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Hi, I just joined the forum to get some advice. I searched for this specific question and couldn't find a thread so I'll ask here. I am shopping for a Sunsetter and found a boat I REALLY like. It's a 1998 LX. I inspected and drove it yesterday. The boat is in fantastic shape with two concerns. 1. When returning to the dock after running at speed for 20 min, i noticed loud ticking at idle. I'm not an expert mechanic but I do know a little and I think its from the valve train. Are these engines known for lifter noise? It's pretty loud. You notice it even with the motor cover down. It wasn't as loud at startup. 2. There is some "trailer rash" on the keel. Otherwise the bottom is flawless. Its to the point where the finished part of the hull has been chipped away and you can see brown underneath but its not deep and I didn't notice any water in the bilge after the test drive. Is this to be expected for a 20 year old boat? Big problem? Are these major red flags? The boat is otherwise good. It has 181 indicated hours which makes me a little concerned about dry bits in the engine. I had a '85 Nautique years ago and liked it. I'm looking at this boat for its skiing wake plus room for a few friends. I'm not really into serious wake boarding. Thanks everyone for giving this some consideration. I took video of the engine ticking but don't know how to post it. I will discuss it with a local dealer as well.

https://youtu.be/LPe8iIlNyG0