Re: Repair questions for the boat I've just purchased.
I also have a Stingray boat. Mine is a 1988. I am also in VA by the way. What area are you in?
In looking at your pictures, there are a lot of similarities between our boats in how the gel coat aged. In my boat, the chips and some of the cracks especially led me to noting as I ground them out during my restore. My opinion on some of the questions/ comments so far.
1. I had the exact same cracks around my bow eye, when I pulled the cap and took a look at the mounting of the bow eye it was solid as a rock with no rot in the backing wood. The cracks were just a sign of the gel's age.
2. I did not have any of the cracks in the gel that you do around the transom mount for the outdrive and my transom was total mulch so those cracks don't necessarily mean yours is too. I would tend to agree with whoever said that the outdrive may have made solid contact with the bottom. But no one can be sure so get in there and take some samples.
3. Someone else mentioned the trip hazard in the walk thru windshield. That is factory, mine had the same exact thing. It was actually supported by a giant blob of expanding foam underneath. I wonder if yours is too. So again, no indication that is a problem. I would say if anything I'd be pretty jazzed that the windshield is in alignment. Doesn't happen too often with a rotten boat from what I've seen.
4. I did not have a ski locker so I can't say anything about it except for the obvious, the untreated wood someone used to support the deck. I think it would be hard for anyone to determine the exact purpose via the pictures. I imagine we can all draw a conclusion but who knows. If it were me, I'd get in there, yank out the carpet and feel around to check for something obvious; wood rotting, extreme wetness, bugs or the like that gravitate around rot.
5. As far as the interior, it looks like its in good shape and well-cared for trust me my boat was two years older and the trim panels were held together by the foam, not the plywood. Maybe it has been re-done but if it has, so what? be happy it looks as good as it does.
5. The PO or Pos have put money in the boat as far as maintenance, the motor looks clean, riser looks new, battery looks new, a fuel/water separator was added and so was the battery selector switch, not sure if its a two battery system or not but all of those are upgrades from the original equipment.
6. The trailer looks to be in good shape, 100 times better than mine. That spare looks brand new.
7. Assuming you have the full canvas enclosures, that is also a big plus.
So after my novel, my conclusion is that you definitely have a concern or two in the stress cracks on the transom gel. Get back in the stern area and see what you can find. I will say that mine seemed solid, then when I drilled a couple of holes, I found that it wasn't. The ski locker/deck same thing drill a couple of holes and see what you get. If it is solid/dry to your satisfaction you're good to go. I'm not sure if you shared how much you paid or even want to but if you got a screaming deal, the PO seemed super motivated or like he was hiding something, I might do a bit more digging. If the guy seemed honest and open to questions and he gave you a fair deal, I would feel much more confident.
As far as the condition of rest of the boat, I'd say get her wet. I know what kind of quality Stingray was producing at that time and I can guarantee you that if that boat hadn't been well cared for after 23 years it would look a lot worse than it does and I have the pictures to prove it.