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[Terrence Goens]

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[bahamabreisus]

I would say the boat has no value. If you want a expensive project, they should give it to you. Good luck

 

[Stee6043]

You should be able to find a Hull ID # on the starboard side of the transom. That will tell you a lot about the boat. You could google a decoder or just post it here.

Those pictures look challenging, Terrence! At a minimum...you'd want to make sure those engines run like a top, transmissions are perfect and the hull is not rotten before doing anything. Even if free...it could be too expensive to be worth moving.

 

[b_arrington]

"The hull is is great condition needs a nice detailing and a fresh coat of paint. The interior isnt in to bad of shape either."

I feel like this has to be a joke, but it's a member's first post.

 

[PMC]

You are new and the post does seems a bit suspicious for the ole' "lets prank CSR" type message. If you are seriously getting involved in this boat, do your research. Fixer uppers are expensive, and free boats are even more expensive. If you have been browsing this site, you will find a decent group of very helpful folks with lots of wisdom.

Picking a fight with a member on the 3rd post is not the best of introductions....just saying.

As far as the year, the last 2 digits of the HIN is the year. Good Luck!

 

[Stingrayaxe]

Run away.

 

[Golfman25]

That ain't a fixer upper. It's a chop her upper. The guy should be paying you to haul it away.

You ain't fixing that thing for anything close to $3,000. Probably $15,000-$20,000 just to make it sea worthy. Good luck.

 

[Stingrayaxe]

No where have I seen any moisture readings. Based solely on the pics I have to assume there is rot you are not seeing. Even if the boat is dry I’m seeing multiple boat bucks in various other parts. Definitely a big project. Good luck if you decide to proceed

 

[Lazy Daze]

OK, here's some advice. And this is from someone who has done this kind of work - that's not a knock against anyone that has responded so far - they all bring up valid points. First, watching youtube videos on how to assess a boat does not an expert make. Expect more issues. Whatever rot you have found... multiply that by at least 3. Then you have ALL systems of the boat to check out and many will need to be just flat out replaced. If the chairs on the flybridge look like that, assume everything up there is heading for the dumpster. I'm really just on the tip of the ice berg here, but you're probably getting the point.

Can it be done? Sure it can. The question is, how much time and money do you want to put into this? Do you work full time? Do you have a family or a social life? If yes, this pretty much immediately becomes a many year project. I won't get into a cost guess as I don't know what you're really looking to get out of it in the end. But whatever you "think" you'll spend on it, plan on at least tripling that, as well. Heck, new gas tanks alone, will be a few thousand dollars.

If you have the time and plenty of money - go for it. Otherwise, keep looking for another boat that is already in decent shape and you can still go boating this year. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if you spend more money on it than it is worth. And likely, considering it'll be your first go around with a project like this and the fact that you just need it to "get you 2 miles"... it will be worth less than other comparables out there.

Again - I'm not saying don't do it. It can be a lot of fun restoring a boat. But don't fool yourself - you will come out upside down on this. It's just the name of the game.

 

[KevinC]

On the contrary, depending on the upfront cost (ie basically free), worst case is a chop and flip. There might be lots of value in parting out pieces if the economics of a fixer upper don't pan out. This assumes you have the space and time.

-Kevin

 

[El Capitan]

Wait, this is your first “boat” and you’ve “inspected” it, and have $1500 -$3000 to spend....you’re gonna do this project based on knowledge from YouTube videos....but you don’t know how to ID a hull or where to find and lookup the hull ID?

Sumtins fishy boss.

 

[Steve S]

And every boat I have owned (your 35k type boat) has needed hundreds.. no thousands of dollars on something that needed to be repaired. I can do some things but other things I leave to the pros. Things add up quick. Heck just adding new canvas is probably 5K.
I think the mantra is budget 10% + just for initial bugs and repairs when you purchase a used boat.

Again not saying not to do it. But be aware of one of the popular definitions of a boat - “a hole in the water where you throw money”... we just don’t want you to get burned.

Good luck. And welcome aboard!

 

[Lazy Daze]

I'm an aerospace and nuclear fusion major I dont have a family to deal with or more than the $200 a month i spend for my motorcycle payment and insurance. I've been trying to get someone to look past the bs and give it to me straight like you have. The fuel tanks motors outdrives and all the pricey parts still function borrowed a battery to test all the electronics and everything si promising besides the upper bridge that needs cleaning up and rewiring.

I'm not sure you're really being fair with your judgement of people that are offering 'been there, done that' advice. I don't know what your major has to do with this, but in your initial post there was really only limited information. You mentioned nothing of the "pricey" parts being functional... in fact, you used the term "mechanics special" which means it needs lot's of mechanical work. Add in the rot issues and dilapidated cockpit, and many of us were, in fact, "giving it to you straight". It just wasn't what you wanted to hear. If it's actually in good shape overall, sure, go for it. But from experience... just be ready for a lot of surprises.

 

[Creekwood]

The problem with old fixer uppers like that is that you will spend thousands getting it back to a workable boat and after al is done and a few years have passed, it will be worth less than what you have put in it. If there are soft stringers, you can count on lots of thousands. And after a couple of years of no boating and many hours of work, you will have a boat that is worth maybe $3,000 having put much more than that in it.

My suggestion is get someone that knows what they are doing to give you an all in estimate of the cost to get that boat back on the water. Then use that $ as your budget to buy a working older boat. You will be much better off to give yourself a reasonable budget for a running older boat and then shop for one you can buy today and use after some sprucing up.

 

[sbw1]

if you really believe there can be a cost effective restoration of this boat, you are delusional. The gas tanks are likely unsafe to begin with no matter what you learned about inspections on YouTube. It is unlikely this boat will ever be brought back to a seaworthy condition even with a massive effort. This post strikes me as an attempt to pull our collective legs.

 

[CNYBoater]

My thoughts by experience on chop and flip.

Before I bought my Sea Ray, I parted out my 1978 17' Starcraft Tri-hull, this was a free boat/trailer that my uncle gave me that he bought at auction and eventually had in his barn unused for a few years. We decided to move up because it developed a soft spot between the walk through and if didn't ride well if chop came up on our lake, so my wife wanted a V-hull and something with more weight, higher freeboard, etc. I got $500 for a 1978 fully functional Johnson outboard with excellent compression and two props. I put more than that into it to get it to be fully functional and safe for my family. I got around $50 on CraigsList for the rack/pinion steering (helm and cables). $30 for the deck hardware and rails. For the 1986 Calkins roller trailer, best I could get for the trailer after months on CraigsList was $400, that was after I put new tires, rollers, replaced wiring and switched to LED lights. I paid $50 to dispose of the hull. Did I make money, nope, lost money on the free boat chopping it. For older stuff you've got a limited market on who wants it and you're gonna get mostly REALLY low offers even if you can prove that its no/low issue items unless you have the room to store it to hold out for better. Was the free boat worth it, Yup. I got several years of use out of it, great pics of big grins on the kids faces, etc. But I wouldn't personally consider it I hadn't been able to get the use out of it.

Personal opinion expressed, I'm not a mechanic, just a casual boater, so I had to pay for the engine diagnostics work.

 

[Bridog]

Very sad to see ANY boat in this condition. Terrence, if you do decide to take on this project I will wish you luck and hope to see some pics of this poor SR all cleaned up when your done.

 

[markhpc]

Hi Terrance,

I'm new as well, but am probably on the other end of the spectrum regarding moisture. It's basically the #1 criteria in my purchasing decision. While most folks here are cautioning you, in my thread many folks are telling me to chill out. You might want to take a look at my thread here:

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/depressed-about-moisture.92019/

Given you are thinking of doing a lot of the work yourself, I'd definitely pick up a moisture meter. It's been one of the most useful tools (along with a chunk of metal for sounding) I've used for finding rot in stringers/hulls/decks/etc. The one I bought is available on amazon and I've been really happy with it:

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tool...GRJMCBNNV0SR77E35CRV&qid=1559914587&s=gateway

Don't worry too much about the percentage reading, it's more useful to scan over a large surface and note differences. I think the advice you've gotten that there's a lot more hidden rot for every bit of surface rot you can see is sound. I've looked at some very nice looking boats that have had significant structural issues (literally the stringers and ribs pulling apart due to lack of remaining structure). Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

 

[Stee6043]

Hi Terrance,

I'm new as well, but am probably on the other end of the spectrum regarding moisture. It's basically the #1 criteria in my purchasing decision. While most folks here are cautioning you, in my thread many folks are telling me to chill out. You might want to take a look at my thread here:

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/depressed-about-moisture.92019/

Given you are thinking of doing a lot of the work yourself, I'd definitely pick up a moisture meter. It's been one of the most useful tools (along with a chunk of metal for sounding) I've used for finding rot in stringers/hulls/decks/etc. The one I bought is available on amazon and I've been really happy with it:

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tool...GRJMCBNNV0SR77E35CRV&qid=1559914587&s=gateway

Don't worry too much about the percentage reading, it's more useful to scan over a large surface and note differences. I think the advice you've gotten that there's a lot more hidden rot for every bit of surface rot you can see is sound. I've looked at some very nice looking boats that have had significant structural issues (literally the stringers and ribs pulling apart due to lack of remaining structure). Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

I hate to continue this thread since I feel it has a 96.7% chance of being a hoax but....

I find it hard to believe that the linked moisture meter can actually scan through typical marine-thickness fiberglass? Have you used it on the hull or just inside the engine room on non-glassed surfaces? Seems like that thing is way too affordable but maybe I'm too skeptical

 

[Golfman25]

I hate to continue this thread since I feel it has a 96.7% chance of being a hoax but....

I find it hard to believe that the linked moisture meter can actually scan through typical marine-thickness fiberglass? Have you used it on the hull or just inside the engine room on non-glassed surfaces? Seems like that thing is way too affordable but maybe I'm too skeptical

I would agree. Here is a marine version for $450.
https://www.amazon.com/Tramex-SMP-Skpper-Moisture-Meter/dp/B0052P48Y2