Buying Used Boat

[Forbin]

I know a lot depends on engine and how well it was looked after but gernerally speaking is there an age where a boat is just too old.
Looking at a 1996 Starcraft 1810 bowrider with a 4.3L Merc I/O. But is in great condition. Well looked after. Runs great. Dis a water test and everything was great. SO with that said is 1996 to old for a boat and motor or am I thinking about this too much?

 

[jbcurt00]

Condition
Condition
Condition

A 2010 boat could be a complete wreck if not well maintained
.
A 1960 boat could be in perfect condition if stored and maintained correctly.

So, no, a 1996 isnt too old. dated perhaps.

Did you read the buying a used bost sticky at the top of this forum?

Through inspection beyond an on the water test?

 

[Scott Danforth]

agreed, anything outside of the warranty period is governed by condition.

 

[southkogs]

Yup: condition is king.

Current boat is an '02. Previous boat was a '72. Both are in good condition. I'd still trust the '72 (a buddy has it).

 

[Forbin]

Ok thanks. Regardless of the condition of the boat I was wondering if there is an age where motors start to have issues. Like will a 30 year old motor need a rebuild regardless how well its taken care of?

 

[southkogs]

Nope. Not always.

Eventually stuff breaks, but a complete rebuild isn't always necessary.

 

[jbcurt00]

As far as motors are concerned, lack of use over long periods is bad too.

Less then 100hours on a 1996 motor might sound great, but over 24yrs, thats barely 4yrs a year, not much. Worse yet is the same boat w no use in the last 12yrs, which is still only 8hrs/year, quite a long time ago...

 

[mishagreen]

40 years for a boat can be okay too
depends on condition and motor

 

[JerryTX]

I agree on condition. Chances are good if someone kept it covered/garage kept, gelcoat looks shiny, seats are in good shape, carpet is in good shape, and so on that everything else was equally cared for. You're not gonna spend time/$ keeping everything else up and then skip oil changes and routine maintenance.

My grandfather used to say look at a renter's utility bills. If they're paying those then they're going to pay their rent. Same principal in effect.

Case in point...

I bought a '79 Sea Ray cruiser once where there was some wood rot on the helm, teak was worn, and stored outside uncovered. I was young and didn't know any better took it home and progressively found the engine block was cracked, stringers were rotted out, transom was bad, etc. All said and done I paid more than I bought it for to fix everything.

I later bought a 2005 Regal cruiser. Looked brand new, had all the original manuals, everything worked, had a cover, and low hours. Had the boat about 7 years now and no trouble. I've always stored it covered, done the routine maintenance, etc.

My rule of thumb is always assume what you can see is only a fraction of what you can't. A boat with signs of wood rot is likely completely rotted out. If the engine won't run for whatever reason assume it will need to go into a shop for a tune-up or rebuild.

 

[tpenfield]

Agreed, there is no magic number of years. The tendency as the boat gets older is to inspect the boat at a deeper level because more things could be going wrong.

In particular would be structural rot from water retention, which is not always easy to see with merely visual inspection .

You mentioned a water test, but what else beyond that did you do/have done? Did the boat reach its spec’d top speed during the water test?

 

[Grub54891]

Low hours on an old boat, truck, or car, could lead to problems. Think letting a car sit for a year in the driveway, or more, it will have issues. Boats sit alot. A daily driver seems to run well,

 

[Texasmark]

Ok thanks. Regardless of the condition of the boat I was wondering if there is an age where motors start to have issues. Like will a 30 year old motor need a rebuild regardless how well its taken care of?

My experience has been rubber problems, fuel lines and wiring harnesses on older boats that used rubber rather than thermoplastic for insulation. Other problem would be salt water operation without engine being flushed after usage and corrosion/marine fungus/slime on lower units caused my marina parking with engine submerged.

I'm running an 18 year old aluminum boat and engine. No problems so far, but the corrosion problems are non existent as it was a freshwater trailer queen, not marina queen.