2000 Horizon 230

nycop01 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:22 pm **Posts:** 11

Someone at work is trying to sell a Four Winns trailer but I have to take the boat that is on it. I went to take a look. The boat appears not to be in too bad a shape but it needs some re-upholstering all around (Except for the sun pads, those are in the garage). The drive is there, not Duoprop and needs a new prop. The engine is completely shot and needs to be rebuilt. It is a GXI 5.7. Parts all over the place!!

So the question is how much should I give her for this project? She wanted $3000 but has come down to $1250. Since everyone here knows more about these boats (I own a Rinker) I thought I would ask here. I will try to post some pics soon.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 2:06 pm

My first question would be, why is a (relatively) newer boat in such bad shape? Judging from your handle, I assume your in NY? If so, is it a Hurricane Sandy boat? If so, there could be lots of probs, even with the trailer if it was in the hurricane too.

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 3:12 pm

+1 On Niagra's comments.

Four Winns Trailers are usually steel with no corrosion protection on the inside of the tubes. Therefore there could be a lot of hidden rust, and it might not have much value...especially if used in salt water. They did make some galvanized trailers, and those would be worth much more.

Regarding the boat: Four Winns boats hold there value quite well, as you can see in the buy/sell portion of this forum. We might be biased, but I think most people on this forum would consider Four Winns to be better that Rinker, Regal, or Chaparrel, but not as good as Crownline or Formula. If the boat was in excellent condition, it would have been worth perhaps $12-14,000, so this could be a worthwhile project boat.

But... as Niagra said, why is the boat in such bad condition? (See my signature photo to see what a well cared for 2000 horizon should look like) If it has always been exposed to the elements, then there could be rotten wood in the structure (stringers, etc). Could have waterlogged foam core, bad transom, etc. If the boat was flooded (hurricane Sandy), then gauges and electrical items could be bad also.

You couldn't go too wrong at $1250 even if you had to sell it for parts, but you need to check the extent of the damage (perhaps by a professional marine surveyor) before committing to spending the money to repair it.

If it needs "Everything", you could spend more than it could be worth:
(These are Wild-A$$-Guesses)
Redo Full Upholstery: $2500
Rebuilt 5.7L engine $4000
Install Engine / Service Outdrive $1000
Repair Floor/Stringers $2500
Repair Rotten Transom $2500
Replace Steering/throttle/shift cables $300
Replace trailer lights & Brakes $800
Replace Gauges Radios, etc $800
Wet-sand / Buff Gelcoat $400
New Snap-in Carpet $650
New Batteries $150

But if the Floor, Stringers and Transom are all good, and some other items are good, it could be a worthwhile project, especially if you can do some of this work yourself.

nycop01 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:22 pm **Posts:** 11

Guys, thanks for the input. Here are some photos. It was not a Sandy boat. Original owners that are getting too old to launch, maintain, enjoy the boat. I will look at the stringers. Most or all of the work will be done by me/friends. They know fiberglass. I am good at building engines. The trailer was professionally serviced within a year. The boat was left uncovered though and not happy with the way the last mechanic left engine parts in all 4 corners of the earth.

Think I may get it though.... YOLO

ric · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:16 pm

Winter Sux · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:21 pm

Really ric?

Heck for 1250, that thing has profit written all over it. And he gets to keep the trailer.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:28 pm

Winter Sux wrote:

Really ric?

Heck for 1250, that thing has profit written all over it. And he gets to keep the trailer.

The only profit is from parting it out.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:55 pm

Man its a sin what they let happen to it, but if you would enjoy bringing it back, and not worry too much about the profit, why not? My boat needed close to the same work but the engine and drive were fine, we replaced the stringers/deck/interior. Had it painted last year. I've used it and had a great time with it for 11 years. Nothing bad about doing that as long as you have reasonable expectations.
Doing something like this for money is risky, doing it for a sense of accomplishment and learning experience is just fine. It depends on what you want to get out of it. If I bought a new boat back in 2002 when I got the '88 I would have had a lot less trouble for sure but learned much less. The money part is not that important to me its the learning part you can't put a price on.

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:07 pm

It's a galvanized trailer that was recently serviced...that is worth the $1250.

If you can do engine work, and your friends can do fiberglass, then go for it! You are getting the boat for free.

Worst case scenario is you build up an engine, fix up the drive, and decide not to fix up the boat. You could use it for a couple years as-is, then get a good deal on another boat that needs an engine.

The H230 is a great boat. Rides well, has a ton of room, a head, and lots of storage.

YES

JohnnyMarlin · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:13 pm

That should buff right out.......... :mrgreen:

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:20 pm

JohnnyMarlin wrote:

That should buff right out.......... :mrgreen:

and 15 minutes with a Magic Eraser should have the interior looking like new. :mrgreen:

nycop01 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:22 pm **Posts:** 11

LouC wrote:

Man its a sin what they let happen to it, but if you would enjoy bringing it back, and not worry too much about the profit, why not? My boat needed close to the same work but the engine and drive were fine, we replaced the stringers/deck/interior. Had it painted last year. I've used it and had a great time with it for 11 years. Nothing bad about doing that as long as you have reasonable expectations.
Doing something like this for money is risky, doing it for a sense of accomplishment and learning experience is just fine. It depends on what you want to get out of it. If I bought a new boat back in 2002 when I got the '88 I would have had a lot less trouble for sure but learned much less. The money part is not that important to me its the learning part you can't put a price on.

Agreed! We think alike. I would hate to see this get scrapped. I brought many cars back to life.... why not this? And it is a great learning experience that I couldn't even get at MMI.

nycop01 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:22 pm **Posts:** 11

ric wrote:

Winter Sux wrote:

Really ric?

Heck for 1250, that thing has profit written all over it. And he gets to keep the trailer.

The only profit is from parting it out.

Challenge accepted Ric!! Picking it up this week.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:28 am

I'm with LouC, it always aggravates me to see things like this. Up in my neck O' the woods, we have people that have $75k boats sitting in their side/back yards uncovered year round. I just shake my head...

Anyways, goodluck on the project, I bet a good weekend of cleaning and elbow grease will make a lot of difference. Hopefully, once you get into the mechanics of it, it won't be too expensive. Oh, and I would show up with a truck, ready to tow, and offer $1000 cash. Hey, ya never know...

Winter Sux · **Posted:** Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:56 am

nycop01 wrote:

ric wrote:

Winter Sux wrote:

Really ric?

Heck for 1250, that thing has profit written all over it. And he gets to keep the trailer.

The only profit is from parting it out.

Challenge accepted Ric!! Picking it up this week.

Atta boy!

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2000 Horizon 230

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