17' Invader, rebuild advice PLEASE

[Mudbugger]

I bought a 1985, 17' Invader, bow rider, with a 3.0/145 I/O. I thought that I bought it "right", it needed seating, a starter and a GOOD cleaning.

I repaired & rebuilt the starter (it is a marine unit), found that the tilt/trim was bad, so replaced it, and with a bit of tuning, the engine runs GREAT. The outdrive works fine also, we had it out twice last year and it performed pretty decently.

Now for the rest of the story. I've since, quadrupled the money invested (I realize that some of it is considered as non-recoverable expense) and it needs flooring and all of the upholstery redone. I bought seats and bases, but they need some repair and could use recovering to be A+1.

I am NOT married to this boat emotionally, but it was fun on the water. I'm seriously considering just putting it up for sale, I know that it will be at a loss, if that doesn't work (not everyone wants a project, just parting it out. The main saleable part being the power train.

Now's where your input comes in, I don't even know what the engine and outdrive could/should be worth. (I live in north central IN.) I have a use for the trailer, so that could be some recovery.

Help, but please go easy on a newbie!

 

[racerone]

Many 1985 model boats have serious issues with stringers / transom being rotten plywood.-------Working on a project right now where the repair materials far exceed the original investment.-------Some boats it is worth spending on the effort and some not.------You decide.----Put the drive train up for sale on say Craiglist with a " free " boat attached.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you learned the hard way that a 35 year old boat cant be "bought right" unless its an aluminum boat.

fiberglass boats over 15 years of age will have problems and nearly all fiberglass boats from the 80's will require a full blown restoration

what brand of drive? OMC or Mercruiser?

you mention 145hp, however OMC and Mercruiser called them 140hp back then

if its Mercruiser, the drive complete from transom shield to prop with controls and trim pump would be about $500
if its OMC, you can potentially part out the drive over a period of years and make $500, however a full drive would command less

the base motor itself, is about $300

as racerone stated, put the motor and drive on CL for a price of $800 with a free boat

 

[Mudbugger]

Sorry about that, it was a typo. Yes 3.0/140, Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1. The transom seems to be pretty solid. My bouncing up and down (215 # +/-) on the outdrive, has negligible flexing on the transom.

Initially I bought the boat & trailer for $250, but repairs ($175 for the trim motor, $60 for starter parts, $100 for seats, $130 for trailer tires, plus titles etc, etc) so a "cheap boat", is NOT. As we used to say, there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes, it looks like boats, follow that same rule.

I actually had a buyer, for the power train, last summer, but had other "visions".

As always, thanks again.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The transom seems to be pretty solid. My bouncing up and down (215 # +/-) on the outdrive, has negligible flexing on the transom./QUOTE]

there should be zero flex, and the only way to make certain there is no rot is to test-drill into the transom and stringers and look at the shavings (from the inside)

Initially I bought the boat & trailer for $250, but repairs ($175 for the trim motor, $60 for starter parts, $100 for seats, $130 for trailer tires, plus titles etc, etc) so a "cheap boat", is NOT. As we used to say, there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes, it looks like boats, follow that same rule.

you are still in it dirt cheap. anything under a $5000 fiberglass boat is a restoration project, anything under a $10,000 boat will have some TLC issues. small fiberglass boats have a design life of 15 years, and depending on the maintenance, a service life of between 10 and 40 years.

boating is one of the worlds most expensive hobbies. it is cheaper than racing and about the same as owning an airplane. it is less expensive than gambling in Monaco.

however this is the best website for DIY boat restoration. if you want to restore it, we can help.

 

[Mudbugger]

Must be a different market, back home. There are an abundance of runabouts, in the $2,000 to $5,000 range. These are weekenders, many aren't out more that 8 to 12 times a summer. I'm not including the fishermen, they're out anytime they can sneak away.
I'm guessing that, fully done, this boat wouldn't even bring $3,000 to $4,000, just due to the age and market competition.

As far as this website, forum and members, I can NOT agree with you more! I also belong to a few FB boat repair groups. The snarkiness there, the overall lack of encouragement and willingness to share, is night and day, from iBoats.

You guys are all, "Top Drawer"!

Thanks again.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Facetube is for posers who need likes. often wrong information.

I doubt its a different market back home. many junk boats being sold to un-suspecting folks. just spend a week going thru restoration threads on here, specifically look for ones that state rotten floor (usually 80s and 90s boats). spend enough time on iBoats and you realize that unless you personally have knowledge of a garage-kept beauty that was cleaned after every use, never had water in it, etc. fiberglass boats below $5k should be considered projects as most of them end up as full-blown restorations

you are correct, the market may not bear any more than $3-4k when done for your boat. you dont restore a fiberglass boat to sell it. you restore a boat to use it for your enjoyment. you will NEVER recoup money and time from a restoration. Ever.

doesnt matter if the boat is used 400 hours a year or 4 hours a year. once water get in where its not supposed to, rot happens. the last thing to rot on a boat is the floor

a boat well cared for getting 400 hours a year will be in better shape than the boat that averages 10 hours a year

maintenance goes off of calendar days, regardless if the boat is used or not.

as stated prior, we will be here to help should you decide to restore it.