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d_valle_

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I'm new to the forum and to boating. I don't have anyone that I know in my group of family or friends that knows anything about boats. I only know stuff from doing research around the internet. Anyways, I'm looking to get some opinions on pricing a boat and finding a good boat for me.

First off, I'm looking to stick below $3000 for a full package, water ready setup. I'm looking for a 14'-16' flat bottom jon boat. My plan is to use it for better accessing hunting areas and also fishing in the summer. I've decided I don't NEED a mud motor for this first year of just "testing the waters" (all pun intended).

I found a boat that interests me, but I have no idea if it's a good value or even the right boat for me. Here's a few pictures and info.

2005 1448 G3 with beavertail floatation pods
25hp Evinrude 2 stroke - believed to be a 1972 (no hour meter) - owner said he had the head shaved to give it a little more power?
35lb thrust trolling motor
2005 trailer with newer tires



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Thanks, for any help in advance. And again, if this is not an allowed post, I will remove it.
 
He was asking $3k on Craigslist a month ago, then posted to a different site for $2500. I was a little worried about the engine as well.
 
Do a compression and Spark test on the motor.
If it's good make an offer.
 
I'll have to research those processes on outboards. I've done a compression on my car, but never on a boat.

He did say he was willing to show it to me on the water if I was a serious buyer.
 
Yeah, my late uncle always told me that if I ever got a boat, make sure you see it on the water.

Would $2000 be a good offer for this rig, just based on the information I have here? I know it's hard to know without seeing it first hand, I'm just trying to get a baseline.
 
That rig is definitely worth $2500 even if the motor was not there. If the motor is good and runs $3000 is not a bad price to me at all.
 
lovedr79 said:
$2000 is a good price. shaving the head raises compression. not sure i would shave the head on an outboard.
The head might have been warped and needed to be brought back to flat.
Does the motor look like it was over heated.
 
Maybe the head was "worked" rather than shaved. Worked meaning it was warped and it was resurfaced to flatten it back out. That could have required more than just sanding and have been milled and maybe that was what he was referring to. If that is correct then that is a very standard procedure for an older outboard. At some point in its life it will likely overheat a little and cause this.

In any case, regarding the motor, check compression and the lower unit primarily. Bad compression means a rebuild is on order and a bad lower unit means potentially hundreds for a used one. I would first check compression, then check the lower unit oil, then give the whole thing a good look over to check for general overall condition looking for corrosion, old or frayed wiring, burnt paint around the head, missing bolts, etc. Then take it for a 30 min or so water demo. And finally I would recheck the lower unit oil after the water test as occasionally lower units can leak and the seller replaces the LU oil prior to you looking at it not having a chance for water intrusion.
 
#1 rule regarding boat motors. A homemade camouflage paint job on a motor means it was used as a duck-boat motor. And that means shallow water, sand, mud, vegetation, ice, etc... A 1972 25 HP Evinrude that has been painted camo would be worth less than $500 by itself, even if it does run good, you don't know what might still be circulating around in all those cooling channels. That being said. The boat, really is a decent boat, but ANY decent used john or modified v of that size can be had for $700, age really should not matter, it's all about condition (dents, holes, pitting) (missing paint should really be a non-issue for those of us who peruse this board). A trailer, a good used trailer, capable of hauling around a small to mid-size john boat should never set you back more than $500. Trolling motors are give-aways, seats are give-aways. I would offer maybe $1400 to start, actually more like $1200. On that particular rig, because of the motor, my absolute limit would be $1600.

Just my opinion and I like the boat.
 
From another guy who likes the boat, I think your a little high. He obviously hasn't gotten a 2500 offer yet or something close to that or he would have taken it. On top of that it's an older, painted, two stroke. People usually don't paint beautiful motors they paint beaters, just my opinion. All in all i agree 1400 is probably my price 1600 top. And that's basically for boat and trailer, that motor to me is a throw in as well. If tell him he could keep it and spend 1500 bucks on a used 20-25 4 stroke. There's a 30 in my area for 1700 right now.


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I've owned lots and lots of boats. I've never gotten into the engines much. I was lucky, many years ago, to find a local boat mechanic whom I trust implicitly.

When I find a used boat that I want to buy, I arrange to take the rig to that mechanic. For $80.00 or so, he does some quick testing. One time he found a scored cylinder, which I turned down..... another time he OK'd the boat in question.

IF you can find such a person, he'd be a great one to have in your camp.

On another occasion, the seller wouldn't let me take the boat, but did agree to a check-out by a local dealer. Checkout found no issues and for $100.00 it was worth it. I bought the boat.

Another time the "dealer" had a mechanic on duty and he and I went through the compression checks etc. together. Bought the boat.

Peace of mind is worth a lot.

regards, richg99
 
Thank you all very much for the information and estimates. I decided that even $2000 would be too much.

I know the seller is having trouble getting rid of it and needs it gone. He messaged me asking if I was still interested because he had someone coming to look at it this weekend. I told him I'm not interested as I've lowered my budget to sub $2000.

If he responds and says we can possibly work something out, I will make the drive to take a look. I don't want to waste my time going up there just to throw out a lowball offer, if I don't think he's willing to entertain it.
 
Well, if you can find a price that you truly believe you could spend on it...you could message him and offer $XXXX.XX..... subject to your seeing the boat (and maybe even running it). All that he can say is "no".

If he says "yes", then the control is still in your hands. If you take the drive and don't like what you see, you can tell him it doesn't meet your expectations.

When I bought a number of sailboats, they were all "subject to an inspection by a certified marine surveyor" and also, to a "sea trial". Sometimes, I had to leave a substantial deposit, but it was refundable if the boat didn't pass inspection. One boat didn't pass. The next one did. It cost me the price of the Marine Surveyor (something like $200.00 ) but I didn't buy a boat that was possibly subject to underwater damage.

Keep us posted. richg99
 
, the age of the motor hurts it and the size of the boat tops it out around $2000 here.
 

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