Should I buy?

[jrglombo]

Hi, I am new to the forum, but have been reading a lot of threads! I've been looking at a 1989 Sea Ray 160 on Craigs. I have been looking for a few months with no real hits but I like this one! the price is right but it has a soft middle board over the gas tank. I know its a dirty job and all, but he's asking $2400, its open bow and has a 3.0 Merc. Any help or opinions would be great! I have owned plenty of boats in the past but I have never redone a floor so the thought of ripping up a rotten floor is kind of scary!!

 

[agallant80]

Re: Should I buy?

$2400 for a boat that needs the floor replaced. Say that out loud a few times then see if it is still something you want to get in to.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Should I buy?

That soft floor is connected to the stringers, the stringers are connected to the transom and all are suspect and a lot of work. Do a very thurough(sp) inspection.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Should I buy?

Keep looking.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Should I buy?

Dude if you buy this boat you will be lucky to be on the water by NEXT spring. Do you want to be on the water, or be doing a boat restoration? Keep looking, you will soon find the perfect boat.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Should I buy?

By "middle board" are you talking about the ski locker hatch or the cockpit deck itself.

Like the others have said, probably a restoration waiting to happen. You would need a trained eye and some tools to figure out if the stringers/transom were also a bit 'soft'. The odds are not in your favor. So, $2400 would be too much in that case, as you would be putting another $2k or more into restoration . . . if the stringers, etc were rotted.

 

[jrglombo]

Re: Should I buy?

Thanks guys, yeah that's what I was thinking, I want to be on the water yesterday so I don't need a project! Some people say it's a big deal some say it isn't, I figured it was but needed some reassurance! Thanks again

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Should I buy?

i bought my boat thinking it needed a floor, thought i would just throw down a sheet of plywood and some carpet and be boating that summer it was the next spring before it splashed:facepalm: that summer i spent every spare minute working on the boat, i even worked on it during my lunch breaks i come home.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Should I buy?

Some people say it's a big deal some say it isn't

The issue, as mentioned, is that it's rarely (VERY rarely) just the deck. It's usually the stringers and transom as well. And with a fiberglass boat, you can't really half@ss it and still have a safe boat. To properly repair it, all the old rotted wood needs to be removed and new wood glassed back into place. This costs about $1k in materials. So yeah, a soft deck is a big issues.

If you're looking to get on the water cheaply with the least chance of financial disaster, I recommend an aluminum hull with an outboard. Something like this: http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/5320/imag0446.jpg

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Should I buy?

If it wasnt a big deal why would it be for sale.

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Should I buy?

Just for the sake of clarity for the OP...what he is describing as a "soft middle board" over the tank is exactly that. On these particular line of Sea Ray bowriders, the gas tank is under the floor and is made to be accessible by means of removing perimeter screws around the floor hatch. That floor "hatch" is notorious for going bad on this vintage of Sea Ray! And if the floor partition is soft, it is very likely that the support structure under it is shot too. The stringers lie on either side of the tank, so when they are wet, the water wicks up thru the furring strips that support the floor panel that hovers over the gas tank. That panel gets soft, then you fall through onto the tank. Seen it many times.

Good luck!