Inspection today 11-14-07 Wish me Luck

Todd, my post above was made before I saw the pictures. Sorry to see it looks like that.
 
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Todd,

It definitely needs a new transom assembly and drive. If you go forward with this boat, are you planning on keeping it in the water? The reason I ask is it may not be a dead battery that caused that level of corrosion.

He'll be selling that boat real cheap if it is left like that. Start thinking here. How is that boat equipped. Big block? Gen? If not, I'd slow things way down and think about this.

I've mentioned it before. I like to buy freshwater, dry-stored boats. With patience, Ive always been able to find them with no price premium.

There are some good deals on 260's to be had out here.
 
I purchased a drive three years ago for my 18' searay. It came with a 18 month warr. I believe it was outdrives dot com out of florida. Best prices too.... Do this after you steal the boat from him.....
 
keokie said:
He'll be selling that boat real cheap if it is left like that. Start thinking here. How is that boat equipped. Big block? Gen? If not, I'd slow things way down and think about this.
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I would slow things down to let this settle in on the current owner too.

Keokie asks a good question about how it got that way. If it is a 'hot marina', then that means there is ground current flowing all around. Probably from the power outlets on the dock through the boat into the water. The 'isolator' on the boat that is to stop ground neutral current from flowing from the power system through your boat into the water is normally just two pair of parallel diodes connected opposite directions, plus a capacitor. If the damaging current came from shore power, then you should at least consider what path it took through the boat to get to the outdrive. Did it follow wires all the way? Or did it flow through the engine block, some bearings, drive shaft, outdrive shaft, and so on. Did it pit the engine bearings? I don't have any experience with this in boats, I am just posing the question. I do have experience with it in power system substations, where ground current sometimes takes surprising paths.

Maybe an oil analysis could determine whether there had been internal corrosion or not??
 
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Right.

The value of this boat just dropped substantially.

With new risers, FWC, and new outdrive. . . you are talking about putting BIG bucks into this boat. Make sure the TOTAL price is righ.
 
Yeah. I had it a a good price if the O/D and Engine were good candidates to add the FWC.
It does need complete replacement including transom gimble housing
it doesn't have a Genny. Don't care to have one to be honest.
I also intend to trailer and yes Lake union is a hot lake so, I did have a suspition that this was was I would see.
Now the dealer is calling the owner to give him the news with the price and I'll see what kind of call I get here shortly.
 
Todd,

Look the hull over carefully for blisters as well. I was looking at an older 260DA today that is in dry dock next to my boat and it has a lot of hull blisters on it. However, it did not have bottom paint on it. Blisters were evident on the hull sides below the waterline as well as on the bottom of the boat. They may be a bit harder to spot with bottom paint.

That out drive would be considered to be in good shape on Lake Wylie.:wow: Just kidding of course but the Bravo III's on our lake are all in pretty bad shape. One of these days I am going to take a whole bunch of pictures of various boats so you guys can see what I mean.

Ultimately if the rest of the boat is in good shape, the seller will just have to face the facts that the condition of the mechanicals will make it impossible to sell it to anyone unless he lets the boat go at a very low price or replaces everything.

Dave
 
Dude.........don't quit or give up. All that has happened is that you have more answers now than before and its time to get creative with the negotiation.

One fact is for sure.....and you get the benefit of it.........is that once you survey a boat and get a bad result, it completely kills the potential sale of the boat to anyone. The owner knows that, or will soon learn it, so take his pants off and have fun restoring a great boat.
 
I know those pictures make this tough to look at as an opportunity, but that's how I see it. The condition of the boat narrows his selling options greatly. You have tremendous leverage here if you decide to use it.
 
fwebster said:
Dude.........don't quit or give up. All that has happened is that you have more answers now than before and its time to get creative with the negotiation.

One fact is for sure.....and you get the benefit of it.........is that once you survey a boat and get a bad result, it completely kills the potential sale of the boat to anyone. The owner knows that, or will soon learn it, so take his pants off and have fun restoring a great boat.
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Yeah Dude, (I love it)
I totally get it. I'm waiting for a phone call now. We'll see what it brings. no it won't sell on a windy rainy day like today, especially because he would have to put it back in the water and back in his moorage to try and resell.
I'm eager to hear what his response is.
The hull looks great actually. it is painted and they already pressure washed the lake funk off of it.
So, with a phone call that says "I'll replace the drive" and a cood check on the Engine we'll keep moving forward. Otherwise we're back at the negotiating table.

BTW, Any of you that have your O/D in the water I have proof postive of another boat I It looks like new, it's 3 years old and the owner has the mercathode system but also smears Desitin all over the drive every 3 months. The Desitin(yes baby bottom cream) has zinc in it and yes, does work.
 
Well. . if the owner ponies up to a NEW DRIVE from THE DEALER, then. . .good for you!

But don't be surprised if he only ponies up for half. That's what I would do.

Also, if the owner is savvy, he may start seeking alternate sources for the drive -> afterall, the dealer is not the *only* choice, and certainly isn't the cheapest option. With this situation, I would certainly look for other options. And there isn't a darn thing wrong with that (as long as you can ensure the repair is done correctly).

After the drive is replaced, another seatrial /survey is definately needed. Would warrenty on a new drive be transferable?
 
I've been following the saga Todd .. I can feel the disappointment.. hope you get the right call. It is really amazing to see those pics. I really had no idea how bad that could get. Thanks for posting the pics .

Dave.. I'd be interested in seeing the pics of the different boats as you suggested. Being such a noob at all this I find it all quite enlightening.
 
BTW: when I inspected my boat, I turned up with riser issues (i.e. too old) that neither I nor the previous owner expected. We did split the cost. . .because I *really* wanted the boat.

Sometimes, I still debate if I got a good deal. . .but I really like the boat, so I guess its ok :)
 
UPDATE:
oK, Got the call on from the Dealer. They have found "new drive and gimbal housing" installed for about $8K. I called the Owner, he had just finished checking the bad message from said dealer.
We will proceed with the engine inspection tomorrow. At this point I told him I will take care of any "non-major issues" on the engine as long as he is will install a new outdrive.
So far he's agreed, but we await the call tomorrow AM for their findings on the Engine.

.
 
That's great news. Assuming everything else goes well, I would have the seller open a work order with the dealer for the discrepancies to be paid prior to or simultaneously at closing. You and the seller could also sign an acceptance on the boat subject to the agreed upon items being repaired at the seller's expense.
 
Todd,

Since you are replacing the drive a transom assembly, you may want to ask if a SeaCore Drive is compatible with your engine, shifter and etc. If so, see how much extra $$$$. May be worth it in the long run. Then again it may not be. Also are you planning on shooting the hull and deck with a moisture meter?
 
SeaRide said:
That's great news. Assuming everything else goes well, I would have the seller open a work order with the dealer for the discrepancies to be paid prior to or simultaneously at closing. You and the seller could also sign an acceptance on the boat subject to the agreed upon items being repaired at the seller's expense.
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Yes so far he is very agreeable to moving forward. As Frank has mentioned, he does want to see this go forward(I believe). I'm not too worried about any official agreements. What I'll do since we both work with the same dealer is make sure the WO is in and paid for and then make the purchase. The dealer knows I want to do other stuff, and is willing to work with me on getting this deal done.

SeaRide said:
Todd,

Since you are replacing the drive a transom assembly, you may want to ask if a SeaCore Drive is compatible with your engine, shifter and etc. If so, see how much extra $$$$. May be worth it in the long run. Then again it may not be. Also are you planning on shooting the hull and deck with a moisture meter?
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I inspected visually the hull. It looks very good. Everything inside has evidence that it has not been wet. The dealer has also said the hulll looks very good. I'm not too worried about anything else other than what I've seen so far.
 
Nehalennia said:
BTW, Any of you that have your O/D in the water I have proof postive of another boat I It looks like new, it's 3 years old and the owner has the mercathode system but also smears Desitin all over the drive every 3 months. The Desitin(yes baby bottom cream) has zinc in it and yes, does work.
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Not trying to be a thread stealer but just curious about this, every 3 months, is that with the boat just sitting or is it being used, I would think the salt water would just wash that right off.
 
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