help on used boat purchase

[dlcss396]

The 20 year old motor part would not scare me too much- you should have an idea of how many hours you have on the engine. I have been told to use a factor of 60. In other words 500 hours is like 30,000 miles- to put it into perspective. Then again, Saltwater and other things come into consideration as well.
What are the price tags on the yammy and suzuki? :jaw May have to weigh how much piece of mind is worth.
I have classic cars from the 60's that run just fine, I would drive my 43 year old car across country without hesitation, the concerns are oil without zinc and ethanol in gasoline. The jury is still out on what it is doing to the older engines. I know you have to be very careful with the oil you use, there have been many cam shafts destroyed by the new oil, even heard some stories on fresh rebuilds losing cams very quickly. There is also talk of gasoline going to 20% Ethanol, who knows what that will do to even 2010 and older stuff. :bang

 

[dlcss396]

Just an update for those interested:

The erratic tach was caused by a faulty trim switch that is located on the motor.
Once I got it home, I had it in the driveway working on it. I had lowered the motor. All of the sudden I hear the motor raising. I disconnected the switch. Replaced with a new on and all is well.

Thank you for all that responded.

Anyone else have a 19 tournament with the 140 Johnson?

I am seeking prop suggestions. The 15x17 on it is a cupped prop and turns the motor at 6500+ RPM at WOT The book says 5500-6000. I was thinking a raker 13 1/2 x 21. Should lower the RPM to 5800? Anyone tell me what they are using on a like set up?

 

[jtsailjt]

We are starting to check out our options. Like every one else cash is tight. Option 1 is there is a company here that rebuilds and sells used engines, we can go with a used power head from a johnson 150 would cost about 2k complete with 90 day warranty. Problem I still have a 21 yr old motor,what happens on day 120 and she blows again. Option 2 they also have a completly rebuilt 150 cost is about 6k. almost same issues to be concerned about. Cheked with local Grady dealer Boats inc. (super nice guys) Talking to him about a new Yammy 150 2 stroke, complete repower ,new gauges,controls. Also checking with another marina that has handeled all my service ( Becon Point also great guys) talking with them on a suzki 150-170, complete controls and gauges. Most likley end up brand new this winter, go for bank loan and call this season done early.
wireline

Since none of us know the details of your bank account, it's pretty hard to make this judgment call for you. However, if money is tight, I'd take a real hard look at the used power head from the Johnson 150. If the company selling it to you is reputable and it's OK for the first 90 days, there's really no reason to think it's any more likely to blow on day 120 than any other motor that's just been thoroughly gone over. The advantage of sticking essentially with what you've got is that you know how your lower unit has been treated and your costs will be limited to just what it costs to replace the power head. The other options will require new controls and wiring harness and the labor to install them, as well as all the other costs of installing a different motor. If you get a newer used, or even a new, high tech HD or 4 Stroke motor, it will get much better gas mileage, but the importance of that all depends on how much you use your boat each year. For example, if you're like me and currently putting about $1000 worth of gas through your motor each year, you might be able to save about $400 a year, but if you spend $10,000 additional dollars on a new HD or 4stroke setup, it's going to take you about 25 years to break even! If gas goes up in price significantly, or you burn several thousand gallons of gas per year, the break even point will be much sooner and in that case, a more efficient motor makes perfect sense. A new motor will also come with a factory warranty so will save you money in maintenance costs during its duration, but it seems that as the complexity that delivers better mileage has increased, so has the cost of fixing them when they do break or even need routine service. It's expensive, and you're probably less likely to be able to do it yourself. To each their own, and I confess that I could easily be seduced by the idea of a brand new HPDI motor (under warranty of course) on the back of my boat, but as long as I'm also the one who has to write the check, for the way I use my boat, I just can't justify the much higher up front cost. Good luck with sorting out all these pro's and cons to come up with the best option for you and the way you use your boat!

 

[cuckoldcreek]

My first time on this web site... but this subject and boat type are in my questions as well. There are several

I am looking at a 1991 19'Tournament w/ a newer 150 Honda 4 stroke. Took it out for a test run today.. The engine had just been in for a check up and ran really badly! We could get it up on plane, but when I started to slow down, it took a lot of trim adjusting to level her out. Then she wouldn't get back up to speed when we pushed the throttle up. RPM's increased, but speed did not match it. Owner is going to contact marina that preformed the check up earlier this year as it was really odd.

Assuming that issue can be resolved by the shop... A potentially bigger concern is the transom

While the transom appears solid, there are 2 stress cracks across the top of the transom, one on either side of the Outboard. They are almost all the way across the top, and are deeper than just cracks in the gel coat. When you open the aft access port in the deck you can't see up to see if the cracks go thru. They start where the metal corner piece at the top of the transom and run forward.

Is this a disaster waiting to happen? Other than this and some other cosmetic gel coat issues the boat seems solid.

The final question with this boat is about the boat seats. The owner had the cushions redone a couple of years ago.. pretty lame job in my opinion. The back to back seats next to the captain seat are in pretty bad shape.. If I wanted to replace the whole thing where would I look?

Given the transom cracks should I just walk away? Is that something a survey could help resolve?

Any help/advice would be really great to get.Thanks
Cuckoldcreek

 

[cuckoldcreek]

I Lied in that last post. The outboard is a Yamaha 150 txr not a Honda.

 

[dlcss396]

If you suspect transom issues, I would definately pay for the survey, or walk. The four strokes are a lot heavier than the two strokes and have more torque. More than 100 Pounds heavier. Are the scuppers under water?
Stress cracks indicate movement.
The seats can be rebuilt by a carpenter or yourself, or replaced wholly with lesser quality ones than Grady provided with the boat.(use the old parts as templates, and the hardware).
...maybe you can call the factory and find out who supplied the seats the used. An interior guy should be able to fix the rest of them for you and recover the rebuilt ones.
As for the motor, the marine survey would be beneficial on that as well, I believe.

 

[BobP]

I thought the WOT range for that motor was 4500-5500 RPM?

Either way, a tach can't change like that w/o hearing it (pitch change) from motor.

 

[cuckoldcreek]

Thanks for the reply.. this is a terrific web site.

So with the 19' Tournament.(1991) I am looking at.. is it possible that the newer yamaha 150 4 stroke is just too heavy for this boat? (Assuming a dry transom.. I haven't verified that yet)

When the boat was lowered into the water but still on the lift.. there was water coming in from the scuppers. The owner said that was just because it was still in the lift... (?) when we were underway, they drained out. Assuming a dry transom.. Should the boat be this stern heavy? Is this a sign of a wet transom?

The boat got up on plane pretty well, but had really hard time getting her to slow down and not have the bow really high out of the water.
I am used to a tiny runabout w/ a 30 hp engine.. so am not as accustomed to this amount of power.

Can batteries be moved forward to help, or will the drop in cranking voltage make that a bad idea?

whatever boat I get will be in the water most of the time, not on a lift.

Again the engine is relatively new, with very low hours. But is this the right engine for this boat?

 

[no problem]

With the boat floating free from the lift sitting still. If there's any water on the deck I would pass on the deal. The why doesnt really matter. Good luck!