About to buy this boat, thoughts?

wx5svr

wx5svr

New Member
May 31, 2007
112
Fort Worth, Tx
Boat Info
1995 Sea Ray 200BR
Engines
5.0 Mercruiser
I am about to go down to Austin in a couple weeks and buy this 1995 Sea Ray 200 Signature.

A little history on the boat:
-it has 324 hours on the clock,
~60-75 hours ago it had a complete rebuild (new block, pistons, cam, etc),
-performance mericrusier cam was installed w/ rebuild
-work was done by a friend who is a master boat mechanic,
-motor was properly broken in,
-lower unit is in good condition,
-and boat has been sitting for a year at my friends shop b/c wife hates it (she was driving when #3 piston decided it didn't like the engine).

The boat was properly winterized before sitting at the shop and the hull looks to be in great condition. The interior is quite dirty but nothing a few weekends with some elbow grease won't clean up. The interior work can all be done by my gf and I and the missing bow panels will be super easy to make. The detail shop is going to hit the outside with a few coats of wax and do a little cleaning on the interior before we take it.

I am getting the boat, the Magnum dual axel trailer, bimmi top, another top, and life jackets for $2000.

Thoughts? Anyone have any switches to sell to me?

Thanks

Graham Butler

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it looks like normal switches that any searay dealer carry
new front bolsters you possibly still can get from searay
 
boatmailster said:
it looks like normal switches that any searay dealer carry
new front bolsters you possibly still can get from searay
Click to expand...

Alright you got me, I am a newbie, please explain what exactly a bolster is. I have heard it thrown around, I can pretend to know what is it, but what exactly is it.

Thanks in advance.

-gb
 
wx5svr said:
Alright you got me, I am a newbie, please explain what exactly a bolster is. I have heard it thrown around, I can pretend to know what is it, but what exactly is it.

-gb
Click to expand...

It's what your wife does to your ego when you try and dock your boat. It's also what happens to your ego when you watch someone ram the dock.
 
Honestly?

1) The boat looks rough. A rebuild at 350 hours is a bad, bad sign.

2) The price reflects the condition.

The real question is how good is your mechanic friend, and how does the engine run now? You will be spending money on fixing up the interior.

Honestly, it is "only" $2000. How much risk are you really taking? If the motor runs well now. . .GREAT! You would be hard pressed to get a decent jetski for that money. Once you fix it up. . .you will be good to go!
 
comsnark said:
Honestly?

1) The boat looks rough. A rebuild at 350 hours is a bad, bad sign.

2) The price reflects the condition.

The real question is how good is your mechanic friend, and how does the engine run now? You will be spending money on fixing up the interior.

Honestly, it is "only" $2000. How much risk are you really taking? If the motor runs well now. . .GREAT! You would be hard pressed to get a decent jetski for that money. Once you fix it up. . .you will be good to go!
Click to expand...

Interior work will all be done by my friend and I. He has experience at rebuilding boats and I have done interior work on cars. The mechanic friend is a friend I grew up with and i trust his work. He works for a very reputable boat shop in Austin and has been doing it for many years. Also the boat did not have a rebuilt at 350 hours, it was at ~250.

-gb
 
wx5svr said:
Interior work will all be done by my friend and I. He has experience at rebuilding boats and I have done interior work on cars. The mechanic friend is a friend I grew up with and i trust his work. He works for a very reputable boat shop in Austin and has been doing it for many years. Also the boat did not have a rebuilt at 350 hours, it was at ~250.

-gb
Click to expand...

Let me put it another way: You are buying a 1985 car with 50,000 miles that has had a rebuild at 40,000 miles for $2,000.

On the one hand. . .the boat is old enough that the maintenance is more important than anything else. This boat is clearly not a creampuff. On the other hand. . .it is not *priced* like a cream puff. You trust the mechanical work. The mechanical work is 85% of the battle. You have the skills to do automotive interior work.

I think you have to trust your own judgement on this one: You actually sound far more qualified to make the decision than any of us on this forum are qualified.

I think you will have a blast in this boat, and the pride you will have in bringing this boat back to life will be worth far more than the money you put into it.
 
have you taken it out to the lake to give it a run? also, get underneath and check for soft spots on the hull. pay close attention to the bow and transom eyes for major cracks.
 
One question I have relates to the floor in that boat. Is it wood or fiberglass? If it is wood, it may have to be replaced which is quite common on a boat that old. Aside from that, for the money it looks like it's priced right as long as everything checks out OK.
 
It always amazes me why a boat is left uncovered in the elements......a $25 dollar tarp would have prevented all that interior damage. Anyway I had a 200 bow rider and the floor was plywood....I had some soft spots I had to replace.....as that is not a self bailing cockpit it is good advise to check the floor for rot and also the stringers beneath.....If it runs good and the interior can be rehabbed I'd say it's a good deal.
 
Buy it. For $2k? It's a risk, but one that I personally would take. A fresh engine, rebuilt by someone you know? Sheesh. I took a risk purchasing my 1995 175 without ever having it in the water and looking a bit rought. I spent a few months refurbishing last season and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Runs great, looks mint now. And I could sell it for a profit (gasp!). Well, unless you factor in my labor. :wink:

From the photos you show and from what you say, it sounds like a great entry-level boat. If you like it, you can always sell it and have gotten your moneys worth out of it. If you didn't get into it like you thought you would have, no loss. Thats why we bought the one we did. Now that we're hooked, its getting time to upgrade. :smt001

I just replaced all the carpet in my boat. The floor is fiberglass, except my ski locker was covered with 3/4" treated plywood which I had to replace.
 
Thanks for all the input everyone. If all goes according to plan my gf and I will be headed down to Austin this weekend to do a water test and then purchase the boat. I have been checking prices and discussing things with my friend and we are planning on replacing the floor and all the carpet very soon after the boat is home. Aside from that, a damn good scrubbing, a little restitching, new panels for the bow (we can make them), and a new steering wheel, she should be looking good. I am sure there will be some random misc parts here and there, but that is to be expected.

Get ready for updates.

Graham
 
From seeing the interior, I don't think I'd be planning on re-stitching any exposed, dried vinyl. You now you'll be recovering or making new pieces and parts, I'd plan on replacing or building just the interior.

Not a big deal if the rest of the boat is in good shape, and it would look sooo much better.

BTW, I'm not sure I'd call a new block and internals a "rebuild". :grin: New motor with the original accessories maybe. I assume they didn't try to salvage any internal parts?
 
Searay Jim said:
BTW, I'm not sure I'd call a new block and internals a "rebuild". :grin: New motor with the original accessories maybe. I assume they didn't try to salvage any internal parts?
Click to expand...

Nope, they didn't.

-Graham
 
Definitely water test it and check all functions on the water. I'd have a compression test done as well. Buying from a friend can be a double edged sword. If the engine fails in first season you'll be disappointed.

Step all around the rear floor section and under the jump seats and engine area to check for soft spots. Spongy spots indicate decking and stringers water damage and decay. Stringer replacements are definitiely more involved than decking. Hopefully he left the drain plug out so at least it wasn't holding water while stored.

With your skills, time and a budget you should be able to restore it. I'd try $1800 and see if he takes it, you'll need the cash!!

Let us know how it works out.
 
wx5svr said:
discussing things with my friend and we are planning on replacing the floor and all the carpet very soon after the boat is home. Aside from that, a damn good scrubbing, a little restitching, new panels for the bow (we can make them), and a new steering wheel, she should be looking good. I am sure there will be some random misc parts here and there, but that is to be expected.

Get ready for updates.

Graham
Click to expand...

Good luck! I just replaced the carpet in mine, so let me know if I can help. Nothing to it really, just have to be careful when setting in the new piece on the glue that you had it dry fitted and know exactly where you'll lay it; it won't move much once it hits that glue.

Get some Clorox/bleach. You'll be surprised what it can do. I took all of the grab handles off my boat and other various small pieces which were basically black with mold/mildew. Soaked them for a couple of days in a 50/50 mix and they looked -brand new-. You could probably do the steering wheel that way too.

Good luck; that will be a fun project. My boat is basically done now; time to enjoy it. But I find myself just staring at it trying to figure out something to fix or replace. I told my wife, "well, the boat is finished, I guess its time to sell it." :smt101
 
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