First boat purchase

jeff80kz1000e2 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 08, 2015 2:04 pm **Posts:** 7

rpengr wrote:

ejjones55 wrote:

Thinking of purchasing a 1995 FW Horizon 200 with trailer. asking price is $6000. No problems (allegedly), lower unit was done last year. v8 engine and about 300 hrs.
My question to Horizon owners...what should I be looking for as far as major issues?

Make sure you read this one (rot in transom):
http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14218

Sorry to interject.....I read the link to the post provided and there is most def some good info there, thx!

ejjones55 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:05 am

Thank you everyone for the tips. I've read the post on the transom rot, great info.

I went and looked at that boat I mentioned earlier and didn't buy. I was a little gun shy and I think the guy sold it a few days later.
Oh well, onto the next one. Found a '96 Horizon DXL now for sale. Spoke with the owner, sounds great, no problems, he has owned it for 15 years now and states that he hasn't had any engine/outdrive/bellows/pumps or anything other than routine maintenance done to the boat. I guess that good...or bad because obviously certain things just need to be replaced with age which may be in the near future.

The trailer needs new tires as they are original. He never uses the trailer, he is on the lake and the launch is a mile down the road, so I'm assuming tires and a lube job are necessary immediately.

Thanks again to everyone on here. I'm reading and learning a lot.

here's the link the next one I may look at next week

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/boa/5109596667.html

afw200 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:11 am

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/boa/5109596667.html

Be aware that these prehistoric late 90's thru 2001 have the ill-fated VDO gauge clusters.
Plan on checking all gages before purchase to see what works, and what does not.
No direct replacement for them. You can repair ($600) or make your own gauge cluster .

ejjones55 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:18 am

afw200- for sure, I've read numerous times about the cluster failing especially the trim gauge. This gentleman told me today on the phone that the gauges all work, but we will see when I take a look. The radio and speakers are all original and he stated that he wasn't sure if they work because he hasn't use them in awhile.

Vintage Beauty · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:22 am

I would think on an 18 YO boat that the bellows, shift cable, impeller, etc. should have been replaced numerous times as part of normal maintenance. Perhaps the seller misunderstood, just throwing that out as you mentioned he stated the bellows and outdrive had not been touched.

GottWhat · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:53 am

Personally, I would skip the 1996 190 as well. In addition to the lack of maintenance, I would find a boat that is not on the lake all season long. Looks like the lift doesn't pull the boat all the way out of the water which means they likely let the bottom of the outdrive hang in the water below the anodes. They didn't show any photos of the outdrive which makes me think it doesn't look pretty. I also prefer the boats with fiberglass cockpit floors. I don't know if you are aware but banks/credit unions have 7-10 year loans on boats over $10,000. You can typically get a much newer boat by increasing your budget just a bit. Spending a little more on the purchase could save you a lot in the long run - money and time.

In SE Michigan, this is likely the worst time of the year to buy a boat as it is a sellers market. You just have to try harder. If you keep your eyes open, a good deal will pop up. When we bought our 2000 H180 last year, we drove 2 hours to pick it up. When we sold the H180 this year, I sold it to the first person to look at it and had a wait list of 2 people and other prospective buyers from as far away as Canada and Ohio calling me. I have three friends that are still upset that they didn't buy it. What I am trying to say is, it is worth it to hold out for the right boat and when you find the right boat you have to immediately jump on it. The best used bowriders will only be on the market for a few days.

In Metro Detroit, I would avoid any of the bow riders that have been on craigslist for more than 2 weeks as there is something wrong with the boat or the price. The good ones sell in days.

ejjones55 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:53 am

Vintage Beauty wrote:

I would think on an 18 YO boat that the bellows, shift cable, impeller, etc. should have been replaced numerous times as part of normal maintenance. Perhaps the seller misunderstood, just throwing that out as you mentioned he stated the bellows and outdrive had not been touched.

I was thinking the same thing exactly, from what little I've learned about these boats. Even if over 15 years he's not using the boat a ton, things like those would need replacing. But, I asked specifically about bellows and any engine/outdrive work and he stated nothing has needed to be done.

afw200 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 11:37 am

Might be worth a call.

https://nmi.craigslist.org/boa/5121722843.html

https://nmi.craigslist.org/boa/5117738808.html

ejjones55 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 1:14 pm

GottWhat-- I hear what you're saying about keeping my eyes open, good ones go fast, etc. I check online almost daily and know what I want. 19 or 21 ft open bow and I prefer a Four Winns. I am a first time boat owner, so I don't want to break the bank on the first one and then hate it. I know I'm going to enjoy it as my family are boat people, we live 5 mins from Detroit River, and have family as members of boat clubs. I also have a place Up North to go with it.

afw200--thanks for the heads up. I actually emailed that 93 Horizon last night. Bad thing is that is about 5 hrs north of me.

LouC · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 2:05 pm

On any of these older boats (like more than 10 years) just be aware of the possibility of parts availability issues. You should check if things like electronic ignition modules and PCMs for electronic fuel injections systems are still out there. They are often discontinued which will create a big problem if you have a failure in either system. You're actually better off with old school carbs, points ignition and mechanical fuel pumps. And to all the nay sayers that carbs and points are horrible, antiquated technology, yes they are and yes the parts can be easily sourced in the AFTERMARKET. So if Merc or Volvo gets tired of stocking parts for old boats you can keep it going with the ancient tech.
The old tech works, our cars had them and we rarely had a breakdown. If we did it was a simple fix. My rant for the day.

rpengr · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:00 pm

afw200 wrote:

Be aware that these prehistoric late 90's thru 2001 have...

I'm not sure if I call that "prehistoric"

My 2000 Horizon is my "new" boat. I sold my 1987 three years ago, and my 1969 six years ago.

On my 2000, I don't think the bellows have ever been changed yet. In the last three years, I did the exhaust manifolds, the alternator, and the starter. Next year I will do the thermostat housing and the bellows. My VDO gauge cluster works fine. The trim indicator does not work, but that is the fault of the sender, not the cluster.

ridepate · **Joined:** Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:56 pm **Posts:** 220

The VDO gauge clusters are fine when they have had the ground-mod done to them. Cost 300.00 to have one done. Mines 15 years old and the cluster works just fine. There are always the naysayers out there who probably never even owned a boat with one and call them junk. Laughable....

GottWhat · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:30 pm

I never had any issues with the VDO gauges in our 2000 H180. With that said, that would be one of the last things to keep me from buying an otherwise great boat.

Graham R · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:50 pm

GottWhat wrote:

I never had any issues with the VDO gauges in our 2000 H180. With that said, that would be one of the last things to keep me from buying an otherwise great boat.

I agree entirely; my 1999 Sundowner had those VDO gauges. never a problem, very accurate ( better in that respect than the Faria ones my 2004 boat came with, but the VDO ones were set too deeply in the dash as far as readability when standing was concerned).

The VP gauges on my 2009 D4 EVC engined boat are rather classy and accurate ( apart from the fuel gauge) !

97_245_sd · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2015 7:44 pm

There is a slight difference in the auto gauge style, I'm not sure of the year cutoff. My 1997 had the auto style gauges but it was not branded with VDO name. I'm not sure who they were made by but they were before the VDO gauges. I never had a problem with them in the 6 years we owned the boat.

www.iFourWinns.com

First boat purchase

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