what to look for
 

going to look at a 2002 fountain with a 500efi in it with 100 hours on the boat and motor. Is there anything i should be looking for? I know its low hours but should i do a compression test? What should the motor test at pressure wise?

You should be looking for the name of a competent high performance marine surveyor.

You can easily make a ten-thousand dollar mistake that for a few hundred dollars would be avoidable- you probably will end up getting a better price on the boat with a solid survey.

i know how the surveyor works but they dont check compression in the motor. They just make sure the hull is sound and that there are no stress cracks and to make sure that the boat doesn't overheat.

They do if you get a mechanical survey done.

As survey by a competent professional is an all-encompassing review of each and every physical component on the vessel. If there's something wrong with the boat the surveyor will find and report it.

Anything other than that is "a look around".

A good surveyor who's knowledgeable about the specific type of boat you're considering can be a tremendous resource. Not only can they identify problems, they can steer you as to the specifics of what you're buying. They can tell you what boats and hardware have what issues, what updates are available and if the boat you're considering has them and so on. A really good surveyor can also work as a buyer's agent for you. They can help you narrow down what you want and help you find it. If they're good, they know all the players and many of the boats.

I would never use a general practitioner. On high performance boats, I'd only consider using a well-known high performance surveyor, not some guy who was doing Searay's yesterday and blow boats this morning.