Good deal or not?

[BigBoatinOkie]

Howdy, I'm new to the forum and I have never owned a boat, nor have even been around boats much. I have the oportunity to purchace a 1986 Cheetah 180 for $1900. It is 17.5" Inboard/Outboard with 170 hp Mercruiser. Boat looks very clean and I know it has been stored inside most of it's life. The upholstery is pretty good shape. Owner said the last time he had it out (last summer) it would sputter and bog down upon hard acceleration. (I would guess carb., bad fuel, filters, fuel pump?) I think it has only been out a 3 or 4 times in the last few years. The only other problem I've seen is part of the floor is starting to get a little spongy and probably needs replacing soon. I'm sure it is worth the money, but is this a good investment in the long run, or is this just going to be a money pit? Sorry for the long post. Thanks for opinions.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

Welcome to iboats.
Inboard/Outboard with 170 HP, sounds like the Mercruiser 470 to me. Spongy floor means it most likely will also need stringers.
My advice is to put on a comfy pair a tennis shoes and RUN RUN away from that boat.
Seriously, search Merc 470 and you will see that its a pain in the butt. Keep looking and when you find something else you like ask here and people will answer your questions.
A boat is rarerly an investment. All of us here have them because we love to be in the water. Once you replace the deck, stringers and in this case the engine, you wont get your money back on a resale.

 

[spktho]

Re: Good deal or not?

In my opinion, a boat is a money pit no matter how much you originally pay for it, with the correct maintenance. The rotten deck is a problem that could be fixed in the hopes that there is not more damage under it. You should have the engine looked over really well and have a compression test. It may be just the carb or fuel delivery problem, but you would probably like to know what shape the rest of the motor is in. You should also research the outdrive--omc is out of business and parts and mechanics are hard to find for them. I'm sure I'm missing something but, you should know that if you buy it, you will be spending money on it continuously....so be prepared for that.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Good deal or not?

I have owned several boats over the years and every one of them were expensive. now having said that I will never be without one.

A spongy deck is never a good thing. You can have the work done or if your handy, and most boat owners become handy, you can do the work yourself.
Be prepared to cuss, shout and, if your married, fight with your wife about sticking money into fixing the deck in that boat.

I am not familiar with I/O's and can't tell you anything about the one in that boat. I have always had outboards.

My advice is to keep looking. There are PLENTY of boats out there that you could pick up for that kind of money that will require alot less work and, judging by other posts, have better motors.

P.S. Welcome to Iboats!!

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Good deal or not?

Thanks for the quick replies. Are boat motors harder to work on than automobile motors? Once again, I'm new to boating. I'm pretty darn mechanically inclined, and just looking at the little four cylinder it looks simple to work on. Only one little spot in the floor is spongy. I suspect it is because the owner put in aftermarket seats and some water probably got through the screw holes. The rest of the floor feels solid. Well, if yall think its a jalopy, I guess I'll pass. And I was all excited to be a boater

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

In my opinion, a boat is a money pit no matter how much you originally pay for it, with the correct maintenance. The rotten deck is a problem that could be fixed in the hopes that there is not more damage under it. You should have the engine looked over really well and have a compression test. It may be just the carb or fuel delivery problem, but you would probably like to know what shape the rest of the motor is in. You should also research the outdrive--omc is out of business and parts and mechanics are hard to find for them. I'm sure I'm missing something but, you should know that if you buy it, you will be spending money on it continuously....so be prepared for that.

I agree. The correct maintance can get pricey if you dont do the work yourself.
Even though some people can keep an OMC i/o or a Merc 470 running, most of us are better off without them. Look for a Merc or Volvo with the 3.0, 4.3, 5.0, 5.7 or 7.4 engine. There is other good engines but these are common and parts can be had easily. Stay away from Merc 488, 485 or 3.7 they are all the 4 cylinder 470 (Im sure there was other names for that engine also). Im an i/o person but if I was you I would not rule out an outboard engine.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

Thanks for the quick replies. Are boat motors harder to work on than automobile motors? Once again, I'm new to boating. I'm pretty darn mechanically inclined, and just looking at the little four cylinder it looks simple to work on. Only one little spot in the floor is spongy. I suspect it is because the owner put in aftermarket seats and some water probably got through the screw holes. The rest of the floor feels solid. Well, if yall think its a jalopy, I guess I'll pass. And I was all excited to be a boater

yeah you are looking at a 470, run away from that one.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Good deal or not?

My advice is to keep looking. There are PLENTY of boats out there that you could pick up for that kind of money that will require alot less work and, judging by other posts, have better motors.

P.S. Welcome to Iboats!!

I haven't been able to find anything even close to this condition for this amount of money. Only reason I could get this price is because it's family. If you come across one, please let me know From what I've seen, about all I can get for that kind money is a total piece of junk, or a nice boat with no motor, or something with a little motor that won't pull a skier.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Good deal or not?

I sympathize with your situation. There is a lot of junk out there. My advice for anyone looking to get on the water cheaply and with the least risk of financial ruin is to find an aluminum hull set up for an outboard. On an aluminum, even if all the wood is rotten (transom and deck) it's not a big deal to replace. And you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a decent older Johnson/Evinrude/Mercury outboard to hang off the back of it. Check out the link in my signature below to see how my $200 project turned out.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

Not sure what you want to use the boat for but, this one may be worth a look.
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/boa/1181267388.html

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

This one is an older one. It appears its gotten some love.
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/boa/1146588916.html

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Good deal or not?

ezmobee,
I clicked on your link. Nice work. Looks like you have brought some life back to that boat. An aluminum boat for a starter is a good idea.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Good deal or not?

I'm looking for a ski boat that will pull up 250+ lb. men. I figure I need at least 150 hp to have enough umph to get us big boys out of the water easily. Brother in law had a 115 hp that could get us up, but it took too much work.