used boat prices (ouch)

[fkboatman]

So today i sold the laveycraft sebring nd its headed to its new home in the morning. So i started shopping for a used clean direct drive closed bow comp ski. They are a dime dozen not looking for anything special at all. just one that was reasonably taken care of. So i call on a few boats agree to look at them at a certain time and place. I ask specific clear questions about condition. any rips or cut up interior, soft floor,gelcoat condition,running gear condition. i get answers like,nothing major,looks great for its age.runs awseome. i go look at 4 seperate boats. and they are just not used,neglected or anything but they are trashed. I am spending a fair amount of money, my budget is capped at 12 grand. should have no problem finding a decent late 80 s or early 90 s boat that is nice. i am not by any means saying its got to to be perfect by any means at all. i amd we all know a 15 yr old boat is going to have some flaws. well i found nothing but garbage like, soft floor,gauges falling out of dash.nothing but tach working in dash.motors that run like ****. water in the gear box fluid. one looked like it was strictly used to play bumper boat with the dock on one side and brand new on the other side. I mean please what gives, i thought people who owned comp ski boats normally took better care of them. what gives?

[Docked Wage]

I hate to sound negative but for the most part people do not take care of their stuff. I've looked at so much crap out there too. I've seen $35K boats sitting on lifts without covers getting rained on and crapped on by seagulls for weeks before the owner gets off his ass to clean it up and at least cover it.

All I can say is, be patient and have the cash and a trailer hitch ready. When the pristine boat comes along at the right price it won't last long. BTW, I always go prepared to buy (Cash and Hitch) even on the first look. I've gotten lucky a couple times that way.

[Bruster]

We did the same thing a few years ago looking for a nice Mastercraft. We looked all over Michigan. One boat we liked the owner wanted to use it for a few more weeks before he let it go, why was it for sale and why did he let me waste most of a day driving over 400 miles round trip to go look at it. Another had a dockfull of crap in, looked like it was that way all summer and we thought we were going to get pulled in it ran so bad. That was a 350 mile trip. Another looked like it never had had a cover on it. Trashed. These were all boats that people were selling and said were "nice". One day an ad came up on CL and we jumped in the truck. Our ride yielded a 100 hour boat that had never sat outside and was just as clean as new. The guy who owned it said no one in the family cared for it and about the only thing he ever did reagulary was make payments, and pay for storage. A quick test ride everything was as I expected and an hour later I paid off his note and we brought it home. He put like $3 in his pocket at the bank. Don't be in a hurry, you are in control here, and there is some really nice stuff peppered in all the crap.


So today i sold the laveycraft sebring nd its headed to its new home in the morning. So i started shopping for a used clean direct drive closed bow comp ski. They are a dime dozen not looking for anything special at all. just one that was reasonably taken care of. So i call on a few boats agree to look at them at a certain time and place. I ask specific clear questions about condition. any rips or cut up interior, soft floor,gelcoat condition,running gear condition. i get answers like,nothing major,looks great for its age.runs awseome. i go look at 4 seperate boats. and they are just not used,neglected or anything but they are trashed. I am spending a fair amount of money, my budget is capped at 12 grand. should have no problem finding a decent late 80 s or early 90 s boat that is nice. i am not by any means saying its got to to be perfect by any means at all. i amd we all know a 15 yr old boat is going to have some flaws. well i found nothing but garbage like, soft floor,gauges falling out of dash.nothing but tach working in dash.motors that run like ****. water in the gear box fluid. one looked like it was strictly used to play bumper boat with the dock on one side and brand new on the other side. I mean please what gives, i thought people who owned comp ski boats normally took better care of them. what gives?

[fkboatman]

bought a 95 brendella today, its home in the garage after a 8 hr road trip.

[samari]

I used to work at a centurion dealer and was amazed at what people would do to new boats. I think it has to do with parents with money buying a expensive toy for their kids to trash. It is a exception to find a nice clean tow boat, just a different breed of boaters I guess.

Glad you found what you were looking for.

[WILDMAN]

Most ski boats are bought by the rich daddy for his spoiled brat kids who don't even know about taking care of things cuz if they trash it, Daddy will just buy them a new one.

[Maple Leaf]

I hate to sound negative but for the most part people do not take care of their stuff. I've looked at so much crap out there too. I've seen $35K boats sitting on lifts without covers getting rained on and crapped on by seagulls for weeks before the owner gets off his ass to clean it up and at least cover it.

:iagree: But its the TRUTH! Most of the boats out there are junk, People just don't care, They think that because its a boat that there indestructible :confused: I've seen near perfect boats destroyed over the years because people don't take care for it. When it finally breaks down they throw it away, Or if there selling it they think there worth $$$ when there absolute junk. :nonod:

[fkboatman]

you are correct, i bought this one with a cracked block, 133 hrs on it. and it honestly looked brand new except for the black gelcoat on deck just startting to oxidize. paid $3,300 for it. i already had a 94 mercruiser 5.7 in my garage from a a recent repower up grade. so you know whats and who are getting married tomorrow. lol

[hometown45]

So true, my stuff is mine 'cause I put it together. Right now my Ranger is a POS!!!!, but wait a couple of months.