1993 maxum sr1800

[ggundersen3]

Im considering buying a '93 MAXUM SR1800 bowrider with a Mercruiser 4.3 alpha one drive. It's my 4th boat since 1999. I've had Crestliner(AMF), Sea Ray 17' w.3.0L Mercruiser, 19.5' Bayliner with 5.0L OMC drive. None were bad boats and I gave them alot of use. The MAXUM needs cosmetics which I can handle but the hull/drive/floor all seem solid and its a great price. I know MAXUM's were an upgraded Bayliner. How bad can it be? Am I missing something here I don't know about Maxums?

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

Am I missing something here I don't know about Maxums?

Not really. They are what they are. Any boat is all about condition, condition, condition.

The engine/drive is no mystery.

 

[ggundersen3]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

Yea thanks. I pretty much know what to look for having been through it learning the hard way by having bellows go bad, gimbel bearing, u joints, shift cables, steering cables you name it. The last boat I bought out of a local inland lake where it was used for 5 summers where it sat in the water with no shore station/lift and me being a trailer boater found blisters (delamination) all over the bottom. This Maxum has a clean bottom with no gouges/blisters/anything so it must have been a trailer boater. I think I'll make an offer subject to a "run up" by a technician.

 

[ggundersen3]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

I've never really been taken advantage of by a seller of a boat. I've never gotten the boat home a found out i bought some real problem boat. Maybe im careful what i buy or just been lucky. I'm reading about water logged foam in boats alot now. Is there anyway to determine that when looking at a used bow rider?

 

[ggundersen3]

Waterlogged concern

Waterlogged concern

I'm looking at buying a used bowrider . This would be my 4th boat I've owned. I've never had a waterlogged boat yet but am reading all about the nightmare condition lately where the foam insulation under the floor is water logged and its a huge/hellish project to remove it plus it rots out the stringers and floor. Is there some way to tell if its a waterlogged boat with out actually operating it on the water? I'll be buying it in off season here in wisconsin and lakes are frozen until March/April here. I appreciate the advice.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Waterlogged concern

Re: Waterlogged concern

put it on a scale with an empty fuel tank.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Waterlogged concern

Re: Waterlogged concern

The foam is not insulation . . . it is flotation and structural reinforcement. Without some destructive tests (drilling test holes , etc) your best bet would be a moisture meter, but those can be pricey.

Second best would be to look for signs of moisture/rot low in the structure . . . darkened areas, swollen stringers & bulkheads, etc. Soft/rotted floor areas are also tell-tale.

Also, after a cold morning, the outside of the boat may tend to sweat as the temperature rises, if the foam is saturated.

Those are some things to look for, others may have some additional ideas.

 

[ggundersen3]

Re: Waterlogged concern

Re: Waterlogged concern

Question?? Where is there a scale to weigh a boat?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Waterlogged concern

Re: Waterlogged concern

Question?? Where is there a scale to weigh a boat?

Ayuh,.... Most any waste transfer site, landfills, truck-stops, or quarries, have platform scales,...

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

where are you located, I can probably point you out to a few scales in East Central WI

 

[ggundersen3]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

Southwest Milwaukee. Actually West Allis

 

[Slip Away]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

The price for the boat must be a REAL bargain. Even though Maxum no longer makes boats, most parts needed are from
aftermarket sources if needed. Engine and Drive are common.

 

[ggundersen3]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

Thanks everyone!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: 1993 maxum sr1800

Southwest Milwaukee. Actually West Allis

There are scales at the truck stop just off of I-90/94 and Highway 100. I believe there are also scales at the truck stop just past the Waukesha exit as well.