Regal bowrider corrosion question

[DMD]

Hello all, I?ve been reading through the back posts and have come across quite a few threads which have answered many questions. However, I?m looking to buy a bowrider and I thought winter may be the best time to serious look. I?ve found what I think is a decent deal; a Regal 1900 (with trailer), 4.3 Volvo GXi with approximately 42 hours for 15K. It was listed on ebay and I think is still listed on boat trader. The one issue is that the dealer advised that the outdrive had/has some corrosion. He has since repainted it black after sanding. He stated that it has been his experience that Volvo?s have a tendency to corrode compared to Mercruiser. With less than 50 hours on it, I?m wondering if something else is going on. The bottom has not been painted and the exterior appears to be in very good shape. Lastly, the compression sheet I asked for has all six between 200 and 210. Thanks, and sorry for the first post being so long, Dave.

 

[BitterSweet]

Re: Regal bowrider corrosion question

You may also take into consideration that the previous owner may have lacked in maintenance. What Im refferecing is perhaps the owner was takeing the boat in saltwater and not washing the motor when the boat was stored. Aluminum is very suseptable to salt water and air and depending on the location of the boat may be exposed to constant corrosion. ex florida... or on the coast... Being in aviation Im a firm beliver in pre buy inspections and suggest a full inspection on the boat before you buy it... I have seen a lot of corrosion in my time inspecting aircrafts which primarily consist of aluminum. Another thing to consider is where the corrossion on the case is, if its all around hardware it can be caused by electrolasis (dissimilar metal corrosion) lastly is the corrosion is not removed from aluminum properly even if painted over and treated the corrosion will remain and will continue to corrode under the paint.... at any rate i hope this helped a bit, good luck with your purchase.

 

[DMD]

Re: Regal bowrider corrosion question

Thanks for the response. I thought about whether or not the previous owner rinsed/washed after using with ear muffs. What is the best way to determine whether or not someone has flushed the system after use? Also, I?m wondering if there are issues related to the zinc anodes, perhaps they are missing (if that?s likely)????

 

[BitterSweet]

Re: Regal bowrider corrosion question

eek im not sure about the annodes, still pretty new to the power boating scene myself, grew up sailing and only some of my aviation knowledge cross refferences... im sure youll get some more hits soon.... as for the rinsing thing im not sure on that but i would guess maybe if you pulled the prob off you may be able to see in the exhaust and look for more corrosion... however this is my guess and i would suggest you continue to seek advice from more experienced members... and/or look into the cooling/exhaust information on that motor & outdrive to further understand where to look for possible corrosion caused by lack of rinsing the outdriver. sorry i could not be of more help, wish you luck and welcome to IBOATS.