Skeeter Bass Boat Advice

[November Sunrise]

I'm considering purchasing a 1996 Skeeter SS-140 bass boat with a 140 hp Yamaha. The guy selling it is the second owner and states that everything is in good working condition. The boat also appears to be in very good condition, although in terms of inspection I admittedly don't really know what to look for beyond the obvious.

A few questions:

1) How would I go about determining what the going rate is for this boat? Is there a blue book of sorts for used bass boats? Anyone want to take a shot at what this boat in good condition would be worth?

2) When inspecting the boat what are the key things I should look for and consider?

Thanks.

[waterfoul]

Check the bilge... is it wet and dirty? Might indicate a leak.

Look at the boat's bottom. Is it all scratched up?

Do a compression check on each cylinder on the Yammi.

Test everything. Does the bilge pump work? Livewell pump? Lights? Tach? Fish finder(s)??

[November Sunrise]

Check the bilge... is it wet and dirty? Might indicate a leak.

Look at the boat's bottom. Is it all scratched up?

Do a compression check on each cylinder on the Yammi.

Test everything. Does the bilge pump work? Livewell pump? Lights? Tach? Fish finder(s)??

Good stuff - exactly what I'm looking for.

I have no idea how to do a compression check. I just spent a minute on google attempting to research it. Am I correct in understanding that this is something I would need to have an outboard mechanic do, or is it something that an ignoramus like me could pull off? Keep in mind that engines of any type are not my thing - I'm extremely uninclined mechanically.

[waterfoul]

Go to NAPA or Autozone and buy a compression gauge... take the plug out of each cylinder and insert the tube for the gauge. Make sure the ignition is off!! Then crank it over for a second or two. Write down what the gauge says. Then hit the release button to zero the gauge. Each cylinder should be within about 5% of each other.

OR, ask the owner if you can take the boat to a mechanic and have them do a once over on it.

[Slick fishing]

pull the kill switch lanyard that next to the throttle before doing the compression check.. Thats what Waterfoul meant by making sure the ignition is off..Cya Slick

[Jason Ammerman]

The biggest thing you need to look for is what they call stress cracks, these are caused from the boat flexing under stress from rough water, they look like scrathes buy they are realy cracks in the gel coat, they will be found in the corners, the hull twords the V these may have a spider web look to them. Most all boats will have some if if they are all over the boat than I would stay away from it. They are a good inducation of how bad the boat was used. Remember everything else is just cosmetic dirt, and scrathes can be fixed.

Were is the boat?

Who much is he asking?

What kind of electronics?

Look at the tires make sure they are worn even, an bad axle can be a pain.

[bassinbowman]

Go to www.nadaguides.com (http://www.nadaguides.com) for pricing.

I looked really quick and not knowing what all is on the boat I didn't enter any accessories. The price came up to $5,490 low retail and $6,220 average retail for that boat.

[November Sunrise]

Go to NAPA or Autozone and buy a compression gauge... take the plug out of each cylinder and insert the tube for the gauge. Make sure the ignition is off!! Then crank it over for a second or two. Write down what the gauge says. Then hit the release button to zero the gauge. Each cylinder should be within about 5% of each other.

OR, ask the owner if you can take the boat to a mechanic and have them do a once over on it.


Aha. That's much simpler than I expected - even a mechanical simpleton like me can handle that. Thanks Waterfoul!

[November Sunrise]

The biggest thing you need to look for is what they call stress cracks, these are caused from the boat flexing under stress from rough water, they look like scrathes buy they are realy cracks in the gel coat, they will be found in the corners, the hull twords the V these may have a spider web look to them. Most all boats will have some if if they are all over the boat than I would stay away from it. They are a good inducation of how bad the boat was used. Remember everything else is just cosmetic dirt, and scrathes can be fixed.

Were is the boat?

Who much is he asking?

What kind of electronics?

Look at the tires make sure they are worn even, an bad axle can be a pain.

The location is kind of the pain in the neck element to this - about 400 miles from where I live. All I've been able to do so far is look at a bunch of digital photos and try to get a feel from talking with the guy whether he's trustworthy.

My experience with boat owners is they're often asking for much high dollars than what their boat is worth. In this case the asking price is $5,400 which struck me as being quite low. However, it looks like he's had this for sale for about three weeks, and what I've noticed with the few other boats that I've came across that appeared to be really priced well is that they sold promptly. At first I was excited about the price and thinking I might get a good deal, but it's also causing me to wonder whether or not there's a reason why his asking price is low. It's the question of is there something that savvy buyers are noticing when looking at this that's causing it not to sell?

[javelin]

ABOS retail price for this boat is $5,500. Now this boat is rated for a max horsepower of 115! If he has a 140hp (didn't show up as a manufactured motor in 1996) he is out of spec on that boat. Length is 17'6" and beam is 82".

[KI Jim]

BEWARE....BEWARE...BEWARE


1) DO NOT SEND HIM ANY MONEY!!!!!! There are a lot of scams going on where people are putting up boats/cars for sale and getting deposits and disappearing. My brother was looking at a bass boat a couple years ago-in Tennessee. The guy sounded really nice and trustworthy, but wanted a deposit to hold the boat. My brother said that he would drive down the next day, guy really wanted him to Pay Pal him the $$. My Bro wouldn't, but said he would give him cash THE NEXT DAY when he drove down there to see/water test and buy the boat. He never heard from the guy again!

2) WATER TEST THE BOAT. Never buy a boat-no matter how good it looks without towing it to the lake and water testing it. PERIOD. No excuses.

3) Take the boat to a mechanic and have him test the engine and check out the other systems on the boat. Things like the bilge pump, steering, oil resevoir, fuel tank, linkages etc.

I have bought 3 used boats. the 2 I bought locally were great deals and great boats. the one I travelled a long way to get-and therefore rushed my decision turned out to be a piece of s...

Jim

[waterfoul]

BEWARE....BEWARE...BEWARE


1) DO NOT SEND HIM ANY MONEY!!!!!! There are a lot of scams going on where people are putting up boats/cars for sale and getting deposits and disappearing. My brother was looking at a bass boat a couple years ago-in Tennessee. The guy sounded really nice and trustworthy, but wanted a deposit to hold the boat. My brother said that he would drive down the next day, guy really wanted him to Pay Pal him the $$. My Bro wouldn't, but said he would give him cash THE NEXT DAY when he drove down there to see/water test and buy the boat. He never heard from the guy again!

2) WATER TEST THE BOAT. Never buy a boat-no matter how good it looks without towing it to the lake and water testing it. PERIOD. No excuses.

3) Take the boat to a mechanic and have him test the engine and check out the other systems on the boat. Things like the bilge pump, steering, oil resevoir, fuel tank, linkages etc.

I have bought 3 used boats. the 2 I bought locally were great deals and great boats. the one I travelled a long way to get-and therefore rushed my decision turned out to be a piece of s...

Jim


Totally agree with this statement. Would you buy a car without test driving it??? NO YOU WOULDN'T!!!!

[November Sunrise]

BEWARE....BEWARE...BEWARE


1) DO NOT SEND HIM ANY MONEY!!!!!! There are a lot of scams going on where people are putting up boats/cars for sale and getting deposits and disappearing. My brother was looking at a bass boat a couple years ago-in Tennessee. The guy sounded really nice and trustworthy, but wanted a deposit to hold the boat. My brother said that he would drive down the next day, guy really wanted him to Pay Pal him the $$. My Bro wouldn't, but said he would give him cash THE NEXT DAY when he drove down there to see/water test and buy the boat. He never heard from the guy again!

2) WATER TEST THE BOAT. Never buy a boat-no matter how good it looks without towing it to the lake and water testing it. PERIOD. No excuses.

3) Take the boat to a mechanic and have him test the engine and check out the other systems on the boat. Things like the bilge pump, steering, oil resevoir, fuel tank, linkages etc.

I have bought 3 used boats. the 2 I bought locally were great deals and great boats. the one I travelled a long way to get-and therefore rushed my decision turned out to be a piece of s...

Jim

Just got an email from him that he has secured a local buyer so it's become a moot point.

Just wanted to say though that your caution about traveling a long distance and as a result feeling rushed to buy is an excellent one.
What I had found myself doing over the past several days was adopting a similar thought process - I had basically convinced myself that if I was going to drive that distance that I basically needed to committed to buying it unless I found something glaringly wrong.

Thanks for the advice men. Very helpful.

[Jason Ammerman]

Take a look at this boat I know all 3 guys that owned this boat it is in good shape for the age of the boat. Look at the Bass Cat 84 pantera under user name mastaaron from jenison Mi,http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boats4sale.htm

[wolverines]

Nov.Sun: Aaron fished a few of our tournaments in that boat last year. He's a good guy...wouldn't steer you wrong. The outboard alone makes it a good deal IMO...

[Southend517]

what about a boat that has been store for a few years 2-3 anything really go bad in that amount of time.

[wolverines]

what about a boat that has been store for a few years 2-3 anything really go bad in that amount of time.



I'm by no means an expert on this...but if the plug is left in and there is still water on the inside resting on the the hull and transom, they can rot. Also if the engine is not properly winterized as far as lower unit loob, gas stabilizer, etc. the engine can be damaged over time. If the plug was pulled, moter was properly winterized, and the boat was stored inside I think the it would be fine...