How good of a deal did I get??

[usmccjc]

A general poll to see if what I paid for was well worth it.

I've owned a lot of toys, but never a ski boat. 2 weeks ago I bought a 91 Malibu skier, 5.7 Mercruiser, off of a mechanically handicapped friend of mine. He was the second owner. It has 550 hours on it. I paid $3500 for the boat, trailer, and barefoot international boom. He had not the motivation nor the ability to fix some of the issues.

- Boat took on water. Wax seal on shaft tightened, boat now water tight.

- First, wouldnt run past 3000 rpm. This was solved with an MSD Blaster 2 coil and re-seating a plug wire. Motor now tops out and runs mint.

- Gas gauge is off. Oh well.

- Trailer had 2 rotted tires and rusty wheels. NTB $200. I sanded and painted the wheels black to match the trailer (trailer is 6 years old with a 2 year old paint job)

- Replaced the fuse block.

- Re-wired all the lighting.

- Installed an in-dash radio and 4 new speakers.

- Seat bottoms were torn. The rest of the white interior was almost black (it was on a lift, but he often he didnt cover it). A lot of elbow grease on the seat backs and a staple gun, filler foam, adhesive, and marine vinyl for the bottoms. $60 later and everyone thought I had the whole boat re-done.

- Paint on the boat is 2 years old (1997 porche silver), needs a good wax, havent gotten around to it. Driver side has some gouges in the paint/fiberglass. Nothing crazy though.

Bottom line. Total including the new radio was about $4100. Trailer is perfect, boat runs perfect and I have tunes. Was it worth it? If so how much would a boat like this be worth? And finally pictures will follow when it stops raining. Im new to this site, but love having a resource like this. Thanks to all.

[Chia]

you know, it is not nice to steal from a friend. yeah, you got a very good deal, IMO.

[usmccjc]

I forgot to mention. New bilge and blowers last year. 3 blade stainless prop on it, 4 blade extra that needs a refurb, but its not too bad. 5 life jackets, 2 O'brien tubes with ropes as well. Thanks again.

[Ndawg12]

I would say that boat in the condition you now have it is worth roughly 8-10k. You're a thief!!! but nice work and welcome to the crew!!

[WakingMeHappy]

Were you asking a question or bragging?

[Ndawg12]

Were you asking a question or bragging?

That's what I was thinking but didn't have the onions to say it, thanks.

[68Slalom]

For a boat that is 18 years old It's really if you feel good about the what you paid for it. If you add the labor that you put into it and what a shop would charge then you actually are much higher in price than what you paid, but the labor was yours and free.

Happy boating

[RTS]

Just curious about the new paint you mention. Is that something that is done because of saltwater or a northern climate or something? I don't think I have ever seen a fiberglass boat that was painted around here.

And for about $20, you could fix that bad gas guage by replacing you sending unit with a Teleflex one.

Enjoy the boat.

[SunriseH2OSkier]

Everytime I see one of these thread titles, the first thing that comes to mind is 'careful what you ask, you might just get an answer you don't like'. I agree with 68Slalom - the real question is whether or not you think you got a good deal.

Now, how 'bout you ante up with some of that coin you saved and become a paid member? Then you could post pics of that beautiful new boat of yours!

[BlastRlxi]

Just curious about the new paint you mention. Is that something that is done because of saltwater or a northern climate or something? I don't think I have ever seen a fiberglass boat that was painted around here.

And for about $20, you could fix that bad gas guage by replacing you sending unit with a Teleflex one.

Enjoy the boat.

I assume he is talking about painting the entire boat and not just bottom paint that you may see on a boat that stays in the water all the time. If so, this is fairly common in the hot boat scene. It is another option to gel coat for finishing a boat.

[Ndawg12]

For a boat that is 18 years old It's really if you feel good about the what you paid for it. If you add the labor that you put into it and what a shop would charge then you actually are much higher in price than what you paid, but the labor was yours and free.

Happy boating

The way I see it is it doesn't matter if he had equivalent to $10,000 worth of his own labor in it. You're supposed to enjoy that time, no wife, no kids, just you and the BU!!

[usmccjc]

Thanks for the replys.

In response:

- I wasnt bragging, just asking. This is my first boat so I know little of values. Everyone knows everyone down here on my island so you never know what kind of bias is involved with asking about something like this. I do enjoy it and regardless of what it might be worth there is no way Im parting with it anytime soon.

- The paint was done because it was a teal and the previous owner simply didnt like the color, the enitre boat was painted not just the bottom.

- I agree with the comment on labor my labor is me out on a sunny day with a Bud Light turning a wrench, hardly a chore.

- Thanks again.

[martinarcher]

Congrats a gain on the BU. Yeah you got a steal. I'm the same way - working on the Bu is something fun to do between weekend. Enjoy your Skier - we love ours!

[Ndawg12]

Thanks for the replys.

In response:

- I wasnt bragging, just asking. This is my first boat so I know little of values. Everyone knows everyone down here on my island so you never know what kind of bias is involved with asking about something like this. I do enjoy it and regardless of what it might be worth there is no way Im parting with it anytime soon.

- The paint was done because it was a teal and the previous owner simply didnt like the color, the enitre boat was painted not just the bottom.

- I agree with the comment on labor my labor is me out on a sunny day with a Bud Light turning a wrench, hardly a chore.

- Thanks again.

Damn, I forgot the Bud Light, let me try again. No wife, no kids, just you, the Bu, and you're trusty friend Mr. Bud Light.

[beast]

Congrats on the boat. Any time out on the water is better than sitting at home. Now get rid of the stainless prop...or you could potentially be dumping more money into your bargain boat if you hit something.

[68Slalom]

Thanks for the replys.

In response:

- I wasnt bragging, just asking. This is my first boat so I know little of values. Everyone knows everyone down here on my island so you never know what kind of bias is involved with asking about something like this. I do enjoy it and regardless of what it might be worth there is no way Im parting with it anytime soon.

- The paint was done because it was a teal and the previous owner simply didnt like the color, the enitre boat was painted not just the bottom.

- I agree with the comment on labor my labor is me out on a sunny day with a Bud Light turning a wrench, hardly a chore.

- Thanks again.

Don't forget to post up pictures

[WakeGirl]

It sounds good....the only thing that I'd say is that if the floor and/or stringers need to be replaced, then you're going to eat up the difference in a hurry. Of course you could spend double & still have to do that, so compared to that situation you'd still have a better deal.

[usmccjc]

It sounds good....the only thing that I'd say is that if the floor and/or stringers need to be replaced, then you're going to eat up the difference in a hurry. Of course you could spend double & still have to do that, so compared to that situation you'd still have a better deal.

Floor and/or stringers .... the floor is sold, only soft spot is the 1/2" plywood behind the engine compartment ... 6" back. What is a stringer? First boat ... sorry.

[WakeGirl]

Stringers are the structure under the floor that supports it, that holds it off of the hull. Sort of like rafters are to sheeting on a roof. If a boat with wood stringers sits with water in its bilge (which is very common with these boats), the stringers are exposed to it. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm just a little surprised that nobody here pointed out that possibility.

[usmccjc]

Stringers are the structure under the floor that supports it, that holds it off of the hull. Sort of like rafters are to sheeting on a roof. If a boat with wood stringers sits with water in its bilge (which is very common with these boats), the stringers are exposed to it. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm just a little surprised that nobody here pointed out that possibility.

The boat was on a lift or in storage since 1999 that I can guarantee, I was told it was on a lift prior to that as well. The guy I bought it from only found out about the leak in the boat (basket seal) a few days prior to me buying it because he had the boat and the lift for sale. I couldnt use the lift because I have it docked in a shallow cove. He sold the lift separate from the boat because of that. He dropped the price because of the leak (which is not longer leaking)

[WakeGirl]

I wouldn't worry a whole lot about it. You got the boat for a song, & inevitably things like the soft spot in the floor will need to be fixed - it's part of the price of owning a boat with wood. When you do that repair, you'll be able to check the stringers at that point. Until then, use it & enjoy it.

[Backfooter100]

I would lose the SS prop..........I had one on my 01 response, after 3 years of use one of the Flukes broke off at 2000 RPM.......almost sunk the boat.....Never, Ever EVER run a SS prop

Just my 2 cents worth