Some fairly technical Detroit questions on a potential purchase. Begging for advice!

[johnjen50]

Oh, funny afterword..........
After purchase I received all of the paperwork and manuals on the boat, and was pleasantly surprised to find the paperwork on the rebuild! Complete with Dyno numbers and results! I never believed it and completely discounted it without the paperwork, and bought the boat because it ran so well with no smoke or hunting. Also the survey and oil sample were good, as was the leak down test. Stay skeptical to the last minute. Its a better way to be than getting all enamored with something and talking yourself into fixing it. Again welcome and good luck!

[Vince]

Oh, funny afterword..........
After purchase I received all of the paperwork and manuals on the boat, and was pleasantly surprised to find the paperwork on the rebuild! Complete with Dyno numbers and results! I never believed it and completely discounted it without the paperwork, and bought the boat because it ran so well with no smoke or hunting. Also the survey and oil sample were good, as was the leak down test. Stay skeptical to the last minute. Its a better way to be than getting all enamored with something and talking yourself into fixing it. Again welcome and good luck!

Johnjen50:

Thank you so much for taking such interest in my questions and investing so much time in a response. Honestly, sometimes I am really pleasantly amazed by people!

[johnjen50]

No thanks necessary. I've learned so much from this site that I'm glad to be able to give back a little if I can !

[saltshaker]

You can tell a lot about a boat and the mechanicals by a simple visual inspection of the ER. Yes these things wear out and need to be rebuilt but an ER that is filthy, equipment that is dated or shows lack of maintenance, engines that are filthy, hoses painted and or old etc all point to lack of care and maintenance. I've seen higher hour boats that are used and cared for properly that I'd take over one with low hours and little care. Find the boat that you like then start investigating deeper. Find out how the boat has been used, run and what upgrades and major services have been performed. Find out how many hours and how long since last overhaul. You won't have a real accurate assesment until a thorough survey is done but you can get a pretty good handle on weather or not the boat warrants spending the time and money for surveys. The 52C is a great boat. There are a fair amount of them out there in varying condition. Determine what layout, features and condition best suits your needs and budget. I prefer the '87 and newer boats for the updated styling, improved bridge, improved interior and most of all the wet turbos. Post links to some of the boats you are interested in. There's a good chance someone here may have direct knowledge or more detailed info. You'll also get opinions, both good and some bad, about the listing.

[Tim Powell]

DSCN0361.jpg

Thanks a lot Tim! I've had my eye on "Cowboy" for a while, but for my own preference, I'm tending to stay away from "tower boats". That really limits my choices, but I've got time and patience.

thanks again!

you want one like that its not for sale Here it was headed to the railway for new shafts and struts bearings. This pick is over a year old hull ben painted and new curtains .

[Boatsb]

And I'm sure tim will take you for a 3 hour tour too.

[Tim Powell]

old picks 117.jpg

And I'm sure tim will take you for a 3 hour tour too.

under contract with heavy deposit . Lets see 3.00$ x50 gal per hour =150$ to 200$ per hour that calculates to about a 600 $
Vince
Be expecting some crap it is just part of the site but nothing is ment by it good luck Also like jack said stay 1987 and up My preference is 89 90
a lot of prople like to take the chait out it will take a chair like this to fill the big cockpit and expect to spend 25000 for a new one with the stainless bent bar under the chair. That is a blur water 80 pound class with rocket launcher welcom to boating an them there is the tackle another 30000 if you do it right . But if you find some poor sole that wants out buy it all.

[Boatsb]

Pretty much seatrial with survey. 3 hours would include engine testing for sure. Not a 3 hour tour.

Not to say it never happens but in all the years I've been in the business I've never had someone agree to take a prospective buyer out for 3 hours to see if they might want to buy it. I figure a serious buyer knows better.

[jim rosenthal]

Tire kicking is only fun for the kicker. Everyone else finds it, well...... tiresome.

Find a boat you like and invest in a good engine survey. And try to find a boat close to home. It makes everything much easier and a lot cheaper. If you are driving/flying all over the place, you are wasting money that you could better spend on an engine and hull survey. The cost of moving a boat hundreds or thousands of miles to where you live is quite considerable, and that's if nothing goes wrong on the trip. Even an uneventful trip is many thousands of dollars and that doesn't even begin to include the wear and tear on the boat herself. Dream globally, buy locally, wherever you are. These boats are not THAT rare.

[johnjen50]

Maybe I should have been a little more clear. Agreed tire kicking is a waste of everyone's time, however, when Vince finds what he thinks will be the boat he really intends on purchasing, nothing beats time underway. The buyers and brokers knew I was serious, and that's why they agreed to not one but two cruises in order to seal the deal. I also entertained that concept when I sold my boat last fall..........when I knew I had a serious buyer. I think the tire kickers are fairly obvious, to Boatb's point. Besides, what does the seller have to lose? Costs are being picked up by the seller. Additionally, my survey took two days, and a three hour tour. Nevertheless, in my case, I really think the time I spent on the boat prior to the survey helped me negotiate all of the new drive train parts, cutlass bearings, computer balancing the props, and entirely new Aquamet shafts on the stbd side. Bottom line is if the seller wants to sell they will need to be reasonable.