Need some advice
 

I've been trying to get into a bigger boat with a limited budget for awhile now and came across this:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/boa/3941569438.html

I called them up and got all the information I could. Apparently a doctor had the motor built in 2000 but decided it was too fast so he parked in in the marina's dry storage and it sat there until now. The motor was built by a high performance marine engine builder in pottsboro, tx. It has a whipple supercharger, water cooled headers, performance heads and fuel injection. The marina just needs the boat gone and the doctor doesn't care how much he gets for it. The interior is in really good shape and they are fixing the back hatch. Should I pursue this any further or just keep looking? The only drawback is the engine is seized and they aren't sure why. It has been sitting in dry storage, so it hasn't been out the rain to gather water in the motor and everything is supposedly brand new on the motor. Thirteen years brand new. I have the cash for the boat, and could come up with some more for a shortblock if need be.

Thanks for the help.

David

I say keep looking,,,,,,, or offer him 6000, especially if it needs engine work

Not seeing a Whipple in the ad pic. Looks like a carb motor but hard to tell. Ad says 385HP 454 which for a Merc motor would have been MPI and wasn't yet available in '94. Motor could be seized due to improper winterization, a leak, or simply condensation forming inside the motor over the years. Consider the motor a thirteen year old junk motor and adjust your offer accordingly if you still want the boat.

I can see the supercharger in the pic, and you can see the boost gauge and two other added gauges to the dash, yet as said previously, new/old/paper weight. Could be the deal of the century, or it could cost you much more.

I'm going to head up there and check it out. I got him to come down quite a bit over the phone and I can probably get him to come down a little more if I show up with cash and say I can haul it off then. I'll pull the spark plugs and see if there is any evidence of water and I'll check all the fluids. I know someone that can swap out the block for me if need be. I figure it has to be worth a look right?

454/385 MPI WAS available in '94...that's what my Laser came with... :-)

Interesting. The Gen V MAG's were carb motors. You could get a Gen V EFI that had the Lingenfelter intake like the later MAG's but those were not 385 HP motors. I always knew the 385HP 454 MAG MPI's to be Gen VI motors which were later than '94. Learn something new everyday...

And I still cannot see the Whipple in the pic! I guess it is time to start wearing readers at the computer.

engine picture is backwards,,hard to see but under the carb you can see the Whipple,,

I saved the pic and blew it up. Grainy but now I see it.

Checked out the boat and there is definitely a whipple on top. Someone invested a lot of money into that motor. It has a splatter paint on and anodized pulleys to match with some really nice headers. I didn't see any rust on in the motors and the freeze plugs were taken out when it was put up. There is some corrosion on the engine mounts and various other places. It also has what appears to be hydraulic steering. I'm still trying to get him to come down. He's stuck at 7500. I offered him 6500 and he thought about it a couple of days before he said no. I'm going to give him another week and try again. I had a mechanic look at it and he seems to think he can strip it down and rehone the cylinders and it should be good. The rest of the boat is in pretty good shape though.