New to boats.

[Stixx925]

New to the forum and I'm gonna apologize in advance for a long winded post. A little about me. My dad had a boat when I was growing up. And our family went on allot of lake trips. My great grandpa had a big cabin cruizer. So I'm no stranger to the water. Later a buddy of mine introduced me to jet skis, and I got into restoring skis and riding them. My most recent one is my best restoration yet. Then I had my daughter and shes far too small for jetskis so I figured I'd sell a couple and get a family boat , so here we are....

I have a low budget for a boat. I'm well aware for the type of money I have to buy a boat... I know I'll get a fixer. (1500) here is what I'm looking a I'm thinking bayliner or glastron ir even a sea ray. Problem is boats I kinda pricey where I live. I spoke with friscoboater and he advised I stay away from omc and bayliner. Said to find a glas or sea. And I totally respect his opinion. But is hard finding them under 5g in my area. I've seen a few boats I like but there problems are on different ends of the spectrum. 1 the upholstery is in great shape and 2.3l OMC runs while floor has soft spots. Already know I'd probably have to do new stringers and floor(lots of work I know) while other is a couple years newer it's got a solid deck but engine 3.0l volvo/merc is frozen. And upholstery needs to be redone completely. I dunno what's gonna put a larger hole in my pocket.

I'm very familiar with 2 stroke engines. 4 stroke not so much. When I run into a boat with a dead motor, besides the oil, what do I look for to figure out motor can be fixed or it's a total loss? Please be detailed as possable cuz that's how I learn reading and then doing.

 

[Scott Danforth]

stay away from OMC's especially the 2.3

stay away from rotten fiberglass boats as that will easily eat up 3-5k worth of money. BTW, any fiberglass boat under $5k should be considered a suck-hole-for-cash that will require a ground-up restoration.

I suggest getting a tinny like a starcraft and ouboard if your budget is only $1500. in fiberglass, that is a restoration project, where in an aluminum boat, its a weekend away from boating.

 

[alldodge]

Look for a aluminum hull with an OB. Might even get an old pontoon boat cheap that won't take a lot funds to get it sea worthy. The costly part is the motor

 

[Stixx925]

I forgot to mention i'm looking for a ski boat /fishing. So I'm really looking at open now. About 17 or 18ft. I am ok with a project boat because I'm used to it I've done it several times with skis. I'm comfortable doing glass work... what scares me is engine work. I know how to lay up the glass waterproof, peanut butter and repair stress cracks. I would figure I get about 10 gallons of layup resin about 5 sheets of 4x8 5/8 - 3/4 exterior ply, several tubes of pl. About 30 yards of 1.5 chop strand and about 30 yards of 1708. I figure that 500-800 there.

fix it use it a couple seasons, sell it get a better one. So help me understand what to look for on the motor side of things. Thanks for input already given.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the motor side is the cheap side.....

your figure of 500-800 is about 1/3 actual material cost and doesnt include PPE or incidentals.

10 gallons of resin is light

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I know a few guys and gals out here that buy a $800.00 to $1500.00 less than 18' runabout that runs OK and are fully aware it has problems like a soft floor and or small leaks. Seats may be held together with Duct tape.They play with the boat on the water for the season in their local bay and scrap it in the Fall for parts to my buddy that has the small local marine service. And buddy finds them another runabout for a similar price that runs well but has issues. It's a cheap way to get on the water. They never take the grand children or any kids out on the boat. Maybe get a boat that runs well and is safe but looks like a basket case to get your family and yourself on the water for 1500 bucks. You won't get much of anything else with that budget for a boat. Around here a rebuilt crate motor will run 2 to 7 thousand for an I/O or outboard depending on size, plus labour. I guestimate to multiply the 1500 by 3 to 5 times to get an old boat in tip top shape putting in your own sweat equity on a beater boat that runs, sort of. Of course that is a wild guess and doesn't help much.

 

[Stixx925]

Scott Danforth thanks, yeah my estimate was off, forgot to factor in shipping glue and tools I came up with a figure on low about 1200 figure give another 2-400 shipping. I found a place that has some great prices on most the materials. but still not bad as a winter project..

lets talk motor now. ok i got it avoid OMC stay with Merc or Volvo. how ever I DO know the OMC 2.3 is a pinto engine.
so On the 3.0s besides checking oil for color( milky is just as bad as it is on cars) could be a blown head gasket or cracked head or cylinder. and in turn that tells me the impeller or the water pump is bad, cuz it had to over heat. other then that i'm clueless. i did go over the buying guide to get a GENERAL idea.one of the boats Ive Looked at owner says Motor 3.0L is frosen(they spelled it just like that <_< ) what do i look at to figure out if the motor is a total loss or rebuildable and how will i know its motor and not the out drive?? I wanted to post this in engine repairs section but they dont have a general motor forum.

thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, the 2.3 was underpowered in the pinto, it was under powered in the ranger, and is woefully underpowered in any boat. not to mention the OMC drive hanging off the back end.

second, even if you had a perfectly good running 2.3 with an OMG drive, its still a 2.3 with an OMG drive. no resale value.

as far as 3.0's go, plenty of free boats with good running 3.0's and rotten hulls to ever worry about fixing a busted 3.0. you just have to pay for disposal of the hull, and most of the trailers are rusted beyond their useful life so that becomes scrap which may offset the disposal fee.

most frozen 3.0's are from lack of proper winterization. frozen water busts boat motors.

you also forgot the EPA charge for shipping resin. couple that with $200 worth of PPE, and about $300 worth of incidentals (saw blades, buckets, brushes, grinding discs, shop vac filter bags, etc.) restoring boat hulls can get pricy. not sure I would want to put the effort into anything bayliner or OMC powered.

 

[Stixx925]

Yeah the EPA is 26/5gal... ok. So I eliminated the 23 with a rotten floor. So that leaves a 93' bayliner 1850 with the frozen 30 I can probably talk them down cuz ir needs interior and much engine work. It's over priced.

 

[Stixx925]

I saw some rienall and maximum boats. How are those for boat brands?

 

[southkogs]

Entry to mid-line on those brands. Both decent, but nothing to write home about. But, in used boats it's more about condition. If you're rebuilding it, then nearly any hull can be re-habbed into something safe and fun. Nearly none of 'em (doesn't matter how good it was "brand" wise) will ever be worth what you put in them to make them go.

 

[Stixx925]

thanks for response. I don't know when i'm gonna pull trigger and grab a boat, target time frame is fall, unless some one has a deal i cant refuse withing 150 miles from Sacramento, CA. I JUST sold my 3 seat jet ski to make room.