First boat decision, should I buy or not?

[rookie_sailor]

I am debating whether to buy but have a couple of fears:

1. The boat in question is a 1984 22' Celebrity cruiser model 225V I/O with a mercruiser 4.7L 260HP with aft birth .It appears to be in good shape but could use a good buffing and cleaning. This is a cruiser with a kitchenette(ac/dc refrig and alchohol/elect.range),stand up head that can be pumped out, v birth with pedestal table,aft birth,running water(needs new hw tank) Comes with all necessary equip. Flaregun,Flares,Remote spotlight,life jackets,dock lines,anchor,fire extinguisher,vhf radio,bumpers,extra prop,battery isolator,battery condition meter Trailer is an EZ Loader that is in need of a paint job but is otherwise in good shape. Cabin floor has a 1 sqft which its a bit soft but seller says is nothing just a piece of plywood that can be replaced. Price $4000.00

2. I've read lots of articles concerning that boats are money pits which it's something I'm afraid of (wife is terrified)

3. I've also read articles on how dangerous boats can be and it is something I am not looking to experience. The engine compartment has a few cables that are connected to one another lying on top of the motor without any covers.

Please help me decide.

Thanks

 

[tommays]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

It sounds more used-up than used


There is no such thing as a Minor softspot



The wireing laying about screams poor upkeep and hack repiars


Tommays

 

[rndn]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

If you're really interested, have the boat checked out by a certified mechanic of your choosing. Boats that are in rough shape can be a money pit.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

if you are truely interested hire a marine surveyor to look at the boat. also have him do a 1 hour test run. then use the report to decide to run away, negotiate the price with the seller, in order to bring it up to standards.

 

[BF]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

ditto with above, and don't be fooled by thinking it's only a $4000 purchase so you don't want to spend the money to have someone check it out. For me, a water test would also be a must. For an I/O, there can be mechanical issues that cost additional thousands to fix. Since the current owner seems to have been content to use it in less than pristine condition, it would make me suspicious that perhaps they used it until there was major mechanical maintenance and/or repair issues looming. The fact that they'd imply that the soft spot was an easy fix tells me they either did all repairs 1/2 *****ed, or they think your naive.

Have you educated yourself about the maintenance and common repair items of I/O's? I'm not trying to scare you away from purchasing one, but if you're familiar with them a bit, it helps when your asking about maintenance records etc.

Last thought is that a good price on a bad boat is false economy. It'll cost more in the end.

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

Thanks to all for your inputs.

Yes I am a bit scared about the whole boating experience. I mean don't get me wrong, I dream about being able to own my own little boat and spend times with the wife and hopefully kids just cruising and perhaps doing some fishing. I love the fact that you can even spend a whole weekend on the waters and call it a mini-vacation. I just don't want to have to be spending money constanly! I thought of a boat as a car ...an engine to take some care of every now and then and that's all but i guess not!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

From the sounds of it you could be buying a potential nightmare. A surveyors report would give you a better idea and yes there is no such thing as a minor soft spot in plywood !!!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

why don't you try renting a boat for a day. before making the big jump. rent several different kinds of boats. also take a safe boaters course, and you will have a better knowledge of boats, and what to look for. go into it educated. they are a big investment and when you buy it, you write the money off the entertainment and relaxation expenses. also they are like anything else that requires maintainance. do it regularly, and it's not bad, defer it and it gets expensive. every time i have broken down on the water, it's been i knew i need to do that, just didn't get around to it.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

The boat rental is a great idea.

If you start off with a cabin cruiser, you will quickly see that your boating experience is going to be limited. Lots of people start out thinking they want to get a big boat that you can sleep on only to later find out that they are limited to just cruising around.

I've owned several small boats and I owned a 30'er with a 454 Mercruiser; the 30' boat had a 285 gallon fuel tank...for a good reason! Boats are not known for their fuel economy, and a big cruiser is going to take a big wallet.

Now when I feel the need to stay out overnight, I load up the tent, the cook-stove, and the cooler and go to Anclote Key and camp. I have a little 5 gallon solar shower that I put on the boat if someone needs to wash up.

With the boat I have now, I trailer it to the ramp that is down the street from my house, I fill up at the convenience store across from the ramp (what a great location for the store owner) using automotive priced fuel (buy some gas at a marina). I can ski behind it, fish from it, SCUBA off of it, and carry 5 friends to the beach; all in speed and style and I use WAY less fuel than a cruiser.​

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

Thanks for the tip on renting and taking the safe boaters course. Their both great ideas which I will take into consideration and most probably do. I will get a surveyor to look at it and then take it from there.

We lifted up the rug where the soft spot is located. Like I said it is a very small spot. It wasn't caused by water but seems like someone jumped on top of this plywood and cracked it right on the border. The plywood is the main corridor in the cabin and it is about 2'x6'. From this plywood down to the bottom glass of the boat its only about 6" or so.

Thank you all!

 

[thenotsofreeboat]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

Yeah rent a boat, (but do the classes first i had no idea when i rented the boat what the rules were on the water Yikes!!) that is what started the boat madness for me, next thing you know you have a boat in peices in your garage and quickly learn that a free boat is not free at all by the time it is all said and done i could have bought a better boat then the one I am fixing. You find you self trying to guess what the lake would be like right now and then you don't even work at work just sit and read up on boating forums. Ah good times.

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

hey thenotsofreeboat are you peeping through my window or something?

you're absolutely right about that. I spent most of the time daydreaming about the lake and reading up on boating and just browsing on boats classifieds!

It does make more sense on taking the course first. But have you ever bought a video game, brought it home and then read instructions before just plugin it in and playing to see what it's like???

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

this is not a video game to begin with. it's the safety of your wife and kids, first, then my, and my families safety also. you would not believe how many DA's there are on the water that put themselves and others in danger. we had a 30footer come thru a bridge the other day, a lot of traffic. as he clear the bridge he gunned it and threw a 5 foot wake. if i had not known what to do, he would have sunk us. we still ended up taking a large amount of water over the bow, and we were in a 23 foot deck boat. every one was wet, but safe.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

If you've never handled a boat before, 22' might be a lot. Also, on the powerplant is this a 4.3l engine?? If it is a 4.7, I didn't know they made those. Also, is a Mercruiser or Volvo? If its an OMC. that would be a nother cause for concern. Have the bellows been inspected. They are simple rubber boots, but the upper one will sink you and if you have this done, add another $500+ to the price. Also, is this a saltwater boat?? If so, manifolds, etc can really make the cost go up unless you are making an informed decision.

In my view, if you are as inexperienced as it sounds (I could be wrong about that) I would recommend starting smaller and gaining expereince and then moving up after that.

The boat itself is not dangerous. It is lack of education and expereince that are dangerous.

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

No I don't have any experience at all. I've only been on a small boat such as this with a friend some 10 years ago and only a couple of times. It was his boat not mine! He had a 19' bayliner cuddy and it was his first. I inteded to get something of this nature but when I saw the cruiser was only a couple of feet bigger, I thought perhaps I could start there and take advantage of the extra accessories(fridge, stove and so on).

Definetely I will take the course as I wouldn't want to get anyone's life in danger because of my ignorance! I do feel however that a small cruiser such as this would be an excellent start for me. I know it's not a video game, that comment was just an expression! I'm old enough to know better and a very responsible person and don't intend to go out boating without knowledge.

The boat has been used in lake Erie mainly which I believe it's salt water lake but I intend to use it on fresh water lakes as the Tennessee river.

 

[tmh]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

Lake Erie is fresh water as are all the Great Lakes.

"Just a piece of plywood.......". That's all I have to hear. Interesting....why didn't HE take the 5-10 minutes to replace the piece of plywood? Because he knows it leads to a total tear out and floor/stringers replacement more often than not! I repeat... HE KNOWS.

It is typical for a new boater to fall in love with the first "deal" that comes his/her way. I did...then I was lucky/smart enough to listen to folks on this and other boards and shopped around for months before getting a decent boat.

I agree with those who say start smaller. With used boats, once you have some experience you can move up without taking a killing on the smaller "learning boat". I bought a 19' to leearn on for $3500. After lots of work on it I love the boat and it turns out it fits our needs perfectly. It will be some time before i want to get a bigger one.

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

I know what you're saying. Going by impulse alone I might get burned!

I'll keep looking around for other smaller cuddys and make a comparison. In the meantime, i'll see if I can get into one of those safety courses and also find a surveyor who when the time comes can make the inspections for me.

Anyone in the Knoxville, TN area who can make any recommendations on surveyors in the area?

Thanks all!

 

[sea wolf]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

A 1 ft. sq. piece of soft wood? Run, don't walk from this boat. That 1 ft. sq. of soft wood can turn into a nightmare once you start ripping up that ply. I'm talking rotted stringers, etc. I'd pass on this tub.

 

[rndn]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

You had mentioned it has a 4.7 mercruiser with 260hp. I'm assuming it's a 5.7?

 

[rookie_sailor]

Re: First boat decision, should I buy or not?

yeah 5.7 sorry 260HP