Got burned bad buying first boat!

[acula28]

Here's a story to make you think when buying a used boat. Last year in April I bought my first boat. I've been on and around boats my whole life and still I got burned due to my own ignorance. I bought a 1991 Sea Ray 200 BR WITH A 5.7l merc. And alpha one for 6k. Took it out on the lake before I bought it and it ran very well. Interior was a little worn and the floor was a tad soft in spots. but I planned on doing a little work on this boat as a time killer/project boat. Had it on the lake a dozen times last year and ran great everytime. So the season ended and my dad got sick so I had no time to repair the seats and floor. I took the boat to a guy who restores boats, so he could do the floor and carpet for me. I knew it would cost me but well worth it for the time is save. He quoted me 3100 for new floor carpet and seat and sundeck frames. Which I thought was reasonable. Three days later the restoration guys calls me and says exactly what I DIDN'T want to hear..... The stringers were all rotten! 3k job turned into a 10k job. I got burned because I didn't know enough about boat at the time to look for the obvious problems. It was a tough hit to take.So iI took all my repair money plus a bit more and found me a real nice super clean garage kept one owner Bayliner 2050 SS. the moral of my sad story is...... Don't be in a hurry, check through EVERY compartment, double check EVERTHING then recheck it all triple! Hope someone will benefit from this sad story of mine. With that said.... Anyone want to buy a good project boat cheap? Engine and outdrive run great.

 

[Opnine99]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

wow sorry to hear about your misfortune ......boats can really hide some ugly truths that can't be seen by the normal person, that's why there are surveyors and that few hundred dollars can actually end up saving you thousands in the long run.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

Sorry to hear about your tale of woe. Perhaps you can restore the boat at some point. Not sure if you can unload it as a project boat, as most folks will want it for almost nothing.

Unless you have been through the rotted boat routine, it is difficult to understand all of the places that you need to look.

Post some pictures of your Sea Ray and your 'new' Bayiner.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

although no one can avoid a burn, two things help:

Plan for the worst and hope for the best

don't buy boats that rot.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

$7K to replace stringers in a bowrider??

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

You are not the 1st and will not be the last to be burned by hidden problems. The 1st clue to possible ( probable ) stringer and / or transom rot is a soft floor. Any softness is a sign of a lot more. The past cannot be changed -- good luck with your new ride!

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

I would automatically assume stringer and transom rot if I looked at a boat with a soft floor, only stands to reason. Anybody that doesn't is a fool.

 

[cobra1476]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

I agree with MTboatguy.

I really don't understand how you got burned? If you decided not to get it fixed, you would probably still be using it. right?

 

[rtpassini]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

I got local quotes for a floor and stringer replacement on a boat I had. nothing more than 2 grand...shop around!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

We see a dozen or more cases of this a year on this forum, it's very common.

Some of the more active members are here because it happened to them too and that's how they found this site. Then after they restored their first boat they decided they liked doing the work and have bought multiple boats and restored them.

You can educate yourself through this site before buying a boat by studying in the restoration forum and seeing the problems other folks have with their boats. You'll learn what to look for and what to expect.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

You didn't get burned. You knew it had soft floors. What do you expect. Rot moves from the bottom up. Not top down. If you would have slapped some plywood on it and new carpet and then sold the boat.... the new owner would be the one getting burned. I would think it could be repaired for quite a bit cheaper than your original quote. Good luck!

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

$7K to replace stringers in a bowrider??

I got local quotes for a floor and stringer replacement on a boat I had. nothing more than 2 grand...shop around!

Umm... as for "getting burned", sounds possible that your repair people have a bigger flamethrower aimed at you than your boat's previous owner...

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

Engine and outdrive run great.

So you're saying the engine and outdrive are great and you used it a dozen times and like the way it ran just don't like the interior?

Then when you find out the stringers need replacing you decide to buy another boat. Though you like the way the boat runs, just don't quite like the interior as it is now.

Is the engine severely out of alignment because of the stringers?
Are you leaking large amounts of water into the bilge because of damage to the transom?

So just because you now know the stringers are rotten, which you're saying they likely were when you bought the boat, why didn't you just forget about spending money on the interior and keep using it as-is until it stopped providing you pleasure?
Just because it might need stringers doesn't mean it couldn't have lasted several years more of reliable service.

Mark

 

[tazrig]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

Sorry you had the experience that you did but that's why it is so important to have a certified marine surveyor go over your boat before you buy it, especially when it comes to rot issues. They can scan the hull and tell you if you have rot before you buy along with testing the electrical and mechanical for you. Unless you have a very high level of sophistication in the field and the right testing equipment it's better to just spend a few hundred before you buy and get it checked out.

 

[tuvac taco]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

When you take used boat out for test run walk around the floor and feel the flex of the floor under your feet.Too much play and softness will tell you a little story of that boats history.

 

[SolarWinds]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

Sorry to hear your problem. But people are to concerned about a soft spots or minor issues in a boat... If you ran good the year before then you should of have just kept enjoying it and not worry about it. Next time you feel a soft spot forget it. boat hulls are worthless and unless its an expensive hull or you can do the work yourself then just keep boating with it.

I just purchased a $1500.00 a 23 ft Chaparral fisherman with a 225 johnson and a load rite trailer. The Transom and floor is solid like a rock. I installed a new transducer and when we drilled holes in the keel about an ounce of water spilled out. My eyes popped out and wondered where can this water have come from? The Transom, Hull, Bilge etc. Mind you its a 1989 and it site on a trailer without a cover all year round so over the 24 years I am sure the boat is not as new as the day it was made.
My plan is to enjoy it for as long as I can and buy thing for the boat I can use. Like a new full enclosure canvas cover with eisenglass and stainless steel bars and a bar for like and pole holders, radio, GPS, etc. these are all things I can take off the boat if and when it is a total loss...

All consumer boats are made like crap especially in the 80' and 90's even today manufactures to reduce weight are using cotton in the hulls because everybody wants speed...

I bet if I did a moisture test at my marina every boat would read water... or wet areas... I look around and see expensive boats and say thank God I fond a cheap boat with a great motor... I can cruise out and fish anyplace a 23 ft. Grady can go...

 

[Quit It]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

Here's a story to make you think when buying a used boat. Last year in April I bought my first boat. I've been on and around boats my whole life and still I got burned due to my own ignorance. I bought a 1991 Sea Ray 200 BR WITH A 5.7l merc. And alpha one for 6k. Took it out on the lake before I bought it and it ran very well. Interior was a little worn and the floor was a tad soft in spots. but I planned on doing a little work on this boat as a time killer/project boat. Had it on the lake a dozen times last year and ran great everytime. So the season ended and my dad got sick so I had no time to repair the seats and floor. I took the boat to a guy who restores boats, so he could do the floor and carpet for me. I knew it would cost me but well worth it for the time is save. He quoted me 3100 for new floor carpet and seat and sundeck frames. Which I thought was reasonable. Three days later the restoration guys calls me and says exactly what I DIDN'T want to hear..... The stringers were all rotten! 3k job turned into a 10k job. I got burned because I didn't know enough about boat at the time to look for the obvious problems. It was a tough hit to take.So iI took all my repair money plus a bit more and found me a real nice super clean garage kept one owner Bayliner 2050 SS. the moral of my sad story is...... Don't be in a hurry, check through EVERY compartment, double check EVERTHING then recheck it all triple! Hope someone will benefit from this sad story of mine. With that said.... Anyone want to buy a good project boat cheap? Engine and outdrive run great.

Thanks for sharing the story. I'm sure a lot of people learned from it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

here's my question about the rotten stringer thing: how dangerous is it? Will the boat fall apart without warning while operating?

I understand that a weak transom can fail under pressure from the motor (esp. an outboard) so that seems important. I've heard scary transom failure stories.

And it makes sense not to buy a boat that is rotten, but sometimes (apparently) they get that way. Sure, you'd rather not have it.

And I understand not buying a boat with waterlogged floatation, both for the safety and performance.

But as others said, is there any reason not to keep running it?

PS getting a "professional certified marine survey" is usually not practical, if not possible, for many small old used boat transactions.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

here's my question about the rotten stringer thing: how dangerous is it? Will the boat fall apart without warning while operating?

I understand that a weak transom can fail under pressure from the motor (esp. an outboard) so that seems important. I've heard scary transom failure stories.

And it makes sense not to buy a boat that is rotten, but sometimes (apparently) they get that way. Sure, you'd rather not have it.

And I understand not buying a boat with waterlogged floatation, both for the safety and performance.

But as others said, is there any reason not to keep running it?

PS getting a "professional certified marine survey" is usually not practical, if not possible, for many small old used boat transactions.

I would tend to agree that boating on small bodies of water . . . lakes, etc. where you are dealing with wakes and slight chop, you can 'get away' with operating a boat that has bad stringers. So, that would apply to the smaller boats (17-20 ft) for the most part.

In the ocean, bays and even the large lakes, where there are larger waves and chop, not a good idea to operate a compromised boat. Where I boat, it is pretty typical that you will have a few air-bourne episodes with hard landings on every outing, ones that would probably smash a structurally compromised boat. This would generally apply to bigger boats . . . 22' and up.

Of course you never know just how much a compromised boat can take, so it is a risk, . . . just less of a risk in calmer waters.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Got burned bad buying first boat!

If it makes you feel better I went through the same thing. My 77 Glastron I knew nothing about lake boats just big blue water boats. I spent 3.5K on the boat used it for a season with a few probles here and there then decided to repair the soft spots then notices that the whole boat was rotted. The guy I bought it from put allot of effort to cover things up. He did a pretty good job of it too. I was taken it happens, At least in your case it sounds like the seller may not have known.