www.iFourWinns.com

That boat does look great, you can tell it was not left out in the sun much because the red gelcoat, canvas and upholstery is not oxidized at all and red tends to be one of the worst colors for oxidizing.
I'd make an offer that would allow me to do possible engine repairs if needed, because it sat so long and no one really knows if it will start burning oil over the course of a season because of the possible issues I outlined above. That is of course if you want to deal with the uncertainty of things possibly going wrong and losing time during boating season. My thinking is that you can have an engine the pulls good compression test readings but still might use oil. If the boat was otherwise excellent, I might take a chance on it if the price was right. The other things I'd do, is pull up all that snap in carpet. Then grab each helm seat and see if you can flex the deck where the seat pedestal is mounted, (looking for rot in the deck coring which is probably plywood). Also look at the deck where that mount for the table is, sometimes those holes are not sealed well and rot starts there. Take a good look at the gelcoat on the transom all around the outdrive transom mount. You are looking for cracks, that could indicate a rotted transom core (again plywood). At the very bottom of the transom you will see a drain that is held into the hull with 3 screws, see if you can tighten them, if they spin free that's a sign of transom rot. Same thing with the screws for the seat pedestals

Keep in mind that freshwater, as nice as it is for trailers and exhaust systems, rots wood much faster than salt water does. The bacteria that causes wood rot can't live in salt water. Here if boats get rotted it's because of rain water not because they are in salt water. Salt water preserves wood, fresh water rots it.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Welcome Scott. Glad you were able to follow my link and get here. As you can see, some great comments. Nice looking boat that could do the trick for you? What is your intended usage? Long range cruising, Spring Lake and anchoring at the bridge, ski / tube? Those answers will help with the motor issue.

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2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

Welcome Scott. Glad you were able to follow my link and get here. As you can see, some great comments. Nice looking boat that could do the trick for you? What is your intended usage? Long range cruising, Spring Lake and anchoring at the bridge, ski / tube? Those answers will help with the motor issue.

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2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

I would work the price down. I was able to get my 225 1999 sundowner for $12.5 at the end of the season and it had a brand new engine in 08 with only 50 hours on it since, and 200 hours total on the boat. I have camper tops, trailering cover, and mooring cover. The inside is mint, with the outside having a little oxidizing on the blue and a few spots of dock rash. Definitely check the gauges while you cruise, I will be fixing my this spring since my temp doesn't work. That does look like new, however for that price I could have had my whole boat repainted however I want and still be ahead. I originally wanted the 245, but settled for mine since it was the color I wanted, was clean, and I got the price right. The price on yours doesn't seem too high, most of that style of boat around MI for sale are asking $17.9, but that is the starting point for haggling. Also if you know its been for sale a while, use that as leverage in negotiations. I always take time to study any negatives of the boat along with a high estimate of the possible repair costs to justify my offer. Good luck and I hope to see you n the sundowner!

I would do a little more investigation on that water in the bilge. The thing that has me concerned is the color. Reason is that the scuppers have a tendency to leak. The nature of the model. Then water gets between the baffels and the partition (to the engine compartment) with no where to go so it bleads through the seams of these partitions pulling the color of the wood with it. When looking at the boat take a screw driver or a small hammer and tap on these partitions on the sides of the engine compartment. They should sound solid, not hollow. If it is leaking there will be brown colored dots (holes) smaller than a pencil lead in these areas.