eavega
Lieutenant
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2008
- Messages
- 1,377
Hi All.
I've finally convinced my wife that we need to upgrade to a bigger boat in order to get a little more enjoyment out of our time on the lake. To that end, I have been trolling Craigslist for a 19' or under v-hull bowrider to replace my currently running 15' tri-hull. I'm really in no hurry since I currently have a boat, but I came across a 19' Galaxy bowrider that looked to be in good conditions from the pictures on CL. Seller's story is that it hasn't been run in 3 years, but motor was working when it was put up 3 yrs ago. The seller is asking a ridiculously low price for the boat (for reference, the asking price is $500), leading me to believe that either something is very wrong with it, or he just wants to be done with it. I'm going to go look at it on Saturday. He is about 90 minutes from where I live. I am not going to have an opportunity to water-test the boat, or even to start it up. I have insisted that I will at least do compression and spark tests, and check the outdrive oil.
The seller is not terribly forthcoming with information. I have asked him the year and make of the motor, year of the hull, last maintenance, etc, and all I have gotten from him is "The boat is in great shape, just had the floor redone, Transom is solid, seats are in great shape, motor was running when the boat was put up three years ago". Nothing about the motor size, issues, last services, outdrive, etc. I can't even see the pictures and the CL ad anymore. The owner tells me that he had to remove the ad from CL because of the large number of responses. Since I was the first response, he will give me the first opportunity to purchase it on Saturday. Again, still sounds fishy. If it were not for the low pricing of this rig, I wouldn't even be pursuing this any further. I am realistic and I know that this just seems way too good to be believed, but given the asking price, its worth at least a look.
So, the catch is that I know absolutely nothing about I/O boats. I've had three boats so far, but they have all been outboards (and relatively small ones at that). I need to know what to look for that would point to big problems, both from a motor/outdrive perspective, and from a hull perspective with regards to failing transoms. If it were an outboard, I would know to check compression, spark, LU, steering, shifting. I'd know to look to see if fiberglass is cracked in the corners or near the transom bolts. I'd know to tilt the motor up and see if there is any movement when you put weight on it. Is there anything additional/different that you would look at when considering the purchase of a used I/O boat? Any additional information would be great, since it seems that I am going to have a very small opportunity to inspect the boat prior to purchase. Thanks in advance
Rgds
I've finally convinced my wife that we need to upgrade to a bigger boat in order to get a little more enjoyment out of our time on the lake. To that end, I have been trolling Craigslist for a 19' or under v-hull bowrider to replace my currently running 15' tri-hull. I'm really in no hurry since I currently have a boat, but I came across a 19' Galaxy bowrider that looked to be in good conditions from the pictures on CL. Seller's story is that it hasn't been run in 3 years, but motor was working when it was put up 3 yrs ago. The seller is asking a ridiculously low price for the boat (for reference, the asking price is $500), leading me to believe that either something is very wrong with it, or he just wants to be done with it. I'm going to go look at it on Saturday. He is about 90 minutes from where I live. I am not going to have an opportunity to water-test the boat, or even to start it up. I have insisted that I will at least do compression and spark tests, and check the outdrive oil.
The seller is not terribly forthcoming with information. I have asked him the year and make of the motor, year of the hull, last maintenance, etc, and all I have gotten from him is "The boat is in great shape, just had the floor redone, Transom is solid, seats are in great shape, motor was running when the boat was put up three years ago". Nothing about the motor size, issues, last services, outdrive, etc. I can't even see the pictures and the CL ad anymore. The owner tells me that he had to remove the ad from CL because of the large number of responses. Since I was the first response, he will give me the first opportunity to purchase it on Saturday. Again, still sounds fishy. If it were not for the low pricing of this rig, I wouldn't even be pursuing this any further. I am realistic and I know that this just seems way too good to be believed, but given the asking price, its worth at least a look.
So, the catch is that I know absolutely nothing about I/O boats. I've had three boats so far, but they have all been outboards (and relatively small ones at that). I need to know what to look for that would point to big problems, both from a motor/outdrive perspective, and from a hull perspective with regards to failing transoms. If it were an outboard, I would know to check compression, spark, LU, steering, shifting. I'd know to look to see if fiberglass is cracked in the corners or near the transom bolts. I'd know to tilt the motor up and see if there is any movement when you put weight on it. Is there anything additional/different that you would look at when considering the purchase of a used I/O boat? Any additional information would be great, since it seems that I am going to have a very small opportunity to inspect the boat prior to purchase. Thanks in advance
Rgds
