second-hand boat

[pugbro]

My brother in law has a 20 ft 1978 or 1979 Bass Buggy Aluminum pontoon boat. He says it is a good boat except that the front deck needs replaced. It has a 40 hp Johnson motor that runs good and the upholstry and deck carpet is in good shape.
He is being transferred and wants to sell the boat, which comes with a trailer.....He wants $1200.00 for the boat and trailer.

Being a complete idiot when it comes to boats, my question is....do you think the boat is worth the price he is asking.....He says he estimates, it will take approximately $500.00 to do the repairs,etc

 

[Bondo]

Re: second-hand boat

Ayuh,.........

A Boat that Floats, with a Motor that Runs is Easily worth $1200.00...........

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: second-hand boat

The motor alone is worth more than the $1200 price.
Look around, and you won't find many used outboard motors
in that hp range for sale. That size will do fine for pleasure
pontoon boating.

If your interests change and you don't care for the boating experience,
you will not take a loss on your investment.
If you trade-up, you'll have something to trade worth a down payment.

If you don't take it, and then you want to get into boating, good luck!

 

[crb478]

Re: second-hand boat

It is worth that simply for the scrap value, the trailer is probably worth 500, the motor at least 1000, and the aluminum is worth .50 a pound at the scrap yard.

 

[Fish n Geer]

Re: second-hand boat

Win win situiation.Happy tooning!

 

[steelespike]

Re: second-hand boat

Pontoons offer a unique oportunity in boating I big platform that can be adapted to many configurations.You could do a fishing setup or set it up like a floating patio.with careful planning you could even do a little overnighter.
Not the fastest on the water but driven at a reasonable speed fairly economical.You will need to be careful not to overload with people/gear.
There should be a plate with the capacity.

 

[thurps]

Re: second-hand boat

Such a deal.

 

[pduquette]

Re: second-hand boat

Sound like a bargain to me . But as a personal caveat- Accept the deal as an as-is sale (at least in your mind ) . If the repairs end up costing 3x more he's family - so trying to sue for the difference will make life miserable for all . The repairs will gain you knowlege and experience worth more than petty bickering . Even though he's moving away will be able to offer help - verbal or otherwise?

 

[rndn]

Re: second-hand boat

Agree with the above post. Accept it as an as-is and enjoy it. It's well worth the price even if you need to do more work than just the front deck. Happy boating.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: second-hand boat

Accept the deal as an as-is sale (at least in your mind ) . If the repairs end up costing 3x more he's family

A very wise comment.

In all probability, your relative is offering a very fair deal, even if you have to spend some money on the boat. Bear in mind, however, that you can spend $500 on a 20 foot boat and trailer in a heartbeat. A new pair of decent capacity marine batteries alone will cost you about $150. Your boat may not need them but that is just an example.

I would also offer a balancing opinion about the motor. Assuming it is a '78 or '79 (you didn't say), it may or may not be worth the asking price, alone. If it is in tiptop condition, has been well maintained, has good compression readings, etc., I would say the previous comments are correct in that it might be worth a grand or so. If not it isn't because at $70 to $90 per hour shop rates, plus parts, repaiirs get expensive very quickly.

Conversely, if the motor is pretty trashed but the boat and trailer are really worth several thousand dollars beyond the asking price, you are getting a deal that mitigates the fact that you might be better off repowering. In this scenario, the purchase is still a good one as long as you feel like you can spend whatever it takes to make the rig serviceable.

As with any boat purchase when the prospective buyer is somehat new to the activity, I strongly recommed taking someone who has appropriate knowlege with you, to inspect the package before making a decision. For the sake of family harmony, I would just present your desire to do that as one of fully trusting your relative, but wanting to make sure that you can afford to do all of the things that might need to be done.

 

[pugbro]

Re: second-hand boat

THANKS A MILLION GUYS,....AS ALWAYS I GET BETTER,MORE HONEST ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS ON iboats.com THAN ANYWHERE!

 

[Nandy]

Re: second-hand boat

I will answer your question with another question. What's the guy phone number? LOL, not serious, but it is a great deal, I would jump all over it. I don't like pontoons much but I am sure come April I can sell it for more.