Is it worth it?

[JimmyDean]

New to the group so thanks for any input.  I owed a boat way back when, before kids.  My wife and I love the lake.  Now that the kids are old enough, I’m looking for a boat again. In my area, north of Houston, I found an 08 247.  Boat is super clean for the hours, stereo is updated, trailer is nice etc.  Motor was rebuilt in 16 due to a exhaust manifold issue.  Engine hydro locked when he was driving. Saw the paper work and it was close to 9k.  Boat has 930 hours. I told myself i would not buy a boat with that many hours.  He is the original owner and has all paperwork / service stuff from the dealer.  He keeps the boat up nice.  Only thing that gets me is the transmission has a clunking noise when in gear at idle. It goes away when you take off. Fluid is clean with no shavings.  Two dealers say it’s normal for the hours, it’s just starting to get a little loose.  We have agreed on 47.5 k. Oh. 230 hours on the rebuilt motor. Is it worth taking the risk?   Trans could last another 10 years for grenade the day after I buy it.  What y’all think.  

[TallRedRider]

I think in the current market, the price is something he will likely get from someone else if he doesn't get it from you.  930 hours is a lot, but it is not an end of the road number of hours.  If you have a dealer saying that they do not think it is an impending disaster, then I think you are good to buy it.  The 247 is a spectacular boat.  

Which motor is in it?  If it has the 8.1, then it is a good deal.  Tranny and Vdrives are not 9K to fix, so even if it does grenade tomorrow, it is not like losing an engine.  

 

[JimmyDean]

Similar boats in the area are selling for 60 plus.  The market is crazy here in Texas as it probably is everywhere.  I know the engine is  hammerhead.  Around 400 hp.  He told me there was a larger option, but he didn’t upgrade.  

[jwl019]

What motor is in it? 8.1 or 383 Hammerhead?  The 383 has a different noise to it at lower rpms than most other motors. 

 

Also, the price seems really good to me in the current market.   I had thought about listing my 07 247 for $52-56k if I do decide to.

[Sparky450]

48 minutes ago, jwl019 said:

What motor is in it? 8.1 or 383 Hammerhead?  The 383 has a different noise to it at lower rpms than most other motors. 

 

Also, the price seems really good to me in the current market.   I had thought about listing my 07 247 for $52-56k if I do decide to.

Says in the post above hammerhead 

[ROFF]

I’d rather have a boat with high hours than extremely low hours.   A boat that gets used is generally taken care of.    I saw an 08 for sale recently with 50 hours on it!   No thanks.    Rust makes a poor lubricant.   
 

I just had the clunking at idle in gear.   Turned out to be a loose shaft coupler.   

[bovhica]

That's less than 100 hours per year.  We have just shy of 1000 on our 2011 and it runs like a champ.  Different motor but never had a mechanical issue.  We have averaged 150ish hours per year and have a 5 month season here.  Hours indicate boat was regularly used and not sitting.  Should be good for many more hours as long as it has been serviced per manufacturer guidelines.

Edited July 30, 2021 by bovhica

[tvano]

make sure it runs right w/o water in the oil.  TX had an awful lot of unwinterized boats exposed to damaging temperatures during snowmageden.

[jjackkrash]

9 hours ago, ROFF said:

Rust makes a poor lubricant.   

Agree 100%.  Super low hour older boats have their own set of risks that go along with them.  

[granddaddy55]

1115 in 7+ years (-9 mo for broken femur) and i haven't missed a weekend yet due to mechanical boat failure, generally high hours means high maintenance being done to keep it on water accumulating high hours, thermostat went bad, fixed it during the week , back on water that weekend.  we do 42-48 weekends a year !  

i would be more comfortable if it was the original motor though!!!  

if you want zero ignition or fuel issues, don't run corn syrup, i have had zero codes or any indication of fuel problem or other related ignition problems since the day my new boat was delivered 

[Saltydog]

You might consider waiting on one with the 8.1 big block. It’s a much better fit for performance and reliability. 

[wakesonthesnake]

4 hours ago, Saltydog said:

You might consider waiting on one with the 8.1 big block. It’s a much better fit for performance and reliability. 

The hammerhead is a good motor, there were a few quirks that gave it a bad rap such as the knocking noise mentioned.  Mine has made that noise since I bought it 400 hours ago.  Thanks to this forum and the thread quoted I bought the boat after identifying what the noise was  and it has been great. The 8.1 is nice but a bit of a unicorn.

 

8 hours ago, granddaddy55 said:

i would be more comfortable if it was the original motor though!!!  

He has all the paperwork and 230 hours on the rebuilt motor, I wouldn't be afraid of it at all at this point.

[PNWoke]

I was looking in that price range a few years ago before I bought my 2014lsv.  I was told by a few respectable people that if there was any Malibu’s to skip, the hammerhead vintage was probably one of them.  200 hours on that motor might be just fine I really couldn’t tell you.  I went ahead and spent an extra $20k to get the surf gates and the better motor/tech and I’m glad I did.  If that’s not feasible then a hammerhead 247 might not be a bad deal at $50k.