New boater- help needed

[Moneil16]

Need some help. My 17 year old son is a new boater & has fallen in love with an older boat. It's a 1983 cheetah Bass boat but there are issues. He's saved up his money all winter to buy a boat. We are being told that it takes in about 3 gallons of water after being out for 4 hours. The boat owner has looked for holes & cracks but found none. He does not have time to figure it out & just wants to get rid of it. We are also told that the motor skips occasionally when running. We are going to go look at it tomorrow. What should be look for? Could it be the live wells? As a new boater, is he crazy to buy it? Any other advice would be appreciated.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Well there are 2 strikes already, go slow and do not be afraid to walk away.

 

[Dubed]

Yep, this boat doesn't run right and it's sinking. Unless your looking for a project to work on, it has the potential to become a lawn ornament. If you are looking for something with issues that you can fix up, buy it cheap and enjoy the project

 

[briangcc]

Bass boat...probably has livewell plumbing....which is probably decayed/cracked/about to fail....which is letting the water in. Just a guess. You'd have to have access to the plumbing lines to confirm this.

Other possibility, seeing its a bass boat, is it hit something on the keel/hull bottom and has a puncture. You may or may not see it depending on size & location - could be under a bunk. Would require crawling under the boat to inspect.

Given the age, you may be looking at floor, stringers, transom - the wood inside them may be compromised.

Generally if you're taking on that much water, you should see it with a quick dunk on the trailer. May be a dribble or stream if you let it sit supported on the trailer for 10-20 minutes. I'd do this at a sparsely used launch ramp during the week otherwise you may have some rather angry boaters from tying up an active launch ramp.

As for the motor....does your son like to tinker with motors? Cause that's probably THE most expensive part of a boat. As in, back in 2000 I paid $10k for a Honda 115HP 4 stroke. Prices haven't gone down any in that regard. So if you need to replace it, this could be a deal breaker....or turn the boat into a lawn decoration as another member mentioned.

All in all, I think I'd be walking away and keep searching.

 

[Thirsty Endgrain]

It could need a $3 spark plug and a $5 plumbing fitting, or $1000's in engine repair and restoration efforts. Without knowing what exactly to look for, i.e. being familiar with plumbing and mechanical maintenance (not to mention boat stuff), you will be taking a big big gamble.

You are buying a project. I suggest looking through a few pages of the threads in this section to see how many bought a boat, to find out just how much work and time and money it is to get and keep them going. I fall squarely in this category myself.

How familiar are you with those things? A trained eye would probably not have much of an issue determining the problems, but the untrained eye might miss some costly repairs.

I'm also weary that the owner is willing to just get rid of it for what could be a couple of "minor" issues. There is nothing seemingly more prevalent in the used private boat sale market than undisclosed major issues shrouded in statements like, "oh I'm just ready to move on, don't have the time to figure this out." There may be some lines you need to read between...

 

[Wildey]

What should be look for?

A different entry to the boating world.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

On the face of it, this one might more of a clunker than you deserve as a new boater.
1. Does he like to ride in boats and fish ?
OR
2. Is he really anxious to put much time, effort and $$$$.$$ int fixing one up.
Look around, take your time, maybe spend a little more and get something that is nearer water ready. MHO.
Sometimes, even FREE boats are the most expensive.
(keep enough $ aside for a lottery ticket)

 

[Willyclay]

Motor?

 

[Silvertip]

Spend some time walking around the boat looking very carefully for water inlet and outlet ports for the livewell system. Check the plumbing for those systems as well as the bilge pump outlet. A problem in any of those lines can result in water in the boat. Check the transom for rot and pay attention to the area around the drain plug. Replacing transoms is not a job for a newbee and most experienced boaters will shy away from such a boat. The engine is the big IF and as mentioned can be just a simple tune up to a very costly overhaul. Tread carefully. If the owner will not provide an on-water test run then walk away or offer an extremely low bid. (almost free).

 

[KJM]

Given that the boat is 40 yrs old and takes on water I'd be concerned with rot down below. I'd keep looking.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

If you are looking at older boats Aluminum is a safer bet

 

[Moneil16]

Thanks everyone! We decide a very bad idea. Onto looking for another

 

[Thirsty Endgrain]

Good call

 

[RMClark]

If you are looking at older boats Aluminum is a safer bet

I agree. If you're new to boats, fiberglass boats have all manner of "hidey holes" that can conceal hard-to-fix issues.

If that boat is leaking now, it will only get worse; it won't heal itself.

My 43 year old Lund aluminum V- hull doesn't leak a drop of water. Will admit that the boat lacks "coolness factor" but I also haven't spent money on fixing leaks. That frees up those dollars for other things to spend on! Buying the boat is only the first expenditure...

 

[DeepCMark58A]

I agree. If you're new to boats, fiberglass boats have all manner of "hidey holes" that can conceal hard-to-fix issues.

If that boat is leaking now, it will only get worse; it won't heal itself.

My 43 year old Lund aluminum V- hull doesn't leak a drop of water. Will admit that the boat lacks "coolness factor" but I also haven't spent money on fixing leaks. That frees up those dollars for other things to spend on! Buying the boat is only the first expenditure...

Funny my son has his high school friends up for the weekend to ski and tube and pontoon. One of his friends tried to give me a $20 to cover the gas. Good thing my thoughts are not a cartoon bubble that people can see. Son that $20 buys enough gas for less than an hour of waterskiing

 

[RMClark]

Funny my son has his high school friends up for the weekend to ski and tube and pontoon. One of his friends tried to give me a $20 to cover the gas. Good thing my thoughts are not a cartoon bubble that people can see. Son that $20 buys enough gas for less than an hour of waterskiing

Gotta give the kid credit for thinking of it and then actually offering. There's a whole bunch of "grown-ups" out there who would never think of it, let alone offer...

Now that I've got the boat outfitted, the real recurring cost is $25-30 of truck fuel to get back and forth to either of the two nearest lakes I like to fish. Won't talk about the cost of fishing gear. At least I get "free fish" for dinner....ummmm...wait a minute....