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Used Boat Advice


eubanks

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TMC - I am looking at a 2017 23 LSV.  I've never bought used so looking for advice on what to look for in a used boat.  I've got build sheet and maintenance records.  No lake or dealer close by to the seller so I would be looking at running a fake-a-lake and giving an inspection on my own.  This boat has exactly what we want, but I would like to know what issues I should be looking for in a 2017 and what kind of mechanical issues I can look at myself.  What else should I be looking for to make sure I'm not getting a boat with any major issues?

Thank you!

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With the cost of these boats 99.9% of owners baby them. Does it have low hours and look like it has been taken car of?I   would think you would be pretty safe with a 2017, it's not a 2007!  It still has warranty so even if there is something wrong it is covered. 

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Great feedback guys.  Guy is in a tough situation from his perspective and needs to get rid of it.  Dealer and lake are not close by so he really isn't offering a lake test.  That concerns me as well but hate for somebody else to jump on the deal if indeed that's what we want.  5 year transferable warranty correct?  Just wondering if there are diagnostics I can run myself without take it to a dealer.

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Yes, call the dealer you’ll be using for service to confirm what needs done to transfer the warranty but I know they have to plug into the ECM within the first week or so in order to process the transfer. There’s a hefty fee that Malibu and Indmar each charge too, so confirm that with the dealer.

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A warranty isn't going to transfer if the guy didn't winterize last year. It always amazes me when people buy a new boat & park it, thinking that little to no hours translates into a well taken care of boat. Neglect screws boats up just as bad. The dealerships I've worked at always had 2 or 3 yr old boats in for these things. We've even seen them on this forum. Boats that were sank, brought back up, pickled & then sold as a regular low hours boat. Come to find out the boat had spent some time underwater, or had the engine replaced, or..........

I bought mine when it was 2 yrs old. Had 159 hrs old on it. The dealer actually tried to tell me sometime similar, that there wasn't enough hours on it to cause a problem. I still pushed thru the checklist & ended up finding several things that I demanded be fixed before we did the deal.

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Appreciate the comments.  I think the lake is 2.5 hours away and dealer 4+ hours away.  I would prefer to lake test but also don't want to lose the deal as I've already lost a couple that people bought unseen.

 

So the real question for me to is if it's worth an extra $30k to go 2019 and full warranty or save that money with a great 2017.  I can't seem to get a good consensus on here about the hull changes in 2018 on the 23.  How different/better is the wake from 2017.  Any insights there?  We wakeboard 85% of the time and surf the other 15%.

And warranty transfer I was quote is in the $1,600 ballpark.  Ouch.

Edited by eubanks
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I don’t wakeboard enough to give much input on the differences in the wake between those hulls, but I don’t think it really changed from what I’ve seen. The surf wave changed more noticeably and you can get a better wave on the 2018 with minimal PNP and no bow weight.

You can get the same wave on a 2017 but it takes a lot more PNP and bow weight to get there.

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Gotcha.  That's helpful, thanks.  We demoed a 2018 and I thought the bow rise was horrible when surfing.  So perhaps it was even worse in 2017.  I do like that this is some space in the 17 up by the bow cup holders to drop in some lead.  That's what I do on my 2005.

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19 minutes ago, braindamage said:

Be sure it’s legit. Don’t fall for a scam.

What do you mean by scam?  I would be there to go over the boat before exchanging money.  Really pushing for him to meet me at a local dealer for them to do an inspection.

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1 hour ago, eubanks said:

Gotcha.  That's helpful, thanks.  We demoed a 2018 and I thought the bow rise was horrible when surfing.  So perhaps it was even worse in 2017.  I do like that this is some space in the 17 up by the bow cup holders to drop in some lead.  That's what I do on my 2005.

Bow rise will be relative to how much weight is in the rear and how much wedge was used. The bow will be pretty high in an 18 that has 600s in the rear that are full and 3+ clicks of wedge. There’s a noticeable difference if the rears are only 75-80% full and 2 clicks of wedge.

That’s what I run at and a buddy with a 2017 running fully sacked out with bow weight says that 18 setup has more push. He can surf circles around me too so I think his take on the differences between the two boats is pretty objective.

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16 hours ago, eubanks said:

 

Guy is in a tough situation from his perspective and needs to get rid of it. 

 

I was reacting to this line. Tough situation, needs to get rid of it, can’t get to a lake for test ride... I’m not saying it’s a scam, it’s just that these are several red flags. 🤷‍♂️:blush:

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5 hours ago, braindamage said:

I was reacting to this line. Tough situation, needs to get rid of it, can’t get to a lake for test ride... I’m not saying it’s a scam, it’s just that these are several red flags. 🤷‍♂️:blush:

Agreed.  We talked today and he is going to take it to a closer dealer to him than the one at which he purchased the boat.  Gonna pay for them to do a full inspection so should have a really good idea on condition of the boat after the dealer test.

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13 hours ago, eubanks said:

Agreed.  We talked today and he is going to take it to a closer dealer to him than the one at which he purchased the boat.  Gonna pay for them to do a full inspection so should have a really good idea on condition of the boat after the dealer test.

Nice. As I am going thru this thread, am hoping you could go thru a dealer.  Next best option is you could have a marine surveyor inspect your boat and write a report. I think about 500 bucks. If I was buying and had no dealer access that is what I would do. Not cheap but what is, in the world of boating. B.O.A.T.

Edited by carguy79ta
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I've bought a used boat sight unseen from across the country without a water test, but from a trusted member here who was very up front about what I was getting.

But I'm with @Bill_AirJunky that under normal circumstances I'd really like to beat on the boat for an hour or two to see the things that can't be revealed on the hose.  

Can you roll the dice and make a substantial nonrefundable deposit and make closing the deal contingent on a water test?  I.e. put $1k at risk that the seller gets paid no matter what?  If the deal closes that goes to the purchase price, if it doesn't close it compensates the seller for his time...

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I will be the contrarian  here. I bought my first VLX with no water test, but did have a dealer inspection done.  That boat was 10 years old at the time.  I personally wouldn’t have huge issues having a dealer check out a boat that is a year old, with a transferable warranty, for me and buying without a water test.  Sure, I would prefer a water test, but it likely wouldn’t kill the deal if I didn’t get one.  

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1 hour ago, shawndoggy said:

Can you roll the dice and make a substantial nonrefundable deposit and make closing the deal contingent on a water test?  I.e. put $1k at risk that the seller gets paid no matter what?  If the deal closes that goes to the purchase price, if it doesn't close it compensates the seller for his time...

This. Think about it from seller’s perspective. 2.5 hrs to nearest lake means he is giving up a full day plus fuel costs to have someone he doesn’t know come “kick the tires”. What if you don’t buy? Then he has to go through the same thing with the next tire kicker off craigslist. By putting down a deposit, it shows you are both serious and willing to compensate him for his time if it doesn’t work out. If it were me and feasible, I would look at the boat in person first. Assuming condition was as advertised and you got a good vibe from seller, I would put down deposit for lake test. Good luck! 

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8 minutes ago, Pnwrider said:

This. Think about it from seller’s perspective. 2.5 hrs to nearest lake means he is giving up a full day plus fuel costs to have someone he doesn’t know come “kick the tires”. What if you don’t buy? Then he has to go through the same thing with the next tire kicker off craigslist. By putting down a deposit, it shows you are both serious and willing to compensate him for his time if it doesn’t work out. If it were me and feasible, I would look at the boat in person first. Assuming condition was as advertised and you got a good vibe from seller, I would put down deposit for lake test. Good luck! 

I've had 2 individuals contact me on our 23lsv, both went out on the water and were super serious buyers, according to them.  They loved the boat but both parties had reasons they couldn't buy it.  This was disclosed after the fact.  WTF????  I am to the point that I've never had good luck selling to private parties and will probably be trading our 23lsv in.  The price difference between trading and selling outright is less than the tax savings of trading.  

If I was looking at buying from a private party and found a boat I was serious about, I would offer some kind of incentive to get on the water and demo the boat.  Pay for time and fuel or a nonrefundable deposit like @Pnwrider suggests.  

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FWIW, out of all the Malibus I have owned and sold, I've never had a buyer want a water test. I've only had one come to get the boat and he drove from North Dakota. They've all went out of state and the buyers were satisfied with the boat report from my dealer (Waterski America).

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I am also in the camp that I would be ok with buying this boat without a water test, especially with a dealer inspection.  The boat is near new, and I think you can tell a lot about the boat by how it presents.  If it is clean, and in good shape, the inspection checks out, and warranty transfers, I would pull the trigger.

And if I were the seller, I wouldn't be terribly excited to take a day and do a water test for a potential buyer.  Maybe I would feel different with a non-refundable deposit, but there are times where my time is worth more than $$$.

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