Post Sea trial demands

[4_Ever_Newbie]

Pretty much decided on a very nice '04 260 Sundancer with only 180h in the engine... manifolds/risers changed 4 months ago. I did a marine survey and three things came out:

- A minor issue with navigational lights ( do not work)
- Current owner had boat for only about 4 months, but never flushed the engine
-Stern drive and prop need maintenance (cleaning)

Should I demand anything prior to closing?, like a discount to cover a manifold/risers maintenance ( to clean any mess caused by lack of flushing?), repair lights?, bottom cleaning.

Prior to last owner boat lived in dry storage and had non salt water use in a lake.

Thanks in advance for any tips

 

[Atis]

i would have the navights fixed. like you I am new to boat owning but after wiring in a gps and radio I can attest its like wiring in a car dash...tight so if you can save yourself some time amd frustration go for it. also have the bottom cleaned so you can check for cracks in gel coat

 

[fwebster]

I don't consider a survey and a sea trail open season to renegotiate a contract to buy a boat. If you find a serious defect that will be an expensive repair then you have cause to stop your deal. Regular maintenance needs like replacing a light bulb, certainly not.

However, here is a point worth considering: You have a contract to buy the boat for a specific price subject to your contingencies. Legally, and technically, your recourse if you don't like the survey or sea trial result, is to reject the boat and cancel the contract. What usually happens is the seller doesn't want to lose the sale so his broker attempts to renegotiate. There is no guarantee that a renegotiation will happen….it isn't your call; it is the sellers after you reject the boat.

This is a 13 year old boat with very minor issues found on the survey………you are expecting utopia if you think the boat won't show some wear and signs of previous use. A burned out bulb, sporadic use without flushing and a dirty outdrive (not a dirty hull bottom) are not hardly worth mentioning.

If you like the boat, write the check.

 

[Quint4]

I agree with Frank, if the surveyor is competent, sounds like a very well kept boat.

 

[Alegria]

Nav lights are the only thing I would consider if it was more than a bulb. Didn't your surveyor put a multi meter to the fixtures? My stern nav light was out and the anchor light was out. My surveyor climbed up to the radar arch and put a meter across the contacts to measure voltage. As long as there was voltage I did not bring it up to the seller.

 

[Gofirstclass]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy the boat. C'mon guys, what could it cost to have a boat tech come down to do the troubleshooting and repair whatever is wrong? A couple of hundred bucks on the high end?

We're talking about spending thousands on a toy, and you're talking about not spending a couple hundred and maybe losing what sounds like a cherry boat?

 

[KevinC]

Sounds like the survey turned out fine.

You should be happy the manifolds and risers were just changed 4 months ago and unless the boat it trailered most do not get flushed. These are considered a maintenance item and need to be replaced before they fail. The parts alone are in the 1K range. If you want to flush them add a flush kit but the entire engine which I am guessing is raw water cooled had probably not been flushed in a long time either (you did not mention the cooling type).

The navigation bulbs are a simple item to change and you should probably be able to do that yourself.

One thing I should note here is that if the prior usage was fresh water and now you will be placing it in saltwater you should probably change out the anode type. Salt water should use aluminum anodes to better protect the Bravo housing which is also aluminum. I would also make sure the mercathode is operating properly to make sure the protection is working properly. The paint on the bravo housing should also be cover any exposed metal except for the anode mounts and the arms for the trim.

One final note if the bottom is painted there should be a 1.5 inch border unpainted around the Bravo housing where it meets at the transom.

PS: Good luck with the boat - I loved my 2003 260DA.

-Kevin

 

[4_Ever_Newbie]

Thanks guys for the tips, just waiting on the formal survey report to move forward.

Kevin great tips!...

 

[Little Ducky]

I'm a fresh water boater so I can't comment of flushing engine etc.

The nav lights are pretty straight forward to trouble shoot unless you or your surveyor noticed a rats nest of DIY wiring somewhere. If you do purchase I would check the fuses/breakers 1st and then if that isn't it..... pop out the switch and check with a multimeter to see if you have power. It's most likely the switch which is a inexpensive fix.

Happy boating.