Buying boat, want advise

[perk40cu]

I am looking at buying a boat for the first time. I am currently looking at a 1993 17' Larson w/ 4.5l & Alpha 1 drive. What should I look for with it? Any typical problems, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

never heard of a 4.5L engine in front of an alpha - 4.3L perhaps??

1993 would probably be a gen 2 drive

take a look in the general boating forum on the main page - lots of threads about boat buying there

 

[perk40cu]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

never heard of a 4.5L engine in front of an alpha - 4.3L perhaps??

1993 would probably be a gen 2 drive

take a look in the general boating forum on the main page - lots of threads about boat buying there

Yup it is a 4.3l. My fat fingers hit the wrong key.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

4.3L with an alpha one gen 2 is a great set-up, check for two piece exhaust manifolds, if they are one piece they should be replaced with the two-piece, the one pieces are junk and WILL fail possibly cuasing internal engine damage

check the boat over thouroughly mold/rot/vinyl issues, etc...

check the electrical connections for tightness/corrosion

lake test the boat - make sure evrything works properly - lights, guages, safety equipment, etc...

ask for full maintenance records

have a mechanical inspection/survey performed

 

[Augoose]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

Plenty of power for a 17' if you ask me. I had a 20' with the 4.3 merc alpha 1 and it was great. If you are concerned that the 17' might be too small I might look for something larger. Typically if you are already thinking it may be too small, it probably is...

Having just bought a boat I was focused on the following:
1) inspecting EVERYWHERE for rot - stringers, deck, bolster pads, etc
2) draining a little lower gear oil and inspecting for signs of water intrusion- milky oil, excessive metal flaking, etc
3) inspecting engine oil and looking for signs of water
4) getting maintenance records- did they winterize properly?
5) Water test- not just running on muffs- does it turn through its range without noise or vibration at slow speed- if it does have noise or vibration the gimbal bearing or u-joints may need attention
6) Compression test- easy to do on your own or another excellent idea is to hire a marine surveyor
7) inspect transom for rot- tap with a soft mallet and listen for a dead "thump" instead of a solid tap
8) Was it used in the salt water - if so, when were the manifolds and risers last replaced? I've read that 6-7 years is max for riser/manifold life in salt water

Take lots of pics and post them up!

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

I am looking at buying a boat for the first time. I am currently looking at a 1993 17' Larson w/ 4.5l & Alpha 1 drive. What should I look for with it? Any typical problems, etc.

Thanks in advance.

The thing that I would add is that boats of that age are more appropriately evaluated on their specific conditions. Boats of that age still had a fair amount of wood in the structure and often flooring. So, rot is the key thing to look for.

 

[perk40cu]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

Would a 17' be too small for a family of 6 (my oldest is 8). I would guess that we would bring another family out with us most of the time. I like skiing so I am looking for a boat with lots of out of the hole power to help me get up.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

Well,
when we go skiiing we're of course cutting back on the number of people actually in the boat at the time, so in answer to part of your question, yes a 17' boat with a 4.3 has PLENTY of power to pull you up even on one, even if you are 200+ lbs.

Now, a 17' boat for a family of 6 I think would be tight- but that's just my opinion. With my 20', I wouldn't want any less room and we are only a family of 4 - when you add in tubes, towels, cooler, spare clothes, etc, things start getting cramped.

What kind of configuration is it - pedestal seats with a bench in the rear or double back to back lounge seats with jump seats in the rear?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

17' open bow w/ an I/O may get crowded w/ 6. Check the USCG plate, it should give you a head count & weight maximums. A guess would be:

2 jump seats either side of the I/O motor doghouse
2 helm seats (port & starboard)
2 bow seats

I doubt the helm seats are back to back fold outs. but maybe.

add 'stuff' for skiing, PFD for everyone, all the other items people tend to take: beverages & cooler, food/snacks, beach bag (s) with shirts, shoes, towels, suntan lotion, sunglasses, cellphones & chargers, MP3 players. This is particularly bad when it's a weekend trip that doesn't include on the lake lodging (a place to leave some stuff for non-regular access) that includes a dock or esp on a busy weekend that keeps the ramp & dock crowded, so leaving stuff in the truck isn't convenient either.

And yes 6 can get crowded in 17'.....

In high school & college, we were a bit crowded on a 20' Chris Craft cuddy w/ 5 or 6, out cruising or skiing. Just guys w/ the bare minimum on everything: food, beverages, gear & towels. And no it wasn't so we could carry more beer. We had a slip at the marina, but didn't leave anything that didn't fit in the 2X2X6' tall storage locker. We 'warehoused' some stuff at the cabin up the hill, particularly refrig & freezer stuff, but stayed out on the water or at the dock so everything was pretty much w/ us 24/7 on the boat.

 

[perk40cu]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

Thx for the advise guys. I am going to look at a 20' maxum instead.

Thx again.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

Posting your general location and a little about you and your family would be a big help for us to help you, pretty hard to give you complete advice with the limited information you have supplied us.

6 people on a 17' boat is going to feel a little bit like a clown car because your children will want to bring friends and suddenly your at capacity, 20' would be much better in a open floor plan boat, a cuddy would again be tight since you lose the bow seating but could give you a place for your little ones to sleep in the heat of the day...

 

[NYBo]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

I have a 17' bowrider with an outboard (more interior room than one with an I/O) and four seems to be the limit of normal-size people to be even vaguely comfortable for any length of time.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

perk

Pick on 8 foot wide or wider boats ONLY. You gain a lot of safety & room that way. at no extra cost. Something like a Chaparral. Wide & DEEP hull. Great for 6 to 8 full sized adults. The V6 or V8 will plane with all the people & gear you collect.

 

[perk40cu]

Re: Buying boat, want advise

We have 4 boys. The oldest is 8. We currently live in Washington state. We move frequently for work, mostly on the west coast. I love to ski, my boys like fishing and riding a tube. We would use the boat mostly on lakes and larger rivers.