Buying my first boat

[bada_bing]

Hey Everyone,

First I wanted to say hello as i am new to this site and this is my first post.
We are looking to purchase our first boat just before the season is over and hopefully getting a good deal on a boat. We are looking to purchase a

1992 24' Regal I believe it is a 240 with a Volvo 5.7L Engine. I went and looked at it yesterday as it was in the water parked at the dock and met the owners brother, the boat looked pretty good to visual damage to the hual except towards to top there was a 2" long x 1/2" deep scratch into the fiberglass which didnt seem major. The engine started right away and sounded good, the engine time showed 409 hours. The rest of the boat like floor, and rooms appeared in pretty nice shape and clean. The boat has a fridge,microwave,radio/cd, stovetop, seperate bath with port-a-potty and shower and two room. Lots of storage. The seats needed a bit of cleaning but in good shape except one corner had a small tear.

The boat has no trailer included and the guy is asking $9700.... Can I have some feedback from you guys with more experience with what you all thing and things to look for. Also any feedback on the Regal brand. Is this a good deal? Should I be concerned..

Also... What is the winter/summer maintence line on these boats. I will have to have it stored at the marina as I dont have storage.

One more thing I noticed was in the engine compartment I noticed there was about 3" of water, is this normal? The owner said this is normal and eventually will drain. This water was located directly under the motor

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: Buying my first boat

I would not buy that boat.

No need to buy a boat that size that has been stored in the water.

you can find one in a dry storage or on a trailer. Even if you plan to keep it in the water I would start out with one that has better care taken. ( how much water has it soaked up) what shape is the drive. how much paint on the bottom? how often is the drive serviced?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Buying my first boat

A boat with water in the bilge almost up to the engine oil pan has some issues. It may be an excellent boat otherwise but you need to determine "why" that water is there. Water in a boat is not normal. Have it inspected by a marine surveyor since it is obvious you are not familiar with marine power systems. You do not have a Volvo engine. You have a Volvo outdrive powered by a General Motors engine sold to Volvo for use with their outdrive just a Mercruiser uses the same engine for use with their outdrive only it has a Mercruiser decal on the engine.

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Buying my first boat

You should be able to get a newer and/or better boat for $10k, especially at the end of the season.

 

[bada_bing]

Re: Buying my first boat

I would not buy that boat.

No need to buy a boat that size that has been stored in the water.

you can find one in a dry storage or on a trailer. Even if you plan to keep it in the water I would start out with one that has better care taken. ( how much water has it soaked up) what shape is the drive. how much paint on the bottom? how often is the drive serviced?

The seller said the boat was not stored in the water, he said he pulls it out of the water in the winter and stores it at the marina.
The motor has had it's normal oil changes.

As far as the water ther was not much maybe 3-4 gallons and he said that is normal

 

[dlngr]

Re: Buying my first boat

The SELLER says that water in the boat is normal. Guys on the forum say that water inside the boat is NOT NORMAL. hmmmm---- who to believe???
I've been told that the water goes on the OUTSIDE of the boat!

 

[RobbyA]

Re: Buying my first boat

As far as the water ther was not much maybe 3-4 gallons and he said that is normal

3-4 gallons of water is normal if the water is sitting in a five gallon bucket, but not on a boat. Seriously, if I saw that much water in the bilge I would start panicking. If you buy that boat, I think you will be posting a restoration thread after about the third time on the water. The price seems a little high to me for the boat also.

 

[tractoman]

Re: Buying my first boat

No water in the bilge is normal. If you can measure it in inches or gallons, there is a leak. I wouldn't mess with that one. You want to inspect the boat out of the water, and start it when it is cold. If he's at the dock, it may have taken him 45 minutes to start it before you saw it run. If the owner says all that water in the bilge is normal, what other issues are there that he also thinks are "normal". Did he say where the water will drain to? It's below the water line.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: Buying my first boat

1 the boat is not a bargin. So why take a chance
2 if you had your location we would know if it is salt water. If so I would not dream of it at 1/2 the price.

3 The pump should kick on before you get that much water.

4 Is that compartment sealed off? Or can water get under the floor?

5. does the boat perform well or like it might have extra weight.

6 how much water was in there before you looked at it.

7 can you see a high water mark ( a dark shadow several inches above the floor of the bilge.

normaly water in that area can run into the double bottom and soak up foam, wood, etc. and cause lots of problems.

I fell in love with my first boat and bought it too fast. It happens

 

[bowler]

Re: Buying my first boat

If he has stored the boat with no cover and rain water has gotten in that may explain it. My boat was dry when I viewed it. When I came back to get it a week or so later it had water in the bilge. It had been stored with covers in a weeks worth of heavy rain but the covers were not 100% water tight and some water leaked into the bilge. My bilge pump is not auto hence it was there to greet me. Almost a year later and I can confirm that the boat has no leaks. Ask him why water is in the bilge and what makes it normal in his opinion. Also, as stated above do all you can to be 100% sure that boat is ok, I brought an experienced friend who has had several boats and a friend who is a car mechanic to put my mind at rest. If you buy a load of problems you will be 100% miserable.

Unreliable boat = Nervous and unpleasant boating
Reliable boat = Happy boating
Broken boat = No boating

Good luck and tread carefully!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying my first boat

The seller said the boat was not stored in the water, he said he pulls it out of the water in the winter and stores it at the marina.

So it's in the water all season? That's "stored in the water".

Price is high for that old a boat with no trailer.

 

[bada_bing]

Re: Buying my first boat

So it's in the water all season? That's "stored in the water".

Price is high for that old a boat with no trailer.

No No... What my post said was that the boat was NOT stored in the water but rather taken out of the water my the marina and stored on-land

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying my first boat

Is it in the water all summer?

 

[bada_bing]

Re: Buying my first boat

So it's in the water all season? That's "stored in the water".

Price is high for that old a boat with no trailer.

What is a fair price? His listing is $9700 OBO and NADA is $10400 with trailer

As to the water in the engine compartment I was told by the owner that the water can be pumped out by turning the bilge pump as he has not been in the boat for over two weeks and every boat will have a little water in that area and does not mean its a leak. Listed below are some pics.. Tell me your thoughts and if I should offer him $$$, how much if any...

 

[bada_bing]

Re: Buying my first boat

Is it in the water all summer?

Yes

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Buying my first boat

The boat needs to be inspected by a professional marine surveryor. If its at a marina talk to marina guy, maybe he maintained it. Water in bilges is not normal and if he is telling you that you should see red flags flying everywhere. I agree with everyone else on the price. An 18 year old boat without trailer is too much for 10K. By the way, if the boat does not have a trailer its on the water all "season" long. The marina is probably pulling the boat out at the end of the season and putting it on foam blocks for winter storage. Talk to marina guy about how much storage is for winter, how much winterization is how much slip rental is and if you have 3 inches of water in bilge, how much his labor rates are.

 

[BF]

Re: Buying my first boat

prices vary greatly depending on location. Since you haven't filled out that section in your profile, no one knows where you are, or if this is sitting in fresh or salt water. People often say NADA pricing is way off, but again it seems it may vary with location.

ditto what the others have said. There's no way I'd buy a 24' boat without a trailer being included. I think it would be a major pain to have repairs / maintenance done without it. Sure, the marina place might do work, but w/o a trailer, you don't really have another option if their work isn't great or their prices are high (except maybe borrow a trailer). Keeping a boat on the water for the summer (yes that means it is stored on the water between uses) causes other maintenance probs... (e.g. alga / barnacle growth, bottom paint, electrolytic corrosion etc) and the bellows must be kept up with (probably replaced every few seasons), bellows failure could easily sink a moored boat. Sometimes moored boats get less maintenance than trailered boats... It's easy to check for water in the lower unit oil when the boats on a trailer... not so easy when it's sitting on the water. So, for example, it may be run for a long time with a leaky bottom end.

Also, if 3+ inches in the bilge is considered normal, I'd be very concerned that the stringers/foam etc are water logged. If 3" is normal, do they sometimes have twice as much water under the floor?? It is very odd that that it doesn't have a float switch to automatically turn the bilge pump on (e.g. to clear any rainwater that might get in). Constantly having water under the floor and in contact with the stringers is not good. Many people that moor have good covers and 2 batteries and 2 float activated bilge pumps (backups). The fact that this owner doesn't even have a float switch shows a pretty slack attitude to keeping the boat (not a good sign).

You don't really say much about the boat either. Did you just hear it run, or actually do a water test? If you really are a newbie to boats, you might not be able to tell if it's performing like it should. The cosmetics of the boat are more obvious, but to me are much less important than the soundness of the structure, and how healthy the drive train is. Are you aware at how expensive it is to get work done on a boat? The bill will hit 4 digits before can say "ouch". At least if you buy something that is maintained well, you give yourself a chance.

It sounds like you're kind of locked on this one, which doesn't seem to be a good sign either.

 

[bowler]

Re: Buying my first boat

BF said it all!

Also, it does sound like you have fallen in love which is easy to understand, that's why we're all here in iboats - boats are great! However, don't risk a broken heart without ALL the info.

I can't believe it's kept in the water without an auto bilge pump. The owner is either really rich or really slack. Alarm bells ringing

 

[bada_bing]

Re: Buying my first boat

You will also see in the second pic where the engine is the water im talking about you can barely see it.

 

[security6]

Re: Buying my first boat

You will also see in the second pic where the engine is the water im talking about you can barely see it.

I see the picture and there is a lot of water in that bilge. I'm not sure why you want to keep arguing that it isn't a big deal, when everyone here says it is. It's your money dude. If you want to blow it on a boat with issues, go for it. Just don't expect any here to tell you that it is a good idea.