New to Boats - Want to buy and rebuild

[gregmercer]

I'm 18 years old and would like to buy my first boat. Since I am pretty good with my hands I was looking to rebuild one and have been reading a lot on your sight. I have never worked with boats before though and know very little. I have worked on everything from cars to golf carts to dirt bikes to snowmobiles but nothing for the water. I can rebuild engines as well as do some good body work on cars so I thought with enough reading and learning I could fix up a boat.

I saw this boat on the side of the road the other day a few miles away from my house. I took a good look at it and took some pictures but I don't really know what I am looking for. It is definitely beat up but on a low budget and looking to do some work on one, that is what I was looking for.

I would like a boat that I can take to the Chesapeake bay, Ocean City (the beach), fish on as well as wake board behind. Will this kind of boat get the job done?

The two things that made me a little nervous about buying this boat was the plywood on the floor...? I don't know what is under it. And the crack on the outboard motor casing.

I talked to the owner briefly and he said that the boat runs well. I am a perfectionist so I doubt it runs to my standards but I think I could work on it a little. What should I be looking out for if I buy this boat?

The Boat is 17' 150hp 6 persons. He was asking for $1800 but I thought I could get him down to $1500. Is this a fair price? Should I not waste my time with this thing and get something in better condition?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[gonzo]

The crack is bad news. It it typical of an engine that age used in salt water. That part of the housing has a bearing carrier that screws to the inside. With a crack it will eventually come loose and all the gears will desintegrate. It is possible to weld it with the carrier in place. However it won't ever come apart. I suppose if it is running and the price is good, use it until it stops.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by gregmercer

I'm 18 years old and would like to buy my first boat. I took a good look at it and took some pictures but I don't really know what I am looking for. It is definitely beat up but on a low budget and looking to do some work on one, that is what I was looking for.


The two things that made me a little nervous about buying this boat was the plywood on the floor...? I don't know what is under it. And the crack on the outboard motor casing.

What should I be looking out for if I buy this boat?

The Boat is 17' 150hp 6 persons. He was asking for $1800 but I thought I could get him down to $1500. Is this a fair price? Should I not waste my time with this thing and get something in better condition?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The price seems about average for what it is, an older boat, motor and trailer that "Runs Good".
The crack in the foot will only get longer, welding will temporarily stop it. If it gets far enough forward, the oil will drain out. Working on boat motors is a little different than the others you mention, corrosion of bolts, nuts and parts is annoying to say the least and specialized tools are frequently required. Parts aren't always still available. Take off the engine cover and see what it looks like under there.
The boat hasn't been taken care of much. The carpet is peeled back in one picture, the covering has peeled off the counsels, various ropes are used to tie it to the trailer, the winch isn't hooked up or doesn't work. The trailer was last registered in '04 which could mean nothing or it could mean something.
If the plywood between the seats covers the whole floor and in effect is the floor, the original is rotted, the stringers are more than likely rotted and the transom should be highly suspect. It could be why the center window doesn't seem to close properly. Jump up and down on the floor and see if the center window shifts in relation to the side window. It shouldn't. Grab onto the motor and wrench it up and down and back and forth. The transom shouldn't flex. Tap on the transom and listen for rotten spots.
If you are really "looking to do some work on one", this boat could use some. Don't buy it without a test run, if there is any objection, assume it doesn't "Run Good".
If this is the first one you've looked at, don't buy it until you've looked at others in the same price range. They will catagorize themselves into which is better than the other fairly easily and will show you that this boat is nothing special in that there are a lot of these around, "these" meaning older boats that might run for a long time with no problems or it might crap out the first time you use it and leave you easily looking at a bill, for more than you paid for it in the first place, to get it running again.
In the boat, motor, trailer package I think the motor is priority #1, the trailer and boat being a tossup, the trailer without a boat being rare and always worth something, the boat without a motor or trailer being pretty useless and more than likely will cost you to get rid of it, none of it being worth much if the motor doesn't run.
You're doing the right thing by asking questions and supplying information for people to go on. Years would help, as in '84 boat, '93 motor, etc. Pictures help tremendously!
You can easily Google 'Boats For Sale' and get an idea what is available at what prices. If you have a local "shopper" paper they usually have a boat section, sometimes they are online also. Check out boat dealers, right now they don't have much going on and are sometimes willing to make very good deals to pay the bills or to keep things "moving" for the sake of movement. Sam

[JR-Shine]

The most important thing in a boat of that price range is the motor. Find one that runs well and pay someone to check it out. $200 spent gettign everything checked out is worth every penny.

[tom28571]

Sam gives good advice. I may be more leary of the crack than he is though. If you are really interested in this boat, and it does seem to meet your wishes, get a Suziki mechanic to look at the whole motor and especially, the crack.