Looking to buy a Sportfish/Convertable

Check out Mickelson

That is so cute. They are hard to say 'no' to. In fact, I dare say near impossible for a father.

I'm sure those 1,000 hrs. are SMOH. Do you know how many MOHs?

In person, 'incredible' can quickly turn into 'incredible for a 30 year old boat'. So don't believe a word of it, and never believe pictures. That's puffing in preparation of the negotiating process. I recently checked out a boat for a client whose description from the broker and pics were as you described. When I saw it, it was all too evident that the owner knew nothing about caring for a boat. SFs get used and abused (but hopefully cared for in a situation like you describe). Even if it looks good to you, don't believe it until the survey report. Do you know when the interior was last upgraded? As soon as you get on the plane you are invested. That puts you at a disadvantage in the negotiations. You should be able to knock $30K off that asking price easily.
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but better you have low expectations and get a good surprise than the other way around. Good luck.
P.S. my client bought a 2nd boat I checked out. Much more knowledgeable owner and much better kept, but still not even close to the description. That's sales.
P.S. Do you have someone local , knowledgeable and reliable who can preview it before you fly out? It would be a good idea.

Sounds Nice. Keep in mind, the maintanence and dockage costs on a large sportfish, in addition to just the asking price.

Craigduc

Sounds to me like you should slow down a bit. You went into contract on a 55 Hat without inspecting it, and at the same time you're talking about 43 Rivieras - those are two completely different boats!

Listen to the advice of Capt J. As a second generation boatyard owner I've seen people buy just a little bit more boat than they can really afford then realize that buying the boat ws the inexpensive part. If you buy a boat that has been sitting a good while then start using it you start to find an endless list of things to repair. There is no way that a survey will catch it all. If it was a young family, such as yours You may want to look at boats in the 45' range. I doesn't seem like there would be much difference but it seems that the 53' Hatts and 54' Bertrams cost almost two times as much to run and maintain. Not trying to get in your business but, I have had several customers move up, then get discouraged and get out of boats for good. As a kid that grew up on and around boats I would say that there is nothing better.

Here is a current photo of the 12V71TI on my 1984 Bertram 54.



It was overhauled last year for $60k and failed virtually immediately. The Yacht Yard that performed the complete overhaul repaired it at 60 hours then told me to pound sand after the same problem (failed cylinder head that they overhauled/replaced as part of the overhaul) allowed coolant into the oil which caused failure of the rings ... fuel in the oil ... and the rest is history.

It is getting ready to come out of the boat because they screwed it up so badly that it has to go to the machine shop to be bored properly to accept new oversize sleeves before being completely overhauled again.

So ... for many reasons, you better have deep pockets. Spending $100k on one of these boats is like digging out a few bucks for the ice cream man.

Have fun ... There is plenty of work to be done while this engine is overhauled for the second time. On an 80's vintage large boat, unless somebody else has addressed virtually every system in the recent past, YOU will need to. And ... something to think about ... anybody who was on this boat within a couple of years before I bought it was TAKING THEIR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS. Everything from steering to bilge pumps to through hulls to electrical systems ready to start a fire. Deadly. I'm surprised these things don't go down much more often than we hear about.

Here is the steering ram from my boat.



and a close up showing only one nut holding the thing together ... looks like a glob of Mighty Putty was used to try to repair it at one time.



None of the alarm systems were working properly ... the liferaft, epirb were shot ... the emergency engine shut down cables were frozen.

Now THAT is a photo that puts the fear in anyone who just thought that a few hrs. SMOH is "peace of mind". It is only as good as the company that did the work. As for the advice you are getting in this thread craig, take it!
I too didn't just fall off the "turnip truck" as you put it, have owned about 18 or 20 boats in the last 16 years, some large (58') some medium (40’) & CC’s like a Grady.
A 55' 30 year old boat has so many issues to be aware of that you may find the survey is "good" considering it is that old, IOW, the surveyor, in his way & experience is telling you, this is an old boat in good condition for it's age. But the day you take delivery you could have multiple expensive issues to repair. Capt. J & NYCAP know the deal.
My advice, as someone who has just bought a 41 year old 53 Hatt conv & shipped it around the world to Australia: buy the boat that has the most SIMPLE inclusions, the more on the boat, the more you may find that multiple owners have added over the years. Each owner & their tradespeople, working over previous work & leaving more problems for the next to work out. Example: wiring in a 55’ 30 y.o may have been modified, changed, broken off, disconnected etc. by many people over the years. You will not see this until you get behind some liner or into a compartment, then it is your turn to “fix” it.
Get as close to the bare bones as possible or be prepared to re-build a lot of the boat, that is if you plan on holding onto it for a while.
Just my 2c.

it's like buying a used car..even though it had the best of care,bad luck can fall on the next owner,and no ones to blame.....BUT,a used car,and the repair is cheap compared to a boat

Why are the head surfaces or deck of the block so rusty? Have the head gaskets been leaking for a while? I've seen quite a few DD blocks where the holes are egg shaped and they need to be line bored along with using the appropriate oversized sleeves, otherwise the liners get hot spots and create pre-mature failures. Rebuilding an engine is relatively easy. It's the prep work, measuring all of the surfaces and tolerances that is the important part and seperates the backyard mechanics from the professionals.

Don't go alone

That doesn't sound like broker talk. That sounds like broker talk that you're believing. Just the fact that you would write that tells me that you absolutely need to bring a seasoned professional (captain with good mechanical skills or engineer) with you who's job it is to convince you not to buy this boat. Make it someone who gets paid; not a friend. Preferably, have them check the boat before you bother fly in, and again with you. This is seperate from the surveyor. It may be a wonderful boat, and I hope it is, but what you have written shows that you are already at a psychological disadvantage in this deal. Make sure that someone puts in writting that there are no known problems and that the boat has never sunk. Aside from the normal issues, remember what weather has hit the Gulf region over the past 30 years. Don't assume that all those destroyed boats made it to the bone yard.
Personally, my scam meter went to overload when read that.

This process began in December with removal of the cylinder head and sending to the insurance company lab ... then the plan for complete overhaul (in hull) ... when they tried to fit the .004 over sleeves, it was determined that two of the bores were out of tolerance. Since we are now into the summer rush, the job has been sitting for a couple of months while the boat was moved to a close by Marina, hauled and interior disassembled ... all slowly.

It's a process. I feel good about the engine coming out because I certainly don't want to do this a third time!

Mike

Hi,

You might want to check your terminology, line boring is done as the name suggests in a line it is used for stern tubes, main bearing pockets in engine blocks etc.

Boring or machining of the cylinder block to accept oversize liners is exactly that - cylinder boring, except this type of job it is the bore that the cylinder liner sits in that needs to be made bigger to make it round again.

I'm sorry for all your aggrevation. Who's eating this second bill? Do you have any recourse with the place that did the first rebuild? I know it's a machine and things can happen but I've heard and read about too many expensive engine rebuilds that go bad. Of course there are many success stories as well but eitherway it takes my confidence away from having anyone touch an engine. Or anything for that matter!