Need Your Opinion

[JJeansonne]

We have never purchased a boat before, but we are looking into getting a boat that can pull tubes and/or skiers. We a new at boating and would like your opinion regarding the price for this boat. Also, what are some general questions we should ask / things we should check before the purchase.

Here are the details:
18 ft Stingray - $5000

The boat is a 1995 model.
The bow is open for seat on each side.
The left side has a built in cooler.
The right side is for storage.
The engine is a 3.0 four cylinder with a mercruiser outdrive.
The block is a Ford i think.
Itis a 1995 558zp hull with a 135 hp Mercruiser outdrive.
The boat had the rear interior deck and bench seat re-worked in the fall of 06

 

[cbavier]

Re: Need Your Opinion

Nice looking boat but not enough HP. You want around 200 HP if you plan to pull skiers. A 4.3 minimum V-6 The boat configuration is good and really looks like a nice boat. The price doesn't sound too bad. You can look it up at nadaguides.com

 

[Mscanon99]

Re: Need Your Opinion

Get an inpection of the boat by a marine mechanic. Like the post above, check NADA and Ebay, Craigslist for simular boats and see what they are selling for.

Before you make an offer, make sure the floors are solid, all over. Walk heavy, tap your foot all over, most of these boats are carpet over wood, water sits, gets trapped, starts to rot out the flooring. Check out the trailer, rust, dry rotted tires, etc....

But most important, get a marine inspection, no exception, tell the seller your offer is conditional on it getting checked out. If he wont let you take it, or he wont take it for you, don't do it....I have saved thousands by doing this. I lose about 100 bucks if we can't make a deal, however save big in repairs. Once the inspection comes back, negotiate the repairs into the sale.

Good luck.

MS

 

[ilmostro99]

Re: Need Your Opinion

Nice looking boat but not enough HP. You want around 200 HP if you plan to pull skiers. A 4.3 minimum V-6 The boat configuration is good and really looks like a nice boat. The price doesn't sound too bad. You can look it up at nadaguides.com

I'm not entirely sure I agree with this. If you have the money, then YES, look for at least 200 hp, if not, you can probably make it work for you. It really depends on skill level, type of skiing, etc. For tubing, just about anything with a motor can pull a tube, though you may not get as wild of a ride as you like with minimal hp. I have pulled a tube with a 15' 50 hp bass tracker, and it was still fun. Skiing is different. If you are skiing with double skis, the 135 hp can work, but the boat struggles a bit to pull the skier out of the water. A pretty strong skier, or a really light skier will be able to get up, but the bigger you are the stronger you need to be. You have to be able to hold on while being drug through the water. Double the strength it takes in order to get up on a single ski, as you have 1/2 the surface area of 2 skis. More HP allows the boat to accelerate quicker thus reducing the amount of time you have to hold on while being drug through the water. Wakeboarding or kneeboarding will be easier yet as they have more surface area to get on a plane faster. Skill also makes it easier, and somebody that has some experience getting up on skis can do it with less hp. I have gotten up fairly easy on a single ski behind a 190 hp 18' Four Winns with three additional adults, a few kids, and a cooler full of ice & beverages, but I have some experience doing it before. I am pretty strong and athletic, though lately I have had a few too many good meals and am about 200 lbs. now. My buddy, almost as strong as me and a few lbs. heavier, but with no experience could get up on doubles, but not a single ski.
This is the long way of saying that if you can afford it, look for more hp, if not, and you are pulling skiers light enough, strong enough, or experienced enough, you can make it work. After all, a boat short on hp is still better than no boat at all.
Good Luck,
Erik
'99 Sea Ray 190 BR - 220 hp.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Need Your Opinion

He said they have never purchased a boat before so they are not going to have any or much experience sking. Yes a 135 will easily pull a tuber but not it will not satisfactorily pull a skier. The other point is you don't stay 14 and 135 Lbs forever. A boat is an investment that most people keep for several years. He will not be happy with a boat with only 135 Hp if he tries to do everything he said he wanted to do. Look around, there are a lot of boats out there for sale and there will be many more. It's a buyers market. The other thing is take a Boaters safety course. Your whole family can do it and will benefit from it. Besides if you take a course and get the certificate and have your boat USCG inspected you will get a break on your Insurance policy.

 

[Dakota47]

Re: Need Your Opinion

Sting rays are good. a 3.0 will be OK . its a Chevy block also.. buy it

 

[salty87]

Re: Need Your Opinion

tell the owner that you like it and want to take a ride before bothering with the inspection. get your sign. other and maybe someone else to go with you...take your ski's, rope, and vest.....try to simulate normal load you might have. see what the ride is like, how much does it struggle to get a skier up?. try to take someone with you that knows more about boats than you. if you still like it, go for the inspection. the money you spend there could be alot cheaper than unforeseen repairs.

i agree with the v6 comment. the load always gets heavier over the years. it matters at re-sale time too.

 

[ilmostro99]

Re: Need Your Opinion

He said they have never purchased a boat before so they are not going to have any or much experience sking. Yes a 135 will easily pull a tuber but not it will not satisfactorily pull a skier. The other point is you don't stay 14 and 135 Lbs forever. A boat is an investment that most people keep for several years. He will not be happy with a boat with only 135 Hp if he tries to do everything he said he wanted to do.

For the most part, I agreed with you, more hp is always better. My only point is that it can be done. Just because they have never purchased a boat before does not mean that they have never skied before. I have skied hundreds of times, and just bought MY first boat less than 1 month ago, and haven't even had a chance to ski behind it yet. I haven't been 14 and 135 lbs. for a LONG TIME, but I could easily double ski, wakeboard, or kneeboard behind 135 hp, but not deep water start a single slalom ski. Would I want to do it, NO, but sometimes finances keep us from getting what we really want, and I'd rather ski behind an underpowered boat than sit at home on the couch watching Oprah reruns.
That being said, for ~$5,000 they should be able to find a boat with more HP than that. I just don't want to see somebody loose out on the joy that is boating just because they can not find a higher hp boat in their price range. FWIW, 4.3 190hp was my personal minimum also, but my finances are a bit better than they were several years ago, and I still wish I had bought that underpowered boat that I could afford years ago rather than holding off and not having a boat until now.
Erik

 

[Mscanon99]

Re: Need Your Opinion

Just a thought on the test ride idea. I was asked this when selling my Sea Ray last year, I was asking 9500, sold it for 9000 in about 3 weeks on Craigs List. A few people asked me to take them for a ride and I was just not interested. I tow my boat, its about 30 minutes to the nearest launch and I found plenty of buyers who were OK with an inspection.

It wont hurt to ask for a test ride, however you might find the sellers are not interested in this, especially if they need to tow it like I would have. Just becuase a seller wont do this, does not mean there is a hidden issue/problem.

I belive the test ride is preferred, but not manditory, the inspection is a must. If your concerned you wont have the power you want, keep looking.

Good luck.

MS

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Need Your Opinion

If a seller is not interested in a test drive, get him interested. Offer a hundred bucks plus fuel, You will spend more than that feeding a ski boat on a week end. If he won't go for it then, then pass on it.

You would not buy a used car without a test drive; why would you buy a boat without seeing it perform in the water?