1989 Skeeter For $3300, Worth It??

[(='_'=)]

hey.. i just found an add listing a 1989 skeeter,150 HP Evinrude motor, 18 feet, for $3300....  the pics show a trolling motor and an older fish finder, but the listing des not includes specs... also, the boat looks clean, at least on the pics, the seats dont look thorn or anything... i told about the boat to a friend, and he told me he actually had seen the add a couple months ago and went to check it out.. he didnt drove it but says it looks nice... it also has power trim, and according to the add,the boat starts very fast....

 

so, is $3300 about right?? currently i co-own an old 1977 King Fisher with an 85 HP motor... a friend and i began rebuilding it, painted it, upholstered, recarpeted, as well as fixed the motor... it serves our purpose for now, but, im not the only owner, and even though i can use the boat at my will, its not the same...

 

so what do you think??

[Nitrofreak]

Sounds like a fair price if it really is in that good of shape, how about the trailer, did the seller or your friend say anything about that?

 

I would venture where the boat is and take a good look at it myself, having gone through your first resto, you should be able to make a great assumption as to what kind of shape this boat really is in and go from there.

 

Everyone should have their own boat for sure, I could not be a partner with someone, it would drive me loony toons not to have my own ride lol !!

[(='_'=)]

thanx for your input!!

 

the guy i co own the boat with is one of my best friends, in fact the boat is at my house and i use it much more than him, since he works mostly on weekends, so, even when we prefer to go fishing together, when he cant go i look for another partner and take the boat...

 

but still, i would really like having my own boat, and i feel this is could be the right time, since im not married and have an above average job... because i know once i get married, my fishing budget will be greatly reduced....

 

so, how should i proceed with this one??

 

neither the add nor my friend told me anything about the trailer, so that would definitely be a point to consider...

[Nitrofreak]

First of all, you really need to go see the boat in person, safety is the most important thing here first, then make sure it's the one that fits you and how you fish, is there enough room on the deck etc...if you like what you see, then check out the rest of the boat, listen to it run, check all the electrical stuff, check the steering and throttle cables etc...if that all checks good, including the trailer, have the seller take you for a ride, fish from it for an hour or two if you can,   see how the engine refires after a good run and heat soak, work the trolling motor, if it all checks out and you like it, of course you like it or you would have never made it to this point, talk pricing with the seller, or if you think it to be worth the asking price then by all means pay what you feel is a fair price for the boat.

 

I always buy the seller lunch or something for taking me out, if I buy the boat or not, just good relations, but thats up to you.  

[(='_'=)]

thanx... we have alake 20 minutes from home so a test ride should not be difficult to make... fishing season starts in 2 months, so i wouldnt be able to fish out of it but i could definitely ride it and start/stop it several times...

 

regarding the 150 HP Evinrude, is is a reliable motor?? any bad stories about it? i like doing most of the mechanical work myself, so a friendly and popular motor would be nice for when i need to ask for help over here....

[Nitrofreak]

No they are not that difficult to work on, the 150 GT's used to give some issues way back then, but I have not seen a ton of them for reliability issues, other than owner neglect, its one of the most common engines out there, so you should be good.

[tritondriver]

if the motor is as old as the boat i would have the motor checked by a qualified mechanic.  i would no matter what the age of the motor..

[BuckMaxx]

I have a buncha skeeter part if you need something like switches gauges etc.

[(='_'=)]

than you Buck!!

 

and triton, you are right, that would be a must no matter which boat it is...

 

i just looked closer at the pic and it says SDI 125, but online i can only find SD 125 skeeters, and according to iboats, they are 17 feet and rated for 125 HP max...but the motor n this one says 150 HP,and the add says 18 feet... that got me wondering...

 

also, the trolling motor is not pedal controlled, and the fish finder is a cheap Humminbird 525...

 

so, i got some serious thinking to do...

[Skeeter Driver]

Triton driver called it. Assuming the hull is ok, the question of value for money will come done to the motor status. Suggest you spend the Time and money to have tested.

[(='_'=)]

thanx TX, I would definitely have the motor tested properly... I have bought several used cars in the past, so I guess its more or less the same, the difference is that I have no idea of boats, the only bassboat I have ever seen is the one I have...

 

browsing on a local sales page I found another prospect, a 1991 Astro, 19 feet, 200 HP Mercury...  they are asking $4300 for this one, it only has one pic but it looks good, has 2 consoles (which I don't really like as im assuming it takes too much space), 2 fish finders (the one on the bow looks really small, I cant see the other one on the pic), trolling motor, the seats look to be in good condition, the add says its in excellent condition (as all adds do haha)...

 

so what do you think?? maybe I could lower the price to about $4000 or so...

 

for the lakes I locally fish, 200 HP is too much... it could be useful for skiing but I guess 150 HP is more than enough for that also.... however, I plan on going at least twice a year to a bigger lake where a big motor would be nice.... so besides the initial cost, how much more gas would the 200 HP burn against the 150 HP, assuming the same moderate speed???  my local lake is about 6 miles long, but very narrow and with a lot of curves, so you cannot really go very fast there....

[jhoffman]

No its nothing like a used car because when you get a bad motor you have a pile of garbage and its ridiculous the cost of some parts. $400 powerpacks, rebuilt power heads, bad fuel pumps, carbs(likely) all out of whack and needing rebuilt.

 

Just tell yourself you WILL spend money on this motor, no doubt about it.

 

A 150 sucks gas and so does a 200 when I look at my current boat vs partners its unreal the difference. I can only go 25 but my 13 gallon tank will last me a month. His 150 will suck up a 1/2 a tank a day and its like $100 to fill it.

[(='_'=)]

thanx.... i now the 150 and 200 will usemore gas than my current 85... but they would also allow me to go to other waters with bigger bass....  besides, my 85 serves very good for fishing my local smaller lakes, but fishing season here goes from June 24 to March 10.... so from March to almost July i cannot fish, and i quickly found out the 85HP is not enough for siing or pulling a tub, and right now temperature is in the high 90s, so i would like to have aboat that i can use all year....

 

when i fixed the 85 i have, i guess i was lucky... its a 77 Johnson, which had been abandoned for about 5 years... after removing the spiderwebs from the inside, i took apart the throttle, cleaned everything, fixed some rods that were held with wire, and the thing started right away...the lwer unit ha to be replaced, and that was expensive, but other than that, i didnt spend mucho on the motor itself... i do most of the work so i would be spending almost exclusively on parts, but, you are correct, with something that old, be it a car or boat, im sure the initial investment is only part of the cost....