Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

[adgunn]

About to seal the deal on a Monster!!
28' PlayBuoy 1989 model
90 hp Mercury 6 cyl

This thing is a beast, but i cant find alot of info about the PlayBuoy brand in specific. . . Never messed with Mercury Outboards much, and wondering what I need to know bout them...Shes been out of the water only a year, and I hope to give it some love, and test her out this weekend!!

Any tips or tricks are appreciated...as for any technical knowlege- ie- max load/ persons

 

[Trktrd]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

I'd change the impeller. Cheap insurance against engine damage.

 

[Capt Sully]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

you really won't know till you make the test run. just go over everything close. be sure after you put the motor thru its paces to shut it down, then see how easy it restarts. do it a few times. don't forget to look under things. if you get it, first thing to do is service the motor. hope all goes well for you.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

Check the compression on the motor. Turn the wheel all the way both directions to get an idea of the steering system's condition. Shake the front of the boat and listen for sloshing inside the toons. Jump up and down on the deck. Any spongy places will mean she needs a new one pronto. Contrary to what some iboaters seem to think that's not something that should be put off since the deck is part of the structure. Grab the fence and/or rails at various places around the boat and give them a shake to check for broken welds, loose bolts, etc. Look under the helm for wiring issues and evidence of critter mischief. Since it's that old it will have plywood seat bases. Check them all carefully for rot. Also, if the upholstery is shot don't assume you can just recover. The foam may no longer be useable, in which case new seats will be the ticket. Just check for signs of significant weather intrusion into the foam; mildew, musty smell, that sort of thing. Look under the helm for electrical or wiring issues and evidence of critter damage. Look under the boat for more missing bolts or cracked welds.

Now, the trailer. Jack it up one side at a time and spin the wheels (tandem axle I assume) with your ear close in to listen for bearing noise. The lack thereof is no guarantee of condition of course, but at least you'll hear if there are any major issues inside the hub. If the trailer has brakes (it better) ask the seller whether they work. If he or she says yes have him or her spin the wheels then actuate the coupler to check for proper braking and return. If no, check back here if you don't know what to do to get her home without them potentially locking up. Pretty much every other potential trailer issue; tires, wiring, lights, coupler, etc. will be readily apparent.

That's pretty well it. If you buy her just plan on having to drop a little coin on a few things before you get her on the water. As Trk said, you need to change the impeller before your maiden voyage, even if it pees like a Russian race horse on the muffs.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

PlayBuoy is now known as Avalon/Tahoe.

And they seem to have OUTSTANDING customer service!

 

[adgunn]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

Well-
correction- its a 24'

Spent most of last week "fixing" some of the P/O redneck engineering, the boat was rewired...every wire is RED...even on the engine...wirenuts to original connections...pretty bad...fixed the wiring good, and changed the impeller, and she fired right up...took it out saturday, ran all day no issues, even burned most of the old gas out of the tank...Started the day on a new tank of fresh gas, but never noticed the difference after goin to the old gas...ran 6+ hrs and used 10 gallons...very happy

took her out the next day to a different lake, and decided to try the tube!! after issues with the factory quick fuel connections, (bypassed to finish the day) she ran great, even hauled me up on a tube without so much as a complaint!! was gettin about 22-23 kts out of her!! only compaint mechanically is the giant aluminum top, which is unstable at speed, needs to go....will replace with a bimini as money allows, and it manuvers at speed like the Titanic...kinda hard to toss kiddos off a tube...

In deep thought with the wife about rebuilding her this winter, new floors, seats, ect...just need to budget....the motor is in excellent shape, fires right up even hot, idles smooth for as long as i want...trolled the lake for 2-3 hrs no issues!!
I think I'm a pontoon guy now!!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

Great! Keep us posted as the resto unfolds. Welcome to the family.

 

[Treker57]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

Welcome to pontoon boating

 

[Water logged]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

I've looked and looked all thru this thread and don't see any pictures. Like they say no pictures, it didn't happen. All that aside, we're glad to have you aboard and hope all your tooning times are happy times.

Glenn

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Newbie to Pontoons!! 89 28' PlayBuoy

I would keep the hard top, later on if you put it on a slip their great.