New Member NYC Area, In the Market for a Boat

[Straight From NYC]

Hey all, Glad to be apart of the forum. I am currently in the Market for a Searay, have my eyes on 1993 Sundancer, or something similar for a first boat. I am really on the lower end of the spectrum for budget, and allowing myself room to make mistakes, repairs etc. (Although I am looking to avoid any, in a perfect world)
I have operated boats, and PWC for 2-3 years now, and have finally decided to pull the trigger and dive into my own.
I work as an Auto Mechanic so i do have my share of hands on experience for 4 years now, but I know you can always learn more. Prior to Automotive work I was an Electrical Automotive worker (Building Police & Gov't vehicles)
Any advice, tips or tricks, or places to look would be great. Right now I am sourcing a local boat (as of 1/5/20) and will be inspecting it within the next 2 weeks.

 

[Stee6043]

Welcome. How big of a Sundancer are you looking at??

Make sure you budget for a good survey on whatever it is you're thinking about buying. It's money well spent.

 

[Straight From NYC]

Welcome. How big of a Sundancer are you looking at??

Make sure you budget for a good survey on whatever it is you're thinking about buying. It's money well spent.

Right now a 230 is right where I’m at, not looking for anything bigger than a 290. I have been told by a few people to have it surveyed obviously being new to this what should i expect to set aside for that service ?

 

[Stee6043]

Right now a 230 is right where I’m at, not looking for anything bigger than a 290. I have been told by a few people to have it surveyed obviously being new to this what should i expect to set aside for that service ?

I think you'll find a world of difference in size between a 230 and a 290! Be careful of boarding a 290 if you're in the market for something closer to a 230...it could ruin the 230's for you

I don't know about NYC but around my parts a good hull survey should run $20-25 per foot of boat. Maybe another $200 +/- to have the engine looked over, compression checked.

 

[Straight From NYC]

Thank you for the advice.. I plan on taking the compression testing & mechanical work for the most part on my own, unless something looks WAY out of place or sketchy. I will either way have the motor looked and as well doing a sea trial. I heard horror stories of bots running fine on the hose and then terrible under a load in water.

I think you'll find a world of difference in size between a 230 and a 290! Be careful of boarding a 290 if you're in the market for something closer to a 230...it could ruin the 230's for you

I don't know about NYC but around my parts a good hull survey should run $20-25 per foot of boat. Maybe another $200 +/- to have the engine looked over, compression checked.

 

[Mknupp]

Welcome to the forum, lots of great advice and boat talk here.. I have a 1997 290 sun dancer that is for sale twin 4.3 alpha drives and a tri axle trailer.. fresh water boat its whole life and I have owned it since 2005.

 

[JVM225]

Good luck with the search. Sea trial and survey are always a good idea.
Once you settle on a particular model Sea Ray it would be a good idea to consult with others on this forum who have that same make and model. They can probably give you a lot of things to look for yourself that are unique to that boat before you spend money on a professional survey.
If the one you have your eye on doesn’t work out for you there are a couple of things you can do to help the search.
Keep an eye on the boats for sale on this site is a good place to start.
Going to the NY boat show can also help.
While the dealers are there to sell new boats, they sometimes have a board with used boats along with them. Talking to a new boat salesperson is great too. They can keep their eye out for trade-ins coming their way, or may come across a customer looking for a new boat that has to get out of their old boat first.
A good salesman in a new boat dealership found my current boat for me and it worked out great.