Buying boat, have questions

[revkev6]

"Given everything you mention I wouldn't buy it for more than the value of the parts." Probably the most useful advice I have heard yet. How do I value the parts of the boat that are still good? Motor(automotive block), outdrive, power steering, windows, controls/gauges, trailer and hull.

actually I just did some research for you... sounds like this boat has full fiberglass stringers.. so you may be in luck
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...ir/10358081-1999-stingray-190lx-clean-restore

if the floor is just delaminating from the stringers that is much less work than replacing wood. it could still have broken stringers loose from the hull though. I found that in a 23' 2008 bayliner I looked at back in 2011 or 2012. one side of the hull was "hooked" really badly so I looked in the locker and could wiggle the stringer! I ran from that boat.

the key to this boat will be knowing what you are looking at and figuring how much repair will need to be done. there is wood in the boat still so how solid is it. peel back the carpet covering it and check. is the hull straight and even on both sides? what do the motor mounts look like?? are there cracks around the fiberglass on them??

that year stingray came with those exhaust manifolds stock btw. I would say the closer you can get to $1000 the better but this is a sellers market...

one takeaway should be: You are buying this boat to put your *SIX* kids on... making sure everything is done correctly is going to be the key to their safety and having fun in the boat. Do you have enough knowledge or willingness to do the research on how to strip this boat down to basically nothing and put it back together right??

 

[Boisebiker]

I do not currently poses the knowledge to strip and rebuild a boat, but that did not stop me from putting a Duramax/Allison in my Yukon XL. That is what I enjoy about new hobbies is what I get to learn along the way. With my truck I was not the first but information was limited and hard to come by. With a boat I have seen and found multiple videos and step-by-step restorations to help me learn. I am not afraid of the work and can bear the costs if spread out. I am just covering my bases before jumping into this boat. On the truck I spent 6 months researching the swap before I bought a single part.

 

[Boisebiker]

Update,
Seller dropped the price to $800 so I am going to pick the boat up today. I figure this gives me an extra $700 to put into it to get it lake worthy. I will follow up with pictures of the boat and then start a new thread for the restoration. As I said before this won't be a full restore. New carpet/vinyl and check the stringers. Get the motor up to good running condition and go play. If it turns out to be a good boat then we will look at wake towers and swim platforms. If it is not quite what we want then we keep looking.

 

[wahlejim]

If the motor and outdrive are in good shape, it might be worth looking at a boat with a blown engine that doesn't need as much interior work. Those can be had for a decent price then you just drop the working parts in and you are good to go.

 

[Boisebiker]

No Title

Got the boat home and spent a couple hours cleaning and inspecting. I am happy with what I am finding. It is going to need a lot of work but it looks like a good foundation to start with. At this point I will be moving over to this thread for restoration discussion. http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...rs-restoration

Thanks for looking and helping out.