Seller says exhaust bellows torn

[Laneman25]

96 Four winns 5.0 Volvo SX for sale 3 hours from home. Exhaust bellows torn, he says gimbal bellows fine. A guy on youtube changed it without pulling drive but is this advisable? If exhaust tore isn't the other bellows about to go? He's almost at market price for the boat. Can I run it a few times till I can fix it?

 

[Scott Danforth]

never run a new to you boat without doing all the maintenance the prior owner didnt do

like bellows
like checking alignment
like checking the gimbal bearing
like doing a drive service
like replacing the raw water impeller.
like changing engine oil and filters
like repacking wheel bearings
like checking trailer brakes.

you need to do all those things before you take your new to you old boat on the water.

and yes, if the exhaust bellows is torn, the others are probably shot.

 

[airshot]

Are you a gambling man ?? What are you gambling away by taking a boat of unkown history out into open water ??

 

[Laneman25]

never run a new to you boat without doing all the maintenance the prior owner didnt do

like bellows
like checking alignment
like checking the gimbal bearing
like doing a drive service
like replacing the raw water impeller.
like changing engine oil and filters
like repacking wheel bearings
like checking trailer brakes.

you need to do all those things before you take your new to you old boat on the water.

and yes, if the exhaust bellows is torn, the others are probably shot.

Good advice, thank you Scott

 

[Lou C]

The average lifespan of OMC/Volvo bellows is 10 years before small cracks start to form, that means the rubber is getting stiff and eventually those small cracks will become big cracks. However this assumes that you used OEM parts and stored the boat with the drive down, both of which correlate with longer life for the bellows.
So a 1996 boat should have had it changed 2x already....and could be soon due for another set of bellows. On these, you don't have to replace the shift cable bellows because the design is different from a Mercruiser, it is inside the boat. The main thing is the driveshaft bellows, the exhaust bellows even if torn won't cause a problem.
I've owned my '88 Cobra for 21 years and have replaced the bellows twice. Last time was in 2016, I do check it every season when I pull the drive in the fall.

 

[Gibbles]

I bought a boat where the seller told me he had some rivet leaks that he believes he dealt with.

What I found was a crack in the engine block right behind the manifolds.

Poor guy probably had some rivets that needed sealing, but I can't see that causing a big enough issue to really warrant the amount of gulvit he applied to the inside and outside of the boat.

Always a gamble for sure, the fact that the seller didn't take care of the issue would warrant a much lower price IMO.

In my case I think the seller did a forehead slap to himself and was more than happy to return some of my money.

I think he made of better than me in the end, however this is the boat I been hoping would popup in my state for the past 8 or 10 years.

 

[Donald0039]

The exhaust bellows being torn is no big deal. You can run with a damaged exhaust bellows. But there are lots of other things that could be damaged. The only way to really check out the outdrive is to pull the outdrive, check the u-joints and drain the gear oil looking for metal. If I was the seller I am not sure I would let a perspective buyer do what I suggest. But the outdrive could have damaged gears and the seller may have just changed the gear oil. You draining it will not show anything. Even a sea trial may not tell you if there are any hidden issues. You may not notice anything if a single tooth is missing from one of the gears.

Been there done that. My VP drive needed to be rebuilt after a damaged gear were discovered in routine winter maintenance.

 

[airshot]

I am a tough customer when I am buying and I expect buyers to be tough when I sell. I always have manuals and reciepts to show the work and products that I claim to have fixed or repaired. And I expect the seller to have the same !! I have had buyers claim they need to take things apart to be sure before they buy.....so I say..ok, give me a deposit, we will take it apart...if it is what I said it is, you buy it, if it is not what I said...then I will return your deposit. !! That normally shows how serious they are, or if they know what they are looking for. Gotta be a shrewd buyer today, I have walked away from far more than I have bought, and in most cases the buyer of my boats see right away I was honest with them. Worst case is a seller claiming all the repairs but no reciepts !!!
Buyer beware has never been more important than it is today !!

 

[harringtondav]

I don't mean to be snarky, but I'd only buy the boat if it is a dirt cheap steal, and if I had the know how to bring it up to snuff.
Else I'd save my pennies and wait for something better.
Heed the above advice. Avoid a money pit disappointment.

 

[Donald0039]

I am a tough customer when I am buying and I expect buyers to be tough when I sell. I always have manuals and reciepts to show the work and products that I claim to have fixed or repaired. And I expect the seller to have the same !! I have had buyers claim they need to take things apart to be sure before they buy.....so I say..ok, give me a deposit, we will take it apart...if it is what I said it is, you buy it, if it is not what I said...then I will return your deposit. !! That normally shows how serious they are, or if they know what they are looking for. Gotta be a shrewd buyer today, I have walked away from far more than I have bought, and in most cases the buyer of my boats see right away I was honest with them. Worst case is a seller claiming all the repairs but no reciepts !!!
Buyer beware has never been more important than it is today !!

There can also be situations where the seller is not all that knowledgeable and while there may be things that are broken, the seller is not aware. Some people who do surveys are knowledgeable about the boat system but not about the engine.

If I was buying a used boat with an outdrive the safest bet might be a Mercruiser Alpha One outdrive. Good outdrive, easy to get parts and easy to rebuild. And even a replacement is not that expensive from SEI.

My VP DPS-A OXI is about $14,000 new from VP.

 

[Donald0039]

I am a tough customer when I am buying and I expect buyers to be tough when I sell. I always have manuals and reciepts to show the work and products that I claim to have fixed or repaired. And I expect the seller to have the same !! I have had buyers claim they need to take things apart to be sure before they buy.....so I say..ok, give me a deposit, we will take it apart...if it is what I said it is, you buy it, if it is not what I said...then I will return your deposit. !! That normally shows how serious they are, or if they know what they are looking for. Gotta be a shrewd buyer today, I have walked away from far more than I have bought, and in most cases the buyer of my boats see right away I was honest with them. Worst case is a seller claiming all the repairs but no reciepts !!!
Buyer beware has never been more important than it is today !!

There can also be situations where the seller is not all that knowledgeable and while there may be things that are broken, the seller is not aware. Some people who do surveys are knowledgeable about the boat systems but not about the engine or outdrive.

If I was buying a used boat with an outdrive the safest bet might be a Mercruiser Alpha One outdrive. Good outdrive, easy to get parts and easy to rebuild and lots of mechanics are familiar. And even a replacement is not that expensive from SEI.

My VP DPS-A OXI is about $14,000 new from VP

 

[tpenfield]

Is '3 hours from home' the issue here? It would be worth your time to travel and see the boat if you have not already done so. We do not know if you can if you can 'run the boat a few times until you can fix it', since we cannot see the issue.

The boat is 27 year old, it may be worth your while to see it first hand (and take a look at the drive, bellows, etc.).

FWIW - The 3 powerboats I've bought were 6 hours away, 3 hours away, and 4 hours away. Each time I made trip and looked at the boat, I even had a marine survey & mechanical inspection done prior to purchase.

 

[Donald0039]

With a 27 year old boat you need to worry about soft wood around transom cutout, stringers and flooring.