I found another PQ 290, '90 model....it goes in the water from late May til Sept.

It's in alleged great condition, 400 hrs, twin 454's, interior perfect, maintenance performed accordingly, etc...

Here's a snippet of a convo I had with the seller...

"Lets start with service. Oil changes are done every year. I use Wix filters and Brad Penn PG1 20W50 racing oil. The lower units are serviced with Mobil1 Synthetic Gear 75W90. by the way I'm a lube engineer and have done this for years with all my boats without a single engine or drive failure. The raw water pumps were changed out last spring along with the thermostats, plugs caps, rotors, bellows boots, and gimbal bearings at the same time per regular maintenance every three years. Winterization's are done by flushing all sea water out with tap water, draining blocks and exhaust manifolds to remove any sand or silt, then filling with approved antifreeze -100. engines are fogged fuel system is treated (sea foam). head is cleaned and serviced (head has never been used for number 2).
Storage is outside shrink wrapped in the winter. I use moth balls in cockpit, cabin, and engine compartments and have never had any stowaways. Summers have been at marina. She has a barrier coat and bottom painted due to me slipping her every year. Right now I have her in storage with a full trailer cover bought new last year.
Five years ago I replaced all bushings and pins for the gimbal rings with new trim and limit sensors and switches, new gauges at the same time along with new bilge pump.

I have no issues with her. everything works (i haven't used the fresh water so that is unknown) she uses no oil throughout the season. She has no leaks. she is very dependable and fuel efficient if you know how to run her. she has a tie bar for the drives and running 23 pitch props. the port trim sensor needs to be adjusted haven't done that yet and noticed it the other day. limit switches are set correctly.

I'll have to get you some pictures I have old ones but I replaced the oil resivors for the drives to the new updated version last fall.

I have no objections to a survey hull is dry and solid, engines run strong and are tight, drives are in good shape along with props.

let me know if you need any more info." end quote

Do yas think it's even worth looking at? $18k btw...

Bottom paint, no thanks. You will have a tough time selling it.

Is bottom paint that big of a deal?

Is losing a few mph the only issue with botrom paint?

Im not worried about going 65 vs 62.

Shouldnt there be more concern with a boat that sits in the water for 6 mos out of the year, every year?

Depends on the boat, type of water, salt, brackish, etc. Ask for a survey.
Bottom paint can be removed.

Short answer, no I wouldn't consider one. No matter how water tight, small amounts of water are penetrating the transom assembly and wetting the boat. I'd be really concerned with rot on a boat that old sitting in water (fresh or salt)...

Transom assemblies and trim tabs. Lots of screws on the mounting brackets for those Bennett tabs. Even if every bracket and ram screw was perfectly sealed at the factory after 25 years the sealant has to be degraded to the point where water could work its way in.

And to think Noah built a boat and kept it in the water.
I have to believe the industry that builds the boats we want has cheapened their product by not doing a better job with sealing the transom. Maybe part of the problem is the owners who never leave their boats in the water except for running them a few hours annually and the remainder is spent on a trailer in a storage building. The builder thinks " i don't need to waste time sealing all those entry points, the owner never leaves these these boats in the water".

Nope, I'd keep looking, lots of boats out there for sale.........

Do the survey, make sure the surveyor knows your concerns. Assuming the boat did not leak then your next concern is electrolysis from stray currents.If there is no sign of that and the survey checks out then you have done your due diligence. Bottom paint can be removed depending on the prep before it was applied. There are more threads on the subject, this is one http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...el-coat.html#b.

Good luck with your search.

I keep my boat in a slip for the summer. Fresh water, no bottom paint. I don't see the problem. I keep it spotless, pull it every month or so to clean it, etc. Yes I do get some water intrusion that I found this season that I need to address but it sure beats trailering every time I want to go out.