal Sebring. My parents had a boat when I was younger and would like to pass on the tradition to my kids. I repair most of the things on my cars and rebuild an older 1977 Honda from the ground up. So besides fixing some things on an older boat don't scare me. Is it advisable to buy an older boat like this? The interior upholstery is new. Maybe 2 years old. This indicates that somebody spend money on the boat and wouldn't do so if it was not worth it. What's your take? I can probably get it for less than 2k.

 

[Chris51280]

[No message]

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard Chris:

You can never really guess at why someone does something, and frankly the quality with which they do it. You just have to inspect as best as you can. Old boats don't particularly scare me, but realize that with age - anything requires care. The price is completely dependent on condition and the market you're in. Assuming the boat ran and was in decent shape, then $2k-ish would be in the ball park in my area.

There's a great checklist HERE you can use to go over the boat. I highly recommend a test drive with it to see how it does on the water.

 

[Chris51280]

I'm further north. So most lakes are frozen right now and the boat is winterized. If it looks ok, then I would want to have it run on a hose to see if the block has cracks and there are no other surprises. I will check for rot on the transom and stringers since it is an older boat. I don't know if it has been fixed before. I hope I get more answers by saturday when I look at it. Thanks for the link.

 

[Scott Danforth]

A 40 year old fiberglass boat will most likely need about $3000 worth of hull repair. Think of it like replacing all the structural components within the outer painted sheet metal of your 1977 honda.

I personally dont advise buying that old of a fiberglass boat as your first boat

 

[Blind Date]

It will most likely have some rot somewhere. But that doesn't necessarily mean the boat has to be gutted and rebuilt. It may have another decade of use before it get's bad enough that it needs to be addressed.

I picked up an '85 Glastron/Carlson CVX18 last November and the floor underneath the rear seat is rotted just like my '79 CVX18 was. I'll use that boat next summer and for a number of seasons after just the way it is.

 

[Chris51280]

I will check the bellows and the hull for cracks. Making sure all the instruments work. I believe that even 6 year old boats need alot of work if not take care of and cost just as much to repair. So a lower prices boat might not be too much of a value loss over time.

 

[jkust]

I like the look of that boat for an 80's boat. It looks more substantial than a lot of the older boats I still see on our lake. My issue, I suppose is the amount of work that an older boat like that will likely require in the form of your time. There is just no time to spend on rehab.

 

[roffey]

It will most likely have some rot somewhere. But that doesn't necessarily mean the boat has to be gutted and rebuilt. It may have another decade of use before it get's bad enough that it needs to be addressed.

I picked up an '85 Glastron/Carlson CVX18 last November and the floor underneath the rear seat is rotted just like my '79 CVX18 was. I'll use that boat next summer and for a number of seasons after just the way it is.

I agree, 2k for a boat, if you get three years out of it your on top. For a first time boater a older used boat is best, if you ding the boat up its not that big a deal. Just my 2 cents....

 

[Blind Date]

I agree, 2k for a boat, if you get three years out of it your on top.

In MN the motor,drive & transom assembly in good working condition are worth more than $2K. Put that up for sale in the spring around here for that price and it would be gone in a day.

 

[Chris51280]

Looked at it today. Seats are not the newest anymore. Tears in the seams. "kids". It's not the 4.3 it's the 3.7 inline 4. The woman that posted this add has clearly no idea about boats. Said she has receipts from the marina on what was done to it. She would go as little as $1500 with the boat and thats as much as she has in it. Tires need to be replaced. Otherwise it seems ok for it's age

 

[Scott Danforth]

Read up on the 470 motor. Not recommended for a first boat

 

[roffey]

I had a 3.7 488 I believe. 188 horse power from a 4 cylinder. They have a stator with a closed cooling system. Easy to winterize and even easier to over heat. Personally I would keep on looking. As some will tell you here look for a outboard or at least a 4.3. The big problem with the 3.7 is replacement parts.

 

[QBhoy]

A 40 year old fiberglass boat will most likely need about $3000 worth of hull repair. Think of it like replacing all the structural components within the outer painted sheet metal of your 1977 honda.

I personally dont advise buying that old of a fiberglass boat as your first boat

Scott. You had me in a panick there....had me thinking I was in fact nearly 50 and not 40. 1988 would be 30 years old surely, haha.

 

[devildogae]

I just picked up a 1987 Regal Sebring 195 VBR. The hull and gelcoat are in very good condition. The floor was a little soft around the ski locker. The rest of the floor is solid. I will be putting a new deck on it, and most likely new foam. From what I have seen taking the gas tank out, the boat is built very well. Mine has the Mercruiser 165 3.7L engine, closed cooling, power steering. I agree that it's a very good looking boat for the era. I'll be going through this boat inside and out, let me know if I can help with anything.