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looking for "used boat checkout tips"


BillM22

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I am going to look at a boat for sale Saturday. Is there a “Used boat checkout tips” somewhere on the crew?

I have owned a I/O for many years but this will be my first direct drive.

Boat: 2001 Response lx, 325 hp monsoon engine with 1000 hours.

Thanks,

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I bought my boat used and asked the local Malibu dealer (AWS in Portland) to check it out for me. It was $400 and they water tested it, checked compression, looked at trailer, etc. I was impressed with the level of detail I received back in the report. I was an out of town purchaser and the dealership was very helpful with the process. I would recommend this to any used boat buyer. It's cheap insurance to protect against what can be expensive repairs after the fact.

One thing to check that sometimes goes overlooked is the trailer. Make sure it's in good repair. My first boat was a Sea Ray which was well maintained and proved to be very reliable. I water tested the boat and spoke at length with the servicing dealer about the boats history and repair history. I thought I did due diligence and saved myself a bit of $$. However, I didn't road test the trailer and on the drive home it was clear that the brakes were not working properly. Had them checked and the brakes were siezed, bearings were dry and cooked. As I recall it was a $1500 bill to replace/repair. Lesson learned...it's always buyer beware.

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Even if you have a dealer check it out....

I would still most assuredly take along with you a person who currently owns an inboard ski boat....and a person that actually USES his or her inboard ski boat....(not someone that only puts on a few hours a year and not someone that has an inboard cruiser) and let THEM DRIVE your boat for you even BEFORE you get behind the wheel on your test drive....

Since you are coming from an I/O....you would be impressed with a total DOG of an inboard vs. the best I/O, as there is just no comparing the two....

Are you buying the boat from the actual owner? the Broker? or a dealer?

How are you planning on USING your new to you boat?

Skiing, Bare Footing? Tubing? Wake Boarding? Just Cruzin, Etc...

If possible, test it out doing at least one of the activities that you plan on doing for sure....

Is the body of water your will be boating on chopped up most of the time like a lake, or is it more smooth like a river?

try and recreate the conditions on your test drive....if you are testing on glassy water, any boat feels nice, if you need to see how it will handle rougher water, turn back through your own wakes a few times at different speeds so as to create different size wakes...and hit those wakes at different speeds...

the time to be please or surprised is on your test drive, not your maiden voyage with your family and friends...

How many people are you planning on being with you an the AVERAGE outing?

if more than three or four, than make sure you round up enough people on land to sit in the boat with the amount of people you plan to actually have so you can see if the boat FITS your circumstances....You don't necessarily need to take the crew out on the water test, because unlike the typical I/O, the amount of power needed to move between 1 or 6 people in an inboard is never an issue like it is in an I/O.....Inboards just are never really under-powered as are MOST I/O's...but you do need to see if you all fit comfortably...

And if you Don't TEST drive your boat BEFORE you buy it.....I think you are absolutely NUTZ! and I don't say that to be rude....

...just trying to help!

Enjoy and Good Luck....

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Thank you guys, this is GOOD stuff.

I am buying the boat form the original owner. I will be able to test drive it on a lake here in Virginia. I will use it for slalom skiing most of the time, on average I have 2-3 people in the boat. I will not be able to make a test ski run and actually ski because it is too cold even with a wetsuit.

If I do the checkout myself. Do I need to check any seals around the drive shaft to make sure no water is leaking in the boat?

Yes, I will check out the trailer but it is only 3yr old. The owner did not like the original trailer and replaced it. The boat was a promo boat. I guess the local dealer tried to save a dime and just put it on some trailer they had sitting around.

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