bought it used, if i paid 200k for anything other than an appreciating asset, i would divorce myself, heh.
i bid on a couple on e-bay, but there was a reserve and im not a paying what they ask type of buyer. looked at one in maryland, flew up for a day trip, and tried to leave without making an offer. when he insisted, i told him to call a marine salvage company and he might not have to pay to have it towed away.
its funny how some people think their garbage is worth its weight in gold.
found a nice boat in mighigan that may or may not have a new engine. have to take what you are told with a grain of salt. all i can say for sure is the engine was replaced at some point. not a factory install. no chips, no dings, canvas in good shape. fairly clean boat with only a couple flaws. a couple small cuts in the upholstery that were glued down, and an oil leak in the engine. warentee on engine fixed the leak reinforcing the new engine claim, but still not sure. so i rolled the dice.
somethings to look for when buying a used boat.
1. if you smell fuel, walk away...slowly...and dont look back. the cost of replacing a fuel tank is staggering.
2. if the engine is 10 years old...its DONE no matter what line of bs the seller gives you. it may look sweet, it may sound sweet, but mark my words, it will be replaced within 2 to 4 years. a ***** with make up. all pretty on the outside, adn rotten to the core on the inside.
3. if they didnt take care of the deck and upholstery, you can bet the rest of it it trashed too.
4. if the deck is squishy or gives in spots when you walk on it...walk away and dont look back. delaminated fiberglass is a boitch to fix.
5. if you find corrosion in places not exposed to water like wireing and clamps in places that should be out of the water.....walk away...fast. its probably been sunk and pulled back out.
its a buyers market. find a 10 year old boat in really good shape, deduct the cost of replacing the engine, write it down on a card, hand it to him and walk away like you have 6 more to look at today. then look at 6 more. one of them will call you back. trust me. the boat in marryland was asking 33k. i had him down to 27k before i flew out to look at it. he was trying to give it to me for 23k when i started walking. the one i bought was asking 39k, reduced it to 33k before i flew out, and sold it for 31k. if it wasnt for the alleged new engine, i would have offered him 23k and left. a new bigblock runs a little over 10k. and all you get out of then is around 12 years in freshwater, and 7 to 9 in salt water if it is taken care of, less if it is run hard and put away wet.
the buying was half the fun.