I may be wrong but I dont think it will go for 20K. What is your budget???

Yeah, I think I looked up the wrong NADA value. A 88 Panther Scarab books around $16k. Either way, what do you all think about the boat? I am waiting a reply for more info on the drives b/c all it says is original and also an explanation why one engine is rebuilt and the other isn't. I will ask about the stringers and floor. Anything else I might ask?

As far as budget is concerned, that's a touchy subject. The wifey doesn't think I should have a budget at all and stick with my little runabout. I on the other hand think I could handle $20k easily. I have approx. $10k cash and could finance another $10k no problem. Any thoughts?

That motor with 850 hours is tired not sure how it made it that far. Keep in mind you will be redoing that immidiatly if not then shortly after that. Id say is worth 15K or so. Look at the market and keep that in mind also its advantages to the buyer these days. good luck
-Mike

I would look up such national boat classifieds such as iboats or yacht trader. Punch in an amount and see what comes up. See what your money gets you and see if you are satisfied. See if they will throw in a survey (why not) but at the very least find someone that can look at the boat in person and tell you info on such as transom/stringer condition. Last week I found a 38' kaama edition scarab but it was for, I think, 32K.......... I would not buy off ebay unless the boat was close enough to see in person.

It doesn't look too bad- are the drives Bravos or TRS? On these boats you need to look at the stringers and the transom, do compression checks on the engines and definately check out the drives. I think 20K is all the money in this market- it all depends on drives and overall condition. If you get really serious have a OSO member that lives close to the boat go check it out- most of us would be happy to do that for you. Definately a better investment in my opinion!:ernaehrung004:

Yeah I was thinking the same thing about the motor with 850 hours on it. I am about two & half hours away from this boat, so I could go check it out. Not that I want to drive there & back for no reason if it's not worth it. Any volunteers near this boat want to check it out for me?

And I am still awaiting to hear info on the drives. I have no idea what they are yet. What is the best way to check the stringers & transom?

Drives look like TRS's, but it doesn't look like there are tranny's back there, confusing??

Best way to check stringers are with a moisture meter, or a rubber hammer, but not many boat owners will let you pound on their stringers with a hammer.

Okay, so I checked this post really late. Think really, really hard! Then ask your wife. These toys are the ultimate, but my cheap ebay hull ( 4, 700.00 ) with 3 axle trailer should float within the next 10 days. ( $72,000.00) later with my old engines and all my so called expert friends. I would never change any of it, but it made livibg at home tough.:party-smiley-004:

I think that's a much smarter starting point! The price seems a little high but maybe there is some wiggle room there. Just for comparison I bought a 30' scarab s-type last fall for $19,500. It has twin 502's and TRS's. It had a lot of upgrades already like complete hyd steering, Brand new IMCO exhaust risers with stainless dry exhaust, livoris controls, etc, but still needes a little work, here are a few pictures.

I got a reply from the seller this morning. Here is what he said.

"it has standard Mercruiser outdrives (Not sure if Alpha or not-would have to ask marina mechanic. The port motor was replaced just before I bought the boat. I purchased it from a friend of mine during his divorce, as he was in desperate need of money. The port motor was serviced improperly (no cracked block, but was leaking oil/water) as far as I know. He decided to go ahead and rebuild while apart, but starboard motor runs great without any problems, so he left it alone."

Oh, by the way he is a MD. Is it wrong if I try to lowball him? I mean I'm just a regular guy & I'm sure he has $ to spare.