Potential Purchase of a Rinker.. Thoughts?

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
Messages
21
Hey all, I haven't ever posted in this section of the forum. I currently have an open bow 17.5" boat with a Merceruiser 470. However, my wife and I are wanting to bump up in size slightly and have a boat with a cuddy. After searching for over a month, I have my eyes set on a 1990 Rinker Captiva 206 cuddy with a 5.7 Mercruiser/Alpha 1 outdrive. Only 300 hours, and seems to be extremely well taken care of as the gelcoat and interior are in great shape. The current owner winterized it in October.

I am wanting to purchase a boat during winter time (I know, not ideal, but that is when you can get deals on nicer boats in the northeast US since the market is not "hot" during the winter). I realize I will not be able to do a full test run in the water, since it is extremely cold here in Ohio (10-30 degrees, supposed to be near 0 degrees this weekend!!). I also would hate to de-winterize the boat, purchase it, and then drive it over 5+ hours home in near-zero degree temps... At the very least I would do a compression test, test the ignition using a spark tester, and then maybe even turn it over for a few seconds and shut it right back down? Can that be done on a winterized boat? What about setting up a system that pulls antifreeze through muffs instead of water? Has anyone done that?

However, considering the condition of the boat, low hours, maintenance records, and the owner's demeanor, I am almost willing to take the chance. I feel there is no way I'd be willing to pay summer market pricing on a boat like this. He is asking $6,000 "or best offer". This is easily a $7-9k boat during the summer here.

I have attached pictures. I feel as though I can get the price down a little below $6k. Please let me know what yall think?
 

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Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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the only issues I have are as follows:

if the hull and foam are full of water, you wont know it until spring.

32 years is past a boats "prime" and "sell by" date. most boats are designed to last 15 years.

any fiberglass boat that old should be considered a project.

it may be a diamond in the rough, it may be a rotten and water-logged hull.

systems that pull anti-freeze thru the muffs will cause a cracked block unless you drain the water-jacket first. on a V8 boat, there are 5 plugs you pull and two hoses first to drain.

best advise I have, use the boat buying checklist. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/f...help-buying-a-boat-a-buyers-checklist.612841/
 

alldodge

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Wait for a bit warmer day, it may show up in another week or so. Sounds like the owner has no issue with firing it up. Find out if he's also willing to winterize it if you buy. My self I would just pull the plugs, drain the water and haul it home. No water in the block, nothing to freeze

After checking the boat out fire it up, shift it and if all good, might be worth taking a chance. Do lay down in the cuddy to see how much room you have. My 23 ft cuddy is ok but not a lot of room
 

paulswagelock

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Jan 10, 2018
Messages
99
If you are ok tossing $6000 away potentially, your plan is fine. There is an easy way to run on antifreeze on shore, but as others mentioned, it does not allow you to test if the boat performs well and reaches correct WOT. All depends on your tolerance for risk. That is a really old boat built when wood stringers and transom were common. It looks great, so it might be perfectly fine. Or, it might be waterlogged and spongy. If you want to run it on antifreeze on the shore you need a 1/4-1/2 hp sump pump, a 4 foot garden hose, lower unit muffs, a plastic mortar mixing tub and 10 gallons of rv antifreeze. You can run with that set up for 10 minutes or more no issues.
 

KMKlein

Cadet
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
21
the only issues I have are as follows:

if the hull and foam are full of water, you wont know it until spring.

32 years is past a boats "prime" and "sell by" date. most boats are designed to last 15 years.

any fiberglass boat that old should be considered a project.

it may be a diamond in the rough, it may be a rotten and water-logged hull.

systems that pull anti-freeze thru the muffs will cause a cracked block unless you drain the water-jacket first. on a V8 boat, there are 5 plugs you pull and two hoses first to drain.

best advise I have, use the boat buying checklist. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/f...help-buying-a-boat-a-buyers-checklist.612841/
I do fully agree with your statement on the hull and foam potentially being full of water but being hard to tell when it’s frozen.
Considered a project? Maybe. I can see what you’re saying. But my current boat is a 1986 and i bought it from the original owner who stored it properly for most of its life and it is completely solid.
I guess I’m a little confused by your 2nd to last statement... if the boat has already been winterized, then there shouldn’t be any harm in running it on “more” antifreeze rather than water. How would the block be susceptible to cracking?
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
Messages
21
Wait for a bit warmer day, it may show up in another week or so. Sounds like the owner has no issue with firing it up. Find out if he's also willing to winterize it if you buy. My self I would just pull the plugs, drain the water and haul it home. No water in the block, nothing to freeze

After checking the boat out fire it up, shift it and if all good, might be worth taking a chance. Do lay down in the cuddy to see how much room you have. My 23 ft cuddy is ok but not a lot of room

alldodge, thanks for the input. Owner seems like a very straight forward guy. He has plenty of other toys that he takes rigorous care of as well (ex: mint 79 firebird that also gets winterized).
He stated that if it doesn’t sell by spring, the local marina already said they would buy it off of him as they have maintained it and told him it’s in exceptional shape (yes I know, this is all hearsay).

I would love to have a boat with a bigger cuddy. However, 1) we are rather small people, I’m 5’6” and my wife is 5’4” LOL and 2) I really do not want to have to upgrade my truck. Also 3) if I go too big, I’m sure I would be annoyed at the size as I actually love how nimble and easy to dock my 17.5’ boat is currently. I’ll definitely do what you said if I do make the trip to see this boat.
 
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KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
Messages
21
If you are ok tossing $6000 away potentially, your plan is fine. There is an easy way to run on antifreeze on shore, but as others mentioned, it does not allow you to test if the boat performs well and reaches correct WOT. All depends on your tolerance for risk. That is a really old boat built when wood stringers and transom were common. It looks great, so it might be perfectly fine. Or, it might be waterlogged and spongy. If you want to run it on antifreeze on the shore you need a 1/4-1/2 hp sump pump, a 4 foot garden hose, lower unit muffs, a plastic mortar mixing tub and 10 gallons of rv antifreeze. You can run with that set up for 10 minutes or more no issues.

i assume you’re saying I need a mortar tub in order to catch the antifreeze coming back out of the exhaust onto the ground?
 

alldodge

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Owners talk is always cheap and my be 100% true but don't let the grin start before looking close. I would have no issue with a well maintained boat that old. My Rinker is 25 years old and solid because it stays on the trailer.
 

alldodge

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Don't run an I/O from a tub unless your using something like a sump pump to suck the AF up and pump it back into the drive thru muffs
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
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Owners talk is always cheap and my be 100% true but don't let the grin start before looking close. I would have no issue with a well maintained boat that old. My Rinker is 25 years old and solid because it stays on the trailer.

I agree. I'm taking everything with a couple grains of salt.

I however do have to say that people are selling absolute JUNK right now on facebook marketplace, compared to the "apparent" condition/quality of this boat. Its insane.

People wanting $4-6k for a 1988-1995 18-20' boat with rotted/cracked seats and/or faded gelcoat, and usually at least one other issue - "needs a tuneup", "needs a fuel pump", "cant get it to run right", "only has one soft spot", etc etc etc). Its almost laughable what people think things are worth...
 

tpenfield

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A 30 year old boat does need a deep inspection with a knowledgeable set of eyes. You need to look behind the shine to see if there is trouble underneath.

To Scott's point, that boat was designed to last about 15 years. not that it could not last longer, but you really need to understand if the boat is only cosmetically nice, with trouble lurking within the structure of the boat.
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
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A 30 year old boat does need a deep inspection with a knowledgeable set of eyes. You need to look behind the shine to see if there is trouble underneath.

To Scott's point, that boat was designed to last about 15 years. not that it could not last longer, but you really need to understand if the boat is only cosmetically nice, with trouble lurking within the structure of the boat.

I 100% understand and thanks for your input. I am no boat guru by ANY means but I have somewhat of a working knowledge of them (with the exception of the internals of outdrives).
 

KD4UPL

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Feb 13, 2010
Messages
653
I wouldn't buy a boat, particularly one that old, with out running it in the water. After you're done just pull the drain plugs out of the engine and tow it home. All the movement of the boat during the trip will help get any trapped water out of the block; it will probably be even more thoroughly drained then if you just pulled the drain plugs and let it sit.
The issue would be if you decide not to buy it and now the owner wants to winterize it again. I'd offer him some money for his trouble and expenses in that case.
 

harringtondav

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May 26, 2018
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2,438
My pal still has his Rinker Captiva 206 cuddy. '93 or '94 I believe. 350 mag Merc Alpha II. It's been a mostly solid, hard running boat. ....personally I think the cuddy is a waste of space vs. a BR, but they did beach camp with it when their kids were young.

We did discover lower transom rot when I helped him pull his engine to change the coupler. He kept it on a Hydro Hoist or on a trailer in a shed. But he frequently tied it up along the dock by his big boat slip. When it rained, the slip roof would pour down on the Rinker. His bilge pump float switch was iffy, and allowed too much water to collect.

Beyond that I've always liked the solid construction of his boat. Per above take due diligence in verifying things are dry below the floor. If it was kept dry it should have many more good years.

The $6 ask may be close if it is pristine and solid. I sold my '96 Larsen 176 SEI BR last year for $7.5K, and it was close to pristine. So you may have some room to arm twist the seller.

Also smaller used runabouts seem to be selling well now. Fewer new boat builders, and less of them paying much attention to their smaller boat delivery.
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
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I wouldn't buy a boat, particularly one that old, with out running it in the water. After you're done just pull the drain plugs out of the engine and tow it home. All the movement of the boat during the trip will help get any trapped water out of the block; it will probably be even more thoroughly drained then if you just pulled the drain plugs and let it sit.
The issue would be if you decide not to buy it and now the owner wants to winterize it again. I'd offer him some money for his trouble and expenses in that case.

Thanks for the input. I'm trying to hold out until weather is decent enough for me to give it a more thorough run in the water. I know he is probably getting a lot of attention on his boat as its one of the cleanest 90's boat around. I will update if this progresses!
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
Messages
21
My pal still has his Rinker Captiva 206 cuddy. '93 or '94 I believe. 350 mag Merc Alpha II. It's been a mostly solid, hard running boat. ....personally I think the cuddy is a waste of space vs. a BR, but they did beach camp with it when their kids were young.

We did discover lower transom rot when I helped him pull his engine to change the coupler. He kept it on a Hydro Hoist or on a trailer in a shed. But he frequently tied it up along the dock by his big boat slip. When it rained, the slip roof would pour down on the Rinker. His bilge pump float switch was iffy, and allowed too much water to collect.

Beyond that I've always liked the solid construction of his boat. Per above take due diligence in verifying things are dry below the floor. If it was kept dry it should have many more good years.

The $6 ask may be close if it is pristine and solid. I sold my '96 Larsen 176 SEI BR last year for $7.5K, and it was close to pristine. So you may have some room to arm twist the seller.

Also smaller used runabouts seem to be selling well now. Fewer new boat builders, and less of them paying much attention to their smaller boat delivery.

Yeah, I'm amazed at how well the 17-20' boat market is holding value. Even my 1986 Bomber Commander II (17.5 ft) with a 470 Mercruiser will probably sell for $3500-4000 at the beginning of summer around here.. its nuts.

We are only considering a cuddy boat as we may stay overnight in it a few times a year. Other than that, I totally agree that a bowrider is way more functional. Much easier to space out the folks that you're bringing along!
 

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IndySG13

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Jan 11, 2021
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The boat looks in great shape from the pictures. It is risk/reward. If this guy selling seems like a good guy, he obviously took care of the boat then go for it. I have done the same thing this year but it is a partner and friend from work so I feel pretty comfortable.
 

KMKlein

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Jan 13, 2021
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Well unfortunately he did not let me make the trip this past weekend (first weekend that was consistently at/above 40 degrees). He did not want to dewinterize it even after telling him I'd pay to winterize it if I did not take it. It was almost a no brainer that I was going to take it, as I told him as long as there's no problems, I'm taking it home.

Anyways, he messaged me Sunday night (last night) and said he sold it.

Kindof upset but thats the way it goes sometimes! Time to keep looking...
 
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