Sylvan 22 Offshore

[skyking897]

I've been looking for an older Starcraft Islander boat and came across this '88 Sylvan 22 Offshore which looks almost like a twin to the Islander. Anybody have any info good/bad what to watch for on one of these. I actually like the looks of the sylvan better than the Islander. It seems to be not as plain. It will primarily be used for fishing in the Great Lakes but occasionally it has to take the Mrs. out for a Sunday afternoon cruise.

 

[1987sylvanoffshore]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Great boat just check for all the normal things. If you have any questions let me know.

 

[skyking897]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Ok, thanks for the heads up. I do have one quick question. The specs listed on this site list the weight as 1430lbs. How accurate do you think that is?

 

[1987sylvanoffshore]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Pretty close, this is the bare bones weight (no fuel, gear, trailer, etc) but can be towed with a 6 cylinder Jeep.

 

[skyking897]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Thanks for confirming that. So if a 6 cylinder jeep can tow one my Sport Trac should have no problem either.

 

[1987sylvanoffshore]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

I wouldn't think you should have a problem at all. When are you thinking about buying it? Do you fish Lake Erie?

 

[skyking897]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

The plan is to go this Saturday morning to actually see it. I've only seen the pics the seller has posted, but it looks real good and I think he had all the right answers to my questions when I talked to him. He took extra pics of areas I wanted to see. If I like what I see when I get there, we're off for a water test. Only draw back is it's almost 200 miles away. Going to be a long day.
I have fished Lake Erie in the past. Great walleye. Mostly fish Lake Huron but with a new (to me) and larger boat I may get there more often.

 

[1987sylvanoffshore]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Good luck! Where is the boat at?

 

[skyking897]

Re: Sylvan 22 Offshore

Got around to seeing this boat. Better than what I expected for a boat its age. Has a new floor and transom (saw pics of the rebuild). Wish he hadn't put carpet back down though. Anyway we did some negotiating and are $500 apart at the moment. I said let me think about it and proceeded to start looking the boat over again while I thought about it. This time I got on my belly and crawled right under the trailer in and around all the bunks and the axle and then I saw it. Don't know how I missed it before although I noted the boat and trailer seemed to be sitting very low. The leaf springs were sagged so much the keel guard (think that's the right name) is only about 3/4" above the axle and has been badly hammered by the boat and trailer bouncing up and down causing it to hit the axle while driving down the road. I know new springs will stop further damage but is this something that would be a deal breaker? Or is it not really an issue?