Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

[BigBadJohn86]

Coworker has a Bonanza open bow boat he said he wants gone. Not sure on size but under 20'. Bow rider with a merc 140hp. Comes with trailer not sure on titles. 70s or 80s he's not sure
Said it's been sitting in his tractor shed 8 or 10 years. He tried starting it 2 years ago when a guy looked at it. He said it turned over fine but would not start. What could cause this? He said he thinks it might have been stuck points. Does anyone know about this? I'm not familiar with points distributors

He said he thinks it had a tarp at one time but doesn't know if it is still there. It has been sitting in the shed uncovered. How much do replacement tarps usually cost? Are they custom fit or usually universal?

What are some things to look at in a boat that's been sitting for so long?
Besides the distributor poi ts being stuck what else could let the engine turn over but not start? I don't want a boat that I can't get to run

Is there any problems with buying a boat that's been sitting for so long? I am willing to do a little bit of work but I don't want a lemon or a basket case on my hands.

He wants $750 for it but he may be interested in trading for a Romanian dragunov I have if I decide to let it go. I'm just afraid I'll get it and the thing is a nightmare to get water ready
is $750 sound like a fair price? My father said it's gotta be a pile of junk
for how much he's asking but I'm hoping it's just because he wants to clear his sheds out

I've never looked at a boat before. Other than soft floor and cracks and damage in the hull I'm not very sure what to look for. Thanks

 

[iconracing]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

i would say dont buy a boat that has been sitting for so long. look at the outdrive i would bet it has oil build up on it from the seals going bad. Ask him if he winterized it ever? but the engine i would bet you could get it running with a tune up(cap/rotor/points/plugs/wires) the engine would run good with these. the outdrive might need to be resealed and that is some bucks right there.
stay clear of this one!!

 

[spudshaft]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Based on your questions and info, I'd pass. What is a "Romanian dragunov?" I'm from the South so please explain

 

[Octopus]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

This thread from earlier in the year seems to cover a lot on this-

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=371853

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

He said he thinks it might have been stuck points. Does anyone know about this? I'm not familiar with points distributors

I dont believe it has points. But im not sure, Ive only worked on Johnson's.

He said he thinks it had a tarp at one time but doesn't know if it is still there. It has been sitting in the shed uncovered. How much do replacement tarps usually cost? Are they custom fit or usually universal?

Custom, about $800.00

I don't want a boat that I can't get to run

They all will run again, just costs money. Sometimes Lots of Money.

Is there any problems with buying a boat that's been sitting for so long? I am willing to do a little bit of work but I don't want a lemon or a basket case on my hands.

Yes you can into a major project. Dont buy it if your not willing or able to do a fair amount of work.

He wants $750 for it but he may be interested in trading for a Romanian dragunov I have if I decide to let it go. I'm just afraid I'll get it and the thing is a nightmare to get water ready
is $750 sound like a fair price? My father said it's gotta be a pile of junk
for how much he's asking but I'm hoping it's just because he wants to clear his sheds out

If the trailer is on good shape its worth around $500.00, but you may have to sit on it for awhile to get that.

I've never looked at a boat before. Other than soft floor and cracks and damage in the hull I'm not very sure what to look for. Thanks

Take a friend that knows what to look for, then listen to what he/she says. If they say pass, then pass.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

you won't have it in the water any time soon. Not a good way to start boating. The $750 you spend will be your lowest payment.

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

My advice, never buy or sell a car (or boat) to a friend, family member or coworker. Ya never hear the end of it

 

[BigBadJohn86]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Based on your questions and info, I'd pass. What is a "Romanian dragunov?" I'm from the South so please explain

Its a 7.62x54 semi auto rifle with 4x scope. Has a receiver similar to an ak47
but the casing for the round is much longer

 

[BigBadJohn86]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

I asked him how quick he was wanting it gone. I told him I could look at it Wednesday but would not make any decisions that day. That I would need some time to think it over. It couldn't hurt to at least take a look could it? I've got a 5 megapixel camera I can take pictures with and post here

it's not that I don't expect to put any work into a boat but I would rather not have an engine rebuilt or a lower unit rebuilt. A tuneup if I did get that boat would have been obvious.

If anything at least I can use it to practice looking a boat over

 

[BigBadJohn86]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

If I bought one of these moisture meters, what would a decent reading on it

http://www.lowes.com:80/pd_78059-56...Ntk=i_products&ddkey=http:LowesStoreSearchCmd

 

[roncoop75]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Said it's been sitting in his tractor shed 8 or 10 years.

This statement right here would be enough for me to say no.

You ever see what happens to items left in farm sheds for years on end, uncovered?

Mice, rats, birds... even covered it'll only stop the birds from crapping in it.

I'd check it out though, you might be surprised, but I wouldn't get my hopes up...

 

[BigBadJohn86]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

This statement right here would be enough for me to say no.

You ever see what happens to items left in farm sheds for years on end, uncovered?

Mice, rats, birds... even covered it'll only stop the birds from crapping in it.

I'd check it out though, you might be surprised, but I wouldn't get my hopes up...

Yeah I know mice can wreak havoc on stuff. That's why my grandma had to buy new tubes every few years
I've got em in my garage at home too. They will eventually get anywhere they want to
I'm hoping that just maybe this is a good find and makes a good boat but then again it could also be something to stay away from

 

[avenger79]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

being somewhat close to your region of the country I will say this. I'll attach a pic of my boat it's smaller and not perfect but I had thought about selling it this year for 1000 and willing to go as low as 750 to get rid of it. this is a boat that looks great and runs ok. needs a little tuning still to be right.
for $750 that boat would need a perfect trailer or a perfect hull or be very good runner. not all three but at least one.
what he is hoping is he can get you to take it and give him the gun. that way he gets something for it. his only other alternative is to put it on the curb for free. they charge to haul them away.
I'm pretty mechanically inclined and when i got my boat i was much like you. never looked at one etc. I found this one looking pretty good and started and ran. bought it for $1400 (too much money, I know that now) so far it has cost me $2500 in fix-its just to get it close to good running. it isn't worth near that amount and never will be.
if you can't fix it boat shops are very expensive. guys around here use the phrase "bring out another thousand" that is very true.
You would be better off finding a used boat that runs for around 1000 to 1500 and use the rifle as partial trade and have something that would run or at least be reasonably fixable.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

That $750 will be a down payment on spending about $3000-$5000 total to get the boat running and seaworthy most likely. You could just spend that kind of money on a boat that already runs well. Pass on it for your own sanity and for the sake of a relationship with a coworker. If you buy that boat you're gonna end up hating him later. From the sounds of it that boat is nothing more than salvage material.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Yup, all depends on how much of a project you want, and what condition it's in. As you said, it can't hurt to look. I once looked at a bike that was in a barn for 13 years. Come to find out, it was in beautiful shape, and I had fun redoing the tank and carbs to get it running. I'd say take a look, but don't get your hopes up - and don't settle for something you don't really want.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

there's a whole lot more to a seaworthy boat than the motor and lower unit. On a car, all you need is the motor and transmission; the body can be falling off. Not so with the hull of a boat. Also, when an old car leaves you stranded, it's an inconvenience. With a boat, it can be dangerous.
But you sound determined to buy it and hope for the best. It's possible it will work out. But what we are suggesting here, is focus on "probable" rather than "possible."

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

If you'd like to get on the water cheaply with a minimal chance of financial disaster, consider an aluminum hull with an outboard motor. Old neglected fiberglass hulls as well as old negected I/O's have lots of potential to be real time and wallet drainers.

 

[Woodbinekeith]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Lots of good advice. Best not to do it unless the floor, hull/interior/helm look to be very good inside and out. It is only worth the price of the hull/trailer/tires and the motor is a throw in that you may have to chuck - now days the price of taking a motor into a shop/reupholstering is huge and you will probably find the whole thing very discouraging. Been there done that-not much fun at all. Start with something quite new, smaller, an outboard, and go out for a test drive before even thinking seriously about it.

 

[Ki Ki]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Add a few hundred to that price tag at minimum, it'll at least need new carburetors rebuilt.

 

[howlnmad]

Re: Never looked at a boat before and might on Wednesday. Please help

Why did your friend park it to begin with? It can't hurt and doesn't cost anything to go look, just gas and time. Take a camera and get some pix. I've seen some real classics that have been found buried in old barns.