Looking at a boat this weekend.

[benscott]

I'm headed about an hour south of where i live to go look at this 1995 Mariah 202 Shabah. It's got the 5.7l V8 with approximately 600 hours on it. It definitely needs a little TLC but is the price right? Seems high by a couple grand to me. This would be my first boat so I'm not looking to get burned obviously..

Thoughts?

Mariah 1995 202 Limited Edition

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

My first thought is 'who knows?' If the boat is in excellent condition the price looks about right. If it's in lousy condition the price is way high. Problem is it's never black and white like that. How will you know what the condition is? Are you taking someone with you who knows boats?

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

I think it's to much money. It doesn't look like the boat was very well maintained.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

If it's in good shape (esp. transom, stringers, deck/sole), I don't think that a bad price... it would be OK for my region of the country.

 

[benscott]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Yep, it's hard to say in what shape she's in until I've had a chance to see her in person. I don't have any experienced boaters going with me to assist in my evaluation unfortunately. All I have to go on is my gut and the years of knowledge acquired from browsing this forum. By purchasing through a reputable dealer I'm hoping to buy some peace of mind. If their mechanics have gone through the boat and given their seal of approval then I feel a little better about things. We'll see how things go tomorrow. I will definitely be paying close attention to the transom and deck as JASinIL2006 suggested. Question though, how do you verify the integrity of stringers?

Cheers!

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Personally, I would not trust the "mechanics". I bought a used boat from a dealer in Peoria, IL and less than a year later I was doing a full transom, foam and deck replacement...

 

[dccordell]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Ask them to show you the stringer and transom core samples they took during their "seal of approval"

No, seriously...

 

[benscott]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Ask them to show you the stringer and transom core samples they took during their "seal of approval"

No, seriously...

Those were my words, not theirs.

I suppose in the end I'm no safer buying from a dealer than I would be buying from a stranger on Craigslist.

 

[mudeater]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Not bad needs some elbow grease to make the outside shine. Also I highly recommend other than tapping on the deck and transom take a good flashlight and stick your head in the ski locker and every compartment and check for rot.

Also what did they do to the floor in the bow?

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

About $5500 - $6000 here. Along with condition, region has a lot to do with price. No matter the area in 2 months prices will drop, especially up north where it gets cold and white.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

The dealer's mechanics will never go through it to give it a seal of approval... usually the MOST they will do is make sure it works at time of trade in to protect themselves and then do an oil change so they can claim "it was just serviced" along with whatever repairs the absolutely HAVE to do in order to sell it... a week after you buy it if you take it in and tell them to do "whatever it needs" it will suddenly have all sorts of issues that should be attended to..... On YOUR dime of course.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Do some searches on the forum about "what to look for" when purchasing a used boat and consider hiring a marine surveyor to do a more detailed inspection if you are not up to it. I purchased my last boat which was about 8 hours away - hired a surveyor to confirm it wasn't junk before wasting the drive. Upon my arrival, I drained a bit of gear oil looking for signs of water intrusion, looked at the engine oil dipstick looking for signs of water intrusion, ran a compression check on all cylinders and inspected everywhere I could reach looking for rot. Other than that, drive it and see how it does.

Getting to the price, its hard to judge because every area is so subjective but I bought my boat, a 1999 Chris Craft, 20' with the 5.0 which had 127 hours for $4,500. It still runs like a champ 2 years later and I love it. IMO, the one you are looking at is no more than a $5,000 boat, tops.

Good luck

 

[benscott]

Re: Looking at a boat this weekend.

Yep, so after sleeping on it I decided not bother with the drive down to look at it. I'm thinking of just waiting until Spring. I'll have more money to throw around by then which will enable me to buy something newer. And really, I'm thinking a deck boat will be a better fit for our family anyway. I appreciate everyone's input!