Re: My Four Winns VS Prospective Wellcraft
Re: My Four Winns VS Prospective Wellcraft
First, this is a long post, sorry! But I really appreciate everyones feedback!
Alright, finally got a chance to check out the boat today! Attached are some pictures and a link to the rest of them. Here is what I found.
Boat is a Wellcraft 1987 200 classic. I originally thought it was a 1988. Manufactured in April of 1987 according to a quick HIN search.
Here are the correct specs of the boat:
HIN: WELT0338D787
Engine: 305 V8 (Couldn?t read the serial number off of it.)
Horsepower: 200 (I believe this to be the crankshaft horsepower, not at the prop?)
Outdrive: Alpha One. S/N# OB710907
The boat sits on a Load Rite galvanized dual axle roller trailer with 10? surge brakes on the first axle.
Model # 113700E
GVWR: 4850lbs
Dico Model 60 master cylinder for the surge brakes.
I crawled all over the boat for about and hour checking everything out and ran the engine on the muffs. It sounded very smooth and started right up.
Here is what I noticed:
Boat was very well taken care of. Everything seemed very solid. Tapped all over the transom and couldn?t find any sign of rotten wood. I jumped up and down on the swim platform, also very strong with no signs of rot in the transom. Floor seemed to be very solid as well. Huge ski locker that was dry and solid as well. The teak swim platform was very weathered and needs some TLC. The port stern corner was banged against something and was repaired with what appears to be marine tex. Not a pretty repair, but it is above the water line.
Seats had some mildew on them. It was not like this when I saw the boat back in March. Evidently the cover had started to allow moisture to seep through. How hard would this be to clean off, giving that it has been on there for about 6 months or less?
Trailer looks to be in good shape. All 4 tires show no signs of wear or dry rot. All have very good tread left on them. Rollers all appear to be in good shape as does the winch and winch stand. The winch is cable though, so that would be upgraded to strap! Trailer axles have the feature with the grease zerk on the end of the spindle. Supposedly grease get pumped through the shaft and enters into the back of the hub. Anybody have any experience with these? Good or bad?
The boat was purchased new by a gentleman in North East, MD. He owned it for about 5 years and kept it at Anchor Marine in their high and dry storage. The current owners bought it off of them and have had it ever since. They have kept in at Long Level Marina during the summer and stored in a barn over the winter.
The boat has not been used in the last 2 years, but it was run on the muffs a few times each year and then winterized at the end of the season. The owners have ALL the original paperwork that came with the boat plus ALL receipts and records of the work that was down to it while they owned it. All maintenance has been done to this boat.
Performance as stated from the owner.
He said that in perfect conditions with just him onboard, he has hit 55 mph. with 4 to 6 people onboard and a full tank of fuel, it will still easily hit the low 40s. Cruises very easily at 30 mph. Planes very fast even while pulling 3 water skiers.
Included with the sale:
Boat
Trailer with spare tire
2 anchors with rode. (No chain)
1 tube with rope
2 sets of waterskis
2 kneeboads
Tow ropes for toys
A few lifejackets
Review and recap of questions:
Will the difference of weight make much of a difference? This boat weighs 260lbs less than originally thought. I am still looking for a smoother and dryer ride than my Four Winns.
Trailer wheel grease zerks, good or bad?
Mildew on seats, will it clean off easily and what should we use?
Does this performance sound right for a 200 HP V8 2 barrel carbureted engine?
How hard is it to restore a teak swim platform?
Is the Alpha One Outdrive a Generation 1 or 2. Pros or Cons?
Price: I was told to make an offer. Any thoughts? I am thinking of offering $2500, just below NADA values.
The plan:
Do some more research and get feed back from you guys!
Show the boat to my wife and see what she thinks.
If she is ok with it, put a deposit down on it to hold it until the spring.
Over the winter, clean my boat up and get it ready for sale in the spring.
In the spring take it for a through test run. If all checks out, get a mechanic to look over it. Then finalize the transaction and enjoy the new boat!
Please post your thoughts!
Finally, the pics!
Link to all of them:
http://s628.photobucket.com/albums/uu4/bcmeshey/1987 Wellcraft 200 Classic/
