Used boat??

[jofish]

Hello All

I am looking at a 1999 Trophy 1802. I went to take the boat for a test ride and noticed water coming from the drain as the mechanic went to back it down the ramp (prior to putting the plug in which he almost forgot) . When I questioned him about this he said it must have been setting "bow down" and the water could not drain. This boat has a fiberglass interior so my concern now is how did the water get there in the first place and how long was it there. Other than some issues with the engine which are supposed to have been fixed now the boat was in fairly good shape for it's age. I have had a couple of people tell me about testing a fiberglass hull using a rubber mallet but they couldn't explain exactly what you were looking for , I would guess a change in the sound or obvious soft spots????????

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Used boat??

If the boat was sitting bow down during any amount of rain it is very possible that the water collected. The important question is did he pull the plug after you pulled the boat out? That is the water I would be worried about.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: Used boat??

First off, unless a boat is in a garage all the time, it will always have a little water in the bilge. When it rains, the water that lands in the cockpit drains into the bilge.

It will be hard on a boat of that style to check for rot, since everything is encapsulated in glass. Do your best to look inside compartments, esp in the cuddy, to look for dark stained (from persistent water) wood.

The bigger concern with that particular boat would be the outboard, I assume it is a Force/mercury 90 or 120? The Force motors are not particularly well regarded, and if nothing else, they are smokey and fuel inefficient. If it is just a Mercury, then no worries.

 

[jofish]

Re: Used boat??

Motor is a Mercury 125, had 125/128 psi compression on all cylinders just had a miss at high rpms which was supposed to be fixed now(rebuilt carbs) and yes we pulled the plug when we hauled it out and no more water. Have always owned older boats ,never had one with the whole interior made of fiberglass so I was concerned with the trapped water and rotted stingers and or transom, found no stress cracks in the stern area haven't really crawled undeneath it good yet....Thanks for the replies.....J

 

[capt sam]

Re: Used boat??

There shouldn't be any wood in that hull at all, they probably didn't drain the fuel tank which would account for the miss at higher rpms, just old fuel or water in the fuel. The rubber mallet is used to sound the hull, the tone and feel changes when you hit bad wood but like I said there shouldn't be any in that year boat.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Used boat??

Also keep in mind that if the floor feels solid that is a good sign as well. She stayed dry during your sea trial so that is also a very good thing.

 

[jofish]

Re: Used boat??

Thanks for the info, I've had my old Starcraft for 19 years now and have decided it's time for a newer, bigger boat. Don't want to by a major headache. Wil post pics when the newer boat arrives ....J