new boat purchase advice? kinda long..
 

Going to try to upgrade my raft this weekend. boat I am looking get is a 92 with 7.4/bravo. The boat/engine has 190 original hour and the drive is almost new because if theft. Here is my concern, long trip and the weather and rivers here in the north east are not good. What if I cannot test drive the boat and only run her on a hose? I would really like to see the motor under load but if that is not possible, i will run it up to temp on the hose, check oil pressure and temp and monitor water flow out exhaust and manifold temps, shift the drive and check trim ect. Does that sound reasonable for a 92 with low hours never leaving the city of pittsburg (fresh water) and not wanting to make another trips if everything check?

Drive it...Drive it..Drive it before you buy it!!!!!!

yes drive it,,
2 years ago,, prob alot of guys on the board might remember my nightmare,, bought a fountain in march in michigan up past detroit, had boat pulled to calif and had to spend 20k+ to replace the so called new motors and rebuild drives,, he fired up the boat in a warhouse and anyway its freakin buyer beware,, i am too stinkin trusting (stupid)as i would never screw anyone but heck tons of people out there would,, BUT what goes around comes around...
my 2 cents
Jonas
35 fountain
Bite Me

Test Drive process?
 

How should I test drive? Warm the motor and then take a cruise 3000 rpm for 5 or 10 minutes and watch temp and oil pressure.

Warm it up.

Run it through it's entire
operating range, thats the
only way to be shure.

If it's going to crap out on you,
it will probably do so in less than
15 minutes.

my .02
jt

Why not have an OSO member in that area take a quick look at it before you travel out there. This way if it is a POS you will not have wasted your time.

Dave M.

Thanks for all the help....
 

I am in D.C. so the trip is only 250mi. The weather is looking OK, no rain. I will insist on driving. I phoned the seller and he said he wouldn't complete a sale with me if we couldn't get it in the water. We will give it a shot...500mi of gas is much cheaper than a drive or engine failure.

I agree-- but also...
 

get a leakdown on the motor. I would do this before i drove up there, or arrange to have it done while you're there --even better!! Get a hold of a reputable mechanic, somone on here should be able to help point you to one that has NO alterior motives, and have him do the leakdown and pull the plug on the drive to check for metal.
You can listen to them run on muffs-- I've done that
You can take them for a ride--- I've done that
You can call and ask the guy who built them--- I've done that
You can believe the honest guy that's selling them---Done it!

But when it comes right down to it you can't hardly trust ANYONE!
Now if you've got all kinds of money and like to take everyone for their word then just back the truck up and pull the boat home.

If you're like me and feel all good inside just after you've made that deal on your beloved new toy, and you don't want to see it in pieces for the first 5 months you own it --just happen to be the summer--- then do all you can to double check what the seller is telling you, because right now he's your best friend, might even offer you a beer and shoot the $hit about good times boating, when it really comes down to it they don't know you and you don't know them!

I don't mean for this to sound so negative ( still bleeding from my wounds, i guess) but that is what i suggest.

BUYER BEWARE BUYER BEWARE

Let me rephrase that last lineBUYER BE AWARE



Too Old ---I'm actually a very trusting person--too trusting, I've gotten burned by a few too many to not think twice now atleast about doublechecking the merchandise. A couple a hundred bucks now is cheap compared to beating myself up later saying I should have.

What now???? Got boat and need to do maintence on a 7.4/Bravo and want to go with redline in drive?? What is the proper way to drain a bravo with a lube bottle and nose cone? Have not looked for drain plugs yet? Also, changing the oil and filter is there any trick places where you need to drain an oil cooler or anything like that? It is a 92 model 7.4.