potential buy of restore boat

[robeward]

Going to look at a boat on Sunday. It is an Albemarle 242 express. The boat is a 1989 model. A guy bought it and did his own restore project. Most of the stuff he did can easily be looked at when on site (paint, rigging, accessories, etc)

My main concern are the two items that i can't see. The hull integrity and the gas tank. I don't currently have good history from the guy and after that I may feel fine. There were no major replacements like transome or floor. He basically just removed engine, wiring, rigging, trim etc and refinished or replaced.

Could you folks provide some pointers of what to look at and ask about when I go? If you know anything specific to these hulls and year model that would be great. I know they are tanks as I have been on one but at the end of the day this boat is over 20 years old. He has wrapped a pretty package but just need to know whats inside.

 

[mercurymang]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

I would recommend getting in the boat and stepping on all areas of the floor. Any, and I mean any, soft spots will be a sign of rot or at the least poor construction. It can be very hard assessing the integrity of what lies underneath the floor but generally where there's smoke there's fire. Keep a keen on the aft portion of the boat as this is where the rot is generally the worst. Even above the floor, you may find evidence in the back portion if you take time and poke around.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

Going to look at a boat on Sunday. It is an Albemarle 242 express. The boat is a 1989 model. A guy bought it and did his own restore project. Most of the stuff he did can easily be looked at when on site (paint, rigging, accessories, etc)

My main concern are the two items that i can't see. The hull integrity and the gas tank. I don't currently have good history from the guy and after that I may feel fine. There were no major replacements like transome or floor. He basically just removed engine, wiring, rigging, trim etc and refinished or replaced.

Could you folks provide some pointers of what to look at and ask about when I go? If you know anything specific to these hulls and year model that would be great. I know they are tanks as I have been on one but at the end of the day this boat is over 20 years old. He has wrapped a pretty package but just need to know whats inside.

What is your intention of buying the boat? The thread title says "potential buy of restore boat"; does this means you would buy it as a restoration project for yourself or you will buy as a "restored" boat to enjoy not to work on?

If it is the later then keep in mind that what he did is no restore; it is sweeten the deal type work. A boat of this vintage is - more than likely - in need of a transom and stringers job.

Don't take what he tells you for granted. Here is one of the latest stories about what happens when you do
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/boat-worth-fixing-635977.html

Transom and stringers need to be core sampled for precise determination of their condition. But there are some signs to look for, for example take a wood hammer and tap on the deck, every spot possible; inside the cabin too if he got one. Any muffled sound means wet or rotted wood. For the transom, if you have an outdrive, try to give a good man shake up and down and side to side. Force it as if you want to break, don't worry it will not break. While you are doing this, keep an eye on the transom and see if it will flex. IF it does, it is shot.

Take a lot of picture or better yet, a video and post it here. A lot of experienced and kind folks here are willing to help.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

Where are you going to look at it? If the water's open, I wouldn't buy a boat that size (and after some rehab, it's likely not inexpensive) w/ out putting it in the water & running it around, forward/reverse/idle/trolling speed & wide open

 

[robeward]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

sorry for ambiguity. Boat has already been restored. Would be buying as he is. Definitely plan on doing a bounce check of deck

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

well, good luck!

 

[robeward]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

would absolutely take a sea trial before buying. As this is a stern drive does that change anything about transom?how could he get a stringer sample if boat is complete? I don't mind asking for one.his photos shows the core from the whole he drilled for the transducer. Don't think there was wood in photos so hard to tell about water.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

You don't install a transducer in the stringers. You drill through the hull itself and this is just fiberglass.

Honestly, and please don’t take this the wrong way as I absoulty mean no disrespect, you just don’t seem to know a hell of a lot about boats and as a result, I am concerned about your ability to truly appraise what are you about to buy. It could turn out to be a piece of junk and you would not know. What is your plan to inspect the engine? Are you at least going to run a compression test or will you take his word that “it runs great!”?

I would strongly suggest you hire a marine surveyor before you even think about putting an offer, this couple a hundred bucks could turn out to be the best money you ever spent.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

For me personally, this boat probably wouldn't even be a consideration. We see a lot of people come on this forum complaining that they bought a boat they thought was a nice boat because it had been cosmetically restored, but not long after they buy it they come to realize it's nothing but new paint, carpet, and vinyl on an old rotten boat... lipstick on a pig or a polished turd if you will.

Unscrupulous sellers do this to unload an old rotten boat quickly on a na?ve boat buyer so the can get rid of the boat fast and for a good/better price.

We even see this happen when people buy old rotten boats for their own personal use, they want to fix it up cosmetically and ignore the structural issues they probably have because they don't want to "open that can of worms".

A bounce test on the decking can and has given many boat buyers false information, a favorite trick of these unscrupulous sellers is to throw down some new 1/2" plywood on top of rotten decking and stringers to shore it up and make it feel solid again. This lasts for a little while until the new decking absorbs moisture from the rot below and starts to rot and become soft itself.

A 25 yr. old boat that needs cosmetic repair will need structural repair too 9 times out of 10.

My best advice to you would be Buyer Beware!!!

 

[oldboat1]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

On the plus side, it's not all that old and might be a good bet if it had decent care.

On the negative side, it's a big boat if you are not experienced in boat repair and maintenance. Also, there was a lot of work done on the mechanics, and this seems suspicious to me (OK, at least ripe for some serious questioning). And he doesn't have much on the history?

I would say the negatives outweigh the positives at this point -- not fatal to a deal, depending on what you can tolerate (i.e., either fix yourself or pay for), and what you can find out in addition to what you know so far. I don't know how experienced you are, but if you are at all uncomfortable get a professional opinion. Was any of the work done by a shop or marina, for example? You could ask questions there. A survey is the standard way to go, although if the boat is on the hard for the winter even that probably would not cover operational questions.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

I think this would be a Good Read for you...Buying a Boat or Yacht : What You Should Know about Buying a Boat - Keeping Pleasure in Pleasure

 

[robeward]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

thanks for everyones input. sorry i let this die. i was not able to be very descriptive in the first place as i made the original posts and replies either during free time at work or using talk to text while ridding.

i happen to know a good bit about boats as a previous owner and after off shore fishing on many boats.

i honestly feel that my original post kinda showed not only that but that i have a little insite into what i was going to look at. the whole reason for asking was because i realized that the boat was restored on the outside which makes it look pretty but offers nothing for the most important parts of a boat that is 25 years old, i.e. the hull and fuel tank.

i have done a lot of reading on these boats. living in NC i actually have contacted a gentleman that restores them for a living and also worked on the production line of these boats for 20+ years.

i also realized there are still things to learn about boats which is why i turned to these forums. to try and get pointers on checking out a boat of this age.

i know transducers are not mounted in stringers. sometimes wood is still used in conjuction with the hull and not just for stringers. with this boat it is not the case. the glass on these boats is 1.5 inches thick which will not be the case of other similar type boats. that is a lot of glass. there are plenty of these boats still out on the waters and none have ever ended up belly up on the bottom of the ocean. they are simply built to well for that and that does go for the ones even older than this.

that boat looks great. still not sure of what will come of it. thanks for the help and if there are any more thoughts i am all ears.

 

[notlef]

Re: potential buy of restore boat

Robeward, Check out these two websites TheHullTruth.com and FryingPanTower.com a lot of info on Albemarle's on both these sites. Albies are tough boats and will take a beating. They are a sought after hull here in North Carolina. It was on my short list when I was looking for an offshore boat but I went 3' bigger. Here a couple of links form the hull truth. 1989 Albemarle 24 Express Repower & Restore With 5.7 Vortec - Pics - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum Albemarle 24 Info - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum.