Looking at this boat...

[ThrottleBack]

Bit larger then I wanted but something I am possibly considering. I'm strictly a lake fisher but it will see Mark Twain and Lake of the Ozarks so it needs to be a good boat. I know the general things to look for just never owned one quite like this and have never owned a mercruiser though my family has. They didn't give much info so I am looking to see if you guys can identify any specific questions to ask and things to look for...

"For sale 1983 hilt boat with 140 merc cruiser inboard motor runs good carberator just needs cleaned $600" (they need money and I know it, hence the price)

 

[joelybob]

Re: Looking at this boat...

More like a cruising boat than a fishing boat. with that said if everything checks out good. not a bad price.

 

[pckeen]

Re: Looking at this boat...

Sounds like a good price - the trailer is probably worth that.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

More like a cruising boat than a fishing boat. with that said if everything checks out good. not a bad price.

I'm a fisherman before anything, BUT the family would be thrilled if i could pull a tube. Usually I fish with the wife, alone, or with out young son so i think fishing wise i can make the room work out.

Sounds like a good price - the trailer is probably worth that.

I was thinking that also

 

[joelybob]

Re: Looking at this boat...

Sounds like you have a boat to look at. I don't know anything about I/o but what is the out drive brand ?

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

I don't know yet. Aside from outboard my only experience is with Berkley brand jet drives. My dad has an 18' drag race boat with a berkley hooked up to a 575 engine and 1471 blower lol.

Buying this boat also means a need to get another tow vehicle so I'm still thinking I may have to pass but I plan to look at it tomorrow for a reason not too.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Looking at this boat...

If the floor, stringers, and transom are solid I'd have a mechanic look at the engine. If all it needs is a carb adj it sounds like a good buy.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

I have been working on engines in cars for so long i'm pretty sure i can handle that part, it's the rest I'm paranoid about. Do boats like this generally have some type of under floor access i can use to check the condition?

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

fate worked it all out, someone drove by where the boat was out front, seen it and plopped down the cash. I couldn't make it today, owell that one aint for me

 

[joelybob]

Re: Looking at this boat...

maybe that was an omen

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

that is how i always take it. A console bass boat suits me best. TBH if it was up to me i would always be on the smaller or quiet lakes in a nice solo area and a fishing rod, not at the big lakes dealing with ramp morons, pwcs, etc etc just so my wife and kids can get on a tube lol.

Sounds evil but my fuse is short for stupidity so i try to just avoid it.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

I guess it didn't seel (who knows) because they called me today and asked if I wanted to see it, so I went.

Holy hell what a MESS. "Just needs the carb tuned"....yeaaaa thats should be followed by AND. Lets break it down:

1) I get there and it has a hose hooked up to it.....ok so far. He starts the boat and instantly tach's the thing out. I ask him if he's done that before and he says yea all the time and when people come look at it. I said and nobody has told you NOT to do that??? Big strike one.

2) The entire deck is under inches of wet leaves, and it hasn't rained in a while. He tells me it was parked in this spot since December when he bought it. I ask if it was covered or winterized, he tells me no and yes. Yes means he drained the gas out of it. Jesus H....OK I'm not buying it, but i'm here so i'm enjoying myself at this point.

3) Did I mention hes maybe 21 and shes like 16? Yea.

4) The seats are all cracked, I lift one up and there is no floor under it. Well thats not fair, there is some floor it's just a massive hole under it that this kids calling a storage area.

5) Engine obviously leaked oil major all in the engine bay as I call it and it's been half *** cleaned up.

6) This is the grand winner! Boat supposedly had a clean title. The title was not in his name, or the name of who he bought it from, and was not signed. No title for the trailer because "in this state it's just the boat".

Some people's children.

 

[krakatoa]

Re: Looking at this boat...

So... what you expect for $600.00?? Its an 30 years old boat...

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Looking at this boat...

Hope they do not reproduce.

I guess it didn't seel (who knows) because they called me today and asked if I wanted to see it, so I went.

Holy hell what a MESS. "Just needs the carb tuned"....yeaaaa thats should be followed by AND. Lets break it down:

1) I get there and it has a hose hooked up to it.....ok so far. He starts the boat and instantly tach's the thing out. I ask him if he's done that before and he says yea all the time and when people come look at it. I said and nobody has told you NOT to do that??? Big strike one.

2) The entire deck is under inches of wet leaves, and it hasn't rained in a while. He tells me it was parked in this spot since December when he bought it. I ask if it was covered or winterized, he tells me no and yes. Yes means he drained the gas out of it. Jesus H....OK I'm not buying it, but i'm here so i'm enjoying myself at this point.

3) Did I mention hes maybe 21 and shes like 16? Yea.

4) The seats are all cracked, I lift one up and there is no floor under it. Well thats not fair, there is some floor it's just a massive hole under it that this kids calling a storage area.

5) Engine obviously leaked oil major all in the engine bay as I call it and it's been half *** cleaned up.

6) This is the grand winner! Boat supposedly had a clean title. The title was not in his name, or the name of who he bought it from, and was not signed. No title for the trailer because "in this state it's just the boat".

Some people's children.

 

[ThrottleBack]

Re: Looking at this boat...

So... what you expect for $600.00?? Its an 30 years old boat...

I expect people to not post a short, misleading ad. I expect people to answer questions I ask of them honestly. I expect people to not misrepresent a boat with a laundry list of issues sold by two people with no clue acting as though they have one which leads me to drive 40 miles and look at something I would never have driven 40 miles to look at.

People rarely do the right thing, they just try to make a quick buck. I know thats a possibility but don't defend them as if they were being honest.

 

[fromcarsToboats]

Re: Looking at this boat...

Well i'd buy it if he would come down oh well let's say $600.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at this boat...

If you're looking to get on the water very cheaply, stick with an aluminum hull with an outboard motor. Much less chance for financial ruin.

 

[Ki Ki]

Re: Looking at this boat...

If you're looking to get on the water very cheaply, stick with an aluminum hull with an outboard motor. Much less chance for financial ruin.

I agree, but what's your reasoning? I'm just curious...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking at this boat...

I agree, but what's your reasoning? I'm just curious...

As for aluminum....the main reason is they have aluminum stringers and the deck and transom are just screwed/bolted in. So even if they're rotted, it could be as little as a weekend job to replace. On a glass boat, if it's rotted you're looking at weeks of grinding and rebuilding including hundreds of dollars in fiberglassing materials.

As for outboards....I'm not going to get into a "which is better" kinda argument. From new (or from well maintained) I/O's and outboards can be equally as reliable. Outboards often have more complicated engines (multiple carbs, power packs, etc) but I/O's have more moving parts between the crank and the prop. Kinda evens out. However, the fact of the matter is, if you pull two otherwise identical $750 neglected boats out of the woods......there's a good chance you could be fishing with the outboard with little else other than a new battery and a can of Sea Foam. With the I/O, there's other maintenance that needs to be caught up on for safety's sake: bellows, bearings, U-joints, etc. Quite manageable if you do the wrenching yourself but can easily add up to $1000 if you're paying a mechanic to do it.

 

[Ki Ki]

Re: Looking at this boat...

As for aluminum....the main reason is they have aluminum stringers and the deck and transom are just screwed/bolted in. So even if they're rotted, it could be as little as a weekend job to replace. On a glass boat, if it's rotted you're looking at weeks of grinding and rebuilding including hundreds of dollars in fiberglassing materials.

As for outboards....I'm not going to get into a "which is better" kinda argument. From new (or from well maintained) I/O's and outboards can be equally as reliable. Outboards often have more complicated engines (multiple carbs, power packs, etc) but I/O's have more moving parts between the crank and the prop. Kinda evens out. However, the fact of the matter is, if you pull two otherwise identical $750 neglected boats out of the woods......there's a good chance you could be fishing with the outboard with little else other than a new battery and a can of Sea Foam. With the I/O, there's other maintenance that needs to be caught up on for safety's sake: bellows, bearings, U-joints, etc. Quite manageable if you do the wrenching yourself but can easily add up to $1000 if you're paying a mechanic to do it.

Makes perfect sense. We just switched from Fiberglass to Aluminum. The big perk for us was the towing weight of the aluminum boat. It's so much easier to tow than the fiberglass boat and they were the exact same length vessels.