Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

[salty87]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

I'm pretty confident the stringers have no rot, just the floor. Replacing the section with plywood and carpetting it over would be a very easy job, it's the least of my concerns.

this is probably one of the most common mistakes made by first time boat buyers. by the time rot makes its way up and through the floor, it's generally a much bigger problem than just 1 spot.

My father does know his way around boats, so I'm confident he would have warned me about structural damage while investigating said section of floor.

have your pops check the transom for rot in addition to the spot on the floor.

it sounds like a fun adventure that i'm sure everyone would be thrilled to see work out for you. but, more often than not unaware buyers end up losing good money on a bad boat. look at the guy before you who bought it and never moved it.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

A 30MPH cruise? Don't worry, that's a bit fast for me!
I'll be the guy putting along to save gas.
larger Mercruisers guzzle gas like crazy when you give it to em'

Unfortuantely, it appears you've already made up your mind, and you came here looking for4 people to agree with you. I'm not dissing you or trying to be mean, but you have no idea what you're getting into. A visual inspection and firing up the engines will tell you that the boat looks okay and the engines start. There are millions of boats in THAT condition that are unusable.

A 28', 27 year old boat, 2 of everything mechanical, a young guy just starting out... it's got a bad feel to it. I think you're in for a world of hurt if you buy it. My boat is in good shape- in a good year it costs me the equivalent of a new car payment just to own it.

$3000 will get you a smaller boat you can use with a minimum of additional outlay and ongoing expense. Your boating season is practically over. Start shopping. You'll get great deals on a more suitable boat, and have the winter to bring it up to par.

My .02

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Trying to guess the annual cost of keeping this thing floating and running would be really high. I usually planned on at least $1k per year for just repairs, plus fuel, and docking/storage. No one will touch that boat for under $70-80 per hour for your maintenance. And repairs on 2 out drives/engines will be really high every year too. I could see you spending several thousands to get her running and on the water, then monthly cost's and pulling her at the end of the season, maybe you will just float her all year, not sure. Not having been ran for several years just means you will find many items that will need replaced or repaired, and marine is so very expensive. Go price just one out drive for your boat.


While the idea is good, unless you just have tons of cash and a really strong desire to share that cash with mechanics, I would shoot for a smaller trailer type boat. Selling a boat like this after you have bought it will be very hard unless it's in running order, just look at the current owner.

 

[MikeMulkern96]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Thank you all for your help guys.
I think I'll wait till' next spring, then see if it's still for sale.

 

[steven_p]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Those old cruisers are complete money pits; I've owned two myself. You need to have a good supply of cash to keep them running. Find something small and trailerable and you're be a lot happier in the long run.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Thank you all for your help guys.
I think I'll wait till' next spring, then see if it's still for sale.

I'm curious- why the fixation on such a big boat? My wife and upsized as we gained experience and developed a better idea of what we wanted to do and what we could afford. I like my boat, but I often miss my first. It was 21' outboard on a trailer. Cost me almost nothing to own it, and we could take it out with a minimum of fuss and preparation.

And the best time to buy is at the end of the season, not thr beginning.

 

[MikeMulkern96]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

I'm curious- why the fixation on such a big boat? My wife and upsized as we gained experience and developed a better idea of what we wanted to do and what we could afford. I like my boat, but I often miss my first. It was 21' outboard on a trailer. Cost me almost nothing to own it, and we could take it out with a minimum of fuss and preparation.

And the best time to buy is at the end of the season, not thr beginning.

I've been on and around boats all my life, and the most enjoyable are definitely cabin cruisers.
To be able to put it on a mooring and either sleep in the cabin or lounge on the deck, is great.
I like having the room to move around and hold plenty of friends too.
I don't live near a lake, I live next to a large ocean port. Small trailer boats just don't fit in around here.

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Mike-- for all you know there may be a 'boat whisperer' inside you screaming to get out! Could be you might have a knack for boats like Tiger Woods has a knack for golf- But you'll never know if you let a bunch of old farts make your decision for you!

Buy the beast, tear into her and see what happens. If she breaks your heart, so be it. Get over it, learn from it, and move on. Won't be the last time, you can bet on that!

Take everyone's advice into consideration, most of it's good-- just don't let the internet decide for you... And good luck, always!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

ant F/R above will happily put up the cash for ya...... If you end up with a great boat you can pay him plus $50 and if it turns out to be a money pit junker he can suffer the loss for ya.


BAWHAHAHA!

 

[MikeMulkern96]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Mike-- for all you know there may be a 'boat whisperer' inside you screaming to get out! Could be you might have a knack for boats like Tiger Woods has a knack for golf- But you'll never know if you let a bunch of old farts make your decision for you!

Buy the beast, tear into her and see what happens. If she breaks your heart, so be it. Get over it, learn from it, and move on. Won't be the last time, you can bet on that!

Take everyone's advice into consideration, most of it's good-- just don't let the internet decide for you... And good luck, always!

Thanks for the support.
I've got a place to store it for the winter and the money to move it.
I'm going to throw an offer of $1,000 at the guy. With my father backing me 200% I can't really lose with this much into it.

Sadly I don't have the support of the home owner where the boat is being stored. She "wants me to pay what he's asking"....Seeing as she's the original owner of the boat and the mother of a friend, sadly I can't tell her whats wrong with the boat without straining relationships. Grrrr.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Here is how I go into a purchase of a salvage boat (Yes that's what this is) I go through it and decide how much value the known good parts have and would sell for and will offer NO MORE than half that amount.... I have my own truck, jacks, and trailer to move them.

There is substantial cost and time involved with stripping, selling, and disposing..... If you go into it from that approach you can feel safe that you won't lose.... Good mercruiser 260's value about 900-1500 each BUT until you have run the engines WITH WATER on the hose and verified no leaks external or internal AND done a compression test they MUST be considered junk.... If they drives are trimmed DOWN and unmolested you can assume 75% chance that they are good... value at 3-5 hundred each.... ac/dc fridge has some value IF you can verify that it works... etc

These are just rough numbers but give you a ball park.... Keep in mind these same numbers can be working against you....

If you need engines and drives you could VERY quickly be into a $4000 parts cost and that's if you are a good shopper and do all of the work yourself AND don't get taken by someone selling you junk.

Before you pull the trigger get on craigs list and shop around... I have seen boats that were in better shape than this one sounds to be for free more than a few times

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

OR better yet add up your repair costs and buy one ready to go or VERY CLOSE to ready to go
1990 250 Sea Ray Sundancer w/ full Bimini top

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Project Sailboat !!!

 

[salty87]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Sadly I don't have the support of the home owner where the boat is being stored. She "wants me to pay what he's asking"....Seeing as she's the original owner of the boat and the mother of a friend, sadly I can't tell her whats wrong with the boat without straining relationships. Grrrr.

unless she's putting up some cash i would say as little as possible to her. trying to get it cheaper is reasonable as it probably needs lots of work. she should be pushing on the current owner to accept whatever's offered or move it.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

I bought a 1988 27'er for cheap. It ended up never making the water. I was a little older than you but very much new to the ins and outs. I have since learned and now have made much better choices in boat purchases.

Mine had a soft floor... Turned out to be bad bulkheads, stringers and transom!

 

[bcbit01]

Re: Should I buy this boat? First large boat!

Run away Mike. You've gotten a ton of solid advice here. When you have a career and your own place and are financially solid and then some, THAT is when to buy a bigger boat. If you want an older larger boat that won't be a money pit, you're going to have to scour the ads and listings and drive all over to find that "diamond in the rough" where the older lady is selling her deceased husband's boat that she knows nothing about except that he loved it and took care of it better than he did than her. Basically a barn find with an uninformed seller. Those are few and far between buddy. THIS boat is NOT one of those.