First CC purchase, need opinions

**Trevorg7** · 01-22-2009, 01:36 AM

RE: First CC purchase, need opinions

Tim - Correct Craft went to fiberglass strings in 1993 so you might want to check and think about the wood stringers in the 91. Check NADAGuides for rough pricing; the 91 as you described comes in far less than 12k.

Bottom line, the boat is worth what your willing to pay. Sounds like you heart is in the Sport. I would think this is a buyers market, let the seller sit on it and see where it goes.

Good luck. Post pictures if you have them.

T

**timmyboy** · 01-22-2009, 05:47 AM

RE: First CC purchase, need opinions

Thanks, Trev.
Yes I know about the wood in the pre-93's, and this Sport had no issues. The hull is flawless- its been well cared for. 580 original hours- that's decent for a '91, right?
I check NADA guides often- problem is the guides won't take in account boats in perfect shape; the added amount for that is just as you say: what the buyer is willing to pay. After adding the known options in NADA and throwing in extra for the unlisted options (trailer, tower), I can put the price right near my offer, so I don't feel like I'm getting robbed.

Buyers market- thats what I used to think, but I'm not so sure anymore after being turned down by over 5 dfferent sellers that held firm to their prices. All of them sold, too. Here in Texas, there are quite a few boats that aren't winterized and are still being taken out on the water.

Tim

**j2nh** · 01-22-2009, 06:19 AM

Figure 60 hours of use per year as a good number so the Sport you are looking at has a less than average number of hours.

Hey, it's and emotional purchase, go for the one that talks to you, just remember to keep it in the budget, boating is fun family activity, the last thing you want to be doing is stressing over the cost of ownership.

Personally I think that boats in the under 15k range are seeing fewer desperate sellers than the over 15k market.

Let us know which way you go and post some pics!

**Quinner** · 01-22-2009, 10:07 AM

Tim,

If that SNOB is the one I think it is from the pics I saw it needs some serious attention to the interior. In 93' I believe the 300hp Pro-Boss was the top dog engine available, if it is a Pro-Tec ignition and has not been replaced yet (most are already beyond their expected life span) conversion kit would run you close to $500 in parts alone.

Good luck which ever way you go.

**Chexi** · 01-22-2009, 10:28 AM

How are you certain that the stringers are not a problem? Have you inspected them? Have you checked the engine mount bolts? There is a guide somewhere about what you can do relatively easily to check the stringers. It still might not reveal every potential problem, but it will reveal a lot of bad problems.

580 hours is really low for a 91. I would either be suspicious that it is not a true reading, or the boat was simply not driven much. Not driving the boat much (i.e., if it sits for a few years) is not a good thing. The fact that it appears well maintained is helpful, if that is truly the case. If the hull and interior look great, then either (i) the boat was rarely ever used, so there was very litle wear and tear, but the boat might not have been well maintained, (ii) the boat was well maintained. If the boat was well maintained, then unless the owner did all the work himself, he should have the service / maintenance records. I would want to see them to see just how well it was maintained.

This goes without saying, but just in case, you must water test the boat. Listen carefully. Check everything you can. Don't forget to check the trailer too.

I say all these things because I was not as careful as I should have been buying my 99. It's a good boat, but it (and its trailer) needed more work than I had originally bargained for. Had I done a better job inspecting it, I could have probably shaved another $1500 off the price.

**NautiqueJeff** · 01-22-2009, 10:33 AM

Here's the guide that I believe Chexi is referring to.

http://www.planetnautique.com/Correc...nuals/2001.htm

**Chris4x4Gill2** · 01-22-2009, 10:34 AM

got any pics of the two?

If I had it to do over, I'd go for a 93+ model to get away fro mthe wooden stringers, not that mine has had any problems though.

IMO 12K is too high for a 91, Its a buyers market and I'd let the offer sit with him while still lookign around if thats the one you decide you like out of these two.

**maxpower220** · 01-22-2009, 12:41 PM

It's winter right now. So, you won't be using the boat right away. This means that you have way more than 2 choices. Even if you have to wait until April, keep waiting and the right boat at the right price will come along. The longer that you wait, perhaps you can save a little more money and get into the $11-12K range. This will start getting into newer boats with less wear.
From experience, don't get a boat that has wood in it. If this is your first boat, stay away from any potential headache that you can afford.
Also, try to find a boat with EFI. This may be more difficult in your price range. Buying your first boat, and buying at the top of your budget, don't buy a boat that needs a lot of work. You may be OK with it, but your spouse may have other thoughts on that subject.
Good luck, be patient.

**maxpower220** · 01-22-2009, 12:50 PM

It's winter right now. So, you won't be using the boat right away. This means that you have way more than 2 choices. Even if you have to wait until April, keep waiting and the right boat at the right price will come along. The longer that you wait, perhaps you can save a little more money and get into the $11-12K range. This will start getting into newer boats with less wear.
From experience, don't get a boat that has wood in it. If this is your first boat, stay away from any potential headache that you can afford.
Also, try to find a boat with EFI. This may be more difficult in your price range. Buying your first boat, and buying at the top of your budget, don't buy a boat that needs a lot of work. You may be OK with it, but your spouse may have other thoughts on that subject.
Good luck, be patient.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/IMMAC...1%7C240%3A1308

**GoBig** · 01-22-2009, 01:00 PM

If $10K s your budget, stick to it. Don't fall in love with a boat that is over your budget, even just a few hundred dollars. I think it is safe to say that used inventory will only increase in 2009, albeit, I expect this to be on more expensive +$30K boats. But this will still work to your advantage. I would encourage you to stick to your budget of $10K and don't settle for a boat within your budget that needs attention. Generally, if it needs cosmetic work, it needs just as much mechanical work as well.

**timmyboy** · 01-22-2009, 01:03 PM

Quinner- The SNOB is listed in Austin Craigslist, but the online pics are a bit more flattering than real life. Still, its not in terrible condition by any means. I have restored cars and remodeled homes, so an interior project doesn't scare me.

I just found an old listing for the Sport on CCFan. At that last update (Dec. 2007) he was asking $15.5K! Search the Diaries for 1991 Sport - be sure to remove the price filters or set it to 15-16K- and you cant miss it. I have no reason to believe that the hours are not actual. Its been on a ski lake all its life, and the current and previous owners were fanatical about keeping it clean, (so I am told). I am going to hold firm to my last offer of $10.5K, and it he says no then I guess I'll have to decide if I'm going to move on or not.

**chris196** · 01-22-2009, 01:21 PM

If you're looking in Austin, this one has been for sale for a while:
http://austin.craigslist.org/boa/994832045.html
they might be willing to deal at this point. It does have high hours though.

there is also this one which looks nice:
http://austin.craigslist.org/boa/970972013.html

I know it's a closed bow, but personally I'd either get a sport or a closed bow. The bow on the SNOB is small and you lose cockpit room due to the helm being pushed back some to accomodate the open bow.
And with a SN being so low in the water, I'd think that unless you are on a perfectly smooth lake, taking water into the bow would be a constant issue in a SNOB.

**Chexi** · 01-22-2009, 01:48 PM

Yes, NautiqueJeff, that's the guide I was thinking of.

I wrestled with this same question about 6 months ago. I was seriously considering SN 2001s, Nautique Excels, and early wood stringer sports. I knew that ample seating area was important to my wife, so I eventually, and begrudgingly, crossed the SN 2001 off my list (having neither an open bow nor an open area in the back like a V-drive). I was so close on pulling the trigger on a 1992 Excel that looked to be in pristine shape by the pictures, but ultimately the seller was antsy and had another offer. He was also nervous to sell to me because I am a lawyer. Lol, never thought that would work against me. Ultimately, I did not have the time to make the 800 mile trip (each way) before the seller needed an answer. So, I let that one go. I was conflicted at the time, but after I made the decision not to buy it, I felt much better. I kept waiting and finally I found my boat... a 1999 Air Nautique (basically a sport with all the trimmings) with 570 hours. It's a very good wakeboard boat, a very good ski boat, and I guess it could also pull a tube or 2. Listed for $15k, I haggled it down to $14k. Needs new vinyl and some other odds and ends. All in, it should come in around 19k, but that's with an all new vinyl interior and some other new parts. I had to drive from Iowa to Lake Tahoe, back to Iowa, and then down to Dallas to get it home. Thankfully, I had a great friend willing to drive with me. But, I should have gotten it for $12k or $13k due to what I found later.

At any rate, the moral of the story is as said earlier, do not fall in love with a particular boat, especially if it is more than you want to pay. "Boat" stands for "bout another thousand" and that is an old saying that is not adjusted for inflation. If it is pushing your budget now... just wait.

Oh, one more thing... check the seams on the vinyl. That is a great way to tell just how anal the owners were. If the seams are still there and in good shape after all this time, then you know that they took care of at least the interior, which is harder than one might think, and by extension the rest of the boat. The seams on the interior of those boats are cotton thread. That thread will disintegrate over time, especially if not properly cared for. Improper care means using either the wrong cleaning agents, bleach, silicone-based products, 409, etc., or not using any UV protection. When I bought my boat, I did not know this. I thought that I would only need to replace the back bench seats and sun pad... lol was I wrong. Almost all of the french seams were bare of thread. This was a ticking time bomb. I ultimately decided to redo all the vinyl and just ordered a full set of new skins from Christine's / Nautiqueskins.com. But this will cost me almost 5x what I had budgeted for the vinyl work when I bought the boat.

So that you will know how to care for your vinyl when you buy your boat, protect it with Aerospace 303, religiously. Clean it with a mild liquid soap or ePHx spray cleaner (which is made by the makers of the vinyl), or the other recommended cleaning agents in the nautique manual for your boat. Do NOT use silicon based products, 409, bleach, Fantastik (old formula was fine, but I believe that it has been reformulated and is now on the banned list), or magic erasers. You will hear many people touting the virtue of magic erasers. I used them with apparent great success... but that success is temporary. Magic erasers are micro-abrasives and take off the protective layer and eventually damage the vinyl itself.

**gschmieler** · 01-22-2009, 03:12 PM

I have a 97 snob. I recently got a great deal on a new boat and am going to pass some the savings on with this boat. 97 is all fiberglass and was reupholstered 3 years ago. pictures are on this web. go to boats for sale in sc. This boat is ready to go. Call for bottom line price....you will be suprised. 803-422-1815 Comes with fly high,heater, depth finder, air/water temp, bimini, and much more.
Cheers,
George

First CC purchase, need opinions

First CC purchase, need opinions

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