Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

[marekli]

I have a smaller 23ft 1994 Maxum 23 Cuddy Cabin that has served the wife and the boys well for cruising California coasts and inland lakes and doing some water sports. Unfortunately, the engine seized water and now we have to make a decisison to either replace the engine with a remanufactured engine at a significant cost ($7.5K with 3yr warranty on the reman Mercruiser 5.7L, 275HP). This was our first boat with a solid hull so it would have been best to be able to get more experience using this one before we upgrade to a boat with more space and amenities (shower, toilet, stove etc) but now we are forced to make a decision about investing significantly more into a boat that only cost ~$8K that we likely won't get back later or trying to sell as is and upgrading to a bigger boat. I started looking a bit at a few Bayliners 24-26ft and was wondering what folks thought a) about sticking with the current boat given the price of a reman b) recommendations for a good family cruiser that may also work for water sports. The Maxum will easily pull a skier up and runs about 38mph at top speed.
Thanks

 

[shrew]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

If you're looking to move up, then sell the boat as is and move up. You will need to stay in your boat for a quite a few years if you repower if you want to at least break even. 23 - 26 is not a big jump. 23 to 28 isn't even really that big of a deal.

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

yeah, I understand, but we are not full time boaters, we like to travel with the boat and also have a larger trailer...for someone who started boating maybe a couple of years ago that as a bit of a leap and the dough definitely makes the cost of upkeep on my truck and trailer pale in comparision

 

[Natesms]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

You might have a tricky time making that jump and keeping the watersports aspect. I'm sure if you got something with enough power you could ski and things, however the fuel bill might get pretty expensive.

If you have been thinking about getting a new boat, then start shopping. If you think your current boat is fine for another 4 or 5 years then repower. You might want to shop around a few shops and see about getting a long block and saving some cash. If you look at USEngine.com you'll see a 280hp - 300hp for ~$1800, ~$2200. The right shop you should be able to get it installed for a reasonable price.

MARINE ENGINE PRICES 1-800-542-3211

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

the engine was a used engine that was put it in just before the boat was sold to us...so no big surprise that it blew, since there's no record of what was done for maintainence and what condition it was in at the time of purchase (my bad for not doing more research, ok). Anyway, the exhaust/manifolds and risers will have to go too so a long block won't do the job...

 

[agallant80]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

When you move over to a cruiser watersports are pretty much dead. Stingray puts a ski hook on the back of their 250CS but I don't see how you could do much besides pull a tube around slowly burning tonnes of fuel. Cruisers use more fuel and have more systems to break. I bought a new 2013 Bayliner 255CR this year and there have been many costs associated with it that I did not count on. At first I thought I made a mistake but with the first season of cruising behind me I am glad I made the jump. I miss the water sports from time to time but im pretty much over it.

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

on the skiing aspect, my sons are not hard core but they enjoy it, so we would not like to lose that ability even though two of them are out of the house and off to college. It's a good incentive to keep them comping back to visit mom...

I looked at a 26ft Bayliner with a 250HP V8, will something like that be able pull up a wakeboarder/water skier well?

Bayliner 2001 Ciera 2655

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

That Bayliner 2655 is a slug with single 250HP V8. Good for overnights, and cruising, NOT for watersports. Listen to others when they say a cruiser is not a decent watersports boat. They are 100% correct. Sure you could probably find one with a big block that will pull a skier, but as was once said here, it's like starting up a Mack truck to go to the corner store to buy milk and bread.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

My 25 foot Bayliner cruiser has a 260HP and its a dog when there are lots of people on it. I could not imagine trying to pull a skier with it.

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

ok, I got that part I think..with 3 boys who like water sports...the best thing is probably to simply repower with a remanufactured V8 357/275HP. The Alpha One outdrive can stay on the boat. I guess the cruises to Catalina and Channel Islands will stay brief then since the cabin is really tiny...

Btw, the23ft Maxum 2300sc weighs in at about 5,500lb. Some of the larger boats were not much heavier but then the size of the hull and distrubition of the weight is what bogs it down?

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

Just to add...if you go the motor replacement route.....I had see brand New chevy 350/260 hp long block motors for sale at JEG'S for.... i think $1599.00 or $1699.00 with a 3 year warranty. Proly needs Brass freze plugs installed

Thats brand new not remanufactured.

Good luck....hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

The cheapest thing may very well be a re-power, as long as you plan on keeping the Maxum for many, many years. It may not be the best thing to do with that particular boat, but if it serves your purpose, and you have no desire to spend significantly more money for a larger/newer cuddy with power enough to pull skiers, then you have your answer.

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

we need a complete engine with exhaust manifolds, risers, wiring etc...we looked at Jaspers but Mercury is running a promo for reman 357s incl. 3year warranty, we found a shop that will do the exchange for about $6.5K...

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

I don't know about many, many years, maybe with 3 yrs boating experience I'd like to say my outlook is 3-5 years for this Maxum...

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

Just to add...if you go the motor replacement route.....I had see brand New chevy 350/260 hp long block motors for sale at JEG'S for.... i think $1599.00 or $1699.00 with a 3 year warranty. Proly needs Brass freze plugs installed

Thats brand new not remanufactured.

Good luck....hope you find what you are looking for.

They would also at the least need an appropriate marine cam installed. They also are not intended to live heavily loaded at continuous high rpm.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

Eh, if it were me and I was about to spend 7K on a repower I would be thinking if I sold the Maxum for 2K then I would have 9K for a down payment or for a new boat. Consider your options. 7K is not chump change. You will never get your money back if you repower.

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

that was the reason I was looking for input here....it seemed with maybe 9K from repower/resell value hopefully I throw in another 10K and get us something roomier with shower/cooking....but it would need to take care of the water sports too...since that seems quite a stretch unless we power it with a really big engine...it's probably not in our budget...again, maybe in 3-5 years but not right now...I guess then the boys may not be strapping on the boots any longer, so we could simply trade up to a bigger cruiser after riding it out with this one...

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

....They would also at the least need an appropriate marine cam installed. They also are not intended to live heavily loaded at continuous high rpm..........

I thought i would throw that option out there.....BTW... All V-8 chevy mercrusiers....start out as base chevy engines with a truck like cam and brass freeze plugs.......So not much difference in the two.

Everyone thinks they do something special to the inside of a marine motor to make it marine tough...but there is no difference!

 

[marekli]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

well, I guess another option would be two boats...one for the wife one for water sports....then ski boat could be smaller 17 or 18 ft and the cruiser a bit bigger 26 foot seems about the largest I'd like to go while trailering since slip is not an option for us. We like the idea of towing the boat around and I am quite familiar doing that already since we have had a larger 27ft trailer for a number of years. I traded in my dually for a 5.7L Tundra V8. Towing seems ok, but I notice on ramps the F350 V10 Triton was more assertive....so 28foot boats may become a handful. The Maxum weighs 5,500, my rating says 10,000 lbs max. I'd like to keep things at not more than 8-8,5000lbs and definitely not more than 9,000lbs loaded with trailer. As usual with every toy/vehicle with more of them there's more upkeep insurance and fuel consumption so besides more cash or credit to pay upfront for the purchase there's a lot that comes after the purchase...anyway, curious what folks thought about the 2 boat idea...I usally either travel with the wife OR the boys both together does not go over too well...

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Salvage or Upgrade 23foot Maxum to 24-26 foot family cruiser/water sport boat

I put more into your boat long before a new Bayliner.