Fair price for 89 sunsetter?

[wakeboarder3780]

I have an 89 sunsetter that I've been running for 3 seasons going on 4 next season. I plan on selling it after next season (should be at about 700 hours at that point). Here's a rundown on general quality of the boat:

Major things:

1) left stringer is going soft. I have done some temporary fixes on the engine mounts - pouring fiberglass resin + glass mixture into the holes and putting new lag bolts in. This will probably buy a few more seasons but ultimately the stringers (and heck why not the floor since you're going to rip it up) should be replaced

2) Transmission was down on some fluid lately, this *may* be an indication that there is a problem with the transmission that may be requiring a rebuild soon. This isn't confirmed but it's a maybe.

Minor things:

1) Interior needs to go. The cushions (bottom of seats) have been replaced within the past 5 years, but the rest of the vinyl really needs replacement

2) The hull has your normal scratches here and there and chips from trailering.

3) The nose has a little bit of rash from the trailer that I can clean up with some gel if it is a problem for buyers.

Other than that she runs great and pulls strong. I had the engine compression tested when I bought it 3 years ago and it had 115-120 PSI in all the cylinders and I haven't had any problems mechanically at all (other than the low fluid). The hull is also known for a very good wake for wakeboarding (The first wakesetter hull was based off of this hull). I can definitely attest to the wake being great for wakeboarding

All of that being taken into account, what is a fair price to ask for the boat? I know it isn't in showroom condition or anything but if someone was willing to do some work it sure could be a beauty again.

Edited August 16, 2010 by wakeboarder3780

[chadwick02]

location?

and let me just make sure I'm getting this right - your listing all this information, but not planning on selling it for more than a year or so...?

[Ndawg12]

Floor and stringer replacement, vinyl, possible tranny rebuild..?? Short of the engine, those are probably the most expensive and/or time consuming areas of the boat that need attention. I'd say you'll be lucky at the end of 2011 to sell that 22 year old boat for 3k, jmho.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Ndawg12

[wakeboarder3780]

Location: WI

Yes, I don't plan on selling it for another year. I'm asking other malibu owners who may have let their similar boats go what they think I might get for it. I'm trying to plan ahead.

As far as the tranny re-build lets not get ahead of ourselves. It was low on fluid once. It doesn't need a tranny rebuild now and might not need one at all. I'm being extra conservative on what I'm listing so I don't have surprises selling it.

I am aware stringer replacement is expensive or a pain if you do it yourself. I've heard quotes around 3k to have it hired out. Not sure what new vinyl would cost. Any ballpark figures?

Thanks for your figure ndawg, I'm hoping that's a little low but if that's all she's worth.. then it's all she's worth

Edited August 16, 2010 by wakeboarder3780

[68Slalom]

Pictures of the boat would really help in this, does it come with a trailer? Does it have a bimini?

[wakeboarder3780]

Comes with the trailer, has a MT2 tower, 2 homemade board racks, wired ballast system (that is completely removable, I didn't put through hulls in case if a skier would want it).

Gel is a bit oxidized, but you could make it prettier if you cared. Personally I just hull wash it and then wax it once a year.

Trailer has new bunks and new tires. Again, nothing pretty, but certainly functional.

Edit: I can post up some pics if you guys really feel like you need it but really I'm just going for a rough estimate. You can also just give a range like 4-5k or w/e

Edited August 16, 2010 by wakeboarder3780

[Calimali2]

I bought something very similar without the stringer rot last August for $4200. If it had known stringer/floor rot, I wouldn't have paid more than 3k for it. It didn't have the tower, so that'd add to it a little... In truth, with a boat that age, bad interior and floor damage, I'd say it'd be highly unlikely that you'd get more than 4k, but that is just my very humble and uninformed opinion! For what it's worth, I did the ENTIRE interior on mine over the winter for $2500 plus all my labor! I think it turned out great and comments are that it looks like a brand new boat!

[Levi900RR]

Your gonna have at least 2G's into the interior, maybe more...

This is just my opinion so take it for what its worth.

Malibu owners in general typically like their stuff MINT, AND most of the members of this site take it up another notch... From what I have found in the northeast if you have an inboard ski boat with a tower on it, it doesnt matter what it needs there is ALWAYS an 18 year old who wants a "Wakeboard boat" who can get a loan for 5G's who will buy it.

If I were you I would polish it up as best as you can and put it out for $5500 in the spring and see what happens!

Edited August 16, 2010 by Levi900RR

[rugger]

wakeboarder3780,

I did that rebuild. Trust me, a motor rebuild or swap would be cheap in comparison. I wouldn't even blink over that. But the infrastructure is a big problem. I had three quotes in California for $10K to replace the stringers and floor alone. Then you have the interior to worry about. If the floors were bad, the seat bases aren't far behind. So add quite a bit more for interior (bases in addition to vinyl).

Ultimately I did a great deal of the work and paid for specific skill sets. That way I was able to modify and improve so that the boat will last forever. Another guy on this site put nearly $50K into his because he loved the boat. It is a wondeful all-purpose hull IMO, and to me it's neat seeing a classic at the dock. If I purely skied, I'd probably pull up in a stars and stripes MC.

But even with all the labor savings it still cost me a small fortune and you won't ever recover it when you sell it. (true of most boats though). I did mine out of love for the boat and to customize. Had I not wanted a bigger one for a large family -- it would have been my 4 year old's boat someday. As is, I'd say $4-7K since the stringers will have an expiration on them. I know most of us wouldn't pay much -- but remember there aren't many choices if you're looking for a running ski boat under 10K. I applaude your honesty too -- I'm seeing those boats in CA for up to 13.5K and I guarantee those owners are not being honest about the stringers.

Plenty of documentation out there if you decide to keep it and restore it. I know of someone doing that as we speak. Good boat.

Edited August 16, 2010 by rugger

[wakeboarder3780]

Yeah and I figured I probably wouldn't get a whole lot for it. I mean I'm sure I could get a lot more if I did the work myself but I don't want to invest a ton of money in something that might not even have an interested buyer after I'm done.

I'm alright not getting much for it if that's how it has to be, but my goodness did you find a steal for 4200. Congrats!

I paid 7500 for mine knowing about the stringer rot 3 years ago and at the time I couldn't find any of the other boats with this hull so I pounced on it

Edited August 16, 2010 by wakeboarder3780

[wakeboarder3780]

Thanks for the response, rugger, didn't see it when I posted my last response and yes I totally agree, there certainly are not many options when you're looking for good cheap wakes I, too, had a need for more space and opted for going for an LSV in the future.

I agree with you though and I really hope I find the right owner who will finally give this boat the TLC she really needs. I would *love* to sell this to a person that wanted to do most of the work themselves. It would just purely be awesome to have someone geek out and put glass stringers in it, glass floors/bases and just make it a "forever" boat.

Well anyways thanks for the responses so far, I guess end of next season will be bittersweet, a new boat to come but a boat I've gotten my 4 best years of wakeboarding in so far will have to go. I just hope someone picks it up and treats it well.

Edited August 16, 2010 by wakeboarder3780

[Calimali2]

Without a doubt I got a good deal on the boat at $4200! I found someone that was desperate and I had cash in hand!

As was pointed out above (I'd quote it but after 7yrs on this board I still don't know how to use the quote function! ) there will almost always be a market for these boats. A cheap, running, OPENBOW, ski/wakeboard boat is tough to find. Someone will jump on it simply because they can get all that for 5k. If you aren't in a rush, I'd do exactly what was mentioned above: polish it up, put a sign on it for 5.5k and be patient. I'd also Craigslist it... I've had good luck there!

As another point of reference, in 2006, I sold my 89 Sunsetter Euro F3 for 11.5k. It was in great condition though...

[Levi900RR]

Without a doubt I got a good deal on the boat at $4200! I found someone that was desperate and I had cash in hand!

As was pointed out above (I'd quote it but after 7yrs on this board I still don't know how to use the quote function! ) there will almost always be a market for these boats. A cheap, running, OPENBOW, ski/wakeboard boat is tough to find. Someone will jump on it simply because they can get all that for 5k. If you aren't in a rush, I'd do exactly what was mentioned above: polish it up, put a sign on it for 5.5k and be patient. I'd also Craigslist it... I've had good luck there!

As another point of reference, in 2006, I sold my 89 Sunsetter Euro F3 for 11.5k. It was in great condition though...

I can't believe I forgot to mention that

Edited August 16, 2010 by Levi900RR

[skier_88]

I just sold my 86 Skier for $4000. It needed interior pretty desperately and needed a lot of gel coat work. The big thing going for it was the floor had been replaced. I only sold it because I didn't think the PO was quite upfront about the stringers as I'd like. I sold it for 4 and let the new owner know that I didn't know anything about the stringers. I tapped all along them and they seemed sound but who knows after the neglect I found. I'd say if you fixed that you could get a whole lot more for it than you could without. Depending on who does it and how much it costs you, I'd think you could get that cost back. Good Luck and send pictures....

[jk13]

One last thing to consider is location. I happen to live in the same city as wakeboarder3780 and I know that when I've looked at CL there has only been one or two inboards within 70 miles at any given time. Couple that with an open bow and a tower, along with a great population of do-it-yourselfers and I say start at $6900. There just aren't any inboards around that price around here, which is a plus for you. You can always go down in price for the right person, but you'll never go up. I got mine for 2k less than CL asking price (which already was pretty fair) after negotiations, but I still called on it at the higher price.

One thing to do is put the basic info in the ad, with a "some future repairs needed" addendum. Then when they call (so you know they're serious) give them the whole low-down. Some people may be scared away, but at least you got them to call. That is always the first step. Once communications are open, they are more likely to call you back and discuss it further. Sales 101.

I remember last year there was a closed bow Echelon for sale with a destroyed interior, I mean it was more foam than vinyl. It had some uni tower on it and he was asking 10k for it. The picture showed them in the water with it weighted for surf and the rub rail was in the water. There was brown water stains all along the side and four dudes with their gear and garbage thrown everywhere. Obviously it was abused at every turn. But last time I looked it was gone...

Edit: I know that Echelon won't need stringers, just sayin' I'm never surprised at what people will buy.

Edited August 16, 2010 by jk13

[JeffS]

In my opinion, the boat would be worth $10k - $11k after the gelcoat work, the trailer blasted and repainted, the floor replaced, stringers fix, seat bases replaced and interior redone. Fix any non-functioning gauges, have the engine gone over to be sure everything is fine...and it's a $10k boat.

From what I see, that's where these boats bottom out in very nice condition. Doesn't matter 25 years or 22 years or 19 years old. They're $10,000 boats.

Figure out what it will cost to have the work done, and subtract. That's what the boat is worth. What it will sell for - that's another story entirely. You just have to find one buyer that wants it and you're golden. I bet a $4,900 price would bring a lot of lookers. You only need one to not know what the heck he/she is doing to get good $$'s.

[martinarcher]

As a new owner of a fully rebuilt 87 I can tell you they can go for more than 10k. These boats are worth what people are willing to pay. If you know these boats well and know that a full rebuild was performed and done well I can see why they go for more than 10k. Solid wood stringers in good shape will always be stronger than hollow composite.

In the condition you stated I would have payed 4k. No more for me because I know I'd be taking a ticking money bomb out on the water. The time is limited if you know there is stringer rot before major work must be taken on. If the boat has solid stringers and is in good condition I can certainly see 10k even with the original stringers that have been very well taken care of.

I applaud your honesty as well and love the fact you would like to see it go to a good home. That was the biggest thing for me selling my Skier. I didn't want someone, regardless of how much they wanted to pay, buying the boat and not taking good care of it. My wife laughed at me and asked me if I would have to interview the potential buys to see if they were qualified to buy it. Luckily I found a good crew member that is going to treat it as good as I did.

[jk13]

As a new owner of a fully rebuilt 87 I can tell you they can go for more than 10k. These boats are worth what people are willing to pay. If you know these boats well and know that a full rebuild was performed and done well I can see why they go for more than 10k. Solid wood stringers in good shape will always be stronger than hollow composite.

In the condition you stated I would have payed 4k. No more for me because I know I'd be taking a ticking money bomb out on the water. The time is limited if you know there is stringer rot before major work must be taken on. If the boat has solid stringers and is in good condition I can certainly see 10k even with the original stringers that have been very well taken care of.

I applaud your honesty as well and love the fact you would like to see it go to a good home. That was the biggest thing for me selling my Skier. I didn't want someone, regardless of how much they wanted to pay, buying the boat and not taking good care of it. My wife laughed at me and asked me if I would have to interview the potential buys to see if they were qualified to buy it. Luckily I found a good crew member that is going to treat it as good as I did.

Not to thread jack, but did you just let the cat out of the bag? This is the first I've read of this "new boat" that wasn't clouded in mystery wrapped in riddle. Now you gotta post pics.

[martinarcher]

Not to thread jack, but did you just let the cat out of the bag? This is the first I've read of this "new boat" that wasn't clouded in mystery wrapped in riddle. Now you gotta post pics.

You missed a thread. You must have enjoyed the riddles though.

Not to worry I'm on my way out the door to meet the shipped with the truck. It's coming on a huge 53 foot trailer so we have to meet at the local mall so he can get in and out.

She'll be here soon. Pics to come after I clean off all the bugs!

[jk13]

You missed a thread. You must have enjoyed the riddles though.

Not to worry I'm on my way out the door to meet the shipped with the truck. It's coming on a huge 53 foot trailer so we have to meet at the local mall so he can get in and out.

She'll be here soon. Pics to come after I clean off all the bugs!

D'oh! The last post I read was MSU's claiming it, never got the confirmation.

I had my suspicions, but never put it all the way to my fingers.

BTW, NICE!

Back on track:

wakeboarder3780, I'm sure you have some money put away for the new one, but if you sell this one first before buying, any money you stick in you will probably get back. Now I'm not talking about a 10k stringer job, but if you buy new skins and install them yourself, and/or wetsand and buff (or have A-1 Body and Custom do it) I'm sure you'll recoup those funds in the sale. Kind of a hard thing to take "for sure" money and put it into something you are selling, just sayin' it's an option. If you are secure with funds, take what you can get for the old one and kiss it good-bye. Or not, either way.

[Calimali2]

I'm gonna differ a little from jk13 on this...

I wouldn't put any money in a recreational/discretionary item and hope to recoup it. In this current economy, what you sell something for has less to do with what it is worth and more WHAT SOMEONE WILL PAY YOU FOR IT than in recent times! Gone are the days of folks getting equity lines on their inflated home values and buying toys, thereby driving up the market value of toys...

Now there are more toys to buy and less money to buy them with. Your boat may well be worth $6500 but you may only be able to get $4500. In this market, that's just the reality. You have stated above you'll sell it for what market demands and be ok with it. I'd recommend doing that! The only thing I'd put into it is a little elbow grease to make it present as nicely as possible so the people that look at it will want it! Keep your money and put it into your new boat!

Just my opinion...!

[wakeboarder3780]

Awesome thanks for all the insight especially in regards to the market around the area I'm in. No wonder I had to drive to MO to get this boat! I can certainly agree that none are around here. That's why when I buy my next one I'll drive to Texas or California if I have to (problem is finding someone that will hold it for you on your multiple day drive).

I'll put the cosmetic work in so people don't think I just abused the boat and didn't care. I'll patch up the couple scratches in the gel, get it washed and cleaned up nice, and throw some teak oil on it when I show it, but I think that's about it. At this point we're saving up for that LSV and if I get a little less for the boat that's ok.

[Arctic Slalom]

i sold my '89 malibu sunsetter for $8,500 on memorial day weekend, 2010 (central MN)

tandem trailer with new tires/winch/jack

teak in prime condition

LED lighting in interior

new steering cables

very clean (wetsanded and polished hull)

vinyl was in nice shape, but was planning to upgrade with new skins if I would have kept it

solid floor

solid, smooth and powerful GM 350....i miss the sound of it!

600 hours (i bought it in '07 w/ 300 hours)

basically, I was at a point where I either add a tower & racks (2K) and attempt to install ballast system (we got the surfing bug) or sell and buy a newer one.

a career move pushed us down to PHX, no garage storage in rental house and lakes which are further away (than I was used to in MN), plus a 5-month old eating and pooping machine (my new son) put the boat on the market.

planning to buy the best skiing v-drive I can affored when back in MN (next summer)....sunscape or sunsetter vlx....or MAYBE a Diamond VTX if i can find a used one which isn't crazy high $$$).

hope this helps.

lots and lots of calls, I came down on the price and it was gone in about 2 months.

CR