Please Advise on this 242 for sale in NY
 

A friend of mine of thinking of buying this boat.

http://albany.craigslist.org/boa/2382170573.html

We are avid boaters, he currently has a 18ft jet boat with blown mopar 440, and is looking to move up. Anybody here know this boat or what to look out for with year/model? Any certain things to check, like stringers, or transom condition?

would it be wise to spend a couple hundred smackers on a marine surveyor to check the boat out?

Thanks for any input! :drink:

Tall money for the age for sure!

Actually....if it is really in that good of condition it is about average cost.

Well for a clean fresh water boat you will pay a little more. I think if you could get this between 10-12k you would be ok. Hard to believe less than 200 hours on this rig. A nice update would be putting a new shifter in and moving around the marine radio.

good luck

Now after looking at all of those pictures....that may be a little over priced.

Even if it is a Gen 2 the alpha drive is a real downer, I know that mercruiser did put some alpha's behind 454/330hp but I don't think that alpha's and magnums came paired together. I could be wrong.

That radio is a piece of garbage. That shifter belongs on my center console crabbing boat not a performance boat.

Nobody rebuilds just for the hell of it....I would ask for reciepts and details.

It does look clean, but probably should go for about $10,000

1986-1987 Mercrusier put the 330 with an Alpha drive. I had a 1986 206 and used to have the original brochure, and I remember the option.

Seems like these will hold a value of 10k forever. It's a lot of boat for 10k in today's dollars.

Just my thoughts.

Dave

Try this one.
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/boa/2374046108.html

thanks, yea seems like a lot of boat for the money and the low hours. alpha drive is kinda bummer, but with no holeshots and not throttle chopping big waves, seems like a solid deal as long as it checks out ok. maybe offer 10k?

Piece of my life, lesson learned:

I bought a 242ls out of CT 3 years ago. I bought it through a broker while I was in Afghanistan. Let me tell you, the boat was absolutely perfect, brand new built 454, all new emron paint, new interior, new B1 drive, nice trailer, etc. I came home from Afghanistan just to go to CT and pick the boat up. When I got there, I could not believe how nice this boat was. It fired right up, sounded good, checked out good, etc. I said lets go put it in the water, I was told that the rivers were in flood mode and there were to many logs and trash in the river to put in. So, I had the broker give me a 7 day window to get the boat in the water and checked out before the funds were released to the owner.

Now for the good part, I put the boat in the water, fired right up, couldnt ask for more. My wife, daughter, and myself were out cruzin and I kept noticing the pump coming on like every 5 mins. The first two times I thought it was just rain water from the trip home, but then I remembered the plug was not in, so no water should be in the boat. Next thing I know, I was being pulled over by the patrol boat(improper registration). As the patrol boat rafted up and the officer walks over to the side of his boat, the pump kicked on again!!! This soaked the officer in 50 degree water and he was not happy!! He asked to see the paperwork, which I did not have yet, I told him I just bought it and had 7 days to test the boat out and I think it is sinking as we speak!! He said get the damn thing to the dock and get it out of the water now!! Yes sir, have a nice day!!:angry-smiley-038:

Got the boat to the dock and popped the engine hatch, water was pouring in around the gimbal housing, the u-bolts you strap the boat to the trailer with, and the swim platform bolts below the water line.

To end this boring story, $900 later and 3 surveys, the boat was trashed. I had three surveys done because I could not believe a boat this nice could be trashed. The transom, stringers, boxes, header panel, all of it was rotted out. The one guy said he does not know how the boat didnt sink with the amount of power the engine was putting out and how weak the transom and stringer were(ripping the engine out of the floor and self destructing the whole back of the boat).

After 2 months of BS and arguing, I got my money back from the broker. The boat sat in my yard for 4 months before the owner decided to come get it, at which time he was "absolutely shocked the boat was in this condition, he never knew":eek:

GET A SURVEY DONE, GET A SURVEY DONE, GET A SURVEY DONE.

Pay now or pay later...I lost about $1600 in that deal, between fuel, tolls, and surveys. One survey will only be a couple hundred bucks, do it!!

The boat looks great, offer him $10k and leave room to go to $11k if it checks out and is the condition he states it is. A good running, good looking, 24' Formula with a trailer for $10-$11K is not bad.

Good luck, sorry to bore you to death, but learn from my mistake.

Brad

Here it is again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORMU...item2c5c9397e4

Brad