Doubts about purchasing a SANTE

[ally505]

I was about to pull the trigger on a SANTE, I am now in two minds. Two things putting me off. Hours are just on 1000, I know that on a well maintained boat this is fine, I will however be keeping this boat for a long time and there is certainly a psychological barrier when i come to sell the boat where the hours are over the thousand mark.
The other point is that the boat spends a significant amount of time each year in the water (fresh water at least), I would guess 3-4 months each year. Now the boat is nine years old so that is a fair amount of time soaking.....

Are these reservations justified or am I just being too picky....

[DanielC]

How many used SANTE's are there in the British isles?

A 1,000 hours at 60 MPH = 60,000 miles. nevermind, 100 KPH = 100,000 KM.

My 1997 Ski Nautique has 2467 hours on it. I would use the overall condition, and other factors in determining if you want this boat.

[AirTool]

A 1,000 hours at 60 MPH = 60,000 miles.

Exactly....barely out of warranty on some makes.

1000 hours is more wear and tear on the vinyl IMO....with people getting in and out of it etc. The engine will probably last longer than anything else on the boat.

Slightly different words than DC, make sure you understand the current condition and pay the appropriate price for it.

[ally505]

Good point regarding the vinyl. Just need to be sure if somebody has to take the depreciation hit due to the hours, it's not me.
I am more concerned with the amount of time it has spent in the water, gel coat alone does not like extended dunking in the drink...

[crobi2]

I read somewhere that a engineer (allegedly an indmar engineer) went on record saying his best guess was a 100 miles to each hour on a boat engine.

I guess it's either idling or at 85% of total power. Kinda like towing a trailer up a hill with no end in sight LOL.

With that said, a hundred thousand miles on that engine should be nowhere near worn out. If it has been and continues to be taken care of it should get to 2000+ hrs before it needs a rebuild.

The wear and tear on everything must be taken into account though.

[surroundsound64]

Ditto the overall condition and price. There is a sante relatively close to me right now with 2500hrs on it that's for sale. Interior is rough and gel faded. I know of some other boats around here used at summer camps with well over 2k hours as well. It's all about condition.

[ally505]

Any comments regarding the extended soak in the water without the gel coat being painted/sealed?

[SkiTower]

if it looks fine, no. Boats are made to get wet. But if it was sitting in water for that long was it covered? My concern would be the interior, not the exterior. If it was rained on that long then check the bilge for mold.

[2001SAN]

I was about to pull the trigger on a SANTE, I am now in two minds. Two things putting me off. Hours are just on 1000, I know that on a well maintained boat this is fine, I will however be keeping this boat for a long time and there is certainly a psychological barrier when i come to sell the boat where the hours are over the thousand mark.
The other point is that the boat spends a significant amount of time each year in the water (fresh water at least), I would guess 3-4 months each year. Now the boat is nine years old so that is a fair amount of time soaking.....

Are these reservations justified or am I just being too picky....

ally,

is that the blue 2004 not too far from you?

[Chexi]

I would want to inspect the gelcoat of the hull while it was out of water. With that much time sitting in the water, it either would have gelcoat blisters or it wouldn't. If it doesn't, then it is not prone to gelcoat blisters.

[s_kelley2000]

I agree with Chexi on the blisters. After spending that much time in the water it would have gotten blisters by now if it was prone to them. Even if it does have blisters I believe they are purely cosmetic but they are ugly so I would expect a discounted price if they are present.

As others have said 1000 hours is nothing as long as it has been maintained properly and fluids were changed on time.

[fatchance720]

My family put 1900 hours on a old American Skier that we sold to our neighbors down the street, They used it for another 6 years. That boat was in the water 6 months a year. My parents last boat was a 2003 Moomba Mobius lsv and that has about 1700 hours and still runs perfectly. They did re upholster everything. I agree with people the engine should not be your concern if it runs great.