Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

[Nervous Ned]

I could use your collective advice...
I've been looking for a runabout lake boat in the 16-19 foot range, mostly to use with 1-2 adult/teenage passengers (no little kids) and for some occasional skiing/wakeboarding. I've wanted a 2-stroke outboard motor because that's what I've always known, but they're hard to find and a local Mercury mechanic/engineer told me to at least consider direct drive and inboard/outboard. I grew up on a 1973 18' Sea Ray SRV185 with a Johnson outboard that we used for trolling off the coast of NC for Spanish Mackerel and skiing at our lake house. I always loved the deep V hull design of our old Sea Ray for turning & stability.

So far, I've looked at a 1973 Glastron 15' runabout with a Mercury 85hp ($1200, too small), a 1960 16' Glasspar Marathon with Mercury 85hp ($600, vintage, cool but the transom dripped water at the hull seam and it had a worthless outboard), a 2005 GLASTRON GX185 with 3.0 Mercruiser ($6500, really nice, low hours, but underpowered), a 1983 Ski Supreme with 240HP Indmar inboard ($4500, beautiful boat but rides really low to the water /not familiar with Inmar even though very well maintained and low hours), and a 1993 Baha Islander 19' ($6500, very cool but poorly maintained / balsa stringers and possible rot).

This week I found a 19-foot closed-bow 1995 Wellcraft Excel with a 4.3 Mercruiser for approx. $5000 (right at my budget) located a few miles from my lake that seems to meet many of my criteria (I personally don't need a bowrider design). Unfortunately I don't know much about this particular boat quality or engine.

Description
The current owner bought it from friend. He uses the boat for about a week each summer at his family beach house cruising the bay, and then for the rest of the summer at a fresh water lake. He says he estimates 150-175 hours on the the engine but that's a rough guess. He says the motor runs strong, no issues. A strong floor and transom. He says he properly maintains / winterizes it himself every year. He always keeps it covered when not in use. Clear title. The boat is currently winterized and he said this is a tough time of year to be selling a boat, but his wife put the ad online. He said he'll be glad to meet me out and take it for a run on the lake if needed. The reason they're selling is they need a bigger boat for the coast. From the pictures (attached), the boat seems to be in good nice condition.

Here are my concerns:

• He mentioned that the back two seats were replaced last year due to rot. He says the wood in the seats became soft over the years. I'm not sure if this would indicate possible issues with stringers below the deck.
• He says when he winterized the boat a few weeks ago, he noticed an exhaust tube that needs replacing. He was planning on replacing it this winter before spring maintenance but hasn't gotten around to it yet.
• Salt water always makes me nervous, but it sounds like he flushes out the salt water after use running in the fresh water lake. We never had issues growing up mixing small doses of salt water with fresh water.

I'm planning on driving out soon to check it out, and if it looks promising have a mechanic look it over at the local marina. This forum has been really helpful in getting me prepared for a possible inspection, but I wanted to get feedback before I continue to see if anyone has any advice, concerns, recommendations? Does the price ($5,000) seem within range of reasonable on a 14 year old Wellcraft if everything checks out?

Thanks for any help,
Ned

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

Price isn't bad but it would have a very hard time selling around here at that price this time of year. It would sell easy June/July but right now people buying locally are looking for bargains and aren't having any trouble finding them. Also realize that the guy is trying to unload a $5k boat in Nov. I am not going to say he is lying but do not believe everything you hear. I would probably call bs on the engine hours. Not saying it isn't possible but 10-12hrs/yr sounds a bit hard to believe. I would say give it a good look over and if all is well and it is what you are looking for then make him a offer. If anything seems off then either pass or low ball him. Do not go looking at it with plans to purchase it. That has been one of my biggest mistakes in the past. I get excited and use bad judgment. As for Wellcraft boats I will say they make a quality product. I have a 90 233 Eclipse and have been very pleased. I wouldn't worry to much about the back seats as long as everything else is solid. I have seen boat interiors that will crumble in your hands but still have very solid floors, transoms, stringers etc. If it is what the seller says it is and you are happy offer him say $4200 and see what he says. With this market never offer the full asking price. If the boat doesn't work out for you there will be many, many, many more. Let us know.

 

[superpop]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

I had a 1996 Wellcraft Excel 195 with the VP 4.3L SX drive package but it was an open bow and in flawless condition, it sold last spring for $7500.00 and it was well worth it. I owned the boat for 5 years and once I got it all sorted out, it never let me down. With a boat this old it is all about how well it has been cared for. Wellcraft makes a very good boat and they are typically a little heavier than some of the others out there because the hull tends to be a little beefier. I would go to the wellcraft website and download the specs for the boat as I did, so you know what it should weigh, then take the boat to a scale and see if it is close. That is one way to determine water soaked foam. Then I would closely inspect for rot and water damage. If that all checks out, have the motor and drive checked for wear and condition. If all checks out then offer 4500 and hold firm, have him call you when he gets tired of waiting. It took me a long time to get my price when I sold mine but I did not care because it didn't really cost me anything, the seller may be in the same boat, if they are looking for a bigger boat, they are looking for a deal now, but may hang on to this one until spring when it will get 5K.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

Hi, Ned- welcome to the forum.

You've done some looking and that's good. If you like the boat you'll need t move fast as freezing weather is just around the corner and that baby needs to be winterized. DO NOT, under any circumstances, buy that boat without a full sea trial. Never test on muffs and assume that everything is okay- all that proves is that it'll start.

If you flat run out of time and love the boat you can try making the deal contingent upon inspection and sea trial in the Spring. That's how I bought mine last December.

1. Dealer and I agreed on price. Much lower than the asking price, btw.
2. I put down 10%. That gave me first right of refusal. He could line up other offers if he wanted to, but couldn't sell the boat to anyone else unless I walked away from it.
3. If inspection and sea trila turned up anything bad, we could renegotiaste the price, or I could kill the deal and get my deposit back. If everythig checked out okay, I was obligated to either buy the boat at the agreed price or risk losing my deposit.

Good luck!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

Neat boat, however that is a really tiny cuddy and I can't imagine it would be a lot of use for you and a couple teenagers. It would be great for someone with little kids. Are you sure a bowrider wouldn't serve your needs better? There'd certainly be a lot more room.

 

[Nervous Ned]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

Thanks so much for all the input -- really helpful.

TheDukeRyan, I want to be out on the lake first thing when spring rolls around, and I've actually been worried I won't be able to find anything at a reasonable price at the beginning of the season when everyone else is looking. Like you, I'm skeptical about someone putting a boat up for sale now, but I was glad he agreed to take it out on the lake. The sea trial and mechanical inspection will be key. My friend agreed to tag along to be my "bad cop" voice of reason to stop me in case I fall for the boat and it's got issues.

Superpop, what's the best way to inspect for water damage and rot with an owner hanging around? I'll first check for any signs of standing water and ask him questions about how it's been stored over the years. Are there any specific methods of determining stringer condition without tearing into it or taking sample plugs?

Also, is there a way to "feel" a boat (handling, position in water, etc.) during a test ride to see if it's water-logged? I'll check with the marina tech if he can weigh it. Hopefully this boat will have some pop right into planing. Having had an old Sea Ray with waterlogged foam, I definitely remember how sluggish it got over the years as the foam became more and more saturated (it sank during Hurricane Hugo, so that alone made it infinitely worse). What would a typical RPM / MPH be on a boat this size (19') with the 4.3 Mercruiser with an appropriate propeller, as a general rule of thumb?

JoLin, you're right -- winter is almost here (although it was 60 degrees at the lake last week and forecast the same for this weekend). If it looks like a winner, I'll take possession on the spot if we can negotiate a reasonable price and have the marina tech go ahead and make any needed fixes and get it winterized and stored. Hopefully I won't have to deal with any deposit situations, but I'll keep that in mind as a last resort.

Ezmobee, thanks for welcome! This forum has been inspiring and informative, and will be even more so when I actually find a boat and start to learn the engine... As for the cuddy, I'll use it mostly for storing stuff (clothes, towels, etc), I doubt I'd use it for much else. I grew up on a closed bow and always liked them, especially if I ever venture out into the ocean. I rarely have more than 2 people in a boat with me at a time. I've been looking at some 17/18foot Sea Ray and Glastron bowriders & Fish n Ski's (especially the post-2004 VEC hulls) that have seemed really nice, but I keep getting drawn back to closed bow. I love the design/look of that Starcraft Jupiter you renovated -- there's something about the classic 1960s-1970s runabouts that really gets me.

I'll make sure to take pictures/video and then follow up with any additional information from the inspection. I think the hunt is part of the fun of it all!

 

[dg512055]

Re: Feedback on a 1995 Wellcraft Excel 19' / 4.3

I bought a used 1997 Wellcraft last summer. I really like the boat. I had to tighten ALL the fasteners on the boat, but it runs really well and feels solid. It is an open bow though. One thing to look at is the "batwing" one-piece exhaust manifolds. Mine has them and so far so good, but mine was always in fresh water. I have read on here that these manifolds are not too reliable. As far as speed, I have seen 52 MPH on GPS with 3 on board and nearly full fuel.