1991 Rinker 186 Captiva

th08tu

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I have been looking to pick up a boat slightly larger than my current 16' bow rider. Searching around I found a 1991 Rinker Captiva for sale for just over $3000. Comes with trailer and the upper and lower unit of the motor just replaced. Would you guys be able to help me out understanding if this is a decent price and any warning signs on the boat? The seller is a few hours away from me, so he has sent me pictures and videos of it running. I asked him to hook it up on muffs and film that which he did, and he also did a walk around video for me. What are your thoughts?
 

roffey

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In my humble opinion its a crap shoot no matter what the seller tells you. I once looked at a Cobolt boat and the seller told me it was so clean you could ear off the motor. When I looked at the boat it was a complete mess, every bit of wood was rotted. The windshield was cracked, seats were done. The only good part of the boat was the motor and that's because he had just replaced it, what a waist of time. A seller can hide a lot of damage and 3k for a boat is not that much. Keep in mind its close to a 30 year old boat. If it were me I would go for the drive and hope to be pleasantly surprised, lol.
 

th08tu

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Fair enough that does make sense. I guess if I am driving out there anyways to pick it up then I'm not obligated to pull away with it if I see something major.

The boat has almost no wood on it so I'm not too worried about rot, and the interior is in excellent shape. I'm hoping it is just priced wrong.
 

tpenfield

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Roll of the dice . . . hoping that your lucky number comes up. :noidea: Might not.
 

tpenfield

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It sounds like an "Out-of-business Marine Corporation" engine. The boat looks OK from the outside, too bad you can't see the 'inside'. Worth a look to see if the structure is solid or rotted.
 

th08tu

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lol ok so nothing major that you hear in the engine? he said there was a slight humming he was hearing but I can't pick it up.

He is assuring me that there is no rot as well, but I will for sure be poking around inside before I hand over any money.

I was fairly impressed with the exterior of it, and he is telling me the upper and lower unit are both new and he will give me the old ones for parts if needed...so I think I am fairly safe and just taking the risk of an old boat. It's about a 7 hour drive to pick it up, so I just wanted to have some experts give their thoughts on it too
 

kpg7121

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It looks to be in decent shape but it's powered by OMC which has been out of business for 20 years. If you pull the trigger keep in mind that some parts are NLA other then used on feebay. If you take the drive have him run it on muffs & see how it shifts. Any binding, grinding or any funny stuff when you shift it, haul asz.
 

roffey

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you mentioned in the first post the out drive had been replaced or " upper and lower unit of the motor just replaced". It does not look new to me, maybe just the angle. I thought OMC was out of business, the problem is new parts are non existent?
 
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th08tu

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I'm assuming he has replaced it with a used one, I didn't realize that parts weren't available until after talking with him and researching a bit.
I'm thinking I am going to take the drive out at least. I was able to get him to cover the cost of the gas out there and back, so really it is just my time that I will loose if I get there and it is a mess. Here's what I am thinking I am going to need to test/check when I get there:
1. Ignition (Does it start easy)
2. Smooth Idle
3. Smooth Shifting (I was reading on a forum that it should shift very easy, any more force than one finger is a concern)
4. Engine Bay Area, any leaks, rust, drips, etc.
5. Any Wood surfaces for any signs of water damage or rot

Anything else you guys would check?
 

TwoBallScrewBall

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As far as rot, I bought a 1988 Rinker 206 recently and have done a lot of research on these boats. The 17-18ft models all went to foam structure (not wood) in the late 80's, so you should be good as far as that goes. That's a big plus. Of course, confirm for yourself, but that is what I have found in my research.
 

TwoBallScrewBall

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My 20 footer, I am going to need to core sample them to check. I am going to do that when this season is over :D
 

TwoBallScrewBall

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And the OMC, if you're OK with doing your own maintenance, they're not the end of the world. But if some unicorn part goes bad, it can be a show stopper, or at the least a very expensive fix.
 

th08tu

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I actually found a mechanic at a local marina who advertises as working on OMC. I went down to speak with him last night to see how familiar he was with these motors and he seemed fairly confident. Again, all words, but he has more experience with them than I do lol.

The all foam thing sounds good. I'm struggling to find much information on the boat in general, a few you tube videos of it, but I was hoping for a manual of the boat somewhere. I found the motor manual now (all 600+ pages) and I think I can handle the maintenance and small repairs, but anything major would be out of my league.
 

roffey

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As you said you wont know until you take a look. Worst case is, it will be a nice drive and looking at boats is always nice.
 

kpg7121

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As far as rot, I bought a 1988 Rinker 206 recently and have done a lot of research on these boats. The 17-18ft models all went to foam structure (not wood) in the late 80's, so you should be good as far as that goes. That's a big plus. Of course, confirm for yourself, but that is what I have found in my research.

I'm not too sure about your claim that there's no wood in the Rinkers of that vintage. What are the stringers & transom constructed of?
 

tpenfield

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As far as rot, I bought a 1988 Rinker 206 recently and have done a lot of research on these boats. The 17-18ft models all went to foam structure (not wood) in the late 80's, so you should be good as far as that goes. That's a big plus. Of course, confirm for yourself, but that is what I have found in my research.

Here is a link to some pictures of a 1993 Rinker 186, showing a wood structure and shabby glass work. So, you might want to check your research a bit more.

http://imgur.com/gallery/WT4V8Vi

The full thread is here . . .

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...-floor-hull-restoration-93-rinker-182-captiva
 

roffey

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Wow, the fiberglass work is unbelievable and I thought Rinker was a top of the line boat. It sure looks like quality control took the day off the day that boat left the factory. The fiberglass looks like it was never glassed to the wood?

Just as a FYI, I was told by Stingray my boat was wood free construction. I have read on the Stingray sight it is fiberglass encapsulated wood. So who do I believe, Stingray or Stingray, lol.
 

TwoBallScrewBall

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Hey, I just know what I've read. Here is a quote from another thread here regarding the same:

Re: 1987 rinker floor and stringer question

This was a reply to my email to Randy Rinker about my '87 V190 CC:
"The 170 and 180 models had fiberglass stringers instead of wood stringers. The 190 may have had fiberglass stringers but I do not remember for sure"

Best way to tell, drill a small hole and see what comes out. Most owners are reluctant to let you do that though.... :)


Here is a link to some pictures of a 1993 Rinker 186, showing a wood structure and shabby glass work. So, you might want to check your research a bit more.

http://imgur.com/gallery/WT4V8Vi

The full thread is here . . .

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...er-182-captiva
 

th08tu

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Jul 22, 2019
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Just for an update, drove out there on Saturday and spent about an hour going over the boat with him. We couldn't take it out on the water but I went up and down it and was very happy. Here is what I checked:

1. Starting - It started almost immediately, took about 5 seconds on the first try and then after that almost right away every time.

2. Idle - Idle was pretty good, a little bit rough and high on idle (900-1000 rpm) and the manual says it should be closer to 500-600, but it sounded good

3. Shifting - I couldn't believe how easy it shifted into gear. There is a very slight noise when it shifts, but I doubt you would even hear it on the water. It is no louder than any other boat I have been on.

4. Hull - There are a few scratches here and there, and one good one on the front that look like it ran into something. No cracking or anything, just about 1/16" deep and wide and about 6" long. I will be able to repair it no problem.

5. Interior - All looks good

6. Electronics - Everything I could test looked to be working, but I'm not sure how much I trust the gauges. The water temperature gauge works fine. The trim is questionable because it doesn't really follow as I move the motor up and down. The fuel it's impossible to tell until I run it for a bit, It should 3/4 of a tank, but when I am ready to take it out on the water I will fill it before I go. The Oil pressure gauge bounces between 15-20psi.

The only real concern I have is the oil pressure gauge. I checked the oil and it is at the right level, the motor is incredibly clean so I don't see any oil leaks.

My next steps is I am going to do a tune up on the engine just to be safe and then do a water test to wee if there are any other surprises.

Thank you all again for the help and suggestions. I will post motor specific questions in the proper section when I have some!
 
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