Buying new boat, need advice

[rx boost]

Hello all,

First time poster and first time boat owner to be.

We are buying a 2001 Glastron gx225 with 173 hours on it. I've got a few questions regarding it though.

The prop has a slight chip in one of the blades - about 1/2". Is this going to be detrimental to performance? It has the 5.7 Volvo penta and one thing I don't know is if its efi. Can someone shed some light on this?

I'm taking it for a test ride on Thursday and then hopefully leaving with it.

Its already got a bimini and wake tower with speakers.

Thanks for any help.

 

[brick75]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

A damaged prop is not good. I think pretty much anyone would tell you to replace it. On the engine, I would hope that the owner could tell you if it is carb or injection. If they don't know off the top of their head, they should be able to just open the cover and see the engine model name right on top. Good luck, hope it works out.

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

I had been looking at props, I just wasnt sure about the pitch. We will be wakeboarding, kneeboarding, etc. But I also want a prop that's gonna let me get some speed in the open water. Is 4 blade the way to go? Are they easy to install DIY?

 

[brick75]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

I'd recommend that you ask about the prop selection over in the prop forum. You'll get a lot more people seeing it and giving advice.

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Performance / top end... 3 blade
More torque/ pick up ... 4-5 blade.

With a 5.7... depending on how much your boat weighs, you may be just fine sticking with a 3 blade since you have a big engine. If your boat struggles, then consider a 4 blade ( 4 and 5 blades have less top end)

 

[jkust]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Any prop can be remanufactured at a prop shop. If the damage is to a stainless prop, it must have hit hard, if it is aluminum, it doesn't take too much to damage them. When an ss prop hits bottom it doesn't easily become damaged and so the inards of the outdrive take some of the force which is bad, while an aluminum prop has a built in fail safe of easily damaging and thus saving the gears within your outdrive. I'll ignore the fact that the hub can mitigate the situation as well. Aluminum is great for cheap price, new boaters and boating on unfamiliar bodies of water. Replacing a prop can be a 5 minute job and is extremely easy with a crescent wrench. I would buy a new prop and keep the current prop as a spare after it is repaired. As for efi, or carb, the engine cover will say EFI on it. If there is a round flame arrestor on it is carb. Don't mistake old efi technology that was ushered out right around 2001/2002 and replaced with the still in existance MPI (multiport fuel injection). Carbs are still produced or at least sold into runoff as they have become outlawed mostly by the EPA, MPI is still produced but EFI is obselete on our I/O's. In other words your prospect boat would have likely had the newer technology engine if it was a year newer and presuming someone selected MPI over carb.

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will look into getting it remanufactured.

jkust - so you are saying that it is probably carb?

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

I looked up the serial number on Volvo's site. I still dont have a clear cut answer. If it's 4 stroke does that mean for sure it's carb? Evidently if it is GS it is carb, if GSi then injected, but I really dont know which it is.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

GS is carbed. The term 4 stroke is usually used for outboards. Makes no differance on an I/O. My buddy has a Carravelle with that engine and it is carbed. The prop is questionable, but I ran mine with a few knicks in it for years. I finally bent it and had to replace it, but a new prop felt just like the old one did before I bent it. If its aluminum, they only cost about $125 brand new. In my opinion its not worth remanufactoring. If its stainless, which would be unusual on an I/O, then it would be worth it.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Actually, with the knowlege you have about boats, it might be a good idea to have a shop check it out for you. A lot of problems can be hid in a boat, and it is 12 years old, 2012s are out now.

 

[jkust]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

I looked up the serial number on Volvo's site. I still dont have a clear cut answer. If it's 4 stroke does that mean for sure it's carb? Evidently if it is GS it is carb, if GSi then injected, but I really dont know which it is.

Well it is a car engine which is a 4 stroke engine. 4 stroke and efi are not mutually exclusive so don't draw any conclusions with those terms. Two stroke vs 4 stroke is an outboard discussion and those came both carb and efi. If you have a photo of the top of the engine, we can tell you quickly. The odds are that it is a carb because they produced so many more but those are just odds and yes GS is the carbed version. As a first boat i'd have no problem with either carb or efi, but if I had my druthers I'd want the one year newer MPI version of the 5.7.
Whatever it actually is, there is a lot going on with a boat that big, that age with that engine and outdrive so given your experience, you will do yourself a huge favor and get it checked out professionally. Believe the collective experience of the people on here that it really is a must given your situation.

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Do these engines, in a carb form, give issues as far as a lot of maintenance? I am hoping with 173 hours that this thing is in good shape - I dont have any pics of the engine as it was my brother and wife that saw it while I was working . Thursday will be my first look at it in person.

mny - how does the engine run in that boat?

This is the actual boat: http://www.boattrader.com/find/listing/GLASTRON-GX 225-98791761/?ZMC=Oodle&BAC-Oodle

We tentatively have it for $14,900 pending it checks out.

I appreciate everyone's advice, I am going to talk to a local mechanic on Thursday before I go and see what he can do or tell me.

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Well I went and test drove it on Thursday and noticed a couple things with it...

First, the power steering pump belt was loose, but one of the studs was stripped, so that's been replaced and all is good there.

The 2nd thing though is a big deal potentially. I noticed when doing a holeshot that it would rev up, stutter - kind of like bog - and then rev up just fine and do all the speeds I could ever want to.

So the consignment place has the boat being looked at by a marina - hopefully we have an answer by tomorrow. If the seller does not want to fix it then the deal is off/void. I have already signed all the paperwork and everything, but it will all go void depending on what happens with this.

Does anyone know what might be going on?

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Clogged fuel filter, Dirty flame arrestor (air filter), new tune up would all help. Could be bad gas, who knows how long its sat

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Well I went and test drove it on Thursday and noticed a couple things with it...

First, the power steering pump belt was loose, but one of the studs was stripped, so that's been replaced and all is good there.

The 2nd thing though is a big deal potentially. I noticed when doing a holeshot that it would rev up, stutter - kind of like bog - and then rev up just fine and do all the speeds I could ever want to.

So the consignment place has the boat being looked at by a marina - hopefully we have an answer by tomorrow. If the seller does not want to fix it then the deal is off/void. I have already signed all the paperwork and everything, but it will all go void depending on what happens with this.

Does anyone know what might be going on?

Sounds like what my boat did when I got weeds and fishing line up behind the prop on the shaft. I cleaned it all out and it was fine. Might be that coupler too. Not a huge issue, but get it diagnosed and fixed prior to taking delivery. Could be worse than this. Test drive it before you take delivery too. Just in case they try to pull a fast one on ya.

 

[rx boost]

Re: Buying new boat, need advice

Well, right after I noticed this the consigner took it out on the lake and noticed the problem as well. He took it to the marina who specializes in Volvo engines and they said the engine needs to be replaced. So the seller is paying for it and I should hopefully have it in my hands Friday or Saturday with zero hours.