96 SN Open Bow Value

[aerojust]

Found this gem on facebook and trying to decide if I should make an offer on it. Its a 1997 SN with the play pen bow. Owner states that "all pieces are there. It has a truck 351w in it now that needs a carb, but was just rebuilt and should be good to go. 351w has gt40 heads. He also has the original gt40 (he thinks) that was in the boat, but it is ceased up". No clue if the block or heads are toast. Also states "Hull has no cracks and is in great shape". As you can see upholstry is completely shot, and would need 100% new foam and vinyl. I am assuming same for carpet. Also states "trailer is much newer than the boat and in great condition".

From what I can tell the man bought it as a restro project and never got around to working on it.

He is asking $2500 and keeps stating "Come get it or I will take it to the junk yard".

Not sure if I would keep it as a second ski boat (sold my 2000 sn to buy a 230) or sell it.

BesThe bestse scenario needs 100 new upholstry / seats and a carb to get motor in it now to run. WorThe worse case is obviously much worse...

Do you guys think this thing is worth anything as is? Was thinking of offering him $1000 or $1500 but has to make sense financially as I do need a second Nautique right now.

[Michael Crouse]

I would offer 1 k or less.
I would think it’s 10k just to get it back on the water, and that’s if everything is there and you can do the labor.

[NautiqueJeff]

Moving this out of the restorations section since it does not meet the guidelines for posting there. Please read the GUIDELINES FOR POSTING IN THE RESTORATIONS SECTION before posting there.

[bturner]

Depends on what your goal is. You'll definitely have more into this boat than it's worth if full restoration is the goal. I honestly don't know how Jeff pulls some of his off but he seems to do very well with his. If you're up for a challenge, a self education on boat restoration or a hobby this could very well be the boat to do it with. If you're looking to take this to a shop for a good portion of the work you'll be grossly upside down quickly.

Pre covid very nice examples of these boats could be had anywhere from $12K to $17K. I saw some going in the low $20K's at the height of the covid bump. Based on what I've been seeing for sale this fall we may be seeing those numbers retreating as demand seems to have peaked and looks to be going the other way.

So let's say you want a hobby and boat restoration is on the table. The thing that always gets in my way and is the first thing you'll need is a place to work on this beast. As such this boat is off the table for me. Too much work to do in the driveway. If you have somewhere you're still in the game.

If you have that place to work this winter and you're still in hobby mode you're still going to need to budget this project out. I would start here and in this order....

Interior - I've heard plenty of stories about guys in Texas/Florida getting full, high quality interiors for boats like this done for $5K - $6K. I haven't seen a single decent shop here in Michigan in the last 5 years do a complete interior for less than $7K and lately that number has been $10K. I got a quote on a 07 MasterCraft X2 just before covid for $12K and that was with me removing and installing it. Best shop around but still something to consider. Before I made an offer I would call C&S (advertised on this site) and get a price for a complete interior as for me this would be the first "go - no go" number.

Motor - Love the "it was just rebuilt" statement. This means absolutely nothing to me without documentation. What did they rebuild? What parts did they use? Who did the rebuild? Did they rebuild it correctly? I personally would be much happier with a receipt for the motor from Jasper or Michigan Motors than a statement that the motor was recently rebuilt. Based on the condition of the boat and the asking price I think I'd be pretty safe assuming this wasn't a quality rebuild. More likely it's an old motor that's been spray painted. There's a good chance you'll be doing more work later on the freshly rebuilt motor or better yet replacing or doing a rebuild yourself later.

Trailer - Can't see the back of the boat but I can see that the trailer is galvanized. First make sure the trailer is actually correct for an inboard. The position of the axle would lead me to believe it is but make sure it has the proper configuration for an inboard. If it isn't you'll be looking for another trailer sooner or later. These can be hard to find and new ones are about $7K. If it is correct look for condition. I'm not expecting a lot here but you'll have good money into replacing the brake components which I've found to be completely bad on a boat that is in this condition. You might as well price all this out now. Look to be in the ~ $900 range for a full disc conversion kit.

Other misc stuff - You'll have a ton of misc expenses on this boat. Gauges, wiring, sending units, connectors, oil, grease, fittings, rubbing compound, sand paper, you name it, the list will blow your mind. On this gem you'll see anywhere between $2K and $5K depending out what works and how you plan to fix what's broke. I've been absolutely stunned lately on how much more everything costs. Things I paid $20 for 3 years ago are a lot of times $25. Go price out somethings you haven't bought recently like wax, sand paper or oil filters. It's sort of like going to grocery store, the prices are a lot higher across the board so be prepared.

Saltwater boat - Might as not even go here. This is typically a hard no for me after working on just one but I've heard others disagree. Makes me wonder how many of them have actually spent the hours I did working on frozen bolts. That galvanized trailer has me worried. Still this all goes back to condition.

I know this is probably a lot more than you wanted, I had some time to spare. If you got the boat for free you'll probably still be upside down if you want a very nicely restored boat. Like anything else that's old (cars, boats, planes etc.) you're always better off buying something that has either been very well taken care of or that has already been restored. Even with both of those options you'll probably still be putting a chuck of cash into them. As such I would only recommend this one only if you're looking for a hobby/challenge.

[aerojust]

Thanks for the great detailed response. My biggest concern is the interior as I can do all the mechanical work including a motor rebuild if need be. I used to store my 2000SN in my garage on blocks. Was a pain to get it off the trailer, but was high and dry. I likely would keep it as a ski boat as skiing behind my 230 is not so much fun. It would be more of a long-term project. Right now I am land-locked, but plan to pick up and move to a lake once my daughter graduates high school in a few years.

My loose plan is do nothing. I asked the seller to contact me before he scraps it. If I can get it for 500 and a case of beer..... Would source some generic cheap seats once I get her running and the hull restored and use it that way for a while.

Thanks again

[bturner]

Before jumping in take a look at this one for reference.....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...9-2c868514027a

That was just a quick search. If a hobby is what you're looking for that is something completely different. Had to beat this one for that kind of money.