Buying a Boat?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Ok guys, how about these three?

Should be EFI, not sure of the HP, plenty big and looks good: 98' Maxum, 21ft. with Trailer

5.0 EFI Volvo, looks and sounds good on the ad, 19', well priced: 1996 LARSON 19' B/R 5.0 PENTA

5.0 EFI Volvo, also looks and sounds good, 19': 1995 Four Winns

I've sent questions to all three.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Ok guys, how about these three?

Should be EFI, not sure of the HP, plenty big and looks good: 98' Maxum, 21ft. with Trailer

5.0 EFI Volvo, looks and sounds good on the ad, 19', well priced: 1996 LARSON 19' B/R 5.0 PENTA

5.0 EFI Volvo, also looks and sounds good, 19': 1995 Four Winns

I've sent questions to all three.

Pending an inspection. It seems to the Maxum is the best deal of the three. It's the largest, cheapest and newest.

[Rot 911]

Looks like the Four Winns is sold. I would go with the Maxum as I would much rather have a Mercruiser engine than Volvo-Penta for ease of service and parts. Ask him what the lower unit is.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Yup, talked with the Four Wins seller and it is gone. This must be peak demand as they seem to be going fast. I've emailed on the other two with no reply, so I suspect they may be gone as well.

Any thoughts on V6 vs V8? Obviously you would tend to get more power out of the V8, it sounds better, but will burn more gas. Any subtle pros/cons there?

[Black968]

I see you are in the middle of Cobalt country. You should be able to find a 190 BR with a 5.0 L for in the 10 K range. They are truly a superior boat in many ways. You will not regret it.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

This is my favorite boat.

My favorite boat:

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Black968

I see you are in the middle of Cobalt country. You should be able to find a 190 BR with a 5.0 L for in the 10 K range. They are truly a superior boat in many ways. You will not regret it.

The only Cobalt that I've seen under $10k and in my region is a 2003 190BR with a trashed interior for $8k.

I looked at a really clean and well maintained 19' 1999 Chris Craft last night. It has a 190 HP Volvo 4.3 and Volvo Penta outdrive with only 214 hrs. It also has the snap in carpet with fiberglass floor, which I really like. I would have bought it on the spot but frankly it's high at $9450. I'm looking at a 1998 19' Regal tonight that's well priced at $6800.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Well I bought one. 2004 Tahoe Q4 SS 19' with a 4.3 Mercruiser. Trailer is like new. Overall the boat is in really good shape, I think it's a great place to start. Thanks to everyone for the great advice, it was a huge help.

[cairns]

I'm glad someone mentioned Cobalts. They are truly a cut above IMO. But get a survey no matter what you decide.

[911boost]

Pics?

[Black968]

I was looking at Tahoe Boats at the start of my my search. I had three of them bought out from underneath me. I could not believe it. I called one dealer and told him to hold a boat for me until Saturday when I could see it. Called Friday to confirm an appointment and the boat was gone. I was pissed. Anyway, sounds like you got yourself a nice boat. Is it the 190 HP Carb or the 220 HP MPI 4.3l? Pics are a must.

Cheers

[onewhippedpuppy]

I found that the $10k ish boats sold in a few hours in some cases, I just got lucky and was the first caller on this one. It's the carb'd 190 HP 4.3, not the EFI. I'll post pics when I get to a computer, I can't do it from my phone.

[Seahawk]

Nice, Matt.

I'd own it. Enjoy.

[VincentVega]

Dont waste time posting, use it! Kidding, sort of. Hope it works out.

[peppy]

I wanna see pictures....My wife and I have the bug now.

Going to look at a Stingray tuesday.


This thread really made me feel dumb, we have lived ON the lake for almost 8 years and never really gave a boat much thought.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Pics!







Pics are from the PO. It was pretty clean when I bought it, but after a Saturday afternoon of scrubbing the carpet looks great and the seats look nearly new. Long term I want to buff out the slightly faded black and wax the entire thing. After crawling all over it there's nothing I've discovered that worries me. I love how the swim deck bumps out to cover the outdrive so my kids can't jump on it. We had other previously scheduled stuff going on all weekend, so right now Tuesday looks like our maiden voyage. My wife and kids are really excited, this is going to be a great family activity.

Originally Posted by peppy

I wanna see pictures....My wife and I have the bug now.

Going to look at a Stingray tuesday.


This thread really made me feel dumb, we have lived ON the lake for almost 8 years and never really gave a boat much thought.

I don't know about NC, but around here the affordable boats ($10k and under) go FAST. Like hours fast. I missed out on a Four Winns because I was the second caller, and I missed out on a Chris Craft because my wife and I went home to think it over and look a bit more. All's well that ends well of course, because I'm very happy with the end result. But I only got this one because I was the first caller and I showed up as arranged with cash. Lots of great advice on this thread, and look at as many as you can, it helps make the good ones stand out.

[peppy]

Matt that is a sharp looking boat. Let us know how the fuel usage is.

I have missed out on two boats already.

[skunked]

Have fun on the lake.

PS- Don't forget the drain plug!

[Rot 911]

Matt nice boat. Get some decent fenders for each side before you get on the water. Also buy some nice dock rope for tying up the boat. Never, ever put gas with ethanol in it unless you plan on burning up that entire tank on a weekend. Get the blue marine Staybil and use it religiously. Learn how to winterize and save yourself a few hundred bucks every year.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thanks guys. Kurt, what do you mean by fenders? I use non ethanol gas in all of my vehicles and plan to do so with the boat, but good reminder on the Stabil.