I bought my first boat.

[paulspaddle]

The Bad:
1. bought it sight unseen
2. bought it sight unseen
3. refer to #1 and #2

The Good:
1. bought it from a 100% feedback seller of 600 items off of ebay.
2. 1990 Glastron Sierra 175, 4.3 Mercruiser.
3. seller was able to give a decent history of boat. 'stored in doors, under cover. The impeller and bellows were done 4 years ago. Regular winterization ect...
4. claim it's in excellent condition.
5. $2900

The seller is a full service dealer so I'm getting a complete mechanical inspection done and change the impeller.

The Bad:
1. 6 months until May....what do I do now??

 

[BeaufortTJustice]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Congratulations...welcome to the world of boat ownership. I hope it works out for you. Hopefully the seller is one of the few honest people left in this world.

Take some time between now and May to familiarize yourself with the workings of it and study up on the maintenance. Good time to do projects like add fishfinder/depthfinder, gps, radio, speakers, rod holders, etc.

Good luck!

 

[HappierWet]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Depends on where you are....

Congrats on the boat. If at all possible don't wait 6 months to get the boat on the water. If there is going to be any problems better to find them now. Might cost a little more to have it winterized again, BUT.....

Good Luck

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: I bought my first boat.

I have bought many cars sight unseen on ebay from 100% sellers. The difference between a boat and a car is that a car can easilly be taken out and a boat can't. They will often ask for a $500 paypal deposit. I always send $1k. The reason being is that if a problem is found you can dispute the charge with paypal and often atleast get the $1k back. Last year I picked up 9 cars on ebay and of the 9 only three arrived as described. These ALL came from 100% sellers. I will say that the dealers are SHADY. Not all I am sure but all the ones I have worked with. I have two boats now that where ebay purchases that when delivered where not as described. The buyers sold them to me at a huge loss just to recoupe some $. I have had much better luck with private sellers. Like I said the dealers I have worked with are SHADY! I got one truck that arrived with the bed smashed in, another with a blown head gasket and ended up needing new fuel injectors, almost all arrived with bad batteries etc. One might ask why I keep buying them? The answer is easy. Any costs I run into to fix them I throw right back at the dealer as well as make them fork over some $ for my time. Under no circumstances allow the seller to offer to end the auction early and sell outside of ebay. If anything have him put a buy now on it. You are sol if you pay cash and buy outside of ebay. Sure you can take the seller to court but it is almost never worth it. If you buy a boat or car on Ebay be VERY careful. I could see a boat seller selling turds now knowing they will sit all winter before the new buyer finds the issues. You need to find either a way to put that boat in the water or have a very good shop look it over. Do it now cause in 6 months I can assure you that you are sol if you find a problem. I am sure the seller knows that as well. Oh just in case I forgot to mention these sellers are SHADY!!! I can tell you story after story of some of the lies I have caught some of these guys in.

 

[12vMan]

Re: I bought my first boat.

May the 2 happiest days in a boater's life not ring true to you, and may you have a happy & safe boating experience

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Noted...there is risk.

I've bought and sold numerous items in my life. Just sold my last house on kijiji.

I've talked to numerous other sellers and not followed through as the deal didn't sit right. (you know that feeling)

I talked to the seller numerous times and 'my gut' said, "ok".

I'm currently getting it checked. I'm obligated to pay within 7 days, but the inspection should be complete in 48 hours. If it turns up something I 'may' have grounds to negotiate or back out.

Yup, no test drive....you can throw bombs at me all day long at how this risk is silly, I won't argue.....but I'm going to dream about driving my boat next spring.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Nice boat!!!, I own almost exact one, mines a 1990 Glastron 175 Sierra 3.0 mercruiser alpha one ...yours should be fast as heck with the 4.3L they arent the best boat in rough waters, either way great boats!

we are selling it though as we quickly grew out of this sized boat, now we have a 23" sleekcraft..anyways...heres my boat see CL ad
http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/boa/1464613151.html

replacing the impeller is a GREAT IDEA good call......

if you havent done that impeller yet .......Check the fluid in the drive to see if it has any water in it (milky) if so you prob have a seal leak! best to know before that dealer repl the impeller and changes the fluid...then ya wont know till ya fry the sterndrive...

add the depthfinder fish finder if you want one

I added a bow spotlight (I used a Wally world car 50w halogen cheapie fog spot light) $15 a pair good for night docking, reef spotting, rock avoidance etc...

do you have all the saftey gear? does the horn work? you need a whistle, paddle, throwable pfd, fire extinguisher, life preservers for everyone on the boat,

anchor and rope / tow rope and jumper cables are handy too...small tool kit, etc flashlight...etc etc

hope this helps!

also Check to make sure the floor is solid not rotted, shouldnt flex much, check to make sure the Bilge pump is working! if it does spin up, mebbe put some water in the bilge and turn on the pump...make sure it actually works for longer than 10 seconds before failing........wouldnt want ya to sink from water comeing over the bow

make sure all the iights work!

add interior courtesy lighting, if you ever come in after dusk youll be glad you did! I used a couple $5 dome lights with switches from wally world...

get a bimini top if it doesnt have one, Iboats actually has the best deals Ive bought 3 from them so far.

get a boat cover thats waterproof if it isnt stored indoors...keep out the rain!!!!!!!

check the eng oil...is it milky??????...if so the motor need serious work like a cracked head, blown headgasket, cracked block or similar major issue

otherwise have it changed if it isnt pristine,, some owners never change thier oil so best bet is to change it out

pull the plugs and check em out...are they good? replace as needed...if real carboned up there may be engine troubles.

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Hey Vegas, Nice boat! Actually I looked at that boat in doing some research for this on....amazing how small the internet is sometimes.

I'm on a big lake, I do have concerns about the 'ride in chop' reputation of these.

Thanks for all the advice. Hmmm, maybe my title is somewhat misleading. I grew up with boats, I've owned canoes, sailboats, an old 1953 16', with a 35 Johnson Super Sea Sport, small aluminum boat....BUT this is my first, as I say "real boat". We are lucky to own a cabin on a lake and are well fitted for the water and with a 3 year old I'm solid on safety. The boat will be property fitted before I take him out in it.

Good point on some extra interior lights. Our cabin faces east and taking a short trip across the bay (less than a mile) to watch the sunset is common.

There is a gadget that I read about, but I have no idea what it's called, in fact I'm not exactly sure what it does completely. You tap into the fuel line and it gives a readout on fuel usage..anyone know what I'm talking about?

 

[tnduc]

Re: I bought my first boat.

The Bad:
1. 6 months until May....what do I do now??

Ummm, move south? Year round boating here in South Texas.... Congrats on the purchase.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Thanks Paul...
post some pics of your Glastron when ya have a moment...pics are the best part of I boats!!!!!!!

cool on the know how and such.......

My name is Paul too....

cool that you seen mine! the net makes it a real small world

my boat is priced above blue book.... i wanted to have some room for negotiations etc on selling it

as for chop...you wont have any probs...big old white caps on Lake Mead ( 5 or so MILES across and about atleast 40 miles long) so we get some rough seas...
Chop is no prob for the Sierra....3 foot or better swells start getting rough....we have caught air in our boat a few times...

on glass smooth water that boat is FAST.......fun fun

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Great!

It looks like you've taken immaculate care of your boat!

I'll be sure post and update when I go get it. Good OR bad.

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: I bought my first boat.

I'm sure you will be fine. Just be careful with buying site unseen. Many sellers will hold you ransom with feedback stating that they will refund you a say amount but only after you leave positive. Ask me how I know ;-) I take it you are having it inspected by a known shop and not just taking his word that it all checks out? Also are you having it delivered or picking it up? If having it transported I have a few companies that I use that are often better prices better service than what a lot of ebay brokers charge.

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

I'm going to go pick it up myself.

A life time ago I used to bring 80 000 lbs of McDonald french fries from Winnipeg to Chicago twice a week. This will be like old times....minus the big truck and fries with that.

I'm looking forward to a road trip!

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Well atleast when you pick it up you can give it a good look over and negotiate any issues then. Also I would not go off the sellers word that he is a full service shop. If ebay boat sellers are anything like the car dealers they will tell you anything they can to make a sale. I would really make the effort to either get it in the water or have a non bias shop inspect it. Not trying to scare you just think you might sleep better at night. Trust me if you find out something is screwed up 6 months from now you are gonna be sol. Any ebay links to the boat?

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Hey thedukeryan,

I hear your cautionary notes.

Here is link to the place I purchased it from.

http://www.actionmarineinc.com/

Bottom line is this....worst case scenario I ditch the thing for $1500 and I'm out $2000. I doubt that's going to happen. If this was a $10 000 + purchase I would be WAY more dutiful and not buy sight unseen or undriven. We're not talking bust the bank money here. BUT we are talking a lot of fun for the money.

I'm a hardwired optimist. I've always bought and sold my own houses, cars, trucks, toys. I believe in integrity and people's word. I have been burnt ONCE and my attitude is it's important that my own integrity is solid and what goes around - comes around, they WILL get theirs eventually. I won't worry about it.

Thanks for the input and I'll keep you posted on how it goes....

 

[marlboro180]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Hey thedukeryan,

I hear your cautionary notes.

Here is link to the place I purchased it from.

http://www.actionmarineinc.com/


Thanks for the input and I'll keep you posted on how it goes....

So was the boat from Lake Geneva or nearby? Congrats on the purchase and getting clarity on the trailer issue.

BTW- here is a BBB report on the seller. Not bad.

http://www.bbb.org/wisconsin/busine.../action-marine-inc-in-burlington-wi-14038728/

 

[ezmobee]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Paul, congrats on your purchase. I admire your optimism and my intention is not at all to preach any doom and gloom. Some good advice has been given in this thread. I think the MOST important bit is the one about making sure you run it soon after acquiring it. Not at all accusing anyone of shady dealing but if you run it and run into some issues, you'll have a MUCH better time of getting them resolved now than if you wait till spring. If for no other reason than the dealer will have ample time to work on the boat now. Having to re-winterize it isn't a big deal and shouldn't impact your decision to take it for a run now.

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Good call on the BBB...thanks for the link.

I probably can't get down there for at least 3 weeks.

The seller said that before listing the boat they took it for a "lake test" and all checked out fine. I know, I know...don't trust what 'they' tell you, but I think buying in November has made my opportunity to 'test run' tricky.

If and when I make the trip and its possible....I'll go for it....why not? OR as someone else suggested I could do a detour to Texas?

 

[jkust]

Re: I bought my first boat.

Congrats on buying your boat. I am sure you will have a great time. I have purchased two cars over the last 10 years from EBAY with just seller descriptions/pictures from two separate dealers. Each arrived with undisclosed issues. One was repainted which the seller specifically indicated it was not meaning it sustained some amount of damage. The other also had been partially repainted and needed expensive repairs not disclosed. I think I am now just too leery to ever buy from EBAY without actually viewing in person again. I kept each car for 4 to 5 years each and they were great just not as expected for the price.

 

[renegade09]

Re: I bought my first boat.

I just bought my first boat 1993 Chaparral 180 SL Limited 3.0 Merc cruzer 6 passenger it in excellent condition for the year I am told. I was just wondering if anyone has any info good or bad on this style of boat.
thanks Renegade09