Looking at a boat...

[MariahS]

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before. It gets a little hard to sift through a general search return list

I'm thinking about getting a boat, but we're just not 100% sure on it yet. I've posted a link for a boat that I was thinking about at the bottom of this post. The guy selling it said the hitemp gear oil and the engine oil are hardly used. Plugs and wires were done at the same time, as well as the water pump in the lower unit. Points in the distributor were polished. New speedometer and new tires on the trailer. Needs a battery, though. I'm just wondering if it looks like a good find or not. Also, what it would cost (ballpark) to maintain this every year. My husband seems to think it'll be a moneypit (and I know it will, but so is every other hobby). I'm not interested in things like repairs that could possibly need to be done or fuel costs, as those vary greatly and repairs are just plain expensive, no matter what type of vehicle or what breaks. I just want to know about how much general maintenance (oil changes, plugs, etc.) costs. My husband is an automotive mechanic, so I'm guessing he can use at least some of that knowledge to do some of the maintenance ourselves. We will be trailering it.

1972 WINNER Cougar

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Looking at a boat...

ANY boat will be a money pit but I just call it a vacation fund. A boat that old could (will) definately have some issues. I reccommend looking through the restorations on this forum and seeing what started out as a "soft spot in the deck" and see what they found underneath. It all depends on how it was taken care of and especially how it was stored. If it was in inside storage all it's life, Probably ok but if it sat outside like in the pictures since 1972 you can bet there will be some issues.

I am sure other will chime in.

LK

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I'm suspicious of this one, why doesn't the owner buy a battery and sell it ready to go?

New lower unit lube and engine oil with no way to start the boat up or water test it could mean the owner is trying to hide something like a cracked block, blown head gasket, or a bad prop seal... there's just no telling.

Points were polished? Why not replaced?

On a positive note, the walk-thru windscreen looks like it still fits well. Check that out if you go look at the boat, open it and see how well it closes back.

As a rule of thumb, as with any 40 yr. old fiberglass boat... be prepared to put $3-5K into this boat if you buy it.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I think to answer your speicific question, the ongoing regular maintenance without regard to repairs due to something breaking, is relatively minor, more so if you can do the labor yourselves.

At a high level, on an annual basis you are looking at:
Hull maintenance - cleaning, waxing, storage and a good cover to keep elements off
Drive Maintenance - Annual LU lube, prop repair if you hit bottom, greasing zerks. Impeller replacment every other year (parts are cheap) - Gimble bearing, u-joints, and bellows as needed - these items are pretty labor intensive and the parts are not really that expensive
Engine - annual tune up and oil change - In SD you will need to winterize which is cheap to do yourself.

The key to this purchase though is that yo may have hull issues, such as rot or water intrusion at the gimble that could cause many repairs that would not be practicial on this boat unless there was a love for it that overrode financial sense. Many of the mechanical things listed above, such as gimble bearings, bellows, etc may need to be done right away to make it water ready. Also if it is not run in the water, you will not know if the powerplant is viable or not. Running on muffs can sound real good and it will still fall on its face when under load.

Most of these things can be detected on a good inspection, but you need to know what to look for.

 

[MariahS]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I think I'm picking up what you're putting down. Be leery. I'm sure it's been sitting outside as this is South Dakota, land of the farm trucks from the 70's that still roll on down the road. It's also the land of DIY, so I would probably want to consider that, too. I was thinking of buying a battery before we went to check it out. My husband also works at a parts store, and they sell batteries there. We could just return it if it's a no-go. Is there someone we could bring along with us, like you'd take a car to another mechanic before buying? Like I said, it'd be our first boat and I don't know John from Adam in this sector.

Anyone else have any general costs for maintenance? We'd get a boat in the same size range (less than 19') and trailer, regardless of what boat we get. Is there anything specifically we should stay away from?

I really appreciate the feedback

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at a boat...

For getting on the water cheaply, I recommend an aluminum hull with an outboard motor. Least chance of it being a money pit. Any fiberglass boat with an I/O that you pick up for around $2k or less just has too great a chance of being rotted, have a cracked block, or other expensive mechanical issues.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at a boat...

Is there anything specifically we should stay away from?

Stay away from boats that have ANY soft spots in the deck. That's usually indicative of more serious issues below deck in the stringers and then likely the transom. Also stay away from obsolete engines/drives. For I/O's you want Volvo or Mercruiser drives with Chevy based engines. For outboards, anything but Chrysler/Force.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I think I'm picking up what you're putting down. Be leery. I'm sure it's been sitting outside as this is South Dakota, land of the farm trucks from the 70's that still roll on down the road. It's also the land of DIY, so I would probably want to consider that, too. I was thinking of buying a battery before we went to check it out. My husband also works at a parts store, and they sell batteries there. We could just return it if it's a no-go. Is there someone we could bring along with us, like you'd take a car to another mechanic before buying? Like I said, it'd be our first boat and I don't know John from Adam in this sector.

Anyone else have any general costs for maintenance? We'd get a boat in the same size range (less than 19') and trailer, regardless of what boat we get. Is there anything specifically we should stay away from?

I really appreciate the feedback

Ask the seller if he has any objections to you taking the boat to a marine mechanic to be checked out before buying, it might cost you a couple hundred bucks, but could save you thousands.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Looking at a boat...

Try to look to something about 15 years newer. I do not think this is the one. Not a 'Winner' by any means.

for a boat in good working condition, yet older, plan on about $1,000 per year maintenance, etc.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at a boat...

for a boat in good working condition, yet older, plan on about $1,000 per year maintenance, etc.

That seems a little harsh, even for an I/O.......

Yes you could spend a grand getting a neglected I/O caught up on all it's maintenance (drive service, bellows, tune up, etc) but going forward annual costs should be anywhere near that high. Plus she did mention her husband is a mechanic so I don't see him paying for stuff like winterization.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Looking at a boat...

That seems a little harsh, even for an I/O.......

Yes you could spend a grand getting a neglected I/O caught up on all it's maintenance (drive service, bellows, tune up, etc) but going forward annual costs should be anywhere near that high. Plus she did mention her husband is a mechanic so I don't see him paying for stuff like winterization.

Keep in mind that these folks seem to be looking at older boats . . . There will be some surprises along the way . . . Stuff will break more so than newer boats.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Looking at a boat...

It's an $1,800 boat. If the hull is solid (no transom problems, no floor problems, etc.) and it's a Mercruiser 165, then that is in the upper range of a reasonable price for the boat. Do not buy it without running it on the water first, or having a marine mechanic look at it with you (unless you know more about boats than you're letting on).

That said, it's an old boat ... you're going to have things break. You're going to need to maintain it. Mine costs me about $350 per year fixing "stuff" and it's about the same age as that boat (with the same engine, i think - different drive tho'). Expect every year or three it'll cost you a little more.

If you don't mind doing some work on it yourself, it can work for a long time. If you don't want to work on it - expect that boat to fail you within 3 or 4 years.

It might not be a bad boat for the money - but don't expect it to be problem free.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at a boat...

Keep in mind that these folks seem to be looking at older boats . . . There will be some surprises along the way . . . Stuff will break more so than newer boats.

I don't consider that "maintenance" then though.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I look at a lot of boats and I mean A LOT of boats. It's my hobby and drives my wife crazy. FWIW I wouldn't touch this boat for a host of reasons starting with it might be worth about $500. I can buy bigger and better here all day long for $1800...YMMV where you are.

 

[MariahS]

Re: Looking at a boat...

As with everything, it seems, I'm well aware we'll probably have to sink a bit of money into something in order to get it going right. I can't seem to find anything that's aluminum in my area in a price range I'm looking for without it becoming a fishing/hunting boat (which are pretty cheap). I'd like something that I can take a few friends out with me if I want to. Maybe there's just nothing out there right now and I'll have to be patient. Unless you can find something on CL that you think would be a good buy in my area. There was one other boat I thought looked pretty nice. But I'm sure your thoughts are virtually the same on this one:

1986 Chaparral Boat and Trailer

PS, this whole random question thing in order to post gets me every time hahaha:facepalm:

 

[MariahS]

Re: Looking at a boat...

I look at a lot of boats and I mean A LOT of boats. It's my hobby and drives my wife crazy. FWIW I wouldn't touch this boat for a host of reasons starting with it might be worth about $500. I can buy bigger and better here all day long for $1800...YMMV where you are.

What's YMMV? I'm no good with acronyms. I had to look up what YOLO meant. Yeah.

I've noticed that a few other threads have links to listings and they seem like nicer boats for less money. What the heck. Probably since it's prairie land over here in these parts lol. With a Big Freaking River through the middle

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at a boat...

YWWV: Your Mileage May Vary.


Where are you located? We love looking for boats

 

[MariahS]

Re: Looking at a boat...

YWWV: Your Mileage May Vary.


Where are you located? We love looking for boats

Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Willing to travel an hour or two for the right boat. That's what we do around here, since everything's so spread out. I hate to pawn it off on everyone else, but I just really don't know much. I'm 100% confident we can figure things out on our own regarding maintenance and what we feel comfortable doing ourselves and what we feel we need to pay people to do. I just didn't know if it was going to be $4K/year or $500/year. I can do $500 + repairs + insurance + gas/bait/etc.

I'm seriously so thankful for you all and all of your input. I certainly don't want to buy a piece of junk. I'm sure you can tell more by a CL ad than I could going and looking in person. I'll surely have to enlist a marine mechanic.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Looking at a boat...

and FWIW... for what it's worth.

"I'm well aware we'll probably have to sink a bit of money into something in order to get it going right"

You can't imagine how much money you will sink into a boat if it needs most any work done. A tune up or something general is okay, but when it comes to any "rebuilding" soft spots, etc. be very very careful.

 

[IraRat]

Re: Looking at a boat...

Where are you in South Florida?

I look at a lot of boats and I mean A LOT of boats. It's my hobby and drives my wife crazy. FWIW I wouldn't touch this boat for a host of reasons starting with it might be worth about $500. I can buy bigger and better here all day long for $1800...YMMV where you are.