Re: Looking at buying a used boat - need input please
Have a mechanic check compression, gearcase lube (for signs of water indicating seal failure) and whatever else he feels should be checked. Check the floor of the boat, if a fiberglass false bottomed boat, for softness(indicating rotten wood below the fiberglass laminate possibly involving the stringers also. Get a heavy handled screwdriver and do a tap test all around the transom with the round end of the handle(not the point). The sound should be a crisp, solid rap. Move from top to bottom. The water soaked wood beneath the glass will probably occur down around the waterline and below. If the sound changes to a dull thonk, you probably have rot in the transom. I bought a used boat and found out my floor was rotten, the wiring was rigged with zip cord and wire nut connections laying in the bilge below the floor. It took a couple hundred man hours to replace all that corroded wiring. They had too big a prop on the engine, so the rpms were only 4000. When I got the correct prop, the rpms increased to the specified range, and the engine promply overheated due to a head gasket that only leaked at 5500 rpms. Long story short, buyer beware! Nothing wrong with a Suzuki, in my opinion. Just have it checked over thoroughly.
