Used Boat Shopping - Any Guidance

[TheBird]

Ballers,

Used boat shopping(1990s-2003 models) can be stressful and the possibility for stumbling on the proverbial "dud" or black hole boat is always possible. Was curious if anyone has the or has contributed to the de facto used boat buying tips and tricks. What worked for you, what have you learned, etc.

 

Notable questions top of mind include:

How many hours is too many hours?

Things to look out for in general?

Buying from a person or buying from a dealer, does it matter?

Should you request boat to have a once over by a dealer?

What are some of the no-go items or observations?

Engine health, how can you tell besides hours?

Hull health, cracks, scratches, bondo, etc.

Hull health based on hours? when can a hull be impacted?

Does number of owners matter?

 

I am sure there are a million others and tips, tricks, and wizadry that has yielded positive used boat buying experiences.

Thanks, C

[ironhorse]

Just buy from @bananaron

[ALPJr]

There used to be a great guide to buying a used ski boat on the Mastercraft Teamtalk forum. @east tx skier may know where to find it.

[6balls]

Or let @bananaron source for you. Let him know what you want man that guy finds the nicest boats.

[jhughes]

Those boats are 20+ years old. The engines they have are based on pretty common car engines. Worrying too much about the engine on a boat that old is a common mistake, I’d worry a lot more about upholstery condition, trailer condition, gelcoat condition. A trailer is 5 grand plus delivery (watch for rotted out box frame old carpet stepped Ram-Lins on Nautiques), an interior is many thousands and gel can be expensive to redo too, yet you’ll see a lot of folks overlooking that stuff. So to me it’s wholistic overall condition inside and out. I don’t like seeing crappy replacement interiors either but you may come across some of that stuff out there with boats of that age.

 

In that age range specifically I personally like Nautique and Malibu offerings. Not a fan of the Mastercrafts from that timeframe for a variety of reasons.

[Orlando76]

Around here these guys slob over 90’s era Mastercraft. Much like you I’m still trying to figure out why?

[TheBird]

What’s is the turn off for those mid 90s MCs? I am honestly indifferent between a mid 90s MC or late 90s early 00s Natique. Have a MC for everything but want a second boat just for skiing. Thanks so much for the reply’s fellas.

[chrislandy]

See I prefer the MC over Nautique for that era, the ones I've driven didn't track well or have the same throttle response as the MC 190/205

 

Other than that, most of what's been said already. A minty boat from that era will be like hens teeth. 1500-2500hrs will not be uncommon (and shouldn't be shied away from) I'd be more worried about a low hours one and quite often will have already had a new engine or gearbox during it's life. For me it's hull condition and things like smooth steering and the feel on the lake. Lake test is paramount unless buying from a reputable dealer where you've got some comeback, even then I'd prefer to get it wet.

[DW]

On the older boats, I suggest no wood in hull options (which will be most of them in your criteria window). Agree on too much focus given to engine hours v condition of rest of boat. To help determine engine condition, run a compression and leak down test. Dig in to the dark, hidden areas of the boat as a condition reference.

[markn]

Learned a while back when buying air cooled Porsches, ALWAYS get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) from a reputable shop. In the case of a boat, pay the $200-250 cost of having a mechanic check the major components such as leak down and compression of engine (as mentioned above) transmission, and ask seller for any service records. No records? That can mean very little if any maintenance has been done. I would think any qualified marine inboard shop would do it regardless of brand. Better yet, find the shop that sells the brand at which you are looking. Good luck.

[6balls]

There are diamonds in the rough, decide what you want and just keep looking each week something will pop up. Look for a meticulous owner who is older and now getting out of the sport. Often they will sell you all they've got...skis/vests/boards/etc. Their boats are usually wiped down and the gel is nice and the engine maintained. Upholstery goes bad eventually regardless of care, but if someone can tolerate awful looking upholstery in their boat...that's not the boat I buy...I buy from people who can't stand that and replace it. As @DW says no wood in the significantly used boat--too many years ago, too much chance for rot even it all else looks good.

As in many threads--the classics:

'91-94 Prostar

'97 and newer Nautique

If need more room/open bow...circa 2000 'Bu Sunsetter Lxi.

 

 

[Jetsetr]

Knowledge is power...

Find a good wrench who knows ski boats and bring him with to take a look at the mechanicals. The good thing is all the areas of concern are easily accessible on a ski boat. Wouldn’t run away for a high hour engine, just make sure it has good compression. Engines are easily replaceable. It’s pretty easy to tell if a boat was taken care of with normal wear vs being rode hard and abused...

My Echelon had a blown engine (knew about it) at 304 hours, dropped a new long block in and have an awesome almost like new 1993 boat (THANKS Keith!)

[MDB1056]

The earlier comment was that folks here love the early 90's MC's. 91-94 are regarded as one of the best hulls ever made. Don't shy away from 88-90 either as also great boats and pretty bulletproof. From my chair one decision you need to make is if you're looking for a gorgeous near perfect boat or a solid workhorse boat. Perfect boats like flawless used cars are hard to find, and can be hard to live with as keeping them that way can drive you crazy, especially if you're not experienced and capable of doing things yourself. Agree on not being as concerned about hours as maintaining a boat well will generally mean the internals are fine. I have a family member with a 1973 Nautique that runs like new, never been apart. If you're not an experienced wrench then yes have a shop give it a look. As noted too there are sites like Mastercraft TeamTalk and Correct Craft Fan where members will give you great feedback on boats and answer your questions. I'd always prefer to buy from an individual vs a dealer as owners know the boat, and assuming they're being honest with you will give you much better information. The yahoos at many dealers simply don't know much and just want to sell the boat. As you seem new at this if possible take someone with you that knows about boats. When my daughter was looking I turned down several that had issues and ended up finding a 1990 MC 190 for a steal. Needed TLC but just cosmetics. Mechanically very sound and low hours . Cleaned up beautifully. Don't let dirt alone be a big deterent.Drive the heck out of anything you're considering. I mean really drive it. Give it a workout. Feel the steering is it smooth or sticky, how does it shift, how is the throttle cable? Open the engine cover while running and look at belts, hoses, look for leaks. etc. Of course before running it check your fluids. Does the oil look clean or dirty? Trans too. Agree with the earlier recommendation to to open the dark places in the boat to see how things look, pop the floor panels in the rear to get a good look at the stuffing box, steering arm, etc, get in front under the deck. Boat shopping is a ton of fun. Get to see and drive some great boats. Personally I wouldn't limit myself to MC & CC only, look at Malibu, Brendella, Supra too. Pease report back and let us all know what you get!

[jjackkrash]

Agree with 91-94 Prostar; or 97 or newer Nautique. I personally would want EFI, but lots of people are ok with carbys. There are three 92 Prostars in our club, all in good shape, all ski great. One of the Prostars is still owned by the original owner, and it almost looks like it just came off the showroom floor with its original interior.

[kurtis500]

If you are willing to spend a little to upgrade an older boat placing a TBI (throttle body injector) on an older carb'ed motor will make a big difference in reliability and throttle response. Ive done this before but with full EFI systems. A great way to upgrade an older boat and under 1K nowadays.

[Killer]

people for some reason slum on the 90-96 Slant back nautique, not sure why? from I believe 93-96 they are no wood construction. Built like a tank, ski and drive amazing through 35 off. the 91-94 Prostar is likely a better all around slalom boat and more attractive but the slant back is an amazing boat.

 

I have an 01 TSC1 SN (bubble butt) and regularly ski a 96 with the same GT40 motor. I would definitely take a 95-96 Nautique over the same vintage Mastercraft or Malibu, but for sure the bubble butt is the cats ass of that vintage slalom boat.

 

people also slum the GT40 ford motor you most commonly find in the 95-01 Nautiques, unwarranted as well.

[jhughes]

Shhhh don’t spoil the secret that the slant back tracks, drives, and skis so well. Let the non enlightened chase the MCs and pile up cushions to see over the MC windshield while trying to keep it straight with spray peppering the skier. Nautique was ahead of the curve in 1990 with driving, ergonomics, tracking, spray, sight lines, etc. but you won’t hear that often here. I’ve actually never minded the 90-96 SN wake either but again not heard often. Definitely check one out. The TSC was an evolution of an already great hull.

[CBR51]

Watch out for hull blisters. Learned my lesson. As mentioned earlier I would also lean towards EFI. 93-97 Mastercraft and Nautique 95 -01 with GT-40. The problem with the GT-40 is that you can’t confirm hrs. Great engine with many owners over 2000 hrs, so maybe that isn’t a huge issue if compression checked

[aerojust]

We looked at and tested an 01 and an 00 TSC nautique. They drove the same but the 00 had great gel coat and great original interior whereas the 01 needed a lot of work on both fronts. The 00 also had a stack of receipts for service back to the first oil change when she was new and a solid trailer. It helped that the boats prior owners were both military officers and took good care of her. We bought the 00. That all being said I just replaced the water pump and some bursted water lines. It is a 20 year old boat.

 

Fully agree that gel coat and interior matter a lot. The GT40 is easy to work on and everything is accessible.

[6balls]

@aerojust you will be very happy. Love my 2000 SN. Upholstery just now starting to crack a bit. Other than that it has been almost zero unplanned maintenance. A new steering cable really made it feel wonderful--relatively cheap and highly recommended.

My speedo's failed but I run PP. My touchpad failed last year and I replaced that. Otherwise really just oil changes and winterization.

All you have to do is drive one of these through some serious whitecap chop and know they are built like a tank. Then get in the smooth stuff and the wake is SO nice and the driving experience is as well. A classic boat for sure.

[Jetsetr]

There are a lot of GREAT older boats out there...don’t be afraid of a carb engine, they're much easier to fix and trouble shoot vs EFI (good luck when it just quits). They all can be fitted with PP. If you’re a good enough skier that you NEED Zero Off you’re probably going to upgrade to a better boat as you progress.

 

SOLID boats are available for less than 10K...

 

Don’t get sucked into the “it’s not good enough-new enough” vortex...

 

Bought my Brendella with 800 hours on it for 3K, gave it some love, Stargazer PP, GPS Speedo and it was a bad ass boat that ALWAYS ran great and got the job done. Sold it in 1 day for $6500.

 

ANY DD ski boat is better than just about anything else (still love outboard Hydrodyne’s

!). Give it a good water test, have a good mechanic look it over, do your homework.

Get a boat, ski, have FUN. Been there, doing it.

 

 

[aerojust]

@6balls I LOVE this boat to the point my wife is annoyed. She found it on FB marketplace the night it was listed. I was driving 5 hours to test drive it a day later to beat the 4 other people coming over the weekend to look at it. Right boat, right seller, right price. All worked out great.

[CBR51]

Great choice on the 2000 Nautique. You will love it

[jjackkrash]

@Jetsetr, 100% agree that any decent DD purpose-built ski boat is going to be a big step up for skiing over pretty much any boat that's not. My first regular access to a DD ski boat was the team's Brendella in college and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven compared to the deep-v outboard runabout I was used to.