broken "fins" on lower unit. to buy or not to buy? (pics!)

[tauket2]

Hi, i'm looking at a early 90's open hull sunray boat 16' with a mercruiser 3.0l engine and mercuiser outer unit (i beleive it is alpha one).

my problem is that the outer unit has suffered damage from a collision. obviously it will need a new prop but the drive shaft turns straight and smooth. what i'm more worried about are the two "fin" looking parts that are broken. the owner says it does not affect performance at all. i dont know what to make of this. can this be repaired or rebuilt? is this part seperate from the rest of the prop housing or is it all one big part number? should i stay the hell away from this boat?

i need to give the seller an answer within 12 hours.

i've uploaded pictured. note that the one with the grass is a similar unit that has no damage, for reference

cheers
chris

 

[achris]

Hi Chris....

Called, the 'anti-cavitation plate'.. Which is a bit of a misnomer, because it's actually to stop/reduces ventilation, not cavitation... But. give a dog a name... etc...

First up, that's a lot of damage. Quiz the owner on EXACTLY how it happened. What I'd be worried about is side loading on the drive. Check the gimbal housing and gimbal ring for cracks.

Ok... That would be repairable, by a good welder, or a prop shop. It's not a separate part, it's part of the housing as a whole.

Yes, that's an Alpha One drive, from 1986 to 1990... So more late 80's than earlier 90's.

Hope this helps,

Chris...........

 

[fishrdan]

YIKES! Was the owner driving the boat through a rock quarry?

To me, it appears that all that damage happened at the same time, prop, skeg and AV plate, and I would be really leery of cost to repair, unless you're getting it dirt cheap and the rest of the boat is in fantastic condition. If the boat is in so-so condition, you could spend more on the boat and repairs, than the boat is worth.

As for the owner saying the broken AV plate damage doesn't affect performance ("my take" - all the drive/prop damaged happened at the same time), how would he know how the boat performs with that mangled prop? Something doesn't pass the smell test..... The boat may perform "OK" with the AV plate damage (certainly not 100%), but it sounds fishy.

 

[tpenfield]

My inclination would be to PASS on this boat and go onto the next one (there is always a next one)

 

[ThomW]

I'd probably pass. I don't know how he can claim performance isn't affected with the prop like it is! If that happened at once, as it appears, the performance on the way back to shore was definitely affected. He might assume it was all the prop, but that is a lot of damage. The skeg is gone, prop is wrecked, and the plate is half gone! With whatever happened to that motor, who knows how the internal gears and parts in lower unit fared. Unless its really cheap, and you are prepared to dish out up to a few grand to fix whatever may be with the lower unit...I'd pass.

 

[Scott Danforth]

recommend passing

 

[wahlejim]

New SEI outdrive and good prop you can figure about 1750-2000. If you can get that knocked off the price of the boat, it might be worth it, but the boat itself would have to be in really good condition.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

I think the owner is is some sort of strange stat of denial -- Funny how that goes when people sell things -- If hes doing that I would be very suspicious of anything he say's or the condition of anything he owns.

 

[tauket2]

hey all. thanks for the great feedback.

in case some of you may be familiar with the spot, this boat was used in the saint-lawrence river near montreal. it is known for being very tricky to navigate because the depth can vary from a hundred feet to just a few inches over a very short distance and with lots of rocks. So yes, fishrdan, he was sort of "driving through a rock quarry"

 

[72fj40]

I would think that much damage to the prop alone would effect performance and create a vibration. How would he know about the o/d damage and the effect on performance when the prop is so mangled.

 

[harringtondav]

I hit a Miss river wing dam and my skeg and prop didn't look this bad. But my prop shaft was bent, and I suspect this one is too. It sounds like you've decided to move on. I hope so.

 

[Rick Stephens]

If the owner was serious about selling a boat that still runs great, he would spend the maybe few hundred and have a welding shop repair the drive and replace the prop. Owner has fingers in ears and is saying everything is great, buy my junk. La la la la. Probably even saying my favorite sentence to hate: 'my loss is your gain'.

 

[Maclin]

I would pass and go on the the next seller...this guy is not going to come clean on anything.

 

[AlabamaNewbie]

Probably even saying my favorite sentence to hate: 'my loss is your gain'.

I bet he is doubling down with something like "I'd show you it runs great, but it needs a new starter coil, they are only $30, I just haven't had time to pick one up."

 

[Maclin]

"All YOU need to do is...."

 

[tacx]

I have to agree with Rick. Anyone that has any "pride of ownership" would have fixed that before putting it on the market. So, in other words, if it is no problem to fix then why didnt he??

I would pass.

 

[nola mike]

You can always take $500 off what you'd otherwise be willing to pay, and look for a used drive in the off-season (which I'm guessing starts about now for you). Should be able to get one for half that...

 

[achris]

You can always take $500 off what you'd otherwise be willing to pay, and look for a used drive in the off-season (which I'm guessing starts about now for you). Should be able to get one for half that...

That sort of damage, it may not be JUST the drive. I'd look VERY closely at the gimbal ring and housing too...

 

[nola mike]

True. Even so, the used parts are plentiful (I've got em if you want them... The wife would be thrilled)

 

[HT32BSX115]

That sort of damage, it may not be JUST the drive. I'd look VERY closely at the gimbal ring and housing too...

Yup.

I wouldn't touch it unless the price would allow me to "come out ok" after buying a replacement gimbal and a new SEI.

That kind of damage is a reflection on how careful the seller is with and takes care of his/her stuff.......