wife wants a bowrider, narrowed it down to 4 boats.. help please

[turbocorrado]

ive currently got a 16ft starcraft vbottom i use for fishing/crabbing. the wife grew up on an old 17ft mfg bowrider and wants one. since its our first "real" boat im not looking to spend a ton on a new boat, so ive spent hours scouring for a few decent low price ones. i will be doing all work on it myself, and im only looking at I/O setups.
current options im arranging to look at/test out:
1992 maxum 2100sr dont know what engine, im assuming the 5.0 though
1990 sunbird with a 5.0 v8
1996 crownline 18' with a 3.0 merc
1997 wellcraft 20ft with a 4.3 merc

a few coworkers have boats and we will be out cruising with them amongst other activities. i would like to be able to hit at least 35 mph with 3-4 people on board so i will be able to hang with a friends 78 chris craft. thats his current top speed everytime i am on his boat, and he loves staying WOT, im worried the 3.0 may limit me on this, but at the same time i dont want to be pissing money away in high gas costs constantly, im slightly familiar with wellcraft, but not so much the other 3. how are they in terms of build quality/reliability? any of them you would stay away from?

 

[LippCJ7]

Oh Boy...

Boats to stay away from? no, you listed good manufacturers, so no issues there, problem is every boat you listed is nearly 20 years old or older and not one of them knowingly is powered to what I would call appropriate power.

You do not want to keep getting gas, but you admit your buddy loves WOT, well me too so I got a 7.4l MPI, so you have to pick, its your boat and your money, be advised that watching your buddy walk away from you sucks, I know, but not anymore.

Anyway if I were to knock them one by one here is how it would go.

1992 maxum, no known motor so that needs research, age is an issue, obviously in the wood build era, care and maintenance are a big deal.
1990 Sunbird, What size boat? Age wood just like above.
196 Crownline, Great Boat, Original Owner should be shot for putting this motor in it, yeah yeah its great on gas blah blah blah, good luck pulling anything other then your two year old Move on.
1997 Wellcraft, probably the best bet of what you listed but I am not a fan of a V6 in anything larger then an 18' Boat see above
So my advice is to keep looking

 

[turbocorrado]

Oh Boy...

Boats to stay away from? no, you listed good manufacturers, so no issues there, problem is every boat you listed is nearly 20 years old or older and not one of them knowingly is powered to what I would call appropriate power.

You do not want to keep getting gas, but you admit your buddy loves WOT, well me too so I got a 7.4l MPI, so you have to pick, its your boat and your money, be advised that watching your buddy walk away from you sucks, I know, but not anymore.

Anyway if I were to knock them one by one here is how it would go.

1992 maxum, no known motor so that needs research, age is an issue, obviously in the wood build era, care and maintenance are a big deal.
1990 Sunbird, What size boat? Age wood just like above.
196 Crownline, Great Boat, Original Owner should be shot for putting this motor in it, yeah yeah its great on gas blah blah blah, good luck pulling anything other then your two year old Move on.
1997 Wellcraft, probably the best bet of what you listed but I am not a fan of a V6 in anything larger then an 18' Boat see above
So my advice is to keep looking

i understand i will have to pay to play as far as gas goes and im fine with that, im not planning on holding WOT all day, just as long as i can occasionally hang with my buddys boat at his maxed 35 mph or so i will be happy. im just fine cruising around 25-30 mph most of the time

and age is an issue, i am being very thorough in my inspections of them and am not gonna pick something that is not up to par

my lack of info is due to waiting on responses from the sellers. heres what i do know about each only based off the ads. i looked at a 94 wellcraft today that was to rough, so i ran away quickly

the maxum had a new engine 2 years ago and "runs good"

sunbird says it runs good and has solid floors/etc

crownline claims he hits 42mph with the 3.0, mechanically it is sound, but needs some interior work (still unsure of exactly what that means untill tomorrow)

 

[turbocorrado]

the wellcraft had a new engine in 2005 and runs amazingly, but the interior is rough, i dont mind a rough interior as long as floor is solid and its mechanically sound. i can get new seats at decent prices

also, not sure if it matters at all, but im an automechanic and should really have much of an issue working on any of these

 

[carey965]

all things being the same (no rot good mechanically) i would say go with the wellcraft, i have a 4.3 its pretty good on gas can pull my fat ass up on skis and even with my lower pitch prop (4 blade 19P) for skiing will do about 45 with 3 adults, i think with my 3 blade 23P i managed about 55 with 3 adults so you will have the power you want and personally i love the 4.3 V6 we had it in a few trucks and SUV's growing up and they took a beating

but its all on what kind of shape they are in, and how they were taken care of to begin with

 

[LippCJ7]

Trust me throw the Crownline out, I own one and I love it, it should be a crime to put that motor in any Crownline, they are heavy boats and a 3.0 is not enough, especially when the owner is lying to you so he can get a boat with a bigger motor, unless he is willing to give it to you so that you can then repower it toss it.

The Wellcraft is a disappointment, what does a shot interior tell you? It tells me that the owner left it uncovered and here we go with the floor being compromised, what else has the owner left unrepaired?

as far as the two others, I think I would go look at them, keep in mind they are older and so I think you need more motor to counter the likelyhood that they are retaining water.

Another side of this whole debate is this, keep in mind how you plan to use your boat, if you plan on watersports, go with a bigger motor everytime, people will tell you time and time again how they went smaller motor for fuel efficiency, when in fact the smaller motor has to work much harder to get the same performance my big block does while my big block laughs it off, if you are not into watersports, just cruising around, letting the ladies look good then sure the small motor is just fine, and performs as expected. Nothing in power boats is about fuel efficient use, its actually about making the best performance out of your hull to get the most out of your boat with what you want in mind if that makes sense.

Lets take Crownlines as an example since I know them best, they are heavy, quality hull construction, the idea being that a heavier hull will handle the chop better, add to that an appropriately sized motor and you have a good boat. But when you go small motor you can't get the performance out of the hull at slower speeds so your motor has to work harder to get the hull to perform as designed.

You take this Crownline with the 3.0L(I'm guessing carbed) at 40 MPH and me in me 248 7.4L MPI at the same speed, I am turning around 3000-3200 RPM's while the 3.0L is at the end of its RPM's, and I bet I am just under the GPH that the 3.0 is, but I have another 1600-1800 RPM's left.

 

[turbocorrado]

Trust me throw the Crownline out, I own one and I love it, it should be a crime to put that motor in any Crownline, they are heavy boats and a 3.0 is not enough, especially when the owner is lying to you so he can get a boat with a bigger motor, unless he is willing to give it to you so that you can then repower it toss it.

The Wellcraft is a disappointment, what does a shot interior tell you? It tells me that the owner left it uncovered and here we go with the floor being compromised, what else has the owner left unrepaired?

as far as the two others, I think I would go look at them, keep in mind they are older and so I think you need more motor to counter the likelyhood that they are retaining water

thanks, i appreciate the help, i was definitely skeptical of the 3.0. im still gonna call about the wellcraft tomorrow, its not looking good, but if they claim the floors are solid i dont mind wasting a trip out to check. the other 2 are email only responses so im waiting on responses from them, hopefully i hear something tomorrow

btw the crownline is listed at 3900

 

[LippCJ7]

If you can you will want to look under the deck(floor) of the Wellcraft, a mirror and a flashlight will help, look for water damage on the bottom of the deck it should be pretty obvious, check above the keel in both the engine compartment and the locker.

You will want to step on every inch of the deck for soft spots. If you have time check out Frisco boaters youtube channel and specifically this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopF...C318B574CD948D Not trying to scare you off but don't trust anyone its your money and don't hesitate to bring a friend to help you look at the boat, another set of educated eyes are a great thing.

Good luck!

EDIT to add..

Yeah the Crownline owner can't unload that boat because of the motor, I had a 196 with a 350 Carbed. But you are looking at $5000 for a reman 350 plus parts since you can't use anything off the 3.0, so lets say you get into that Crownline for $3500, repower it and you are into it for $8500 plus parts, whats that boat worth now? Last time I checked the reman 4.3L was more expensive then a 350.

 

[turbocorrado]

If you can you will want to look under the deck(floor) of the Wellcraft, a mirror and a flashlight will help, look for water damage on the bottom of the deck it should be pretty obvious, check above the keel in both the engine compartment and the locker.

You will want to step on every inch of the deck for soft spots. If you have time check out Frisco boaters youtube channel and specifically this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopF...C318B574CD948D Not trying to scare you off but don't trust anyone its your money and don't hesitate to bring a friend to help you look at the boat, another set of educated eyes are a great thing.

Good luck!

EDIT to add..

Yeah the Crownline owner can't unload that boat because of the motor, I had a 196 with a 350 Carbed. But you are looking at $5000 for a reman 350 plus parts since you can't use anything off the 3.0, so lets say you get into that Crownline for $3500, repower it and you are into it for $8500 plus parts, whats that boat worth now? Last time I checked the reman 4.3L was more expensive then a 350.

just watched the first like 7 vids in his set, il watch all of them over the next few days, thanks for the link. learned a ton already

im not interested in doing any engine swaps at this time, i dont mind tinkering here and there, but for at least the first couple years i would like to run it as is, so il remove the crownline from my options

 

[tpenfield]

I'd scratch the Sunbird off the list and probably favor the Wellcraft.

 

[redneck joe]

Crownline way too small engine

For the age the Maxum looks good and one would hope if they dropped a new engine they would have checked the floors/transom at that time but you never know.


If you narrow to a couple and all else being equal I'd pay close attention to how much storage they have to put your wife's stuff and the bow area - how big/comfortable - girls like to lounge up there.

 

[southkogs]

Good stuff from the gang so far. I'm leaning toward the Max, myself. But what are the prices on these boats? All comparable to the $3,900 for the Crownline?

 

[MikDee]

I'd go with the Maxum, it's a good boat my buddy had one with the 305 45-50mph regularly. It is a sleeker design, and is the sister of a Bayliner, although better made. Not too light, nor too heavy. The Wellcraft would be my 2nd choice, but it's a bit heavier for that 4.3, and if it needs work, maybe not a good choice.

 

[bruceb58]

The Maxum is a Bayliner with more lipstick on it. I would stay away from it because its from the time period when Bayliner/Maxum made some pretty bad boats.

 

[redneck joe]

I'd go with the Maxum, it's a good boat my buddy had one with the 305 45-50mph regularly. It is a sleeker design, and is the sister of a Bayliner, although better made. Not too light, nor too heavy. The Wellcraft would be my 2nd choice, but it's a bit heavier for that 4.3, and if it needs work, maybe not a good choice.

forgot about the Bayliner connection and yes it rides well I had a 1990 2050 model and quite comfortable.

 

[Starcraft5834]

if the selection you go with is the largest boat lenght wise...ie- a 20 ft boat comparred to an 18 footer, get the larger one...............that's my recommendation. If your on a pond it matters little, on larger water.. it matters a lot

 

[turbocorrado]

Good stuff from the gang so far. I'm leaning toward the Max, myself. But what are the prices on these boats? All comparable to the $3,900 for the Crownline?

the wellcraft is $3000
maxum is $3500
sunbird is $2500

our goal is to stay under $4k if possible. im going out tonight to check out the wellcraft at 8:30, got a slight backstory on the boat from the seller, and im supposed to go look at the maxum on wed evening, i found out its got a 4.3 in it. still havent gotten a reply from the sunbird yet.

 

[keith2k455]

If you're worried about speed before you buy, that won't stop once you own a boat. If speed is important to you, don't compromise on a v8. Speed was important to me and I got a 5.0. I wonder if it's enough, but seeing how fast I hit 40, I think I'm OK

 

[nlain]

Once you inspect and think you want one or the other, water test, see what they will do, if the seller will not water test you probably want to look elsewhere. Water test will tell you how well they perform or how bad they perform. Water Test, Water Test, Water Test.

 

[Cptkid570]

The 3.0 liter motor is the most reliable and most economical of the boats you are looking at. We just had someone die close to where I live because they felt as if they had to travel at WOT. My 18'2" boat with a 3.0 liter in it will pull both of my kids skiing or tubing at the same time.

Just buy a boat that is 1995 or newer so that it has the more modern look to it = rounded windshield and the back end of it has the molded in swim platform.

Also, you said that you are mechanically handy? Look at which boat is easiest to work on. If you can't change the starter without removing the exhaust manifold, then the engine isn't easy to work on.