What to look for when buying........
 

OK...with membership growing everyday :) spring approaching for us northerners :D and people always talking about buying a new boat i figure we should get a list of things to look for, for those people that are not too familiar with purchasing a boat, or are looking for their first! :D

I know theres gonna be a TON of stuff listed here so maybe i'll start composing a list to have here at the top so people dont have to look through every post to see what else to check for! :)

OK so here are a few items i payed special attention to when i was looking at buying my Scarab. Mind you this was my first "real" boat so i didnt know what all to look for:

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-On the Deck there were a few spider cracks in the gel coat. I looked on the underside of the same area to make sure that they were not structural damage coming through! Same goes for the hull areas if you find any!

-look down the side of the hull and on the bottom to see how "straight" it is.....some rapairs if not done properly can be seen in the finnish of the paint/gel. Better to find these before purchase then later when a crack appears from some hard use!!

-shift the drives into gear and spin the props by hand checking for any "weird" feeling in the drive like broken or chiped teeth!!! (this was on a TRS model)

-have the skegs or props been repaird? Why?

-How do the chines look? Solid or chiped up from beaching or from impacting something?

-Are there any chips in the hull exposing any bare fiberglass that water can seap into?

-Stick your head into every opening in the hull and look for any cracked or broken stringers or any delamination going on!!!

-Any oil leaks in the engine compartment or from the outdrives?

-Engines and/or trans's look clean or is there alot of surface rust???

-All the gauges and electronics working?

-Does the interior smell musty? Possibly due to water damage??? :(


Well i got it started lets get a good list going for those that may be buying a used boat sometime soon! :D Granted they should always get the boat surveyed but even those guys sometimes overlook things! Better to be educated then buy a headache!!!

Great idea Wally!!! Maybe two lists? One for new boats and one for used. Just an thought...

Sean :)

Great Idea Wally. I wisht that I had a list when I got my boat. may have saved me some money. Anyone can look over a boat IF they know what they are looking at. A check list would be a great help. I will toss in my ideas when I get back from work tonight :D :D

Always check for water in the oil, both engine and drive.

Always take a good look at who is selling you the boat!! ;)

Too often overlooked,
Closely examine the Hull ID Number on the transom... Hey, you never know!

Beware of any attempt to alter or doctor the numbers.

ahhh you don't need to do that... just if its F&*ked up.. a asswhippin is in need :D :D and whoopins are fun.


When dad bought the baja.... We walked up to it, looked a few things over and slammed down the money... hehe... it didn't even run either, but by the time we picked it up it was runnin. :) after removing the engine it was a 402 big block, it was advertised with a 454 mag. Dad talked with a lawyer and the marina was forced to refund some of the money.

When I bought the century it was during the winter and it was sitting outside shrinkwrapped. We glanced at it and bought it. When we got it home and in the warm barn, it finilly defrosted and the floor, stringers were rotted to pulp.. so back we go to do a little whoopin... they gave me back half of my money back :D after putting a little over $4000 of work in to the boat it was a showpiece... she was sold last easter.. :)

when I bought the powerplay, we walked up to it, looked it over a little, it was a flawless boat. Bought it dragged it home... put 33 hours on it and I haven't found anything wrong with it other then a gimble bearing.

None of these boats were tested when we bought them. The seller just needs to be honest, and if he is not he know's we'll come back with the BAT :D

and what supercrash said :D

[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: traviss ]

Sounds like I should bring Travis's dad with me when I buy a boat. :eek:

Sean :)

I hope I never have to do this again.....but I agree with crash....... :rolleyes:

Always now who you're dealing with..... ;) and what you can do to them if they try and bend you over.... :mad:

Might not want Traviss around he might mistake you for a sheep and bend you over :D :D

Sorry Travis it was there and I had to!!
:p