Buying a boat privately in winter?

[RoyL]

I'm thinking of upgrading my boat to a bigger aluminum. Got my eye on one listed privately, but have some concerns about being sure of the purchase -- i.e. testing like I could in the spring. I'm sure I could find a mechanic to tank test the outboard (50hp to 75hp), but what about leaks in an aluminum? (Vintage about 1990). Worries me that winter would be the perfect time for someone who didn't care to offload that leaky aluminum that nobody would buy in the summer. And, in my opinion, any promises or guarantees (written or otherwise) aren't worth a pinch of you-know-what if you're dealing with someone who would do that in the first place.

 

What would you do? Any answers, or wait until spring and pay more?

 

RoyL

[SlowPoke]

I'd be more concerned about how the boat was stored; winter and summer. If the boat has a typical small leak, its not a big deal if it has a chance to dry out between uses. Where you run into trouble is if the boat does not get drained regularly or is stored outside. Flotation foam becomes saturated and ineffective. Worse yet, it holds moisture and rots the floor.

 

To check for foam saturation, try to access near the transom. If it's wet or frozen solid, it's saturated. If it's dry and moderately plyable, it's likely in good shape. A frozen floor can feel pretty solid too. If there is no flex in it at all, it could be saturated and frozen solid!

 

Another spot to check but is often inaccessable is under the casting deck area. This is the lowest point of the hull when sitting level and water will collect there. When I refurbed my boat, this foam was wetter than the transom area and I felt it was worth replacing when I did the floor.

 

I don't think I would buy an aluminium boat that was moored in a slip all summer and I would be apprehensive about buying one that was stored outdoors year 'round.

 

If 'this is the boat for you', you'll have to ask the right questions and be very observant. I wouldn't sweat the leak issue as much as the condition of the boat. Nearly everyone I know with an aluminium boat takes on some water.

[Garnet]

Buy a compression tester from Prince Auto $15 - $20. Remove all plugs, look for any that look cruddy then just hand tighten compression tester in each cylinder and turn motor over. The general rule is no more than 10% difference in all cylinders.

[HTHM]

Having done just that, what helped me in my choice, was a good gut feel about the seller. Remember the seller is a guy like you, he doesn't want to sell something that is poor or lie to your face about any issues. If you get the feeling that the fellow is less than honest, trust it, and walk away.

Just my 2 pennies.

[RoyL]

Thanks guys. Always appreciate the time taken to answer. Particularly liked the advice about checking out the foam. Not something I would have thought of.