suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

[Home Cookin']

Friend is boat shopping; came across a Sea Pro CC 19', 5 years old but with a brand new (in break-in) motor. Owner says it got water in it, not worth fixing and insurance bought a new one. Let's assume it sunk and in salt water, but was raised right away and drained. No visible damage. No electronics now on board. Friend will ask him point blank what happened (I suggested getting a copy of the insurance claim).
What would make you walk away if you knew this and the price is right? It's a basic boat, no carpet/cabin/wood trim. To me, the risk points are the controls, guages, wiring connections, But in our high-salt environment, it's all exposed after a while. And of course fuel/oil tanks need to be cleared. Growing up we had a boat sink twice in salt water and kept it going.
The boat is currently at a dealer/marina so it would be no problem getting it checked, if we knew specifically what to ask about.
One approach is to get a quote on replacing the whole boat electric harness and panel and factor it into the budget even if you deferred doing it until things got squirrelly. My friend would not do any repairs himself so everything would be sent out to the pro's ($$$).
I know better than to ask "what could go wrong" in the same sentence with "boat" but what are the serious risk points?

 

[chumslinger]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

since you said your friend wouldnt do any repairs himself(not knowing, what if any, repairs are needed) the cost could get very expensive. i would say look for a different boat. however if your friend has comon sense, with help from the members here, he should be able to tackle most problems he should encounter. if your friend has his hart set on getting a boat, i would suggest a new one with warranty. the reason i am saying this is because i am an auto mechanic, and the only reason i drive older cars is because i know how to fix them. if i needed to go to a mechanic for all my repairs, i couldnt afford to drive, or i would buy a new car with warranty---see pattern here? anyways enough ranting....if your friend does buy boat in question, good luck and smooth sailing we are all here to lend a hand if needed......nate

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

No way in the world I would do it if the boat indeed sunk. It will never be right again without a ton of money in it. How would you like to be offshore in a boat that only sunk once.

 

[seven up]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

For me it would be the likelihood of receiving a "salvage" title. Maybe you like those kind of things.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

salt water, strip to the hull and start over.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

Depending on how long it was under, and if it was sunk in salt water, will determine the damage. I would weigh it to make sure it is not waterlogged. Plan to replace the steering cable and the control cables, if it was under a week or so. Hopefully the motor harness is new. Figure on new gauges and dashboard wiring. Everything else is probably OK.

Oh yeah, if the hull looks good, it probably wasn't under water too long. make sure he has a clear title.

 

[salty87]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

i'm thinking like chumlines...could get real pricey paying a shop. might as well just start with a nice boat and skip jumping through all the hoops.

can't the marina give him an estimate for fixing it up?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

Thanks, all. I agree with most everything, and this buyer (like we tell newbies with a "free" boat) doesn't want to buy trouble; will pay for reliability. Neither H or W has any free time or much experience fixing, and would rather pay to ride in the boat than spend time fixing it for free, especially here in the summer. ANd they have chuildren who will use it.
Right now the marina is "fixing" the bow lights and another wirnig issue--this is one of the clues to me that it had sunk. So I'd get an estimate to rewire and put it in the budget.
However, a line of wire shouldn't be affected by a day or so underwater; just the connections. For a simple boat, no sweat; the more wire, the more problems.
Good point on the steering as well as controls and electrical.
As for sinking again, my concerns are not seaworthiness; it's a stock boat. I'm sure we'll find it was moored wrong (we're tidal here) or plug out, possibel bilge pump failure unattended in rainstorm. I know it had been kept moored. I doubt it was under long.

If it were me, I might take a chance b/c I have low expectations of any boat not having problems. Just wanted you all's perspective on what might be wrong with a new fiberglass hull that got dunked once. Thanks again. Back to our own problems!

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: suspected sunk boat for sale--buy it anyway?

Another issue beyond repairs is value. Rarely do people keep boats forever, they always trade up. If the insurance totaled this boat it will never be worth anything no matter how many repairs you make to it. It's a salvaged boat. What wiring is going to go bad offshore (w/ kids in the boat). I would bet that the marina is only gonna fix what is wrong right now in order to sell it. Not safe or smart.