Worth a second glance?

[benjamin_rohrs]

Ready to upgrade from the old 226 and looking around in the 60k range, do you think this boat is even worth looking at? Its got a crap ton of hours but is overall in nice shape, and listed for a good price at our dealer.

[charlesml3]

Ha! 1770 hours isn't a lot. If it's been well looked after, ignore the hours. They don't mean that much anyway.

[benjamin_rohrs]

charlesml3 yea I guess your right, just seems crazy high for a 2014

[jpwhit]

I would buy a boat with that many hours if I checked it out carefully. Certainly want a good mechanic that doesn't work for place that selling it to check out all the mechanicals. Also give the vinyl close inspection especially around the seams. If threads are breaking or the cracks are forming around the seams, then the condition can go downhill fairly quickly. If the vinyl is showing signs of wear, then use that as a price negotiation point.

Check all the NSS and NCRS actuators carefully and ask them to replace any that seem sluggish or don't sound smooth. Also check out the LINC screen carefully. Make sure it boots properly about 10 times, and look for any signs of distortion or mis-coloration of the LCD panel.

I feel like with that many hours, the state of the boat market, and the time of year, that you should be able to negotiate the price down a fair amount. A lot of times I'll make an offer and if they won't come down enough, then leave contact info and tell them to reach out if they change their mind.

[SilentSeven]

I had a 1600 hour '97 Ski Nautique. The GT-40 engine ran perfectly and burned no oil. But there were hour related issues that required actions...I would expect similar items on this boat. I think the trick with any higher hour boat is to make sure items like these have been resolved by the PO as part of ongoing maintenance or you buy it right and have an appropriate repair budget. Helpful if you're handy and can do some percentage of your own repairs. I think having your own mechanic survey it is a good idea.

Also...as noted above....there are very few people who will consider a boat with this many hours. I would expect the dealer took it in a very heavy discount and also will have to sell at steep discount. You should have good purchasing leverage! I purchased my boat at a discount and also sold it at good discount.

Here are some of the hour related mechanical items I dealt with on my boat.

- transmission oil seal leaked / replaced
- worn bushing and intermittent hall sensor in distributor / replaced
- plug wires tired / replaced
- steering cable tired / replaced
- slop in steering wheel due to bushing wear / not a showstopper, accepted
- rudder box needed rebuild - bushing and packing worn leading to rudder play and water bypass / was on to-do list when sold boat
- strut bushing had some play, needed replacement / was on to-do list when sold boat
- prop shaft had odd wear point where it passed thru stuffing box; I think the stuffing box was not correctly adjusted leading to excessive wear. Fix looked like a new prop shaft / likely was just going to live with it until it became a clear problem.

None of these change my opinion of owning a higher hour boat. I'd do it again with the right one.