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Old 11-20-2016, 09:50 PM   #2
acteg
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Orlando
Posts: 201
Re: first time boat buyer

first off go to the hulltruth and start researching...

If it's your first boat, I would start off with a simple boat (easy to maintain and troubleshoot). Inboard is pretty simple to maintain assuming access is good, but the outdrives can be a pain (or so I've heard). If I were to buy an older boat, I would buy a name brand boat, so that I could hopefully resell it without taking too much of a bath. Do a lot of research on the older reputable brands in your area and then stick to those brands. You also want a brand with a bit of a following so you can get help if there are issues from the message forums. Same goes for motors if you end up with a boat with an outboard.

In my area (Florida), inboards (especially an I/O) are not very sought after, and generally speaking center consoles with outboards are the most desirable (for trailerable boats anyway).

If you see any dark brown gue coming out of holes or fasteners in the hull (transom for instance), those areas are wet and starting to rot.

This is my generic list of questions:

Hull:
Any soft spots
Any large stress cracks or fiberglass/gelcoat repairs?
Do all of the lights, bilge pumps, switches, electronics work?
Original Fuel tank? Original fuel lines?
Original wiring?

Engine:
How many hours?
Any major repairs to the power head or the lower unit?
Do you have any cruise speed/top speed numbers with corresponding RPMs and fuel burn? (ie: cruise 32 knots at 4200 rpm and 2 miles per gallon)
Recent service? if yes, what did the service include and how many hours have been put on the boat since?

Trailer:
What year is the trailer?
Are the tires in good shape (good tread, no dry rot or cracking)?
Does the trailer have brakes?
Are all of the lights in working condition?
Are the axles, hubs, bearings, bunks, etc in good shape?
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