UPDATE ON MY 1987 GREAT BUY!

ric · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2014 4:56 pm

4windancer195 wrote:

hope your 20k boat with $700 in fuel each time you go out impresses someone else!

That 4 banger burns more fuel than my V8. The Merc 470 averages 7-10 gallons per hour consumption (7ish for the 2bbl 10ish for the 4bbl version). It wasn't designed for fuel efficiency. My modern chevy vortec v8 in my boat gets 5 miles per gallon @ 30mph... or for more nautical terms.. 6 gallons per hour. I burn about 20 gallons a month and I'm on it every weekend. That works out to around $700 a year with today's gas prices

4windancer195 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:59 am **Posts:** 35

oh i almost forgot how much is your boat?

LouC · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:30 pm

Best of luck with it, we've all been there with the old boat thing. On mine the engine and drive were fine but I had to re do the deck, stringers and interior. Next boat if there is one will be 3-5 years old max. Don't want to do that much work again.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:18 pm

I miss having a warranty. As much as I hated that Stingray I really think I should have held on to it.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:54 am

4windancer195 wrote:

GREAT NEWS>>>>>>>>>>>> IM BACKKKKKKKKKKKKK i will find out tommorow about the condition of the motor and outdrive tommorowl, BUT i ALREADY found a rebuilt no hours 3.7L plug and play all accessories included for....wait for it....wait for it.... $500. So Bought it for 1,000 with the trailer. Worst case scenario the marine shop to tell me its bad, new bilge pump, and swap the motor..... ill find out tommorow and ill will continue to update on my PROJECT THAT i refuse to except is a bad buy!!! ATLANTIC MOTORS QUOTED ME $2100 for this motor complete shipped to my door so a rebuilt with 0 hours for $500.... ill take it,

Done soaking the old 470 yet ? Or.... $500 re-build on it's way to you ????

4windancer195 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:59 am **Posts:** 35

motor wont unfreeze, bilge pump bad and outdrive was full of fluid and ruined seals. Found new merc 470 plug and play for $550 with alternator update and 4" heart echangers already on it, running. NOW THE DECISION....... $550 for motor,$300 for outdrive,$400 for motor swap. $1250 and hope their isnt any other issues??? or sell the boat and trailer for $1000 and try to recoup $$ and buy something else turn key... hull transom and floors are all solid, said bellows would need to be replaced most likely beacsue of age, but we not leaking... Charged me $250 to tell me whats wrong with it and put the outdrive back on the boat... going to pick it up in a couple days and make a decision to fix or to part with it.... Anyone interested in a dual axle trailer and a free boat for $1000? LOCATED IN Westfield,MASS 01086. registered trailer and title for boat...

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:47 am

In all honesty, sell the boat immediately and cut your losses. Even a rebuilt/running 470 will be un-reliable and a nightmare down the road. And also, it will not be desirable to re-sell the boat with that power package, no matter how it runs. Most people would run away from that boat/power package as soon as they read the add. Save yourself the time, money and aggravation of doing anything further on this boat and power package.

You can actually find a "GREAT BUY" in an older boat that needs some TLC. It's just that this particular boat does not fit that criteria.

RotaryRacer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:27 am

4windancer195 wrote:

motor wont unfreeze, bilge pump bad and outdrive was full of fluid and ruined seals. Found new merc 470 plug and play for $550 with alternator update and 4" heart echangers already on it, running. NOW THE DECISION....... $550 for motor,$300 for outdrive,$400 for motor swap. $1250 and hope their isnt any other issues??? or sell the boat and trailer for $1000 and try to recoup $$ and buy something else turn key... hull transom and floors are all solid, said bellows would need to be replaced most likely beacsue of age, but we not leaking... Charged me $250 to tell me whats wrong with it and put the outdrive back on the boat... going to pick it up in a couple days and make a decision to fix or to part with it.... Anyone interested in a dual axle trailer and a free boat for $1000? LOCATED IN Westfield,MASS 01086. registered trailer and title for boat...

Ditch the 470 no matter what.

Either repower this boat to a 3.0 or a 4.3 (Volvo or Mercruiser) or get rid of the boat.

At times there are full engine/drive packages available that gives you all you need mechanically. But that is a probably a few $k.

You paid $1000 for the boat/trailer, but now you know the true condition of things. Sorry, but that is a money losing proposition. If you were able to honestly sell this package for more than $500...I'd be impressed....honesty being the key here.

No matter what, I've come to the conclusion that to get a boat in running condition, safely on the water with all systems operational and equipped you need to be ready to spend no less than $5000 in cash, sweat equity, ingenuity or a combination of all three.

Frankly, the easiest cheapest and usually safest bet is to just go out and find a $5000 boat that is currently operational, running and used regularly by the current owner. It may have flaws but it works...

RotaryRacer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:35 am

Ideas:

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/boa/4700217745.html

http://albany.craigslist.org/boa/4696509971.html

These are both 95s so they are likely Volvo Penta SX "Cobra" drives....basically just after the OMC outdrive was sold/transferred to Volvo...but they may be Ford 5.0 engines....not as desirable as the Chevy 305.

fi.na.tine · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 2:20 pm

I have shared this before...

Bought my first boat this summer. Went out with $3000 dollars after looking on craigslist and getting some leads.

Every cheap boat was the some variation of misery. Stored outside - bad floors. Stored inside - no engine care or engine not running. (A few even refused to do a water trial) I thought - well even for $3000 I can deal with a bad floor... Then I went out on my buddy's boat and heard about a guy whose transom fell apart due to rot with his family on the boat. They ended up in the water - thankfully not far from shore. I decided right then and there I could not take the risks. I am not faulting you for your purchase, just giving you my .02 cents.

Long story short, that $3000 went back in the bank and ended up a down payment on a $12750 boat. The payments are not too bad at that price, and it is a newer boat in good shape. This time of year you will be in a good situation. Take your time, you won't be on the water for a few months anyway, so hit a boat show or two and ask for opinions.

You can go into this hobby with the best of intentions and a few thousand dollars and end up requiring rescue or even worse. Cut your losses.

Vintage Beauty · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 4:02 pm

I guess I'm the guy that hit the needle in the haystack... I bought my boat a little over 3 years ago (found on C-list)- 1984 with about 500 hours on the engine (Merc 228 (Chevy 305)). Almost everything on the boat was original. Paid slightly less than $5K. She was and continues to be a freshwater only boat- stored inside.
All systems had been maintained well. Sea trialed with my father-in-law who was a boater for 30+ years and a big DIY guy.
Only real trouble I had was with the shift/throttle control- which was on the list to replace as soon as I bought the boat.
That being said, I have probably put $2-3K into preventive maintenance and upgrades over the past 3 seasons (New control, new VHF and antenna, dual battery set-up, new depth-sounder / GPS, full tune-up, oil changes, drive lube changes, upper drive seal, belts, water pump, trailer tires & brakes, trailer lighting, winch, etc).
My view- I had an expert help me choose this boat, and it paid off. The boat is safe and reliable, and I knew I would be putting money into it to upgrade / maintain that. I've used this boat to learn all the basics and am confident in my abilities to maintain her. Even with the upfront and annual costs, I can entertain my family all summer for a fraction of the cost of expensive vacations and outings. I wouldn't trade our boating experiences for anything!
I think there are still diamonds in the rough to be had out there, but they are not easy to find. Even if you do find a newer, better vessel- you need to budget to maintain it. I have friends with boats that are 20 years newer than mine, and my boat is in better condition (though the color scheme may leave something to be desired

)

crossram · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:30 pm

Same here vintage beauty, bought my 89 245 last jan for 4 k. 0nly 360 hours on it and well maintained . one just has to look around and dont jump at the first boat you find that looks good

LouC · **Posted:** Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:15 pm

I do agree that you can find boats that are older that are in pretty good shape. Having said that, its very hard to do here. For one, we are 100% salt water. For another, storage and real estate is very expensive here. Unless they were able to keep it inside, or shrink wrapped it, or used a custom cover as I have, the inside will not be in such good shape. No one here has pole barns and most suburban garages are not big enough for anything bigger than a 19' boat. Those two in the ads look good. I would not re-power a 470 Merc, I think after all is said and done, its going to be hard to sell. If I did anything for that size boat, it would be a 4.3 V-6 4 bbl carb. At least its a Merc drivetrain with cheap parts everywhere. If the deck and transom are really sound, that's the route I'd take. You will have to either figure out how to or pay some one to fab up new engine mounts for you.

Either that or bite the bullet and figure on spending at least $5-6 grand for a decent boat. Here because of the problems I've noted and my reluctance to ever do fiberglass work again, I'd have to spend about $18-25 grand. No more old boats, no more discontinued parts, no more I/Os. I need time for other hobbies at this point in life, I can do the work and do it well but it takes too much time....

Think about vehicles....would you put your life or the lives of family and friends in a 27 year old $1000 beater, of course not. Then keep in mind that even a 20' Four Winns new, is going to sticker at close to $50k, which is more than I would spend on a new vehicle for myself.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:33 am

LouC wrote:

Then keep in mind that even a 20' Four Winns new, is going to sticker at close to $50k, which is more than I would spend on a new vehicle for myself.

You mean "close to $40K" Never been near $50K for an H200. $35K is a fair price with 4.3L V6. Any more than that and you got taken to the cleaners.
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2015- ... -102295108

Good points from all, but I suspect we may not hear from the OP on this boat again.

Toddely · **Posted:** Wed Nov 12, 2014 11:54 am

WOW.. (Enter Ric).... I told you soo.....lol I have a 97 and I love it.. If you take great care of what ever you have it should last you alot longer.. There is a boat stored next to mine that is the same year as mine and it looks worn out and old looking.. If you baby her and care for her .. she will care for you.. I love the new boats but man Sticker shock ..

www.iFourWinns.com

UPDATE ON MY 1987 GREAT BUY!

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