Made an offer on a 1999 290 twin 4.3 merc - feedback?

[Covedog]

Hello Searay Owners,

I just made an offer on a low hour (350) 1999 290 twin 4.3 merc alpha.
VERY clean - obviously well loved. All maintenance records showing nothing other than regular scheduled maintenance. Anything special that I should know about this boat and vintage or that I should look for?
Seatrial, followed by survey and mech inspect, scheduled for next week.
Also, I'm brand spankin' new to this forum and new to Searay, although I have been a Chaparral owner for the past few years. The good folks on the Chap forum tell me I'm going over to the dark side but that 290 is one sweet boat and the Admiral and I love the layout.

 

[JimG]

That should be a great boat!

Good luck with the inspections and welcome to CSR!

 

[RichmonS]

Congrats and good luck on the closing. Welcome to the dark side we have cookies.:grin:

 

[Quint4]

Welcome. I will offer the following list that will apply to most of your prospective boat:

1 - Drain the outdrive oil and check for water in the oil and excessive metal particulate (a pressure test is also in order)

2 – Props okay?

3 - Compression check the engine while warm. All cylinders should be above 100 and within 10% of each other

4 - Canvas in good shape? You will get serious sticker shock if it needs replaced (3 to 4K)

5 - Maintenance records available?

6 - Freshwater boat ? this would be a good thing.

7 - Have someone hold the steering wheel firmly, now try to move each outdrive side to side...does it move more than a half inch or so? gimble ring possible worn out.

8 - Refrigerator work? I put a new one in last year...$750...no kidding.

9 - Is it in the water? does the bilge have water in it? if it does, you may have a leak.

10 - Check that all gauges work. My fuel gauge did not work. I changed the sending unit in the top of the fuel tank. It was very tough to get at....very tough.

11 - When was the last time the exhaust was serviced, as in manifolds and riser inspected and gaskets changed? this is the biggest killer of marine engines and is often neglected

12 - Is the transom solid ? remove a few screws from the trim tabs.....wet wood revealed? (of course reseal with 3m 5200 when you put them back). take lots of time at the transom...any sign of moisture penetration near through hulls... inside or out?

13 - Sea trial the boat with five or six adults on board.....should reach 4600-4800 rpm at wide open throttle.

14 - When were u joints / gimble bearing / all bellows last serviced or replaced?

15 - When was impeller last changed? 

16 - Confirm A/C works...run it while checking generator (must be in water of course to run AC or generator)

17 - Trailer? what is your tow vehicle? you are looking at well over 12k lbs of boat and trailer....not your run of the mill bowrider....and a beam over 8' 6" means technically you need a permit to haul it.

18 - Check that both trim tabs work....you need them.

19 - Check that the outdrives trim up fully and back down.

20 - Toilet work?

21 - All freshwater spigots work? no leaks in freshwater system?....pump should turn off a few seconds after a faucet is shut off.

22- Look under EVERY cushion and hatch for standing water, if you find it investigate further.

23 - Anchor windlass?...does it work? they are not cheap to replace.

24 - Watch temp gauge during sea trial ....boat should not overheat at any time....also keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge, My 454 stays between 40 - 60 psi

 

[steelheder]

It's a great boat covedog. I have a 2000 w/ the 5.7 and Bravo 3's and the boat has more than enough power. I would think the 4.3's w/ alfas would be good also. Does your boat have a generator? The generator and AC/heater is a nice option.

I can't think of anything particular to watch out for as I really haven't had any real issues with mine. Anyway, good luck with your purchase you will love this boat for the NW.

 

[Covedog]

Thanks all for the great feedback! I'm passing it along to the mech inspector and the surveyor and plan to spend the full day with the surveyor, if the seatrial goes well. Hopefully (knock on gelcoat) a new boat is in my future!

 

[Covedog]

Unfortunately, no generator, and heat only (off the engine) which should be fine for how we'll use the boat.

 

[Loneranger]

The best thing about this boat is the rear facing lounger on the port side of the cockpit. I have the same on my 270 and love it so my wife and I can face each other and talk while cruising.

 

[MasterFab]

Welcome to CSR - good luck with the inspection. Let us know if there are any issues...

Dale

 

[Covedog]

My Admiral spotted the same feature and loved it! We had seatrialed a Chaparral 290 and she hated the portside seating, and there were a few other things in the layout that just didn't feel quite right. Sea Ray has got the layout, as well as alot of the minor details, nailed. I loved the easy engine access as well - no muss no fuss, just lift the hatch and integral aft seat folds out of the way...sweet...nice looking 270 by the way.

 

[kpetry]

Exact boat that we have had and loved for 3 yrs! The 4.3s are adequate, but I wish we had V8 power. Other than that, love the boat! KP

 

[Gunn]

The best thing about this boat is the rear facing lounger on the port side of the cockpit. I have the same on my 270 and love it so my wife and I can face each other and talk while cruising.

Congrats on the 290, that is a beautiful looking boat. However, i do not like that port side seating! My 280 has it also. Admiral cant see forward without standing. Wasted seating when at the dock entertaining while everyone else is in the rear of the cockpit. Oh well, i cant think of any other way to design it, so...

Enjoy!!!

 

[Loneranger]

Congrats on the 290, that is a beautiful looking boat. However, i do not like that port side seating! My 280 has it also. Admiral cant see forward without standing. Wasted seating when at the dock entertaining while everyone else is in the rear of the cockpit. Oh well, i cant think of any other way to design it, so...

Enjoy!!!

If my wife wants to see forward she just drives the boat. But seriously we like the fact that we can face each other while cruising instead of sitting next to each other like in a car. My wife does drive the boat a lot and I nap in the lounger. I bet it would be annoying though if both people wanted to face forward. The 280 must have a different rear cockpit layout (I've never been on a 280). The captains chair on the 270 puts you most out of touch with people in the rear of the 270.

The other way i see this tyoe of cockpit designed is moving the companion way all the way port and enlarging the captains chair.

 

[Woody]

Congrats on the 290, that is a beautiful looking boat. However, i do not like that port side seating! My 280 has it also. Admiral cant see forward without standing. Wasted seating when at the dock entertaining while everyone else is in the rear of the cockpit. Oh well, i cant think of any other way to design it, so...

Enjoy!!!

My wife is just the opposite. When we look at other boats, if the boat doesn't have that lounge seat she says she doesn't like it.

 

[Gunn]

The captains chair on the 270 puts you most out of touch with people in the rear of the 270.

The 280's helm seat rotates 180 to allow it to be used when just hanging out. Love that feature.

Tom

 

[Loneranger]

The 280's helm seat rotates 180 to allow it to be used when just hanging out. Love that feature.

Tom

That's really cool. The 270 is fixed and not quite big enough for two people unless you snuggle a little. It is nice though to let my 10 year old drive the boat and still be there to take control from him.

I did not mean to derail the OP thread. I actually looked for a 290 mainly because it is the biggest boat I can put in my lift without modifications to the dock.

 

[aohkay]

I'm a little late to the party, but Covedog, we purchased ours last September. Same as yours, but ours is 1998.

One mistake we made during the purchase, was to not wait to see whether the fridge actually cooled down. The light went on, so we figured it worked. It didn't. $$

The pixels on the screen of the GPS are in bad shape, so we'll have to get another unit. (Plus haul the boat out to replace the transducer.) $$$

The owner removed all the safety equip as viewed (including life jackets) after the purchase, but our broker managed to most it all back for us. It was a hassle though. $

We are finding it a challenge to find parts for the age of vessel.

We took ours for three sea trials. The boat seemed sluggish for the first two trials, so the owner had the bottom cleaned and on the third sea trial we took our mechanic along and everything checked out okay.

I looked for just over two years to find this exact model and year; sometimes it's a bi*ch knowing what you want. :grin:

Good luck!

Lisa

 

[majoma]

Welcome. I will offer the following list that will apply to most of your prospective boat:

1 - Drain the outdrive oil and check for water in the oil and excessive metal particulate (a pressure test is also in order)

2 – Props okay?

3 - Compression check the engine while warm. All cylinders should be above 100 and within 10% of each other

4 - Canvas in good shape? You will get serious sticker shock if it needs replaced (3 to 4K)

5 - Maintenance records available?

6 - Freshwater boat ? this would be a good thing.

7 - Have someone hold the steering wheel firmly, now try to move each outdrive side to side...does it move more than a half inch or so? gimble ring possible worn out.

8 - Refrigerator work? I put a new one in last year...$750...no kidding.

9 - Is it in the water? does the bilge have water in it? if it does, you may have a leak.

10 - Check that all gauges work. My fuel gauge did not work. I changed the sending unit in the top of the fuel tank. It was very tough to get at....very tough.

11 - When was the last time the exhaust was serviced, as in manifolds and riser inspected and gaskets changed? this is the biggest killer of marine engines and is often neglected

12 - Is the transom solid ? remove a few screws from the trim tabs.....wet wood revealed? (of course reseal with 3m 5200 when you put them back). take lots of time at the transom...any sign of moisture penetration near through hulls... inside or out?

13 - Sea trial the boat with five or six adults on board.....should reach 4600-4800 rpm at wide open throttle.

14 - When were u joints / gimble bearing / all bellows last serviced or replaced?

15 - When was impeller last changed? 

16 - Confirm A/C works...run it while checking generator (must be in water of course to run AC or generator)

17 - Trailer? what is your tow vehicle? you are looking at well over 12k lbs of boat and trailer....not your run of the mill bowrider....and a beam over 8' 6" means technically you need a permit to haul it.

18 - Check that both trim tabs work....you need them.

19 - Check that the outdrives trim up fully and back down.

20 - Toilet work?

21 - All freshwater spigots work? no leaks in freshwater system?....pump should turn off a few seconds after a faucet is shut off.

22- Look under EVERY cushion and hatch for standing water, if you find it investigate further.

23 - Anchor windlass?...does it work? they are not cheap to replace.

24 - Watch temp gauge during sea trial ....boat should not overheat at any time....also keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge, My 454 stays between 40 - 60 psi

Very nice list of things to do. Do you have anything else to add if the boat is kept in salt water?

 

[Covedog]

I like the look of your tan canvas! Ours comes with dark green and It's starting to grow on me although I typically prefer black or tan. Since we share the same boat, any tips come to mind? I've already heard that I should use full tabs down to come up on plane and adjust from there. Anything else you can share would be much appreciated. We'll take delivery mid-April after returning from a much needed break in Kauai.