1981 310 Vangurard vs 1991 300 Sundancer

[cigars01]

Hi

I am looking at 2 boats a 1981 310 Vanguard that was repowered with twin 454 crusaders & straight shafts less than 300 hours on the engine. Not sure about the transmissions. The bilge on that boat looked very clean and dry. Does that boat have a solid fiberglass hull or is it a wood cored boat. She seemed clean etc but its a 1981 which makes me nervous. Asking price is 13500.00

The 1991 300 Sundancer I have not seen in person. The pictures look great but dont they always. The owner could not tell me how many hours on it. He said it didnt have hour meters (is that even possible.) This boat has Vdrives. Any particular problem areas on this year and model. The price he is asking is 20000.00


I am not all that familiar with Vdrives but something tells me straight shafts are less maintenance and longer lasting and less expensive to repair.

Either way I would have my mechanic do compression tests and look inside of the cylinders to make sure they look like they should.

Thanks

 

[velooce]

Condition is every thing in a older boat, I would not be afraid if it has been well taken care however a survey is critical. I am not familiar enough with the 1981 model but the older ones are pretty bullet proof if taken care of.

 

[cigars01]

Thanks. Kind of what I thought as well. If the bilge appearance is any indication, it should be great. I love the wood trim on the older models although its a lot of work to keep it looking nice

 

[Gofirstclass]

Don't let that clean bilge overpower your common sense. If they repowered the boat they undoubtedly cleaned and painted the bilge while the engines were out.

Get a survey, get a survey, get a survey.

 

[cigars01]

A survey will definitely happen if I decide to pull the trigger. In addition I will have my marine mechanic go through the engines & transmissions with a fine tooth comb.

Thanks

 

[Gentlemensport]

I bought a 82 310 vanguard Express cruiser in Dec that was re powered. The Survey came back good, the moister levels were acceptable, nothing crazy.

The boat is rock solid and I love having the 12 FT beam.

Ive ran into a few guys here in Phoenix that know the boat well since it was built here. The fiberglass guy really stressed how tough the Hulls were.

Mechanical and interior wise its held up very well for its age, everything works.

I paid 10,000 for mine with 21 Hrs but that was a steal due to the situation only. Ive had offers of people wanted to buy it from me but I'm keeping it for now.

I like the express cruiser layout better since there is tons of seating which doubles as sleeping quarters. I really don't need the bigger kitchen or the Mid cabin, which also gives you more usable deck space with the seating arrangement.

 

[Saverio]

I had a vanguard and invested a lot of funds in upgrades. it was so hard to get anything close to my money back on that boat. I have seen a few for sale but none as high as the one your looking at?
its not that common of a boat. if you like the lines that's great. the newer one is nicer but going to be a tad smaller

 

[cigars01]

NADA Says its worth 20000. I cant imagine that is true but who knows. They are asking 13500 and I am hoping to pay (assuming I can sell my current boat) 10000 - 12000. Engines have less than 300 freshwater hours but will be checked out by my mechanic. Exterior upholstery is very good & the interior upholstery is pretty new. The bottom was recently redone as well, I am not sure what upgrades if any I would want to do. I am not planning on buying it to resell it. I know a boat that old is not an easy sell so hopefully I will have it a good long time if I end up buying it. Did you like the boat when you owned it. I have read alot of posts on here about the pre Brunswick boats and appear to have been better built than the ones from the late 80's early 90's. That said I have looked at a few late 80's early 90's boats. The 300 Sundancer I think has I/O's which I really want to stay away from due to maintenance issues. The whole deal hinges on me selling my boat anyway. So we will see what happens.

I really appreciate your comments.

 

[cigars01]

How do you like the boat so far after almost of a year of use? Handling, ride etc. Anything I should look for if I make a deal with the owner. The boat has twin 454's with 300 hours and straight shaft transmissions. I will have my mechanic do a compression check on both in addition to whatever other things he thinks he should look at. I will also have the hull and structure thoroughly checked for blisters and rot.

I love that it has straight transmissions. It is a great looking boat and I love the cabin layout as well. The cockpit is where we spend most of the time and it is huge and has complete biminis and camper canvas too. The only thing that doesnt work is the A/C. He showed me where the leak is and is supposedly an easy fix but I will price it assuming 1000 to fix it.

Thanks for your comments

 

[Saverio]

I know the majority of them have that dog brown colors on the seats and inside.

you need to use full tabs to get the bow down.

if your on facebook check Sea ray classics and other power boats I seen about 4 vanguards there u can probably get quicker answers there

theres a guy Jeff White that is always posting pics

 

[cigars01]

Great info thanks

 

[Gentlemensport]

How do you like the boat so far after almost of a year of use? Handling, ride etc. Anything I should look for if I make a deal with the owner. The boat has twin 454's with 300 hours and straight shaft transmissions. I will have my mechanic do a compression check on both in addition to whatever other things he thinks he should look at. I will also have the hull and structure thoroughly checked for blisters and rot.

I love that it has straight transmissions. It is a great looking boat and I love the cabin layout as well. The cockpit is where we spend most of the time and it is huge and has complete biminis and camper canvas too. The only thing that doesnt work is the A/C. He showed me where the leak is and is supposedly an easy fix but I will price it assuming 1000 to fix it.

Thanks for your comments

I really enjoy taking it out and entertaining my friends on it. The Cockpit is so spacious, Ive taken six people out several times and its far from cramped. I will use the cabin more now since its cooled off here in AZ, 95 during the day and 70's at night. LOL

Most people are impressed with the boat and how smooth it rides. Ive been cruising at 17-20 MPH and the handling is nice. Its a easy boat to captain IMO. Lake Pleasant gets crazy when the wind comes and the boat handles rough conditions and huge wakes like nothing. I don't think I ever when to go to a smaller beam boat.

I like having twin 454's, they do everything that I need them to do and have been reliable. I'm also glad I don't have any out-drive maintenance.

 

[cigars01]

The more I hear about that vintage and model, the more I like it. I am trying hard to sell my old boat so I can buy it. I spoke with the owner a few days ago and he still has it so my fingers are crossed.