04 210 with cloudy guages, everything else clean and only 225 hours? Concern?

[dwike]

Hey there, I'm looking at an 04 210 TE and it only has 225 hours. The guy says he kept the boat on the side of his house under the fitted boat cover. The vinyl all looks good, the gel-coat looks good, but the guages are VERY cloudy and the volt/amp meter doesn't work as well as the guages for the for the ballast don't work. Would you suspect it was put up wet and they just baked in the FL sun? Is this a common problem? Here is a link to the boat so you can see for yourself. http://www.parkerboats.com/Page.aspx...ue-SK-210.aspx Any other questions to ask to avoid a problem boat? I like the color combo and low hours, but really don't have the patience, time, or money for a problem boat!

Part two of my question... I am also looking at an 05 210 but it only has the LE package, but it's about $30k. It has 3 ballast tanks, FCT, and Perfect Pass. It isn't my color, nor a TE, but it is very clean with less than 200 hours. Should I avoid the blue boat (04 TE) even though it's a TE and take the newer less expense boat even though its an LE? I'm thinking value and return on investment when it's time to sell as well as the overall boat.

Thanks so much in advance for your help!!!

[vanislwake]

I'd definately consider the 05, I had an 05 le and it basically had everything of a te except the fiberglass grid

[markj]

Ya, I don't think there's any other difference other than wedge tanks and front bow speakers is there? Most dealers order the team prop too even if it's not a team.

[GC]

I would really be looking at the '05. Almost $37K is pretty stiff for an '04.

[robertsmcfarland]

get what you really want .you don't like the color , and that 2005 is not a team, this will always bug you and you will second guess yourself. My son has a team 2004 it had some cloudy gauges had them replace this winter if every thing is sound on the 2004 go for it, if you don't like the color now on the non 2005 210 team think what you will thinking when you start using it .

[dwike]

Lots of good stuff! Thank you!

So cloudy gauges are somewhat common?

Anybody seen electrical issues from boats baked in the sun under cover? Anything else i should look at? I mean if the oil was changed and everything else looks good, it would seem like a nice boat if i could get them closer to $30k with 225 hours...

How expensive was the gauge replacement?

Any other thoughts welcome!

..QUOTE=robertsmcfarland;176416]get what you really want .you don't like the color , and that 2005 is ot a team, this will always bug you and you will second guess yourself. My son has a team 2004 it had some cloudy gauges had them replace this winter if every thing is sound on the 2004 go for it, if you don't like the color now on the non 2005 210 team think what you will thinking when you start using it .[/QUOTE]

[crobi2]

Ask them if it is a saltwater boat.

What's the red stuff on the muffler?

[dwike]

Ask them if it is a saltwater boat.

I asked, they said "no"

What's the red stuff on the muffler?

Great question. I didn't notice that! What concerned me also was the mold like stuff on the amp and the black wire conduit...

[NautiqueJeff]

How expensive was the gauge replacement?

Prices below are BEFORE the PlanetNautique 10% discount.

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/speedom...lverbezel.aspx

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/tachome...lverbezel.aspx

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/enginet...lverbezel.aspx

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/voltmet...2003-2006.aspx

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/oilpres...lverbezel.aspx

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/fuelgau...edandteam.aspx

[AirTool]

From the pics, that 04 is looking pretty good to me. I can't comment on the 05.

I wouldn't let cloudy gauges and some mildew alone get in the way of making a deal.

[jeffware]

cloudy gauges are common on these boats. my ski nautique and fish nautique both get cloudy gauges due to humidity and temperature changes. simply run the boat and turn on the lights. the lights in the gauges usually remove the moisture in any normal day of ski or fish activity. both of my nautiques came from the factory with teleflex gauges. i am now using VDO in the ski boat and faria in the fishing boat.

[gride]

That reddish stuff looks like clay to me. It's all over the amp and under seat compartment. Living where I do, having the same boat, stored outside, run in brackish water, I've never seen stuff get inside the passenger compartment like that. I suppose through the horn vent, but still. Aside from that it is a clean looking boat.

[dwike]

update, I just got better pics of the red 05 limited with 197 hours and there is all kinds of "bubbling" in the gelcoat from about the water line down in the white. Have any of you seen any of that and do the bubbles pop like a rust bubble or are they fine? thanks!

[core-rider]

That is called "blisters"... Avoid that boat unless you want to spend lots of money repairing the gelcoat. That happens when a boat is left in the water for extended periods of time without any kind of anti-fouling paint. Gelcoat is pourous and after time the water will infiltrate causing the gelcoat to "blister". The only way to repair properly is to sand of the gelcoat remioving the blisters, then reapplying gelcoat. Very time consumming and costly.

[Chexi]

Gelcoat blisters. Bad. This boat was left moored in the water for extended periods. You are not guaranteed to get gelcoat blisters when you do that, but that is what causes it in some boats. There is no way to know if your boat is susceptible to this until it happens. It is bad though. I would not buy a boat with gelcoat blisters, especially severe ones. My understanding is that it it caused by a slight defect in the fiberglass (not the gelcoat). As such, repairing them long-term is a lot more involved than just fixing the gelcoat.