Future owner question

[WakeVA]

I am in the market to purchase a boat this offseason and having never owned one I have a question about hours. How many are too many? I am looking at a 98 Response LX but it has 2100 hours. What are your opinions? The boat can be found here:

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1998-mal...nse-lx-95721777

Thanks

[WakingMeHappy]

Bump the price against NADA. I would be concerned about the hours but if the compression is good then I would hope it would last. Is he the first owner and does he have the maintenance records? That would help. And welcome to the BuCrew.

[NorCaliBu]

A 2100 hour boat would have to be a screaming deal for me to consider it. Even with regular maintenance you're not going to be too long before a rebuild. JMHO / YMMV.

[MalibuNation]

Ditto on the high hours.

[skier92]

This is the first time that the question on the hours was asked and my thought was "yes, it is too many" , tempered with the fact that there are boats out there with a quarter the hours for only a few grand more. Does the VA in your user name stand for "Virginia" as in the state of? If so, there should be lots of Responses within twelve hours of you. (Don't rule out a long tow for good deal on a good boat, including having the buyer meet you half way. Almost bought a Nebraska boat where the seller was willing to meet me in Illinois) That all being said, if $12 grand was my absolute limit to spend, if the boat were truly well maintained and cared for, it was the only way I would be able to get into the style boat I wanted, and I was prepared for possible large repair bills not to far down the road, I'd do it.

[WakeVA]

Thanks for the warm welcome to the group and yes the VA in my username does mean I am in Virginia. I am looking for a good starter boat with an open bow and there is also a 1999 Sportster LX for sale locally for 12500 and it has 1500 hours. I had planned to use the high hours to negotiate lower but figured that there was nobody better to ask about hours than Malibu owners. I could expand my price range higher but would have to finance the difference. I will keep looking, its a long offseason.

[msuwaterski]

I would say to be patient. As we get deeper into fall more boats will hit the market with owners hoping to sell before they have to pay to store them. The boat you gave the link to doesn't look like it has been beat up so it might be worth a call to see if the 2100 isn't a typo. That's just crazy high hours! For example, I live on a lake and we ski/board 3-5 times a week and my '92 Euro F3 only has 480 hours.

There is however one possible explaination on the high hours. My brother has a '99 sportster and thought it was like a car so would leave the key in the on position to listen to the radio while floating for hours (he didn't know that was not necessary). Doing so left his hour meter ticking even though the engine was not on. I don't know if this is normal or something was wrong with his boat, but he put about 200 non-motoring hours on the meter before he realized what was happening.

Anybody else experience this?

[The Hydro Foiling Plumber]

I guess I would have to leave my key on to see if that happens on my boat.

As far as the boat for sale, IMO that is a lot of hours. I purchased my 97 Sunsetter in April 08 and it only had 548 hours on it. It now has 630 hours on it. I paid $12,500 and it had a tower, brand new bimini, wake board rack, tower mirror, ski rack and Malibu wedge plus a 5 year old tandum aluminum trailer, brand new tires and custom wheels.

I did end up doing some repairs such as replace some of the vinyl on the rear seat, back rest, motor cover, add a stereo, speakers, replace the carpet around the motor cover and some basic TLC.

As mentioned earlier I would double check the hours, but it's not impossible to have that many hours and the boat still look good. I know someone with a 96 bu and he has close to 2500 hours on his boat with the original motor with no major rebuild. He is still running strong.

Just keep looking around, if you don't get that felling that this is the right boat for don't worry; you will know when it's the right one for you.

I looked at a lot of boats before making a move on the boat that I have now. I think back now and wonder about all of the boats that I looked at and wonder if I would have been hapier with another boat. I don't think I could be any happier with my choice, I guess the only thing that would change my mind is if I had a money tree in my back yard and could have ordered brand new....

Good luck on your search and keep checking back on this site, I wish that I would have known about this site prior to purchasing. You could get lucky and catch one for sale from one of the members of this site. And I can promise you when I get ready to purchase again I will look here first and would not hesitate to make a drive to purchase from a member rather then someone off the street.

[Eric LX]

I was just in your shoes and stepped into ownership a few weeks ago. My 97 has 600 hours and was a one owner and I paid about the same as the price your looking at for the 98. I looked at a bunch of boats and even considered a Gekko GTS-20 for a few minutes. The main thing that I started weigh out while considering the purchase was what would it cost to make it up to my satisfaction. I looked at one Echelon and the boat was in pretty good shape but the trailer was trashed and the boat needed some new seats and carpet. $$ another had a poorly mounted tower with a bunch of stress cracks at the mounts and the motor had a lot of replacement parts on it. I was starting to get that urge that a bidder gets at an auction where you feel like you have to buy the first one that looks good. (almost bought a 95 ProStar 190 but I really wanted an open bow). Then I kicked back a notch and the one I bought popped up. Take your time, there are lots of them out there..

I never saw one with 2000+ hours on the clock. Even if you had a smokin deal and knew someone that would do a great rebuild on the engine, the rest of the boat has a lot of use on it. Was it an old show team boat?

[JeffS]

A good question to ask yourself will be - how many people will this seller have that will be looking at this boat? My guess is the number is really low. So whomever buys it could be thinking to themselves - I'm doing the seller a favor by taking this off his hands?

I'm one of the voices on the board that says things like "go ahead and and look at NADA, and then subtract 30%. For a 2100 hour boat though - I think you are looking at hull value. What would the boat be worth if the engine were not in it? In my opinion, it's the same as buying a car with 200,000 miles on it. Yes - compression might be good today - but something major is going to go soon.

If you are great with a wrench and can do everything, including a full rebuild, yourself...then this may be the perfect boat to buy. If not, then in my opinion, this is an $8,000 boat. The value of the boat with a new engine would probably be about $14k - $15k. Subtract the price of a full rebuild or $6,000 new block and top plus crank and fuel rail, and you're at an $8,000 boat.

Just my $.02.

[Bill_AirJunky]

That's just crazy high hours! For example, I live on a lake and we ski/board 3-5 times a week and my '92 Euro F3 only has 480 hours.

True, it's high hours. I'm of the opinion that these motors are good for 2000 - 3000 hrs in these type of boats, if their taken care of.

But that is a bad example. 480 hrs in a 17 yr old boat is only 28 hrs / yr. Average is around 75 hrs, which can vary depending on where you live.

My 2005 has 327 hrs & we ride 2 or 3 times a week..... average of 81 hrs / yr.

2100 hrs on an 11 yr old boat is 190 hrs / yr average. Too high for my taste.

Summer hasn't even ended yet. Be patient. Your new boat will come.

[Baddog]

High hours are OK but that amount is really high hours. In this economy you really ought to be able to find a similar boat with WAY less ours for the same or very close price.

[skier92]

Might want to ask owner about hours. Friend of mine bought RLXI last year. Seller missed that hour meter read in tenths. 2130 hours was really 213.0! And yes, I have seen adds for 98's with only a couple hundred hours. From what I've been told, regardless of what hours show on tach (disconnected, not working etc...) true engine hours can be read off the ECM but I think it needs to be done with Indmar software (dealer).

[WakeVA]

So I appreciate the help so far. I would like the groups opinion on this boat: http://www.webstermarine.com/listings.php?id=191

I have spoken to the dealer and it is a local trade. Quality starter boats under 10K are rare enough and this one has only 209 hours. This would be a baby step for me and my first purchase so I'd love some pros and cons about this boat. I can't yet afford what I really want but this may be a good place to start.

[MalibuTime]

Might want to ask owner about hours. Friend of mine bought RLXI last year. Seller missed that hour meter read in tenths. 2130 hours was really 213.0! And yes, I have seen adds for 98's with only a couple hundred hours. From what I've been told, regardless of what hours show on tach (disconnected, not working etc...) true engine hours can be read off the ECM but I think it needs to be done with Indmar software (dealer).

I don't think think it is that rare really, people buy a new boat, use it a lot, then the use tapers off. One day they say, hmm, we haven't used the boat for 3,4,5 years, time to sell. The biggest risk then are issues due to lack of regular use and maintenance. Dried vinyl and hoses, cracked belts, dried seals and on.

[MalibuTime]

So I appreciate the help so far. I would like the groups opinion on this boat: http://www.webstermarine.com/listings.php?id=191

I have spoken to the dealer and it is a local trade. Quality starter boats under 10K are rare enough and this one has only 209 hours. This would be a baby step for me and my first purchase so I'd love some pros and cons about this boat. I can't yet afford what I really want but this may be a good place to start.

That would be a great first boat, or secnond boat, or... Plus some cash left over for some work to get everything tuned and maintained. No tower and no ballast, but if that only matters if you are going to board and they are not difficult to add. Remember that is the asking price, so I would imagine there is some wiggle room on that price.

Search the forum and there are some checklists and other good info on buying used and what to do/look for.

[Eric LX]

I can't think of too many cons on that one. You would want to consider if you would really be happy with a closed bow. Other than that it looks good. Under 10K boats around here are almost impossible unless you want to go back to the early stuff. I would take someone with me that knows the mechanics and give it a test ride. If it is as good as advertised it won't be around long.

[Bill_AirJunky]

So I appreciate the help so far. I would like the groups opinion on this boat: http://www.webstermarine.com/listings.php?id=191

I have spoken to the dealer and it is a local trade. Quality starter boats under 10K are rare enough and this one has only 209 hours. This would be a baby step for me and my first purchase so I'd love some pros and cons about this boat. I can't yet afford what I really want but this may be a good place to start.

Hey, not bad at all. Good price. Low hrs. It was a nice boat for 4 people in it's day. Get yourself a Titan tower on it. Maybe PerfectPass. Have the dealer go thru it, maybe even tack on a 2 or 3 yr warranty agreement. That would be a nice setup at a really good price.

[NorCaliBu]

So I appreciate the help so far. I would like the groups opinion on this boat: 98 Response.

Nice find. Too bad it's on the other side of the country...I'd trade my 2000 Open Bow Sporty for that Response in a heartbeat. I don't foot much anymore and I'd love to have a diamond hull. If you end up with it...make sure you get rid of that SS prop though. CVP props are known to be problematic.

[Dave SML VA]

Hello I am a new member. I purchased the boat that the thread had discussed. The dealer was great to work with.

The boat is as described. It looks like it has been garage kept. The test drive was great. Smooth and fast.

Can't wait until spring to start using it. I am adding a tower. That the dealer is putting on for me.

I will be asking lots of questions as I get it ready for spring.

[Dave SML VA]

One more photo of the boat. I think a very good purchase under for less than 9k.

[Bake's Marine]

One more photo of the boat. I think a very good purchase under for less than 9k.

That's great, congrats on the new boat!! I have some camp boats with 3,000 hours on original motor so you would be surprised how much life is in these engines. Keep up on the maintenance, fluid changes, impeller, fuel filters** (you have two if EFI) and tune.

9K is a awesome deal, i sold my 98 Response LX (it was mint with a new engine) for 25K 3 years ago.

Have fun! Make sure to get it winterized if you need to in your area.

-Paul

[NorCaliBu]

...I am adding a tower...

A tower? On a beautiful closed bow? Is nothing sacred anymore?

Nice boat. Just razzin' you about the tower...kind of...

[Baddog]

A tower? On a beautiful closed bow? Is nothing sacred anymore?

Nice boat. Just razzin' you about the tower...kind of...

Not all people just ski. I can't imagine why.

[bretski75]

Sweet deal,

Welcome to the site and you'll love the boat.