Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

[salmonee]

How does the surveyor know if the block is cracked or not

How does the surveyor know if the block is cracked or not

Just out of curiosity, how does the surveyor know if the block is crack or not? I imagine the crack would start from the inside and work it's way out. Unless the surveyor opens up the engine how would they know this?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How does the surveyor know if the block is cracked or not

Re: How does the surveyor know if the block is cracked or not

there are tale tell signs, water in oil, low compression, etc.

 

[salmonee]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

Ask him when the last time the bellows were replaced. For a 10 year old boat I would suspect they have been changed at least 2 times. If they have not been changed within the past few years they will need to be replaced. As I understand it, Volvo Penta's have thinner bellows than say a Mercruiser and should be serviced more often. I've never owned or worked on a VP so I can't say for sure. Search or post a question in the Mercruiser / Volvo Penta forum, there are a few guys that are knowledgeable on Volvo Penta and will give you the skinny on what to look for.

Oh yeah,,, and as suggested earlier, if you are not comfortable inspecting the boat, take it in to a service center for an inspection or better yet have a survey done. Might be the best $300 you ever spend on this boat. One of my friends had an inspection done and it was agreed that the seller would pay to have the boat running in perfect condition. The seller paid $800 for routine maintenance that had not been done in years, saved my buddy $800...

UPDATE: I spoke with the owner some more today about the boat maintenance history. He's going to send me the paperwork as all the winterization was done at the fourwinns dealer. I'm going to review the doc in details before seeing the boat. I did ask him what other maintenance was performed. He says besides winterizing, he changed this plastic piece which has like 6 blades on it which is used to circulate water through the engine. I assume this is the impeller? He changed it himself last summer because the fins had worn out. No other maintenance. I'm still getting an inspection if I decide to proceed further but what is the ramification of the bellows not being changed ever? I don't know if this is part of the winterization process or not but will look at the paperwork for this.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

The Bellows may have been changed during one or more of the winterizations. If one of them is sustantially more $$ then that would be likely. If not they need to be changed before you use the boat. If they haven't leaked at all yet then there really is no harm done. If they have leaked, specifically if the u-joint/drive shaft bellow, then you could have some costly repairs to deal with. If the u-joints have had water intrusion they are likely corroded and the input shaft could also be corroded. In addition the gimbal bearing could be siezed and it could cause futher damage.

Get it checked out for sure and make sure they pull the drive off if you get it checked out to check all of those things.

 

[salmonee]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

The Bellows may have been changed during one or more of the winterizations. If one of them is sustantially more $$ then that would be likely. If not they need to be changed before you use the boat. If they haven't leaked at all yet then there really is no harm done. If they have leaked, specifically if the u-joint/drive shaft bellow, then you could have some costly repairs to deal with. If the u-joints have had water intrusion they are likely corroded and the input shaft could also be corroded. In addition the gimbal bearing could be siezed and it could cause futher damage.

Get it checked out for sure and make sure they pull the drive off if you get it checked out to check all of those things.

I spoke with a boat surveyor and it seem like they don't check the motor/outdrive at all. Besides looking at the oil for contamination. Correct me if I'm wrong but on a boat like this, wouldn't my biggest concern should be focused on the motor and outdrive. Therefore, should I just hire a marine mechanic and skip the boat survey. The surveyor that I spoke to said he would inspect the "exterior" of the motor/outdrive. Sounds like he's just looking for things that would be obvious to anyone. Correct me if I'm wrong?

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

I spoke with a boat surveyor and it seem like they don't check the motor/outdrive at all. Besides looking at the oil for contamination. Correct me if I'm wrong but on a boat like this, wouldn't my biggest concern should be focused on the motor and outdrive. Therefore, should I just hire a marine mechanic and skip the boat survey. The surveyor that I spoke to said he would inspect the "exterior" of the motor/outdrive. Sounds like he's just looking for things that would be obvious to anyone. Correct me if I'm wrong?

A surveyor is going to tell you about the condition of the hull, transom, stringers etc. Well worth the money to give you piece of mind that the hull is in good shape. It's (IMHO) easier to find a fault in the drivetrain than a rotten transom. And the transom can be difficult to fix.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

I'm with you tacklewasher - One look at the engine compartment and the fact that I'm not seeing any oil or water marks in the few cracks and crevices that I can see, tells me this motor has a 90% chance of being tight. I can't see under the exhaust to look at the freeze plugs but I don't see any rust stains so I'd be willing to guess that they are fine. I've seen blocks crack and the freeze plugs still be intact so that's my 10%.

Paint covers a lot but I don't see any evidence of a re-paint and there's no burnt paint so an overheat is highly unlikely. If the engine ran lean you'd see some burning around the exhaust flanges and at the intake manifold. There is none that I can see.

The number one factor that you should consider as a high value pointer is that you are buying from the original owner. It was his baby and it still will be even after you buy it. Don't be suprised if he doesn't call and check on her once in a while.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

I spoke with a boat surveyor and it seem like they don't check the motor/outdrive at all. Besides looking at the oil for contamination. Correct me if I'm wrong but on a boat like this, wouldn't my biggest concern should be focused on the motor and outdrive. Therefore, should I just hire a marine mechanic and skip the boat survey. The surveyor that I spoke to said he would inspect the "exterior" of the motor/outdrive. Sounds like he's just looking for things that would be obvious to anyone. Correct me if I'm wrong?

In my opinion you are right on with this.

We're talking about an $8k-$11k boat here.

A surveyor is more well equiped and more prepared to deal with boats costing much, much more. They are certainly worth the expense if they find issues. However, I think that a boat in the condition that this one seems to be the chances of finding significant issues are slim.

I think your inspection money would be far better spent on having a Volvo Penta mechanic go over the drivetrain with a fine tooth comb. While he is authorized to look at that he has also been around a lot of boats and can take a quick look at the rest of it for you. He may not make any guarantees about the structure or hull condition he will spot obvious concerns.

Others may disagree but I think you have the right idea.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

went from a 350 to 305.....the seller does not know much about his own boat...

 

[tmh]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

Yeah, a boat in that price/condition range is something of an "in-between" for getting a survey, IMO. It may help you negotiate a better price though because there will ALWAYS be something to comment on in a used boat ....This could offset some of the cost.

Me, I'd find an experience mechanic who likely also knows boats pretty well and pay him an extra $25-$50 to have a look at the whole boat (in addition to his fee for carefully checking over the engine/drive). Rotten transon - he should know what to look for. Electrical stuff, he likely works on that also. Rips, tears, faded interior, etc - YOU can find that stuff by looking.

My advice is to pay a bit extra for a great condition boat, vs. getting a "deal" on an "OK" boat. Cheaper in the long run, and more enjoyable in the short run. Good luck.

 

[captmello]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

What about the "Worn out impellor the owner changed?

IMO, there is a reasonable chance the Motor was overheated.

All the more reason to get the engine checked over carefully. I/O's require quite a bit of mainenence.

good luck to you.

 

[salmonee]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

What about the "Worn out impellor the owner changed?

IMO, there is a reasonable chance the Motor was overheated.

All the more reason to get the engine checked over carefully. I/O's require quite a bit of mainenence.

good luck to you.

I was concerned about this as well. Owner kept it for all this time and the impellor went out LAST summer. Decides to sell it this year? Coincidence or not? Says he's selling to get into a bigger boat apparently.

This maybe why I'm may just hire a well headed marine mechanic to look at the motor/outdrive and pay extra to check the rest of the boat. Best option that I can see.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

as i said before it is an excellent package, get it check for your peace of mind. they boat is worth it.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

as i said before it is an excellent package, get it check for your peace of mind. they boat is worth it.

Agree.. Even if the 305 was overheated, which from what I can see wasn't, changing the impeller once in 10 years is pretty darn good. You usually check and change it every 2 years if you're a maintenance freak like most of us are. Besides, I think you have a secondary water pump.

All that taken for what it's worth, a 305 chevy is not a difficult engine to rebuild or have rebuilt.

Tell him you want a Marine Mechanic to certify the engine and see what he say's. If he balks or offers you concessions then you know you have a problem and just walk away.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Frustrated, help newbie review these boat pictures

went from a 350 to 305.....the seller does not know much about his own boat...

Could have very easily been a typo?