1982 24ft Searay

C

CaptainSteveo

Seaman
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May 1, 2020
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61
pprzerac said:
Hello, thank you again everyone for all the reply's. I'm in the process of contacting the sellers that Carl1783 posted above. The 1992 Wellcraft looks very interesting to me, although $6500 is above my price point of $5000, we'll see if the seller has wiggle room.

Any thoughts on this boat:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-motorboat/owen-sound/wilker-weekender-deep-water-boat/1505722154

Thanks
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Initial impression is a very old boat that does not look that well maintained. I would be worried about potential wood rot. Also seems to have some confusing information. I've never heard of a Mercruiser 170 hp 4 cylinder. Usually a 4 is 130 to 140 hp.

Looks like a pretty heavy boat that you might have trouble water skiing with.
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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stay away from the mercruiser 470 (the 170hp 4-banger). the good is that it has a mercruiser drive. the bad, its a platypus motor that should never have seen the light of day. its a mercruiser designed motor using the pistons, connecting rods and head from a ford 460, the flywheel and bolt pattern from a GM inline motor, a custom mercuiser aluminum block with floating bores and an outboard charging system in the front damper pulley.

simply google mercruiser 470 problems....
they are prone to head gasket problems because of the floating bores in the aluminum block and the iron head, the water cooled voltage regulator is no longer available so an alternator conversion is usually done, and the cam snout wasn't hardened and the cam is what drives the impeller used as a water pump on the front of the motor, so coolant usually starts leaking into the oil
 
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CaptainSteveo

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Scott Danforth said:
stay away from the mercruiser 470 (the 170hp 4-banger). the good is that it has a mercruiser drive. the bad, its a platypus motor that should never have seen the light of day. its a mercruiser designed motor using the pistons, connecting rods and head from a ford 460, the flywheel and bolt pattern from a GM inline motor, a custom mercuiser aluminum block with floating bores and an outboard charging system in the front damper pulley.

simply google mercruiser 470 problems....
they are prone to head gasket problems because of the floating bores in the aluminum block and the iron head, the water cooled voltage regulator is no longer available so an alternator conversion is usually done, and the cam snout wasn't hardened and the cam is what drives the impeller used as a water pump on the front of the motor, so coolant usually starts leaking into the oil
Click to expand...

Interesting, never heard of that particular motor. Sounds like a total Frankenstein nightmare. 170 hp from a 4 cylinder of that vintage is impressive though...
 
matt167

matt167

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The 470 is a nifty engine. It made tons of power for what it was and worked 'ok'. But it lacked the R&D to perfect it in a time when the 4.3L came along and did everything as good as the 470 could while being a regular production engine..

Mercruiser was/ Is high tech when it comes to engines. They built the LT5 for Chevrolet which was the ZR1 engine for the C4 era Corvette, although the LT5 was designed by Lotus
 
roffey

roffey

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My last boat had a 488, same motor but with a 4bbl and 188 hp.

Yup I toasted the voltage regulator and had to convert it over to a alternator and the next year I bent a connecting rod. Boat would do 55 MPH + (on the GPS).
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

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You can do a ton of mods to the 470 to make it reliable, however it requires swapping to an aluminum head, a bore stabilization spider, a davies craig waterpump, the upgraded HX, a carb spacer and a custom cam....however for hald the work and half the cost you can simply swap in a 4.3
 
M

Mtl-Diesel

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Mar 15, 2019
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91
Just a thought here. Since you say you are willing to scrap a $5000 boat after 3-4 years, why not look at a $9000-$10,000 boat and sell it in 3-4 years? Based on your expectation, you could sell it for up to $5000 less than you paid and have a decent boat to start/learn on. But odds are, you would end up ahead in the game. Just my 2 cents.....
 
P

pprzerac

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Jun 9, 2020
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Hello, thanks again for all the reply's. The search continues. I will pass on the last boat given all the comments on engine problems. Owner says he has 4 batteries hooked up, which makes me suspicious. I'm still waiting to hear back on two of the boats which Carol1783 posted, 1 of the 3 owner said they would get back to me if not sold on Friday. Mtl-Diesel has an good suggestion regarding getting a more expensive boat and selling, however, I'm looking for something $5000 or under which I can scarp at any moment without being worried about hte lost money (could be something I do which breaks the boat or it ends up being a lemon). I wouldn't be happy if I had to scrap a $10,000 boat.

Thoughts on this boat? https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-m...-elite-20-ft-bowrider-with-trailer/1505881583

I like: Size (20'),mercruiser engine (I believe), seating for 6, and tandem trailer
I don't like: old (1983), no cuddy cabin,

Thanks again
 
Carl1783

Carl1783

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Is no cuddy a deal breaker? I like the bowrider out of those 2 better. Looks like the owner has made attempts to maintain it/ keep it up.

The outboard would be conceivably less maintenance... But a 125 might be a bit under powered on that hull. Also, it's a 2 stroke. Torquey but smoky and louder than a 4 stroke. I cannot tell the make of the motor, that would be important.
 
Carl1783

Carl1783

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pprzerac said:
Hello, Thanks for the reply Carl1783. A cuddy is not a deal breaker. The owner of the 1983 Cadorette bowrider has not responded to me yet, at $3500 asking the price seems good for what it is.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-mo...ler/1505726589 This boat is slightly smaller at 18' but is a 1992, so much newer, asking $6000. If owner agrees to $5000 might be the winner?
Click to expand...

I like this one. Looks like a 3.0 Merc from pics, not a 3.5 like his ad says. Solid 4 banger. I say go look at it!
 
JASinIL2006

JASinIL2006

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Just keep in mind that any of the boats you're pursuing, in that age range and price point, are at high risk of having serious issues. There is no such thing as a trouble-free 30 year old boat... so look very carefully. I agree 18' Glastron looks like it would be worth a visit.
 
tpenfield

tpenfield

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Agree with JAS . . . any of these boats are a roll of the dice. So, our collective opinions would be about the same for any of these boats, especially since we are just looking at pictures.
 
Carl1783

Carl1783

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pprzerac said:
Thanks again for all the reply's. I'm going to look at this boat on Monday (1995 Four Winns) https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1506079969

Agreed to $4000 CAD. It has the OMC engine which I have been warned against. If the boat is running without issues (as the owner says) any reason to walkaway?

Thanks
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Looks like a nice example from the pics. If it has been maintained as he says, and your plan is to just get four years out of it, then it could work out. Remanned OMC drive parts are out there, so if you have a breakdown it can be fixed. It just wont be quick or cheap.
 
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