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Posts: 335
Location: Pulaski, WI | Thinking about buying a boat now instead of waiting till the spring, but won't be able to drive it. What do you so to protect against a Problem? |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I wouldn't do it but I missed out on two boats I really wanted.
Don't buy anything you can't hook up and take with you. I know a kid that bought and paid for a boat that was in winter storage. In the spring when he went to get the boat it was gone as the seller had sold it to 3 people. The seller was charged but I never did hear the outcome or if the kid got his money back. The police left the boat with the guy with the earliest date on his bill of sale. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | If you decide to do it I would at least take it to a mechanic who can do a compression test hook it on the computer and hear it run. The motor should be within 10 or 15 % of the boats max. rating. If the boat isn't ancient it can be a visual check.
Edited by horsehunter 1/12/2014 3:53 PM
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | Do you know the guy your buying it from? how old of a rig is it? |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Buying a rig without driving it may or may not be a big deal. At a minimum, I think it would be best to hear the engine run, and when warm, do a compression test on the cylinders if you do decide to go about it alone. If you decide to take it to a dealer, have them perform a leak-down test, which is a little better than a compression test and if it has an onboard computer, plug it in and find out what you can from there. If there is any difference in color on the lower unit paint, a quick tear down of the lower unit to check gearing would be a good thing as well.
Simple things like checking spark plugs can be an indicator, as there are so many times I have seen used motors that don't have the correct plugs in them (ones that don't even cross reference to the correct plug).
In most cases, any test done by a mechanic is usually paid for by a potential buyer. When I sold my last boat, the buyer wanted to tear down the lower unit and, knowing it was fine, I had no issue with that being performed. Cost him about $100 but if you think about it, that is a cost is well worth it for assurance of a motor in great running condition.
From there, checking as much wiring as you can, hoses, and overall condition can tell you a bunch about how the boat has been taken care of. Turning on every switch, locator units, transducer pinging, etc. all can be gone over well. As the buyer, it is your cash on the line and once the transaction is done, anything wrong is now your issue and not the seller's, unless you have some sort of contract written.
Jacking a trailer up and checking for bearing play, lights, tire wear, etc. all come into play as that trailer is your lifeline to the water. Oh...and one big thing...check the weight capacity of the trailer. If the boat is already maxing out the trailer, it doesn't leave you with much to play with for load....especially if you take any big trips where the boat needs to carry some of the gear. So many rigs have trailers that are as light as can be for the boat.
At the very least, a contract that clearly defines any issues the rig has currently that you have been made aware of, and, given you have not had a chance to take it out and run it, a clause that would hold the seller liable for any repair you did not know (given a mechanic has not done any leak down, compression, or water tests while the engine is under load) covers you as the buyer. If the seller is not o.k with something like this, it could potentially raise an eyebrow as it could be a good indicator he/she could be hiding something. Keeping an eye on the sellers actions, nuances, etc all come into play in determining if there is any potential deception going on.
Steve
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Posts: 335
Location: Pulaski, WI | Looking at 2003 - 2005 Rangers. Don't know the sellers.
Thanks for advise so far! |
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Posts: 281
| I bought a 2003 618 in Feb. I met the seller at Cabelas- The tech were able to start the motor in a tank of water and check out the motor for $150, which the seller paid for. Worked out well for me....
Chad |
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Posts: 53
Location: Bemidji | I bought my used ranger in Feb several years ago - I requested that the buyer take it to a boat shop that I lined up and paid for a motor check. The mechanic called me to go over it all and sent everything (error codes, hours, rev stats) to me after it was done. A small price to pay to know what you're getting into, and a seller should be more than happy to pull a boat somewhere close unless they are trying to hide something. |
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Posts: 49
| What if the boat is shrink wrapped for winter storage? |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | I'd shrink wrap my money until spring!
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 68
| I would strongly suggest leak down test have mechanic go through it. I am actually selling a boat right now that ran great never a issue with motor at all! buyer wanted to bring it in but was kinda tight on money I assured him it was a good motor and he had nothing to worry about.. long story short I was wrong the motor had a leaky gasket $2100 bucks water in the oil "4stroke" I am having it fixed but i would have felt horrible if I had sold it to him and he blew it up a week later. had I not brought it in neither of us would have had a clue |
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Posts: 572
| You may want to do search the internet for articles. For example, "buying a used boat tips" might locate articles like this one.
http://www.boattest.com/Resources/view_news.aspx?NewsID=3104
lots of things to consider. |
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Posts: 335
Location: Pulaski, WI | Any example contracts? |
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Buying boat without driving?