Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

[Shife]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Without novice boater mistakes like this the marine repair industry would not exist.


If you don't know what to look for when buying a used boat hire a marine surveyor, not a "mechanic", to inspect the boat. The price will be commensurate with the size of the boat. If you can't afford the survey, you can't afford the boat.

If you don't know and understand the Inland Waterway Rules/COLREGs, take a class and learn them.

If you can't be bothered to learn, stay off the water.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

For you to have any recourse you need to prove the seller willfully made a misrepresentation of the condition. He said it ran great last time it was out (maybe it did) and that he winterized it. The problem is he isn't a professional and his ideas of winterization could be and likely are miles away from what actual winterization is. Bottom line, you haven't got a case. Such it up, learn from it, enjoy whatever you can get out of it and move on.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Do a search on here for a thread called "sold my boat and it busted". In this case a member sold a good running boat to someone....even took them for a test run. The new owners then managed to blow the motor up. They took him to small claims court and he actually lost. Now he later appealed it and won because the buyer never showed up. My point is, for those of you saying the OP doesn't have a leg to stand on in court....she most certainly does. I'd say 50/50 shot at least. You may have a "buyer beware" judge or you may have one that feels the seller may have been trying to snow someone over.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

As others have said, boats will cost money. It's a shame the manifold is bisted but they do tend to be maintenance items. Even if properly winterized they do need replacing at some point. It doesn't mean the motor is shot. The 3.0 is a pretty tough engine so I'd stay optimistic that your mechanic can get it going again and you'll be out enjoying it soon.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Since the oil was milky, have the mechanic change the oil and run the engine to see if the oil gets milky again. No sense in paying to have the manifold replaced if the engine block is cracked too.

If it's just the manifold that's cracked, replaced it and enjoy your new boat. As others have said, it's not terribly difficult to replace the manifold/riser and could be done for by yourself for around $300. Mercruiser factory manuals are downloadable in the I/O forum (adults sticky) and you could swap it in 3-4 hours by yourself.

Also, since this boat is new to you there are other things that need to be checked/replaced; impeller, bellows, drive lube, fuel filter(s), tune-up, etc...

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Do a search on here for a thread called "sold my boat and it busted".

WOW!!!! What a great read lol! Thanks for directing me to that thread.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

I also subscribe to the notion of not even waisting my time going to small claims...buyer beware is the catch phrase...

you had a chance to look the boat over and you bought...I think ther eis little chance of proving fraud..

the manifold is cracked...that is a hugely popular motor!! there are hundreds in boat yards waiting to be bought...all the motors that blew a piston or rod still have good manifolds!

the mechanic says the motor runs good!!!

now all you have ..is the boat that you wanted for $3000, minus a manifold but PLUS the blessing of a mechanic you should have asked before you bought the motor!!!
believe me the next boat you could have WORSE issues!!!!

tires and a manifold....Id say for a rookie, you got off pretty easy!!!

fix the boat....either yourself or the mechanic and forget the small claims court, and go have fun...

if you cancel the first 4 trips you WOULD have made, you probably save enough for the repair!!


bob

 

[hubbard53]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

WOW!!!! What a great read lol! Thanks for directing me to that thread.

curse you! half my day is gone. . ..

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

If I were betting my lunch money, I'd bet that you will lose in court. The advice above about hearsay and misrepresentation is bad legal advice--unless YOUR state has a statutory exception (Virginia does as to motor vehicles, damage under $1,000 and as to damage only, not causation. So you'd lose here).
You have no way of knowing, much less proving, that he knew the manifold was cracked and intentionally concealed it from you. And you'd go haul this poor guy to court--and take your mechanic along--everyone missing a day's work or more--b/c you took a chance? That's just wrong.
Caveat emptor, baby.

A $3,000 purchase on a 24 year old boat is a down payment. Plus you said you bought a lot of stuff for it before using it?
By "phones" do you mean "muffs"? Anyway you can only learn but so much from running on muffs.

 

[seabob4]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Ask, and ye shall receive...advice, that is.

Just don't be too hard on the hubby...

And BTW, why hasn't he shown his face on here? I mean, no offense, but it seems this was his decision...

 

[kimscrim]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

lol @ bob!!! Thanks for the laughs! =)

 

[seabob4]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Kim,
Hey, Sh!t's gonna happen sometimes, trust me, I take enough from my wife! Sometimes, this helps...

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

In some places, small claims are heard by an individual judge in each jurisdiction. Here in Louisiana, you take a small claim to the Justice of the Peace for your jurisdiction. Because of this, it is possible to get some sense of how each of them tends to rule on various matters.

I have no idea if this scenario is applicable to where you live, but if it is, I would do some homework on the small claims court involved, before any consideration of suing the guy.

That said, you are probably fighting an uphill battle, so I think you might be wise to see what the mechanic thinks, fix the boat if it is worth it, and dump it for whatever you can get for it, if its not.

I buy nothing but old boats & motors and I do that one of two ways - I either check the item out thoroughly, so that I pretty much know what I am getting, or I pay so little for the item, that a gamble isn't a big deal, if I mess up and buy junk.

BTW,as soon as you hear, "I'm only selling it because ..."


RUN!



???

 

[spudshaft]

Re: Am I out $3000 plus or is there something we can do?

Do whatever you think is best, but I'd give a lot of thought to suing the guy before I did it. Unless I was convinced that the guy hosed me, I probably wouldn't do it. That's a lot of heartache and looking over your shoulder. Even if the motor is indeed bad, you and your hubby can replace it. It's not rocket science. Hopefully you can remove the motor without removing the cap. I bought my boat before last as a runner to replace a DOA boat just to get on the water for $1000. Yes, it ran, and ran really well, but had a cracked manifold and exhaust riser as well. I ended up having to wait and sink more $$ into it, but in the end it was useable. If the block is ok, buy the manifold online and have somebody local install it if you can't do it. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Good luck.