I could use some imput on this boat,,,, Its a 2004 Genesis 23' with a 496 Mag and Bravo drive, one owner with 78 hours Price $25K. Clean boat but the owner took it to a shop last year (Aug) because he said he turned it off in gear and it wouldn't start. The Merc shop put gears and bearings in the drive, u joints, yoke)?) said there was an over heat code, replaced sea pump, flushed cooling system, changed coolant, and compression check with all 160-165 psi. The boat has about four hours on it since. Should I be worried with a Bravo going bad at 75 hours and the over head problem???? Any comments on the boat, price or.... Looking to buy it in a day or two. Thanks Dan

If it's been repaired correctly there should be no worry. The price may be a little high, 3-4K. You can check out the value in this link as you would know more of the details about it.
http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats

Looks like the value is $24500 but I don't think it includes the price of the trailer, is that right? Also what about the overheat problem, any concern about the motor.

If the value is 24,500 in NADA and the guy is selling on his own I would offer 17 and pay 19, maybe. If it is at a dealer you should still pay no more than about 20-22.

I live in the Portland area and we don't see many custom boats up here, and not alot of mid cabin models. Since there is not very many Genesis boats I wonder if this hurts the value? Been lookng a while for a custom build boat and they seem few to be had around here. here is a link to the boat ad.. Let me know what you guys think,,,

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/2293220571.html

You know the bow seating is only for lower speeds right? If you go faster than 20-30mph and you hit a big enough wave those passengers up front are going to get thrown out of their seat.

That's true, but I like it for more space when just hanging out with friends, need all the space with a 23'. The 496 is fast enough for me, just not sure of the value and that repair work!

Over heats on a "Guardian" equipped engines like the Merc 496 are a bit safer than engines where the steam, smoke, knock and seize up are the only indication of a major overheat event. But remember, that's only if the boat operator did not ignore the early warnings and keep pushing the engine to a point of severe overheat and damage.
Be safe and make the offer conditional to have a new neutral shop or surveyor inspect and verify the current condition of the engine and any possibility of latent damage. The overheat event code if still in the ECM history will show the rpms at which the overheat occured and how long the event lasted.
496's are pretty durable and can easily survive a mild "guardian" overheat condition.
But "Caveat Emptor" buyer beware and be careful!

Hope it all works well for the buyer and seller.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Go see Tim at Oregon Custom Marine in Portland. He has many different choices. At least you will see some different options.

He posts here under the name of OCM. 503-531-9300