Boat advice (good deal?)

you do not want a ski and fish.

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Looking to get into boating

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Before plunking down $4Gs, for the next year rent a boat every time you want to go out to make sure you REALLY want to buy a boat.

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everything is original

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Then everything is well over 20 yrs old which "could" spell trouble but in addition to the hours check out the maintenance records.

ETA - what meauxjeaux2 said

It does look nice but is it an impulse buy bc it looks like a good deal?

i made the mistake at a very early age figuring it would give me the best of both worlds.

It did neither very well at all.

Mine was bigger than your with an outboard as well .That 3.0l inboard is going to be a maintenance nightmare.

Mine was a Sprint 207 like this.

I do appreciate the advice. It was either sending a text to my father or come here. I came here because I know you guys know your stuff.

Are there any good srarter boats for under $10k you guys would recommend?

Looking for a family type boat just to cruise, and park in a cove to go swimming.

look for a good used Baja in that range. Stay away from Tahoe boats.

The motor has been cleaned. That's a problem. That means that any leaks or corrosion has been removed so that you can't see the true working condition.

Inboard-outboard motor mounts eventually leak. Also they can be a PITA to fix or replace. If the seals are 20 years old, they are probably due for some work.

Any boat motor and electrical system which is 20 years old has a breakdown somewhere. This boat really needs to be crawled over by a boat mechanic. I'd pay $500 to a mechanic before dropping $4k on this boat. But if you are an experienced mechanic yourself, this could be a good project.

I've never liked that style of boat and would never buy it at any price, but some like it, so I don't judge. I consider it a freshwater lake boat.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Part of the reason for the low price is the motor, no idea what shape it is in but most (like 90%) want an outboard not I/O so that motor could be in great shape but hurt the value of the boat by literally half.

If you knew you wanted that boat, it may be worth it. But not knowing what you want, don't by an I/O motor as it will be a PITA to sell.

It does look like its in good shape, but a good pressure washing and 1 hour detail will make most 20 year old freshwater only garage kept boats look great. I mean how often did that boat see daylight? 20 days a year? It should look great.

You really need to consider what you want out of a boat. Since you said you'll mostly use it for cruising and hanging out on a lake, the bowrider style is perfect for your needs. The fishing functionality won't come close to that of a dedicated fishing boat, but that doesn't seem to be what you want out of a boat. It'll anchor and/or troll around for perch and bass with the kids just fine.

Two years ago I traded in a 1992 bowrider with the same 3.0 liter engine. There was no hour meter so I have no idea how many hours it had on it, but it was plenty - that thing purred like it was on the showroom floor. It's bullet proof. The three things that hurt that engine are a lack of oil changes, over-revving of the engine and over-heating of the engine. A competent mechanic can easily test compression, inspect the exhaust risers for corrosion and tell you if the bellows need replacing.

As for the boat itself, the thing that kills 95% of older bowriders is the stringers and subfloor rot. Again, a good marine mechanic inspecting the boat can tell you if the sub-structure is in relatively good shape or not. If not, run. Trying to repair/replace stringers and subflooring just isn't worth it unless you do it yourself and it's a herculean task.

If you do buy it, maintenance on that style of boat is incredibly easy. Wax it once a year, change the oil in both the engine and outdrive once a year and keep the trailer hubs greased. Change the outdrive impeller every two years. Run ethanol-free stabilized gas in a boat that age, fog it in the fall and it'll start right up every spring.

As for price, that seems very reasonable. Offer 3k and settle on $3,500 of you decide to buy it.

I've looked at this thing 3 times and I still can't figure out how you are supposed to fish out of that thing. I think I could fish easier out of our Mastercraft ProStar.

Just realized it has a bench behind the captain's seats. Makes the seating a little better I thought it was just the two chairs and the bow seats at first. But still seating looks a little cramped beyond a couple and their 2-3 kids. Not something I would want to take out with a bunch of friends. What fun is a pleasure boat if you can't pile your friends in it.