Re: Prospective boat purchase...
Well, talked to the Sea Ray owner... He bought the boat 7 years ago with a cracked block (frozen). He replaced the shortblock with a 350 (4 bolt main) out of a 76(?) Nova. He used an RV cam and had the marine heads rebuilt. It is also essentially sold... another buyer has looked at it and made an offer, that offer was accepted, but no down payment was made (seller says the down payment was offered, but he declined). He was supposed to pick the boat up today, but as of noon had not shown up... If I am still looking next weekend, and it is still available I am going to look at it.
Went and looked at the Celebrity... HUGE disappointment... Did not even bother to take pictures. The photos he sent me must have been at least 1 year old... The hull shows no blisters, but does have several gouges in it. The interior is severely worn and faded, all the carpet was soaked and there was about 2 gallons of water in the bilge. The stringers were solid, but the wood in the inspection hole of the transom and the cross braces (not sure what they are actually called, but the ones the run from side to side) were wet (not soft, but certainly wet). The engine did start easily and run well, But the out drive was missing all of the anodes, and the skeg was broken and then ground to a rounded edge... The trailer was just as bad... Most of the rollers were cracked, tires dry rotted etc...
I also went and looked at the Rinker and was pleasantly surprised. It is a 1987 V195. This is the second owner, he has owned it since 1995. It seems to be in really nice shape. It does have some slight damage to the hull where the transponder for the depth finder got broken off, but the holes have been sealed with caulking and do not appear to be leaking. Bilge, stringers, and transom were bone dry. Floor is solid and carpet is in fair condition. It has a 185hp 4.3L and Alpha 1 outdrive. It took a little persuading to start (first start of the year), once it started it idled smooth and quiet. The current owner replaced the wood the engine cover and one seat base several years ago, but the floor in those areas is solid and he reused the foam and upholstery. He has also reupholstered the bow seats. One of the "backrests" in the bow does have soft wood, but the foam is dry. It comes with a bimini cover, a full cockpit enclosure, and a snap on bow cover. Also has a full width swim platform with extend able ladder, fish finder, cd player, vhf radio, and gps. Seller is including several life jackets, skis, tube etc... The impeller was replaced last year by the dealership when they serviced the outdrive and rebuilt the carb. Bellows have not been done recently, they are softer than new, but have no splits, cracks, or holes. Trailer is a single axle Shoreliner with no brakes. Tires are in good condition and it has bearing buddies. All the rollers are in good condition and the wiring has not been cut or modified. Asking price is $5000, but the owner did say he would take $4200 cash. In short, I liked it ALOT. It took alot of self control to not say "SOLD". I took some pictures for the wife, and she likes it too... Now you guys get to be the judge.
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