I looked at a 99 18' Sea Swirl Striper dual console/runabout a couple of days ago. This boat is all fiberglass including the floor. It has a 115hp Johnson 2 stroke OB. I noticed a couple of issues with this boat and wanted some feedback. First time boat buyer here so I'm not sure if these items are normal:
1. The battery storage area is wet and looks like there was some gasoline spill in the compartment. When I opened the hatch, I could see 2 cables (gas lines??), one is about 3-4" in diameter and the other is 1". This boat probably has like a 20+ gas tank. I can also see that oil/water look where the fiberglass finish has black smudges in the compartment. Is this a bad sign of future bad things to come?
2. The fiberglass floor finish doesn't look quite right. At the very center of the boat is the hatch to the gas tank, it has these "indentation" on top of the surface similar to those found on the walls in your house. I figure it is there to create some friction when you walk around the boat. My only concern is that the "indentation" over the gas tank hatch is more pronounce than that across the deck of the rest of the boat. The rest of the boat has a slight indentation but not to the degree of the fuel tank hatch. I've only been on one other all fiberglass boat so can't really determine if this is normal. Sea Swirl are hard to come by in the Seattle area, else I would just go and look at another boat for comparison.
3. On the outside of the boat, there are a couple of scratches like the boat hit something at the dock. I'd say they were probably about 1mm or so deep. The scrates were above the water line, and wanted to know if I can just patch it up myself?
This boat is on consignment at a reputable fishing shop that sells aluminum fishing boat and tackle. They probably had about 30-40 new boats on their lot that they were selling price ranging from 18k-50k. They also service alot of other boats, I think I saw like 40 others boats there just for service. The boat would be sold under the company's name. Just tid bits incase it matters. I plan on taking it for a test run next week, they were going to check it out and get the paperwork in order as it is on consignment. They wanted me to put a deposit down for a test drive and buy the boat if it satisifies my need. How much of a deposit is normal? Is there any negotiating afterwards on price as I am already putting a deposit down? Thanks for the help.
1. The battery storage area is wet and looks like there was some gasoline spill in the compartment. When I opened the hatch, I could see 2 cables (gas lines??), one is about 3-4" in diameter and the other is 1". This boat probably has like a 20+ gas tank. I can also see that oil/water look where the fiberglass finish has black smudges in the compartment. Is this a bad sign of future bad things to come?
2. The fiberglass floor finish doesn't look quite right. At the very center of the boat is the hatch to the gas tank, it has these "indentation" on top of the surface similar to those found on the walls in your house. I figure it is there to create some friction when you walk around the boat. My only concern is that the "indentation" over the gas tank hatch is more pronounce than that across the deck of the rest of the boat. The rest of the boat has a slight indentation but not to the degree of the fuel tank hatch. I've only been on one other all fiberglass boat so can't really determine if this is normal. Sea Swirl are hard to come by in the Seattle area, else I would just go and look at another boat for comparison.
3. On the outside of the boat, there are a couple of scratches like the boat hit something at the dock. I'd say they were probably about 1mm or so deep. The scrates were above the water line, and wanted to know if I can just patch it up myself?
This boat is on consignment at a reputable fishing shop that sells aluminum fishing boat and tackle. They probably had about 30-40 new boats on their lot that they were selling price ranging from 18k-50k. They also service alot of other boats, I think I saw like 40 others boats there just for service. The boat would be sold under the company's name. Just tid bits incase it matters. I plan on taking it for a test run next week, they were going to check it out and get the paperwork in order as it is on consignment. They wanted me to put a deposit down for a test drive and buy the boat if it satisifies my need. How much of a deposit is normal? Is there any negotiating afterwards on price as I am already putting a deposit down? Thanks for the help.
