Looking for a boat, maybe

[juanbenae]

Have spent some time out on a local lake in a buddy's boat and having had a pretty good time & I feel like I might want a boat. I am looking for a 20–25-year-old tournament boat, Master-Craft, Ski Nautique, or the like. Looking to spend somewhere in the $6-8k neighborhood but might go a lil higher for a nicer example.

More worried about motor health than a pristine interior. Not gunna buy something with a shredded interior, but it does not have to be perfect. I am seeing a bunch in the 600 hour range for my price sweet spot, and records seem to be spotty with many sellers being the 3rd or 4th owner. Most have the ford 351, so what might the equivalent be in a 600 hour boat in car mileage terms? 100k miles? more? less? Is the 351 a good power plant for reliability?

Love the classic older tourney boats. I'm not skiiing, boarding or anything, maybe tow my chick's kids around on a tube or just go for a ride a few times a month. I'm an hour door to boat in the water so even a couple hours on the water might be a thing.

[LWJ]

Now that all the cool kids want to ride surf, old style ski boats are being given away. I expect there are many deals to be had. I would love to see what you are looking at.

[Tobra]

Shop, wait for the right one, look at the seller as much as the boat.

Motor and and the outdrive.

A chimp can tack new vinyl on a seat, sanding and varnishing wood, trained chimp, just saying

[juanbenae]

This is my neighborhood and pretty much the type of boat I am looking for...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/849362730157651/?referralSurface=messenger_banner&referralCode=2

So, T-Brah.... If I were to take these monkeys you mention out for a day in my new boat, would they require special sort of life preserver? Or would one of the seats they recovered count as a floatation device like my grandpappy's old aluminum 16 foot trout trouncer seat pads did ??

[Bill Douglas]

Lake boats are in so much better condition than boats used in the sea. So that's an advantage. I guess it's like buying a 911 though, you get a PPI done by someone with some experience.

[KFC911]

Didn't look close at the link, but gopher it . I sold my '89 Stratos bass boat after 27 years ... 2nd owner of a 28 year old boat... it sold itself.

Other people's kidz (if they aren't on board and mebbe if they are) ... they're wearing a life vest, and I hate being a capt.... can't be a sailor wif a beer in my hand either .

Have fun ... be safe ... go play on the H2O!

Being on a friend's boat is always better... and yeah ... we broke all the rulez too .

But not if "I was the capt." ... and not on my own boat... not with kids.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I grew up boating and have owned a boat for 15 years, best investment in family fun that we ever made. First boat was like $7500, I’m now on boat #4. A few thoughts:

The competition style ski boats are possibly the hardest boats to drive. They have a shaft drive prop and a rudder, so they are nearly impossible to steer in reverse. If you aren’t planning to ski or wakeboard I would strongly recommend that you look at a more conventional stern drive, they are way easier to drive, more common, and probably cheaper.

Get the absolute most power you can find, especially if you plan to load it up with kids and pull a tube. Nothing sucks worse than an underpowered boat that you can’t even get up on plane.

Older boats in particular are dead simple to DIY. Pushrod engines, cable drive throttle and shift, simple 12V electrical systems, no computers, etc. If you get into early EFI motors it’s TBI with a really simple ECU, so easy. One thing that gets overlooked, buy something where you can actually reach the engine. Some companies make it impossible to reach anything and that makes life suck. Basic maintenance would be plugs, wires, impeller, fuel filter, clean the intake screen, change the oil, change the drive oil, all basic stuff.

It’s hard to equate mileage and hours because cars and boats get used so much differently, but I always thought of 500 hours as the equivalent of 100,000 miles. A well maintained freshwater boat can typically go 1,000 hours, some more. Look inland and do your best to avoid salt water boats, it’s worth a drive to get a freshwater lake boat.

Mechanical check out is like a car, bare minimum you should run it on muffs in the seller’s driveway but I would strongly recommend a lake test before handing over cash. Fiberglass basically lasts forever unless there are obvious areas of damage, your biggest concern should be rotten floors as most older boats used plywood. Be very thorough in pushing around on the floors especially around edges, corners, and where the seats mount. It’s something you can DIY repair but a pain.

I’ve done a LOT of boat shopping and have universally found that boats that have been kept clean and stored indoors are nearly always well maintained. Conversely a ratty boat that’s obviously sat in the driveway with a tarp over the top has probably been neglected. I find that it’s probably harder to find a nice boat than a nice car, people just don’t take care of them.

[berettafan]

I don't know inboards but would assume the basic truth of boat ownership here in the salt applies to fresh water as well: The best two days of a boat owners life are the day he buys one and the day he sells it.

Be sure you have the patience for idiots at the ramp before committing. People truly lose all sense when on or towing a boat.

[Chocaholic]

If your intended use is cruising around and occasionally pulling kids on a tube, why are you buying a ski/wakeboard boat? A standard bow rider or even pontoon would suffice…likely newer for the same money.. For cars or motorcycles, I am happy to own vintage vehicles where you can easily pull off the road if it breaks down. But nothing is a bigger PITA than having mechanical issues in the middle of a lake, especially as the Sun goes down.

Having lived on the water for the past 20+ years, I’d suggest investing more substantially to get a newer, more reliable vessel.

[Paul T]

Allow me to save you a lot of $$$ - don’t do it!!! LOL, just kidding (not really)….I know nothing about boats other than the money pit aspect. Good luck in the search and enjoy!

[911 Rod]

As others have asked, why would you want an inboard?

[Scott Douglas]

That boat you posted the link to in post #4 is exactly what you're looking for. Budget for a set of tires and all the normal maint needed to freshen up the engine etc and I'd think you'd be good to go.
I went thru the local C-list just to see what was listed down here. Far fewer of that style of boat listed now vs a couple of months ago when I last looked (Jan-Feb).
Have you gone to look at that boat yet?

[jhynesrockmtn]

I am with the others who have asked why you would want a tournament ski boat if you are not an avid water skier. The inboard platform limits maneuverability and your ability to beach the boat.

Kids aren't slalom skiers anymore. They want to wakeboard and surf and the platform of an older tournament ski boat works against that somewhat. Especially the surfing part. They are built to minimize the wake. If you mostly want to be on the lake I'd look for a pontoon boat or older "runabout" with an outboard or IO.

[juanbenae]

Thanks for the thoughts on my case of the "I wants".....

I am going to look at a couple within a 50 mile or so radius this Saturday. Not a big concern of saltwater usage in my neck of the woods and the type of boat I am looking for. Always wanted an older tourney boat and have spent a bunch of time in and behind the wheel of ones my buddies have had over the years. Family had a pontoon at our lake house years ago, so I know the pluses and minuses of them but it's not what I'm looking for at this time.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

To be considered, on some waterways wake boats are despised due to their ballast tank induced wakes and the damage caused.

I have a river racer 18" Spectra with a 454 CID motor with a jet drive I can coast up onto the beach with.
Tell us the intended name of the boat, its important?

"I drink alone" is my boat name, girls ask why the name all the time. I tell them its because of girls like you. Works like a champ.

[juanbenae]

Can I name it as I have my jeep? Or is that breaking some nautical rule?

[CarreraDan]

Come on guys, inboards are fun once you get past the driving learning curve. Nautique went to a 100% composite boat in 1993 or 1994. We have a 1980 Ski Nautique and a 2007 230 Super Air Nautique--bought to surf with and hold many more people. My father in law is the original owner of the 1980 but it needs stringers replaced, unfortunately the motor and interior are in perfect shape. Most if not all older boats with wood will have rot issues. If your heart is set on a tournament boat I would stick with Nautique or Mastercraft. You see many 20-30 year old boats from them for a reason, they are built better. I enjoyed my Sea Ray bowrider for 15 years and never had a problem with it, it was garage kept and well loved.

A V-drive will give you a lot more room in the boat, I don't know if one is in your budget. You can learn the inboard driving quirks in a few afternoons at the dock when it isn't crowded. Our Nautique's only reverse to the driver's side due to the prop rotation, and once you let off the throttle you have no steering around the dock. You learn to plan your moves and can always use reverse to change course--to the driver's side.

One last point about the older tournament boats is they have very shallow freeboard and I never liked being around the surf boats with our 1980, we were almost swamped on more than one occasion. Our 230 doesn't have that problem as it is huge in comparison, however a G23 or G25 dwarfs our 230.

[mgatepi]

BOAT
Break Out Another Thousand

Owned several boats in my life, never again, I am done. Best advice I can give is to rent a nice covered slip (with a lift) at a local lake marina. You can leave it there and just use it when you want without the headaches of towing and launching and it will stay realitively clean and safe.

[juanbenae]

Gunna head over to look at this one tomorrow.... Looks like a bunch of monkeys may have refreshed the interior.

https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/boa/d/avery-malibu-euro-f3/7868018176.html

[juanbenae]

Not doing a thing with this.... Check in on that carpet!

https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/boa/d/nevada-city-1973-marlin-14-ski-boat/7859233201.html


Don't let the monkeys doing your interior pick the colors is the lesson here...