I purchased an 86 SR from Stuart Florida that new rebuilt motors were recently installed. They were. No rust at all and ran great. Prior, I trusted a so-called marine surveyor to be honest and competent to survey transom and stringers for rot. He wasn't. During sea trial, boat/motors ran flawless. No leaks! Months later I discovered rot during my retro-fitting of bells and whistles. The whole transom was rotten. When motors were installed, mechanic had to have noticed rotten transom and either didn't tell owner or told owner and owner decided to sell. Y pipes were also "cancered." It has taken me 3 + years to get the SR as close to perfect as to my liking. Moral to story... Unless you absolutely trust a mechanic, do the work yourself and inspect everything!
