Sorrento 25 1988 model

[cigarhog]

HI:

I just looked at a 1988 Sea Ray Sorrento 25. The boat has a 454 mercruiser. It started right up and seem to run very smoothly. The engine and bilge looked very clean and neat. No smells of oil or gas whatsoever. The cabin was also very neat and no smells. The boat had been stored over the winter so the fact that it had no odors at all was a big plus. I am planning to make an offer on it. I had previously made a deal on a Regal Valanti 240 but that deal appears to be unraveling. Any thoughts between these 2 models?

-Does anybody know of any inherent problems with this model.

-I was able to find out that it has a 19 degree deadrise at the transom. Although I will be using it on lake lanier, I still want a smooth ride. Is 19 degrees enough of a deadrise to give me that?

- How hard would it be to install a marine head plus holding tank as opposed to the pump out porta potti that is on it now?

 

[mperlst216]

Many boats of this vintage have rotted stringers and transom and water logged foam. Have they been replaced by a reputable person? If it is on a trailer, stick you finger in the bilge drain hole and feel if there is good support or is there a void(rotted transom). Are there any soft spots in the floor(rotted floor and stringers). A good marine survey will tell you the answers.

 

[mperlst216]

The 1990 Sundancer 270 on CL looks like a much better value for not much more. But whatever you buy, pay for a marine survey/

 

[cigarhog]

Yup if I make a deal with the guy a marine surveyor and mechanic will be checking it out.

Thanks

 

[Chris Nowell]

Well? How ya makin' out?

 

[cigarhog]

The survey was a disaster. The cabin top was delaminated. Ok not the end of the world the top was still solid. The engine stringers were rotted. The engine didnt budge under stress so that was a good thing. We renegotiated the price to 3500 at that point. I figured ok i can use the boat a couple of years and junk if I have to. I noticed that even with a well running 454 330hp engine the boat was very slow to get on plane and at 3000 rpm we were only doing 13 mph per the surveyors gps. We pulled the boat out of the water for the compression test and for the surveyor to check the bottom. There were blisters all over the bottom and it and loaded with water. The outdrive was all but worn away by the electrolysis to the point being fragile. The engine was in great shape but the rest of it was junk. Not worth it to me at any price. So the search continues.

 

[Chris Nowell]

Good call. Just too bad so much time and expense has to be wasted looking at garbage for sale by idiots. We had a similar adventure with a 260 DA through a broker. At least now I can pre determine if a survey is even warranted. Most of the boats we've looked at when we have bought in the past were junk. They can be made to sound good, and digital pictures can make them look good, but a few minutes of conversation with the owners can usually give me an idea of what the boat is going to really be like before I even see it. Good luck on the next prospect.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Wise choice you made when you walked away from that boat. There are too many decent boats out there to mess with one that has problems....especially one with major problems.

When friends ask me for advice about boat buying I always tell them that the wrong boat, even at the best price in the world, is still the wrong boat. Keep that in mind and you'll do OK in your search.

 

[cigarhog]

Thanks for the advice. It is amazing how many people buys boats without having a surveyor check it out. I have now walked from 2 boats one due to a cracked engine and this previous one. The cracked engine ran fine so I would have not known until the problem became evident.

 

[mperlst216]

Pretty much every boat of that vintage will have rotted stringers and transom unless it had a fiberglass deck. If you are locked into that vintage, be sure it has had the stringers, deck, and transom replaced properly. Or go with a bit newer boat that was built with a fiberglass/gelcoat deck and not wood deck.

 

[cigarhog]

You are right Chris. Even the Surveyor said to me after the last one that I have gotten a good education to figure if the boat is worth a survey. I am looking at a an 88 268 da. Seems very well taken care of. The transom was replaced last yr as was the outdrive. They had to pull the engine to do the transom so I must think that the stringers were ok. I dont see any holes in them to allow water to travel back and forth like the last one had to cause the stringers to rot. Although I did notice that even with a new outdrive they didnt put sacrificial anodes on it (you really have to wonder). The guy wants a bit more than I want to spend but I may have to bite the bullet.