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Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
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Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
A friend of mine asked me to look at a boat today that had been sitting in a outdoor storage yard for 6+ years. The boat is a 1988 Sunrunner 235 w/ a Volvo outdrive. The hour meter on the boat shows only 46 hours and the boat yard considers the boat abandoned and has applied for a title. The boat yard owner wants storage fees, winterizing fee, and paid for other work he did on the boat back in 2000. The owner dropped the boat off to be winterized and tuned up in Sept 2000 and hasn't been seen since.
The boat yard owner said the boat was in new condition when he did the winterizing but it is very, very rough now. The door to the cabin has been pried open by animals or left open by someone. Animals (Racoons I think) have been living in the cabin and all of the upholstery in the v-berth is completely shredded and the cabin hatch is open about 3" which has allowed rain and snow to get into the cabin for years. Everything in the cabin appears to be completely ruined, the interior access doors have delaminated and I don't think anything is salvageable. The smell of urine and dung was something I don't know if you could ever get out. the dashboard is covered in bird crap, bugs, dirt, and just plain filth. I had to use my fingernail to scratch the crud off of the hourmeter just to read it.
I heard a humming sound just before I lifted up the engine hatch and wondered how could the bilge pump be running. When I lifted the hatch I realized it was a huge beehive that was making the humming sound. In the brief time I was able to look in the engine compartment I found it to be surprisingly clean. There was probably 10" of water because the drain plug hole was clogged with junk but I have no idea how high the water ever got in the bilge or how long it had been sitting with water in it.
The exterior of the hull looked really good with the exception of the rubrail was shot, the red hull sides were badly oxidized, and all of the adhesive striping was shot. I couldn't find any stress cracks or really any wear at all. The bottom had never been painted and looked very solid. I checked the transom with a dead blow hammer and it sounded very solid, until I ticked off the bees and they started pouring out of the engine vents. The EZ Loader trailer looked pretty solid but needs a new paint job, all of the tires are flat and will need to be replaced.
Here is the deal from the yard owner, $2000 cash and you take the boat. He will have to move about 6 other derelict boats to get this boat out. I asked if he could get the boat out so we could better inspect it because it has weeds growing up about 3' all around which made it hard to see all of the hull. He said he is only going to get it out after the buyer pays him $2000, other than that it is going to sit, take it or leave it.
I did some checking tonight and found out that Sunrunner is out of business. I am not very familiar with the boats construction or quality but for a small family the boat had a great layout.
The cockpit floor is very solid but I don't know what else I can check to determine if the boat is worth $2000. My buddy, who has never owned a boat, thinks it is a great deal but is looking to me to confirm his opinion and doesn't want to spend $500 for a survey. He thinks he could get it back in shape with a lot of work (and my help) and a budget of $5000. I want to give him an honest opinion but without being able to get a better look at the boat and the engine I don't feel comfortable telling him he should buy it. Can you guys think of anything else I can check to get a better idea of the condition?
I'm thinking the wiring in the entire boat has to be shot, who knows what we will find when we clean out the cabin. He wants to make the cabin very simple, a place to sleep and a microwave. I'm concerned about rot that we can't see, the cost of replacement of guages and electrical stuff, the condition of the engine.. and on and on.
Has anyone tackled a project like this? Is a $5K budget reasonable? With the super low hours on the boat is it worth $2000 to take a chance it can be fixed? Call me stupid but I'm kind of looking forward to start tearing the boat apart and get working to repair it. It has to be a great learning experience for me and he is a very good friend.
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
Run--do not walk--immediately. The boat is not worth 7K when fixed up. You have no idea what shape the engine and outdrive are in. As you say, the wiring has to be replaced, all pumps, plumbing, replaced all plywood is most likely rotten in the core--in at least some places. I have done some derelect boats--but they are boats which have potential when you are thru--this 20 year old boat has no intrinsic value. What you have is worse than a bare hull. You have to deal with the bees, and what ever else, and tear out the entire interior(good chance the fuel tank is also gone)....Keep on running!
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
be real carfull the engine could be locked up . bet the fuel system is shot . and the boat looks bad . unless you know all about fixing every thing on boats I would run . put your 5Gs in a boat that runs . IMO its a $200-$500 boat max !
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
My main concern would be the engine, fuel situation and deck floor. Many family boats of that vintage (I had a Rinker/bought new in 1989-the dealer also sold the Sunrunners) use plywood for the floor and slapped epoxy on it before throwing down a carpet over that. Wasn't a 1 piece floor, had joints for board removal for access to tank. On mine, not even out in the elements all the time, the floor buckled in a couple places. I fixed it but it was not easy cutting plywood that was epoxy soaked! Overall with great maintenace to keep the boat reliable and fun, and after 9 years of heavy use and a lot of fun, the hull starting shaking in a modest chop. The boat was falling apart. Nothing I could do about that.
Interior was no big deal when it was time, my boat manufacturer made me the 'skins' for a complete interior as the way I bought it for 25% what an upholsterer wanted to just do a basic replacement job without the special stitching and piping materials. So no big deal, BUT you said sunrunner is out of business. To have an interior custom made will cost many dollars. Thousands.
I definitely agree if that boat was already clean and in turn key condition, you would have a hard time getting 5,000 for it.
The good part is it is all there. I think most 'project boats' that never get finished are only half (or less) whole and this contributes to the failure and motivation factor to drop off soon after starting, along with the budget running dry.
I would not be optimistic with a (likely raw water cooled motor) sitting that long. And some boat yards (in secret) use marvel mystery oil to fog motors, it is cheaper than fogging oil but it is very thin and will not remain coating the cylinders for extended periods of time.
No matter what you choose for a 'project boat', don't worry about resale value because it won't bring in what you put into it, you do not do it for the money that doesn't exist in a sale. You do it for the project and to keep it and use it for the fraction of the cost of a new boat.
I think this deal stinks though.
You can find a better 'canvas' to paint your 'vision' on.
A project boat is a large undertaking. Like building motorcycles, most do not get finished. You have to see that you can 'designate' the time for it and also see the cash to do it with. You can do it over time and work on things that don't cost money when you are waiting for money, no big deal there but you also need patience in watching a season go by not on the water while you are working on it. And may be difficult to do but you need to know in advance what it will cost you to start and finish the boat.
I gave away a bare 1966 23 foot John Allmand last year to a kid who was gonna restore it. A fiberglass, overbuilt, rock solid, classic boat. All it needed was a brand new motor dropped in it, some basic wiring, a couple seats and fuel tank and it would have provided a lot of fun on the water. An EASY set up since it was already stripped down. In his impatience to get on the water NOW, HE gave it away to someone else and bought a 'bomb' that ran. The bomb blew up and turned out to have some shabby glass work done on it. Now he has no hull and no motor. High and dry. A few grand in the hole. Start all over again.
What you are looking for in a project is out there. Keep looking and you will find it. Once you start it, do finish it. It will be worth it.
RE: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
I had a racoon move into my ski boat over the winter, so I know about the smell. I also know that it permeates the resin and I had to have another layer of resin added to the hull to kill the smell. Not an inexpensive process.
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
RUN AWAY from that boat. $2000 is about 4 times to high for a boat in that shape. Go look at a $5000 boat and think about how much work it would take to get the $2000 boat to that level- and it still might not come out as nice. Run away man, to many unknowns and it takes a lot of coin to restore any type of boat. I spent $3000 redoing wiring, pumps, seats, a couple deck hatches and a fuel tank- and I did the work myself and shopped around for the best deal, and my boat was in good shape when I started.
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
Have the owner drain the fuel and oil and get him to take it toa site for a new reef that yiu will onlt have the numbers.
__________________ Living in South Carolina, fishing any place. "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". G. Orwell
Re: Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated.
Wow, I guess the answer is no then. I called my buddy Pat and told him that he should stay away from this deal but he said he
thinks he is going to offer $1K for the boat. I told him I thought the boat wasn't worth $1K but at least the trailer would be worth
close to that. He asked me if I would help him with the boat if he buys it, I told him I would help when I have time but I wasn't going
to be in charge of the project. Once we get the boat out of the weeds and get a better look at it I can get an idea of whether or not
it is even worth working on. Worst case is he gets rid of the boat and sells the trailer.
Boat purchase recommendation, boat sitting for years, all opinions/help appreciated. 
