1998 bay quest with 150 johnson ocean runner

[High_flyerrr]

Im considering buying this boat. it’s a 98 bay quest. Has only 97 hours on boat and motor. what can yall tell me about these boats? i did a little research and it’s a composite build no wood.

 

[Chris1956]

I cannot comment on the boat, but I have that exact motor. It is one of the best 2 cycle motors ever made, IMO. The OMS oil injection runs at about 60::1 and allows the motor a precise mix of fuel and oil and allows good trolling and idling. It has 6 carbs or 2 three throat carbs, depending on your definition of a carb. It also has a 35A charging system, and a dependable PTT system.

I run one on my 21' Seaswirl DC, and it handles the boat with good power and acceleration. Top speed is marginal, however, IMO.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

I can't see any obvious damage, looks like it was taken care of fairly well. It looks like the backrest on the driver's seat will need new wood, and probably the seat too. The black is pretty dull, lots of hard water? The weird spottyness on the plastic windshield is normal.

I'm mostly a body and paint guy, so can't speak to motor or specific boating experience with it.

 

[airshot]

As with any boat, look at condition of flotation material, is it water logged??
Is the hull interior holding any water.

 

[redneck joe]

The black is pretty dull, lots of hard water? The weird spottyness on the plastic windshield is normal.

I'm mostly a body and paint guy, so can't speak to motor or specific boating experience with it.

A 30 year old boat is sun fade if spent any time stored outside

 

[redneck joe]

https://neworleans.craigslist.org/boa/d/metairie-1998-bay-quest-19-foot-center/7904136567.html

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

A 30 year old boat is sun fade if spent any time stored outside

Most likely, but the rest looks pretty clean so I was thinking garage kept. Plus it looks splotchy and not uniform, so I wqs thinking water marks.

 

[redneck joe]

Most likely, but the rest looks pretty clean so I was thinking garage kept. Plus it looks splotchy and not uniform, so I wqs thinking water marks.

The helm seat to me says outdoors or maybe bad tarp job over the years. Either way, pretty decent boat from the pics.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

The helm seat to me says outdoors or maybe bad tarp job over the years. Either way, pretty decent boat from the pics.

Maybe. The vinyl doesn't look bad, it's just the wood backing that's rotten. Any water that soaks into that foam will just sit there pressed up against the wood for ever. It could be that just a bit of water got to it.

The boat looks too clean for outside storage. No water streaks, mold or algae growing in the textured areas, I don't see a bunch of debris built up in the windshield.

However, I did just notice the bondo spreader in the last picture, along with several filled areas. I wonder what that is all about.

 

[redneck joe]

Maybe. The vinyl doesn't look bad, it's just the wood backing that's rotten. Any water that soaks into that foam will just sit there pressed up against the wood for ever. It could be that just a bit of water got to it.

The boat looks too clean for outside storage. No water streaks, mold or algae growing in the textured areas, I don't see a bunch of debris built up in the windshield.

However, I did just notice the bondo spreader in the last picture, along with several filled areas. I wonder what that is all about.

We dont have your eye. Can you detail where?

 

[High_flyerrr]

I can't see any obvious damage, looks like it was taken care of fairly well. It looks like the backrest on the driver's seat will need new wood, and probably the seat too. The black is pretty dull, lots of hard water? The weird spottyness on the plastic windshield is normal.

I'm mostly a body and paint guy, so can't speak to motor or specific boating experience with it.

boat was primarily used in salt water.

https://neworleans.craigslist.org/boa/d/metairie-1998-bay-quest-19-foot-center/7904136567.html

yup. that’s the one

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

We dont have your eye. Can you detail where?

I'm sure of the forward spots, but not 100% about the long lid on the side. It could be shadow, but it looks smoother than the rest to me.

 

[High_flyerrr]

I'm sure of the forward spots, but not 100% about the long lid on the side. It could be shadow, but it looks smoother than the rest to me.
View attachment 414041

i’m having an inspection done when i go see it so i’ll find out

 

[Texasmark]

I grew up on OMC and my last one was a new 1972 125 HP V4. Had if for 7 year and sold it to a friend. Did nothing to it the whole time....didn't know back then you were supposed to do this and that but apparently it didn't matter that I didn't. Never had a quiver of a fault the whole time.

It was 2 stroke of course and a Cross Flow....good running engines and very reliable, easy starting and all that. Problem was fuel consumption. Along comes their 3 cylinder Loop Charged engine and things changed...as I recall the 70 HP Rude Triump. I had a later year model I bought used quite a few years later and it was up to the efficiency expectancy and liked to run on the 15' King Fisher (lightweight almost flat bottom glass fishing boat I bought with it).

With all that said (bla bla) some years later I was in a Johnson dealer and as I recall they had Loopers and Cross Flows in the V 6 series. I think the Loopers had a much larger engine, cowl and all, and that apparently was necessary for them to get the Loop function....assumption as 150's for example were on stands side by side and some had larger cowlings than others....Don't remember what verbiage was printed on the cowlings.

With that said (more bla bla) you may or may not be interested in which the one you are considering, is one or the other. I certainly would be interested in the Loopers if you do a lot of running and don't have deep pockets. Just a comment that may or may not mean anything to you.

 

[High_flyerrr]

I'm sure of the forward spots, but not 100% about the long lid on the side. It could be shadow, but it looks smoother than the rest to me.
View attachment 414041

i’m having an inspection done when i go see it so

 

[High_flyerrr]

safe to say i passed on the boat.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Could you actually see the transom from the inside? That could all be cosmetic. Obviously the cracks are concerning, but it's all in pretty common areas, could be mostly air void cracks. The drain plug is just somone who doesn't know how to use silicone, easily cleaned off and fixed.

It would be a gamble on wether the cracks are cosmetic or deeper damage, but I'm not too concerned.

 

[High_flyerrr]

Could you actually see the transom from the inside? That could all be cosmetic. Obviously the cracks are concerning, but it's all in pretty common areas, could be mostly air void cracks. The drain plug is just somone who doesn't know how to use silicone, easily cleaned off and fixed.

It would be a gamble on whether the cracks are cosmetic or deeper damage, but I'm not too concerned.

It wasn’t a chance I was willing to take. I can tell the guys didn’t take care of the boat. he ran it with External fuel because he said the internal fuel tank didn’t have no gas which i found odd. I popped the latch for the internal fuel tank and found out it was aluminum. So there was a possible leak and no way for me to know. In the inside, the boat on the deck had cracks and holes in it.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

It wasn’t a chance I was willing to take. I can tell the guys didn’t take care of the boat.

Damn, the pictures looked so good. Of course I guess that was the point.