hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

[dieselkid]

1989 Wellcraft ? 180 Classic Open Bow ? Serial #WELT7129I889

Inboard/Outboard

Length ? 18?

Engine ? 4.3 Liter V6, Mercruiser (I think its made by GM) Serial # OC339847

Outdrive ? Alpha 1 ? Serial #OC346170


What I know about it?

1. The engine runs ? had it in the water last year
2. It probably needs a new impeller in the lower unit.
3. I was told the baffles or billows are not leaking but are becoming dry rotted and should be changed.
4. The plastic neutral button on the throttle comes off some times but just gets snapped back in place.

Any tips on what to inspect i read somewhere that a wood transom is bad??? I have no clue what that means/

 

[ezmobee]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

Welcraft made good solid hulls. The 4.3 Mercruiser powerplant is a fantastic one for that size boat and enjoys great parts support. The impeller and bellows are maintenance items so nothing out of the ordinary there. The throttle issue doesn't like a big deal.

Your BIGGEST concern by far is rot in the wooden components of the hull. This would hold true for most every older fiberglass boat. You want a solid deck and transom. ANY soft spots in the deck usually indicate more serious rot below in the stringers (boats often rot from the bottom up). Get as good a look at the transom as you can from the inside, do a little tapping and poking, to make sure it's solid. Rot is repairable but it's a big job. Good luck! and welcome to the forum.

 

[JoLin]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

Hi, and welcome to iboats!

The transom and stringers on this type of boat are made of wood, encapsulated in fiberglass. Over time water can seep into them, causing them to rot inside. Though they may look solid, they become nothing but mush with a hard layer of fiberglass over them, so they have no structural integrity. That's a worst-case but very dangerous scenario. Not trying to scare, but it isn't an uncommon issue in a boat that old.

Unless you have the 'ear' to recognize waterlogged structures via a tap test with a hammer (I don't), you should have the boat checked over by somebody who does.

And yes, your 4.3 Mercruiser is a GM-based engine, marinized by Mercury Marine. Should be a nice package for that size boat. By all means, do a major service on that outdrive. Replace the fluid, impeller and bellows and have the drive pressure tested. Don't fool around with the bellows if you know they're getting hard... a split one can sink your boat.

Best of luck!

 

[southkogs]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

What kind of price is the seller pitchin'? Sometimes that helps indicate if there is a "hidden" problem somewhere.

"Some TLC needed, and this is a fine family boat" on Craigslist can be the kiss of death.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

As EZ said, Rot is your enemy. If you have a friend that is knowledgeable, go take a good look at it. If not, find a marine surveyor to look at it. The money spent will be well worth it.

 

[Philster]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

If she's a salt water boat, the heads and exhaust could be rotted and failing. Your cash reserve should include enough money to replace them.

They carry cooling water and when they fail, water enters the engine and destroys it. These must be considered and, if you cannot confirm their condition prior to sale, you need to be ready to replace them if you buy the boat and realize they are risking your engine.

 

[dieselkid]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

the guy wants $1200 with trailer i think he take $1000. said he doesn't have time to mess with it with new babies. he just bought it himself.

 

[90stingray]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

Be careful... especially if he just bought it. He may have found a problem, and decided to pass her to the next subject. Get your head in the ski locker and look around. If you can see behind the engine at the transom and poke around, that helps. Push up and down on the drive and look for flex at transom. Just some ideas ...

 

[pmillar]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

When you said it was in the water (running) were you there or are you taking his word for it? You really, really, want a test run if you're counting on the engine to be a solid runner needing nothing more than basic maintenance. A survey remains a good idea unless you're able to absorb unexpected expenses.

 

[dlngr]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

scroll down a page or so and read: 'u gotta hear this-repower or basket case'. Thread started by 'lil buggy' about his purchase of a 1989 boat.

 

[southkogs]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

the guy wants $1200 with trailer i think he take $1000. said he doesn't have time to mess with it with new babies. he just bought it himself.

Good and bad news - Bad news: The guys are right, seller probably doesn't really know what he has. Look it over really carefully. Make sure you hear it run. Get it on the water if you can. If you can't at least see it running, assume the engine doesn't work (even though it might). Good news: $1,000 is probably in the ballpark for it if it's running and solid.

I would plan on it being somewhere between a full fledged project boat and a "fixer-upper" either way. Don't plan on it being "plug and play."

 

[Texasmark]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

Bro-n-law had a brown one with a white deck and a 115 Merc tower on it and had to have the transom replaced.....gungie goo was growing out from it in several places. No idea as to the cost. He kept the boat for a long time in a garage/shed at a larger Texas lake. Don't know if that had anything to do with it or not. His was an earlier model, I'm thinking mid 70's.

HTH,

Mark

 

[ziggy]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

i don't have much to add as it's been covered above. imho too, the boat is what's gonna be of concern. and it don't matter who mfg. the boat either. the mercruiser v6 set up is most popular, a very good choice there.
when i was looking for a boat, one of the things i'd glance at was the garboard drain plug hole. from the outside, many boats that have rot will have a brown stain running down from the drain plug hole on the outside. if i saw this stain, imho, it was a heads up as to checking for rot real good. another quick check is for anything that's attached to the transom. pitot speedo pickup, ladders, swim platforms, sonar etc. any missing screws or loose screws that won't tighten up is a bad sign (the rotted wood has nothing for the screw to screw into). also, if screw threads are rusty, that's bad too. i looked at quite a few boats that had these signs that i didn't get. due to possible (most likely) wood rot... i just didn't wanna play.....
fwiw, the boat i ended up with didn't have the above symptoms. 5 years later and wood rot has not been part of my issues i've had. yet...

 

[CRay45DB]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

Everyone brings up the right points. Here are some tips to help you find the answers you seek without the knowledge.

1. Boats have two sides, so in many cases if the port is suspect, look at the starboard to compare.

2. What a surveyor will do is starting in the front of the boat, in all inner compartments, the water has to go backwards, so look for the small whole where the water runs out, and stick your finger ifnthere, if it's hard, your good, soft is bad. Doo this all the way back.

3. Your motor mounts are in most case's on fiber glass box's. Tap them with a hammer. Solid noise vs, damped noise. You will be able to tell the difference. Solid good, dramped bad. If you are still unsure, go on you tube, search 24' SeaRay floor project and this guy is actually taking you through a boat that is bad. You will here and see what every thing looks like including testing the transome. I know people love the 4.3, but back then the boats weighed more. Sea trial this with your family. The boat is light on power. If its you, 4 kids and the dog pulling a skier, may not be a good choice.

5. Finally, price isn't bad, but suspicious. It's too low even for people who want to get rid of it.

Go with caution on tis.

 

[dieselkid]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

i was told he had it running in a bucket and winterized it by his unlcle im gonna try to check it out tomorrow. is the engine worth anything if it runs good?

 

[ziggy]

Re: hi need advise on boat im looking at please help 1989 wellcraft 180

fwiw... never believe the seller. they have motivation to lie. check everything yourself one way or the other.

+

never buy a boat w/o a sea trial. just because it runs on land don't mean it'll perform in the water...

a $1k boat is gonna need something major probably. the seller may know what it is, but i'll bet he won't tell you what it is...

sure the engines worth something. assuming it's intact. if not, it's worth the price of used parts.