Hi All,

I am new here and a relative new boater in general. I boated for years when younger and apparently looking for my youth again has brought me to the high performance boating world. ( living on the water I'm sure helps)


Ok here is the million dollar question. I am on a budget so with that in mind and my mechanical ability I am looking at three different boats.

One a 1976 Chris Craft 8 meter (27) XK8. (twin 350 Volvo PT*80)
1985 Baja 26 454 Bravo 1
Formula Liberator 26 Twin 350 Volvo PT80

Trying to determine which of these boats to choose. al require interior redo (cushions wood work etc.)

With out too many details any thoughts?


Thanks

Jeff

1985 baja bravo one? is that correct ? bravio's did not come out untill 88 i think. i think bravo parts would be much easier to come by

All are old and will probably make you regret getting into boating. Unless you have excellent mechanical skills, unlimited time, and deep pockets.

Out of all 3 of those old boats, one things for sure, I'd be checking the entire hull structures for rotted stringers, transom, coring, etc. and making sure fuel tanks arent leaking. got to be careful with these older boats. Nothing worse than buying a boat, sinking tons and tons of money into them, plus hundreds of man hours, and never get it back when it comes time to sell.

There are some good older boats out there for cheap money. I'd buy one that has been cared for, and has mercruiser engines/drives, so you can find parts if needed. Technology wasnt that great in the 70's, lot of those boats became rot infested.

Budget??

Definitely stay away from anything with those old Volvo drives.

What's your price range? I am sure if you do some looking you can find something late 80's with mercruiser running gear in decent shape fairly cheap.

My .02: For a newcomer??
No Volvo or OMC drives.
Nothing over 15 -20 years old unless EXTREMELY well cared for.
Go with the common everyday names, Fountain, Cigarette, Baja, Active Thunder, Donzi, Formula, and many good others will be named in this discussion. Call trusted dealers like Pier 57 and talk to some of their sales guys and they'll give you some great ideas. And stay away from salt water boats unless you are an "old salt" yourself.

I know it may sound like doom and gloom rather quickly ,but these guys are gonna tell you the truth without sugar coating anything. I've only been following OSO for a short time ,but the advice they give is usually spot on. Most of us have been in the boating industry for a long time and I ,myself have bought my share of turds throughout the years. The members here are just going to try to help you not make the mistakes we or others have in the past! That being said , Single engine Mercruiser package is a good start(most shops have parts and knowledge to work on them). GET BOAT SURVEYED or hire a REAL BOAT MECH to check it out , otherwise you may double or triple your budget (bad stringers ,transom, motor, ect.) Also keep in mind,there are a lot of boats for sale that owners have poured a ton of money and sweat into that can be bought for a great price compared to what you may end up spending on a fixer upper. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!!!

Give us your budget and intended purposes and we can help you out better that way.

My apologies. the Baja is an 87 and an OMC outdrive. force 250