Thoughts on a 2005 Doral Thundercraft 240 Magnum?

[slevytam]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and new to boat ownership in general. A friend wants to sell me his 2005 Doral Thundercraft 240 Magnum (23' 6") with Mercruiser 350 Magnum MPI, Bravo 1 (160hours) engine. The boat has been in storage for about five years.

Googling about, I am able to find some info on the engine but nothing on the boat itself. I would likely get a survey done but before going to that expense can anyone offer me any information on that particular model. I'd be curious to know about performance, reliability, parts, etc. Really anything info you can offer. A rough idea on the value would also be helpful.

I'm quite handy mechanically and would be using the boat on the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

Thanks in advance!

S

 

[tpenfield]

Welcome to iBoats. . .

Doral went out of business a while back . . . never really emerged from the economic recession in 2009.

Boats are not all that 'reliable', so no real comment there. Most of the component parts on a boat are sourced from other manufacturers, so as things break, you can usually find the replacement part. If it is a Doral specific item, then you are SOL.

The engine (Mercruiser) is well-supported with lots of information and parts availability. The engine itself is the GM 350 V8 that Merc buys at a long block level and then assembles their marine components to it.

We will hold you to your claim of mechanical aptitude

 

[briangcc]

Sounds like you're in WNY based off Lake Ontario and Niagara River comment. The good news is there's a ton of local marinas, most of them are good, that will happily take a look at the boat. Given where we are in the season here, expect them to have lead time to actually take the boat and look at it.

Like anything, its going to boil down to how well the boat was maintained and what was done to it prior to it sitting. Gas should probably be drained as its definitely old. I'd also ask if it was winterized as we freeze hard and water left in a block will crack which will mean your first order of business would be to replace said engine.

 

[southkogs]

Condition is key in used boats. Storage for five years can mean a couple of things: under "a tarp on a trailer in a lockup yard" (not so good for five years), all the way to "in a controlled barn or garage with a custom cover" (much better). None of the sellers notes about the boats condition before it was put away count at this point. You or the surveyor need to see the boat operational.

Have you looked at the New Boat Buyer's Checklist sticky?

 

[mr 88]

Performance , reliability and parts are all in the driveline , not the hull. It's a basic GM block with a Mercruiser out drive. Parts are readily available . NADA has it at 45, 000 new and 13-17,000 with the trailer is the going rate now .

 

[slevytam]

Thanks all for the replies!

I did see the sticky but will likely get a surveyor to check it out. Maybe after a few years of owning a boat, I'll feel more comfortable doing my own assessment.

I'm actually in the Niagara area on the Canadian side. Used to go back and forth between ON and NY at least once a week but that's not allowed anymore :-

What's made this a bit trickier is that the boat is up north so it's at least a three hour drive just go look at it. Additionally, if it needs to go into the water for testing, then I assume it requires a bunch of prep work to launch (I'm told it was winterized), then more work to have it winterized again if I don't purchase it.

It sounds like the engine is pretty good but I'm struggling with whether the boat itself is a good fit for me. Besides concerns about the defunct manufacturer, 23.6' seems a bit small for crossing to Toronto on a day trip and I'm unclear if drinks are allowed on board this model in Ontario. Apparently, there are some strange rules here. Most outings would involve a scenic ride along the river, dropping anchor, and relaxing on the water for the day. Tubing/wakeboarding on occasion. If I was shopping around, I'd probably be looking at a cuddy cabin or cruiser instead.

S

 

[mr 88]

I think , not 100% sure , that you need a functioning head in order to have alcohol on board . No big deal "de-winterizing " it. Maybe a couple hoses get put back on along with hooking up a battery and that's it. Boat should be ready for showing at this time of the year to begin with , not your problem. 99% of boat mfgs go out of business , so don't worry about that as long as you have a good driveline , which that has. You can be in a 33' boat or 23' if Ontario wants to rear its ugly head your not going out in either.

 

[Scott Danforth]

any boat that sits for 5 years should be a red flag. why? normally the reason a boat sits is something went wrong with it, and it was put away waiting for the owner to get a round to it. sometimes the owner dies and the boat sits in storage

the low hours is also concerning. not using a boat is worse than putting 10 hours a day on it. average boat ownership is 30 hours in year one and about 25 hours in year two and three. with only 160 hours on the clock, and sitting for 5 years and 75 hours in the first 3 years. that means the boat averaged about 7 hours a year for the other 10 years

any sitting boat is going to need ALL the maintenance done. that is all of it.

rubber parts work off calendar time, not usage time. the clock starts ticking when they get ejected from the mold

the outdrive will need to be pulled, gimble and u-joints inspected and bellows replaced
engine will need alignment checked
outdrive will need gear oil changed
prop shafts will need to be greased
the raw water pump will need to be serviced with a new impeller
the fuel system will need to be cleaned. any fuel that was in there "about 5 years" will be varnish now. this means everything from the fuel tank to the injectors will need to be cleaned
all the fluids and filters will need to be changed
if the boat is sitting on a trailer, the trailer will need service. this is wheel bearings and brakes

remember, boats are designed to be used for about 15 years and then be replaced.

this boat may be a gem under dust, or it may be a train wreck under dust get it surveyed

 

[JASinIL2006]

Personally, I would not be too worried about either the 3 hour drive or the defunct boat builder. Being willing to travel a bit greatly expands the choice available, so it might be well worth a day of driving round trip.

Also, the engine and drive are very common and well-known, so repairs/maintenance to those should not be a problem. Most other components are going to be off-the shelf items the boat builder bought to use in your boat, so the fact that Doral isn't around any longer wouldn't worry me. (Even if they were around, it's unlikely they stocked up on spare parts for 16 year old boats.)

As everyone is saying, it's all about condition.

 

[slevytam]

Thanks again for the replies...

@mr88 The boat does have a functioning head and faucet/sink. It's wrapped so I presume it would cost a few hundred to get this redone if I didn't like it.

@Scott Danforth Thanks for that list. If I do purchase it, I will make sure that all gets done. The boat hasn't been taken out of storage due to financial reasons. Quite confident it was fine at time of storage.

@JASinIL2006 I've been trying to reach a surveyor in the area. I'm hoping I can arrange a half inspection. ie inspect it on the blocks and let me know if you think its worth performing all the maintenance. There will be some risk on my part as the owner is unable to do this themselves.

Will let you know how it goes!