Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

[trayscool]

Hello iboats. I enjoy reading these forums and have learned a ton about boats from these forums. Thank you!

I am shopping for a 19-22' Walkaround cuddy fishing boat for about $11K. Here in CA we are somewhat limited on used boat choice in this type of boat, IE for every 1 for sale in CA there are 10 in FL. My main concern is a reliable motor and this will ultimately decide what boat to buy. I have been looking now for about a month and have narrowed it down to these couple boats:

1996 Proline 20' with 2000 Johnson Ocean Pro 150hp carb'd. Motor looks like new and runs great. The boat is in good shape, but used. needs good cleaning and couple small repairs on the bimini. It also needs new bottom paint and the seat fabric is trashed.

1999 Trophy with 1999 Force 120hp. Motor looks great and runs great. Boat is in great shape and looks hardly used. Great layout and extremly clean.

1996 Seaswirl with 1996 Evinrude 150hp. Boat is clean and motor runs good, but looks used. Boat has great layout.

My first instinct is to buy the Proline since the motor runs great and I really love the proline layout. From what I read proline is a really well built boat. The trophy looks like new but the Force motor concerns me. I owned one on my Maxum and blew up the unit the day after i got the boat. I know these things happen, but since the motor is a 1999 did they have the bugs worked out? The seaswirl I probably wont take a second look because it has an older motor that looks tired.

Thaks in advance for your suggestions/comments

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

i would not touch the Force!!! Looks are not everything.

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. You walk all over the deck, that a mallot, or hammer with wooden handle, using handle, tap all over the transom, a shape rap is good solid base, a thud, is questionable base.

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

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

Anything but the Force !!!!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

I know these things happen, but since the motor is a 1999 did they have the bugs worked out?

Forces actually got worse as time went on.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.
boat motor combo, A 30 year old may be in better condition, than a 3 year old.

TD is bang on. Listen to his advice, particularly the quote above.

I had a well maintained '65 Mercury that was amazing, but it was well cared for.

I also have a 2001 Ocean Pro and think its a great motor as well. How well its maintained is much more important than the year stamped on the leg of the motor.

 

[trayscool]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

Thanks for all your replies!

I want a boat to do some costal fishing as well as cruising to catalina for the weekend. The nice thing about a walkaround is it can serve both purposes quite nice as well as a little watersports if needed. I was suprised at how big the cabin in the proline was for such a small boat.

I only need to seat at most 4 people and these boats have anough room for 6 pretty nice. I dont forsee having to give too many boat rides

Im dead set on having an outboard because of space on the boat and it can be easily replaced if needed.

My budget is limited to around $11K so I can find something pretty nice for this price.

Looks like Im going to try and buy the Proline. I took a pretty good look at the boat this weekend and everything seems to be in working order. There are no soft spots on the deck and the hull is in great shape. The motor has great compression (we did a compression test) but i will have to check the lower unit oil next time. We are going to do a sea trial in 2 weeks.

Thanks again for your advice

 

[mikesea]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

Out of the 3 ,PROLINE,get compression test,drain a few drops of oil from BOTTOM gearcase drainplug.Note if water falls out first,if so be concerned especially if the oil is greyish or anything but looking like new car oil.Black indicates old,lack of change.Check the trim and tilt rams for oil leaking around the pistons,run up and down a few x.I realise im repeating some suggestions,but important.look on each side of the transome where eng attaches for cracks.If you can,with eng up,on land,push down on the lowerunit above prop and look for transome flex.Check your bilge pump(s)and all electrical .Unless your handy,anything thats broke will cost 75-100 bucks an hr.plus parts to fix.

 

[trayscool]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

Thanks for the info. I checked the transom for flex and it didnt have any. The hull is in great shape.

I will check the oil in the lower unit after we take it for a cruise and make sure it looks good.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

I would hire a marine surveyor to look at the boat. Different boats have different weaknesses. What may be problematic on boats from manufacturer Y might not be a problem on manufacturer X boats. A good surveyor would know what to look for on a particular boat.

I would also ask to have the boat inspected with a moisture meter. Looking for soft spots and flexing transoms is after the fact. Just because you don?t have a soft spot or the transom isn?t flexing today doesn?t mean the boats in good shape. It only means the problem hasn?t come to a head.

When I bought my boat it was checked thoroughly with a moisture meter and the figure are noted in the survey report. These figures are invaluable because I have a reference point from here on out. I could put a meter on the boat today and see if the readings have changed and therefore pin point a problem area long before morphs into a failure.

On a boat that old unless it has SS thru hulls they are going to be need changed. While your at it change the hoses as well. Odds are that they have already started to dry rot.

 

[trayscool]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

Thanks for your reply.

I will look into getting a survey tomorrow. How much should I expect to pay for this service?

Also if I get a survey should I still demand a sea trial as well?

Thanks again for all your help

 

[dingbat]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

I?ve seen surveyors charge by the foot and at flat rate. When I had my boat surveyed 3 yeas ago I paid $350 and an additional $50 for the full moisture survey.

I had my survey done after the seatrial. No sense in surveying a boat if it doesn't past the "sniff" test.

 

[trayscool]

Re: Buying Boat: What OB motor choice?

$400 is not too bad for an invesment like this, I will look into it, thanks!

I also found another boat that looks clean with a newer Mercury 225 FI Offshore. Are these motors pretty good? I off to the mercury forum.....