Looking to buy my first boat

[wyocobra]

Hello! I'm a new member and new to boating. I will hopefully be buying my first boat in the next week or so! That is what brings me here.

I've done some research, but still know little about boats. I do, however, know a good deal about land vehicles and all of my hobbies include something with an engine (or other mechanical parts). I'm hoping my knowledge will aid in making a good first purchase, but I would love to get some advice and tips from more experienced boaters.

What I'm looking for is a runabout (or bowrider) to mainly pull tubers and skiers around or just cruise in the lakes and reservoirs in Wyoming and Colorado. After looking at many powerboats over the past couple of weeks, I've narrowed it down to two or three.

The first is an '01 Bayliner 185 Capri. The seller turned out to be an old friend from high school (we had auto body and auto tech together). Anyway, it has a 4.3L 190 hp Mercruiser carbureted V6 inboard and the boat is in overall good condition. Some minor scratches on the hull, but otherwise it looks pretty well maintained. I didn't hear it run. He is asking $9500 and wants no less than $9000.

My second pick is a boat I looked at today. It is an '87 Baja Sunsport 210 that I found at a dealer in Denver, CO. It is on consignment and they are asking $9000. I thought the price was high, but the boat is in almost perfect condition as far as I can tell. It has a 5.7L/350 260 hp inboard that they fired up for me. The motor started and ran well. It came up to temp steadily and smelled/sounded like it was well-tuned. The hull has a couple minor scratches, but is in excellent condition even though it does not appear to have ever been repaired or resprayed. The dealer claimed the interior was original and it looked like it, but again, I couldn't find any flaws. Even the trailer looked like the one that came with the boat and it was in equally nice shape. The only problem was a trim/tilt gauge that didn't work properly, but I think we traced that to a possible grounding problem with the horn. I was told the boat was being sold by the original owner's son, it had always been stored inside and that it probably didn't have over 85 hours on it. I could find no reason to doubt that, but of course am a little skeptical.

At any rate, I made an offer of $7500 on the '87 Baja because I liked it so much. It has a V8, is almost in better condition than the '01 Bayliner and it has character. The dealer didn't know if the owner would accept my offer, but suggested that $8000 would almost certainly buy the boat. My question is, is that stupid money for an '87? I'm not afraid of a little mechanical work, but would like something that's going to be fairly reliable and ready-to-go. Another bonus for the Baja is that I could pay cash for it at $7500. I would have to get a loan on the Bayliner. However, being new to boating, would it be smart to just go with the newer boat? I can take both boats on a test drive if I choose and I'm confident they would both perform like they should. I'm obviously leaning towards the Baja, but I don't want to overpay for something that could potentially have some hidden issues. What do you think?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

on both boats, you need to find out what has been serviced, exhaust, bellows, alignment, all can add up quickly. by age both boats are past due for these items, unless already done. you will be happier with the bigger boat and 5.7 for water sports.

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame. You walk all over the deck, that a mallot, or hammer with wooden handle, using handle, tap all over the transom, a shape rap is good solid base, a thud, is questionable base.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. (This part for outboard motors Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,)
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.
boat motor combo, A 30 year old may be in better condition, than a 3 year old.

 

[Numlaar]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

I agree with TD on this one.

I think the Baja may be a better choice overall. I think its a better built boat than a bilgeliner err bayliner, (sorry guys heh), and thats probably why the price is comprable to a newer, smaller boat.

One of the main thing you want to check onthat 5.7L, for the age, is the exhaust manifolds. If it wasn't used a lot, then they have a tendency to rust out, and thats a pricey first repair (last time I did it was in 1999 and the manifolds were 450.00 bucks by themselves, and I did the work).

Being that old, it probably still used wood in the construction of the deck/stringers. You will want to check very well for soft spots, rotten wood, etc.

I would definitely hire a surveyor if you are not comfortable checking it yourself.

Sounds like a good deal, and like TD said, if it was stored inside, and well maintained it can still be a really good boat.

 

[wyocobra]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

I appreciate the quick responses. Like I said, the '87 Baja is definitely in good shape. With advice from my father-in-law, I did walk around and check for soft spots on the deck. It seemed to be solid as a rock. I opened all of the compartments and there was no sign of rot or water damage anywhere. The boat almost literally looks like a brand new '87.

The exhaust manifolds had the original paint on them and I couldn't tell if they had ever been removed. Good news is that around here (Wyoming and Colorado), we don't have rust problems like most of the rest of the country. I have a '67 Ford Fairlane that is completely original and was sold in Wyoming new. It doesn't have even a hint of rust or corrosion and it definitely was not treated as well as the Baja (obviously, it's also 20 years older). At any rate, how could I go about checking the manifolds short of pulling them off?

The dealer has been good so far. I asked about a compression test and they said they would do it free of charge. They also offered to fix the tilt/trim gauge. However, when I asked about any kind of warranty, they said it was being sold as-is. I guess that's to be expected with a boat on consignment.

Anyway, they just called me while I was typing this and said that the owner would take $8000. I'm staying firm at $7500 at this point and I would not put any money down without trying it on the water. The salesperson confirmed that the boat has been sitting in their showroom for a couple of months now and he said he would try harder to convince the owner that if he really wants to sell it, he should take my offer. Let's face it, someone is going to have to come around with cash-in-hand like me and be willing to pay a lot for an '87. I know book values aren't very accurate with boats like this, but they're still what the banks use. I don't know of a bank that would loan more than $3000 on the thing. I guess we'll see how it goes. I had to do some scraping to come up with $7500, so I don't really want to go to $8000. I am really excited about the boat, but I don't want to make an impulsive decision, especially because I realize it could possibly need some mechanical work. I'm pretty confident that the hull and structure are in excellent shape.

Thanks again for the advice so far. I really hope I can work something out with the Baja. I need to take some pictures because you guys need to see this boat.

 

[wyocobra]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

By the way, I don't know if I mentioned it, but the boat was stored inside it's entire life under a cover. It does appear to have been well maintained, too. The oil and other fluids looked fresh and were all at the proper levels.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

comparing boats and cars, as far as operation and maintenance, is like comparing horses and motorcyles. A couple of obvious similarities and then, all different.
However I back down a little in that the motor itself in a I/O is a car's motor; an outboard is a whole 'nother thing.

 

[wyocobra]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

I admit that I know nothing about watercraft. I did decide that I like I/O boats because, yes, the engines are in a standard configuration that I am used to. I'm clueless when it comes to the hull and the rest of the structure of a boat, but I can't imagine the prop drive is very complicated. I will learn as much as I can as I go. Just excited to be getting my "starter" boat! I don't expect everything to be perfect, but I think I made a good decision.

I did end up going with the Baja. The dealer got a hold of the owner and after a couple of calls back and forth, they settled for the $7500! I was pleasantly surprised because I was prepared to put a little more on the table just to make sure the boat didn't slip away. I'm going to pick her up this Saturday. I can't tell you how excited I am! I will soon be the proud owner of beautiful 1987 Baja Sunsport 210! I will definitely get some detailed pictures posted as soon as possible.

 

[wyocobra]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

Here are some teaser pics for anybody interested. These are crappy ones the dealer took, but it gives you a good idea what the boat looks like.

 

[truckermatt]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

nice looking boat and trailer combo

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Looking to buy my first boat

NICE looking unit !!!!! Congrats on a nice looking boat !!!!!!