77 larson open bow merc 165 should i buy

[mhop79]

owner of a great old 73 model sea sprite 16' deck boat with 84 merc 115 tower, and 71 4hp kicker, but would like to get something a little bigger, and of course more fuel efficient. this larson is selling cheap, and it appears to be in great shape. motor purrs like a kitten, outdrive was gone through a couple years back, receipts to verify of course. I've never owned an i/o, any comments on this 1977 mercruiser 165? are they reliable? fuel consumption? thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: 77 larson open bow merc 165 should i buy

Welcome to iboats!! How are the transom and stringers on your proposed boat? With that age they often are rotten. Again, welcome aboard!

 

[southkogs]

Re: 77 larson open bow merc 165 should i buy

^^^ yup, check all of that ^^^

... and, make sure you actually run it on the water. Even better if you can get a mechanic out there with you to look her over. I'd have to see the boat in question to guess at the value, but unless it's a museum piece (really clean and well kept "cheap" would need to be under $2k at least.

BTW - if that 165 is the same Chevy 250 I6 that my OMC is, it's a great engine. I doubt that the boat will be any speed queen, but it should be easy to keep the engine part running well.

 

[mhop79]

Re: 77 larson open bow merc 165 should i buy

boat is very, very clean, always garaged and 226 hours on the meter. floor is very solid, even has original carpet, gotta love the 70s lol. paint seems shiny all around, no major dings or obvious repair spots. asking price is 1000. seems to good to be true, thats why i thought id ask about that mercruiser model.

 

[southkogs]

Re: 77 larson open bow merc 165 should i buy

Get it on the water and in front of a marine mechanic if you can, but on the surface it sounds like a pretty decent buy. For $1,000 if you don't have to put a lot in it, and it runs for a couple of seasons for you, you'll have done pretty well.

Keeping a Mercruiser running shouldn't be too tough. My OMC (outta' business) is five years older than that and I can keep it going pretty easily.