Blissboat
Guru
That's encouraging - the 3208 Cat in the naturally-aspirated version is a good engine. If laid up with any sort of reasonable care, it should come back to life with a happy rumble.
Well I have seen it for at least 4 years under cover while I was working on my dads boat but my dad sold his boat and we heard that they are considering selling. I don't think it's a total money pit but will require some significant work.
Well my short list is clean all the diesel fuel systems. Cap thru engine. All belts, oil and filters, coolant. Pumps, both raw and closed system. Heat exchanger and thermostat. Check manifolds. Risers, check exhaust, check stuffing box, new batterys. The Onan full gasket and seals. Pump oil etc. The boat water system looks clean but needs checking. The electric system looks in tact and likely works. The bridge may need some new gauges. As for electronics... will need updates. The decks do not have any soft spots I have found so maybe it is dry. There is alot of cleaning and polishing needed but the gel coat looks really pretty good.
I must say that the help i am getting here is spectacular.
I did see many good points on the checklist that really makes sense.
Another alternative...
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/mainship-sale-59638.html
I have an update... I spent 2 hours today going over the boat in a bit more detail.
Because it was sitting so long i wanted to make sure the engine did is not frozen up or have any major mechanical issues. I connected a battery and it turned over without any issues or strange sounds. I didn't want it to start. I also noted that the risers are stainless as well as the drive shaft. Other than some light surface rust on the motor it actually looks very new looking. I do expect many seals and hoses will need replacement.
As for the interior of the boat it is in very good condition. The hull shows no signs of water infiltration and i am not a light weight guy and no where did i find a soft spots.
As much as i would like to buy a turn key boat i do enjoy restoration. And truth be known i don't have the funds to buy it outright.
I made an offer and we now have a verbal agreement on the boat.
Doodie,
Good for you on the offer, but hope it was considering that this one could be a TON of work....
I could make a STRONG argument to just not by any boat that has been sitting for 10 years, or even a few years, especially that old. And I could make a strong argument for not buying any boat much earlier than 20 years old unless the current owner has already done all the fix up work, and expect to pay a bit more.
Old boats are OLD, period. In some cases, the only thing of value is the hull and the engines, so you rework all the electrical, fuel cells, plumbing, toilets, galley, radios, etc., etc. and you'll probably spend WAY more than it's worth. And often the value of these old boats is the price it takes to haul them to the junk yard. Don't get me wrong, but this certainly sounds like a candidate.
Unless you just like to work and value your time at zero, I'd bet you could do MUCH better spending 5 to 10 times as much and get a reasonably good boat, that will be ready to go with minor work.
Friend of mine recently sold a Grand Banks look a like for $30K. Overhauled engine, two new fuel tanks, stern thruster, in running condition. That make a hell of a better deal!
Food for thought.
Doodie,
Good for you on the offer, but hope it was considering that this one could be a TON of work....
I could make a STRONG argument to just not by any boat that has been sitting for 10 years, or even a few years, especially that old. And I could make a strong argument for not buying any boat much earlier than 20 years old unless the current owner has already done all the fix up work, and expect to pay a bit more.
Old boats are OLD, period. In some cases, the only thing of value is the hull and the engines, so you rework all the electrical, fuel cells, plumbing, toilets, galley, radios, etc., etc. and you'll probably spend WAY more than it's worth. And often the value of these old boats is the price it takes to haul them to the junk yard. Don't get me wrong, but this certainly sounds like a candidate.
Unless you just like to work and value your time at zero, I'd bet you could do MUCH better spending 5 to 10 times as much and get a reasonably good boat, that will be ready to go with minor work.
Friend of mine recently sold a Grand Banks look a like for $30K. Overhauled engine, two new fuel tanks, stern thruster, in running condition. That make a hell of a better deal!
Food for thought.
I do value all input and its not my first boat to restore. It is the first that is this big and first diesel and i do understand there are many items unknown but i see it as a challenge. I do value my time but when complete i will know everything about the boat.
I understand you're trying to help but from his posts, he seems to know what he could be in for and he said this was within his budget. Be happy for him!
There wasn't a boat floating that needed more work than ours when we bought it years back. Now we have a solid, dependable boat, still an old boat but a nice old boat, that we can easily afford and we love it. Here's the funny part... you can pick any boat out there. Any one. New ,old, big or small, and the owners aren't having one speck more fun on it than we have on ours, so the age is really irrelevant. It's the fun folks are seeking.
I think he'll have fun with it.
What?!!? You went to the boat & didn't come back with any pictures? Shame on you!
Congratulations! It sounds like you know what you're looking at and it also sounds like might've stumbled onto a good deal!
I think this should go to my pictures:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/members/28851-albums1139-picture7007.html
You'll have work to do, no doubt, but everything looks amazingly good for ten years in layup.