Need some advice
 

Well just to let you know first off,i am purchasing my first boat 23yrs after i sold my 16ft sidewinder with 145 evinrude and i was seventeen then.Lookin at a 1995 outlaw sst 24,equipped with 502efi,415hp,bravo1,mirage plus 23p....i believe this is the better combination.My concerns are it was an american boat brought up here to canada in 2005.Not sure how to tell if it was in salt water at one time or another as no records for maintence.Boat has 510 hrs ,fresh rebuild on engine at 477hrs.You guys talk alot about stringer and transom issue,im not sure best way to check that when i see the boat on the weekend.I guess i just need some advice on what to look for. Much appreciate it.Oh ya he is asking 18grand with a trailer,Fair price?

If you ask me, it's very hard to tell if the stringers are bad or if you have wet coring or wet transom or other wood in the boat. You can look for red weep stains on the inside of the bilge. The boxes in the bilge on each side of the stringers tend to get wet. You can also look where the floor attaches to the rear bulkhead. They didn't really attach the floor that well in this spot. After years of hitting waves and whatever water comes in the cockpit will eventually run over this area. So if the floor was moving up and down over the years, the fiberglass tabbing can crack at the joint of the floor and the boxes in the bilge. I guess you could check it with a moisture meter also. I never have used that. I usually can knock on the sringers and try to feel around inside drain openings in the stringers and bulkheads. But it's still hard to find all the problem areas. Here are some pics of my 98 24 outlaw I'm working on.

thanks for info.looks like your in it.im a mechanic by trade however the glass and restructure not my thing.so when i jump in this boat on the weekend other than the staining its a crap shoot of sorts.will there be excessive flexing anywhere.I really dont have a clue.thanks again

You can look for the following things -
-Heavy,rotted wood in engine hatch/sun pad
-rotted out rear seat
-soft floors infront of rear seat behind bolsters, check the outside bolster screws also - see if they tighten or keep spinning.
-Look on the top of the bravo inner transom plate where the steering arm comes out. If you see water stain marks on the transom assembly here that probably means you need to replace gimbal ring pivot shaft and seal. You should find out if the gimbal ring pivot shaft and seal where ever replaced, after 400 hrs of use, I would expect it needs it. To do it right, you need to pull the motor.
-In the cuddy, check the bow hatches and the fiberglass around them - look for staining and push against the head liner next to each hatch to see if it is soft. You could have staining on headliner from the hatch being open or worse, the hatch not being properly sealed to boat.
-Also the middle rail on the boat is not screwed tight some times, can let in water
-If you are going for a test ride and the boat sits on a trailer, I would dry the bilge out completely, get down there with a towel make it totally dry, then put it in the water, if you get water in the bilge and it's not raining, you should see where it is coming in. Could be outdrive bellows, gimbal pivot shaft seal, tabs or swim platform not properly sealed to transom (I've seen the tabs screw holes not sealed at all from the factory), water hoses for cooling.
-Check for blisters in the gel

Good luck

I would pay to have a professional check out the boat. I I learned the hard way, the boat I purchased looked mint. But had low compression, leaking exhaust worn flappers worn gimble ring swivel pin and the list goes on. I ended up racking up more than 11 k in repairs on a 400 hour boat. I let emotion take over on the purchase and trusted the integrity of the seller and his marina. The boat is perfect now but I own a 35k 2000 baja h2x! I have far more into it than it is worth. I was unable to do any of the repairs myself due to a recent hip replacement so I was an economic stimulus to the seller and the local marina. On a positive not we now own a great boat that has been a blast and the only thing left to replace is the outdrive! I'm praying it will last through our vacation this week on lake Norris. Good luck and a couple hundred getting it checked out is a worthwhile investment! Larry

Hell of a good point.I will check it out,work out a price pending on inspection.good call..
thanks

How did it go with the boat?

Sorry it took so long gettin back here.Was able to take a marine tech with me costs some beers but well worth it.The boat checks out tight,new rebuild,went roller nothing crazy.New gimble etc etc.Has list mile long.The gel coat is perfect,there isnt a scratch on this boat.The interior showing its age,needs sun pad redone cracks in the material not torn.Trim tab indicator not lighting up,however he has brand new kit to go along.Good so far,working on insurance rt now as you know it is time consuming.If everything false into place i will pull the trigger this week or next.Thanks again for the advice it goes along way these days...