buying a used

[manitoba]

im planning on buying a used runabout and am wondering if anyone has any advice on what boat and engine makes/models to go for or stay away from.

much appreciated
sincerly friendly manitoba

 

[commandohorn]

Re: buying a used

Stay away from Force Outboards!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: buying a used

welcome to iboats.

OMC inboard/outboards. Seadrives.

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. (This part for outboard motors Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,)
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.

A 30 year old boat motor combo, may be in better condition, than a 3 year old

 

[bomar76]

Re: buying a used

Examine the boat very carefully for the term "OMC" - if you find it anywhere, keep looking.

 

[brunolund]

Re: buying a used

welcome to iboats.

OMC inboard/outboards. Seadrives.

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

answer these and we'll be able to help alot more.
i too am a manitoban.

 

[ksims1868]

Re: buying a used

Examine the boat very carefully for the term "OMC" - if you find it anywhere, keep looking.

I've heard this time and time again and I guess I just got "lucky". I have a 1994 Johnson 140 with the old OMC controls and I have never (ever) had it skip a beat. ONCE I thought there was a problem and got scared at the boat ramp when the "pee hole" wasn't spewing water like it should...but it was a dirt dobber stuck in the line. Punched it out...away we went.

Sounds like my experience with OMC is a rarity though...so I'm not arguing with the previous advice. Just wanted to share that it IS possible to have a great trouble-free boating experience for years if the motor is built properly.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: buying a used

you miss understood, OMC outboards are fantasitic, Johnson, Evinrude. it is the OMC inboard/outboard and the OMC seadrives to stay away from. the are no longer supported with parts, and service.

 

[ksims1868]

Re: buying a used

you miss understood, OMC outboards are fantasitic, Johnson, Evinrude. it is the OMC inboard/outboard and the OMC seadrives to stay away from. the are no longer supported with parts, and service.

Ahhhh...good point that definitely can NOT be ignored!!

 

[manitoba]

Re: buying a used

what kind of problems have you come across regarding force outboards.

And why are the OMC so good, don't break as much?, more avaliable parts?

 

[manitoba]

Re: buying a used

answer these and we'll be able to help alot more.
i too am a manitoban.

im going to be buying a boat used for fish/sport/cruise with an average of four people per outing and it's definitly going to be an outboard. on the radar so far is a 84 larson with a 95 120hp force and a 87 starcraft with a 90 johnson. both open bow...

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: buying a used

Stay away from Force Outboards!

This is not great advice so take it with a grain of salt. However, according to some of the Force guys 'in the know' the Force stuff suffered immensely in the mid 90's when Mercury (who had bought them) hit them with a bunch of budget parts which did seem to make them pretty sensitive to cylinder melt down. So if you run across one ask if it is a Chrysler/Force (Ok) or a Mercury/Force (avoid).
I have a 90/90hp force and it has not given me any problems whatsoever...however it is an older design. Simple, rugged but not very sophisticated compared to some of the other brands (Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury).
Oh, one other thing...do not buy any Force L-Drives...sort of weird 2stroke inboard/outboard experiment best to avoid.
As T-Daddy said, its best to look for a boats history and maintenance rather than running to (or from) certain brands. Anything can be crap if it wasn't looked after and maintained.
Good luck.
BP

 

[sprouticus]

Re: buying a used

go with the johnson. I have a 90 horse evinrude now (basically the same motor) and I love it. I have never owned a force, but I hear bad things.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: buying a used

To sum up what others have already said, in I/O's stick with Mercruiser or Volvo. In outboards stick with pretty much anything but Force. If you're looking at mostly 80's boats you can't go wrong with Johnson/Evinrude and Mercury as far as parts availability and mechanics that can work on them. Also, if you're looking at boats from that era you may want to consider going aluminum. Much less "risk" if you will. Worst case scenario is you'd have to replace the deck and transom. Both of these are fairly simple jobs on an aluminum boat. On a fiberglass boat you have to worry about these plus stringer rot and they are all pretty big jobs. Check out the restoration section to see what that entails. Just something to think about and we encourage you to check any boat out very carefully. Buying a "project" can be fun if you know ahead of time what you're getting into (and of course don't overpay). Good luck!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: buying a used

excellant advice.