Buying a used boat at a marina

[Bswiernik]

Hey guys. I'm on the hunt for my first boat, I've looked at about 40 so far, and I found two that I like at greenwood lake marina in NJ. It's only a 2 hour ride for me, not bad. My question is if I'm buying a boat from a marina, can I trust the mechanic there to be honest? I'm a heavy equipment mechanic by trade, but this is all new to me. I'm looking in the under ten thousand price range for a 17-21 foot bow rider. They offer a 30 day warranty, but I don't know what is included in that yet. Thanks in advance.

 

[alldodge]

Hey guys. I'm on the hunt for my first boat, I've looked at about 40 so far, and I found two that I like at greenwood lake marina in NJ. It's only a 2 hour ride for me, not bad. My question is if I'm buying a boat from a marina, can I trust the mechanic there to be honest? I'm a heavy equipment mechanic by trade, but this is all new to me. I'm looking in the under ten thousand price range for a 17-21 foot bow rider. They offer a 30 day warranty, but I don't know what is included in that yet. Thanks in advance.

:welcome: to iboats

Trust, maybe but no matter if you can or cannot, don't trust a word he/she is saying. Most marina's there are good and bad folks walking around and some have a lot of turnover. The mechanic you talk to does not want to have someone tell the owner you didn't buy the boat because of what he said. The 30 day warranty isn't bad, but as you said find out what does it cover, is it in writing?

Need to check the transom and hull for any signs of moisture and if it has an hour meter, don't trust it, could have been unplug for some time. Ask if you can do a compression and leak down test. Also check the gear lube

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard

AllDodge gave you some good stuff. I'll add a suggestion: Trust, but verify. If you can leave a deposit, and tow the boat over to another marine tech and pay them to check it out. That might be an additional backstop.

 

[JoLin]

tow the boat over to another marine tech and pay them to check it out. That might be an additional backstop.

There's no need to take the boat elsewhere.

I've bought two boats from marinas and hired my own surveyor both times. A professional broker expects this- I've never had an issue with access to the boat or them providing water and electric to check all the systems on board, or splashing it for the in-water inspection and sea trial.

If a dealer gave me ANY pushback about using my own resources to check the boat, I'd walk immediately.

My .02

 

[Bswiernik]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to take a look at them both, and then if I like them bring in a surveyor. Rot scares me. Especially because both boats are older. One is a 98 crownline. A little older then I wanted to go, but I'm realizing it all matters on how the owner took care of it. Thanks again.

 

[keith2k455]

98 crownline under 10 k...what engine. Mat be a great deal or something to worry about

 

[Bswiernik]

It's got the 4.3 liter.

 

[milehighjc]

Just as a reference point, I bought a '97 Crownline 182BR last September with a 5.7L. It was very well cared for, had 249 hours on it when I went to look at it.

For what it is worth, I looked at a lot of boats - after a few dealer/marina visits, I spent the rest of my time looking at private sales. There was a lot of JUNK out there, and it took me all summer before I finally found a boat that I liked. In the 10-15K price range the ones I saw at dealers/marinas were not in good shape. Lots of sun fade, soft floors, ripped seats, high hours, etc. There was a lot of questionable boats in the private sales too, and I learned quickly that Craigslist pictures can be REALLY deceiving. BUT... when I ran into this one, it was very obvious the difference in the way it had been cared for. The PO also took the time to walk me through all the maintenance items (most of which I would have known, but the fact that he knew all of it told me he had DONE the maintenance). He was quite meticulous.

The checklist that is stickied on the front page was a life saver for me...

Between the checklist, and "buying the PO", I knew I had found my boat. It took a lot patience, but I think it was worth it.

This picture was the day I brought it home... BEFORE I cleaned it up.



They are out there...

 

[airdvr1227]

Nice looking rig. Should be great fun.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Being they're willing to give a 30 day warranty is a good sign...

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

Crownline is a fairly high-end brand, but it's all about how the boat has been treated. An on-water test is a must at that price point in addition to a survey, IMO. Greenwood Lake is going to be iced in for a while so I think you should wait for a while.