I'm looking at a 1998 272 Islander. It was repowered in 08 with a 496 ho. Guy is firm at $21750. He said he had the transom replaced in 2010. What do you guys think about the price and would the fact that the transom has been replaced scare you guys away?

Yes I would dig as much as I could, ask who did the work and call them. If done correctly no worries but I would be more concerned about why. New motor and new transom = red flag

Price I would say he is probably very close.

The transom was rotten because all the holes poked in it at the factory were never sealed properly (like all the rest of em). I'd rather be looking at one that's been replaced already. I would be interested to see that it was done by a pro shop. The engine scan should give you piece of mind on that front. Price sounds like a deal but as you know it's all about the condition.

Chances are there's more rot if you start poking around. A survey with special attention to moisture content might save you some trouble down the road. Contrary to popular belief...you CAN polish a turd. Good Luck.

a lot of truth in that statement. I agree on the survey, best $300-400 you will ever spend. It will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

If I have an engine scan what exactly am I looking for and never heard of the survey before, who would perform that and what exactly are they looking for? More rot in the transom or rot in the stringers?

I agree with both engine scan and survey. Engine scan will be full report from ECM, any mercury dealer can do this with their tool. Will print out # hours and at what RPMs. Survey should tell if there's rot anywhere, transom, stringers, floor, deck, anywhere there's wood.

You should have professional surveyors service in your area, even tho you didn't say were you are. You will get a written report on the overall condition of every system on the boat including moisture content of the hull and components (stringers, bulkheads ect) also any blistering or potential delam issues with the hull itself. It's kinda a CYA insurance that you aren't buying someone else's problems.

Repairs add up quick and that "great deal" turns into a money pit. With the newer 496 the scan will tell you all you need to know about the run time of the engine. It won't tell you how it was maintained, oil changes and such. If you're not experienced around this type boat you should at least take someone who is. Experienced eyes can tell a lot just looking around the engine compartment. Taking the wife to look at a shiny "new" boat puts lots of pressure on you to impulse buy. If the engine scan shows she been run hard, majority of hours over 4K RPM, then you could go farther and do compression and leak down tests for a better idea of the overall health of the power plant. Those motors are known to run great for a long time when taken care of and not "messed with".

The boat is in the new orleans area. I am in Ohio it is close to a 15 hour drive. If looking for some to do a server of the boat do you guys have an suggestions as far as how to look onelsewhere up and how to make sure they are trustworthy?

http://www.marinesurvey.org/us-regions/virginia.html

Given the major repairs I think you could probably do a little better on price, but that's not totally out of the ballpark. For a bowrider if it were me (it was a few years ago) I'd focus on the brands known for attention to detail/quality so you have less worry about transoms, stringers, and all the fiddly hardware and upholstery that is particularly prevalent on a bowrider. I'm fond of formula and cobalt bowriders.