early 90's nitro boats?

[Front_row_joe]

Hi guys I'm looking for some opinions on a 1990 18' nitro 186. I'm going to take a look at it tonight and was planning on taking it home but I've been doing some research and heard a couple horror stories with the nitro boats but it was mostly the newer ones and mostly warranty issues. Anyone have any input on this? The boat has a 150 horse Mercury 2 stroke which is original to the boat I believe with a trolling motor on the front that is obviously outdated. No fish finders,  as far as electrically live well pump and fuel gauge don't work but everything else seems to. The carpet seems in great shape but the seats seem a little beat from the sun. Most of the problems I have heard of come from the hull which doesn't seem to have any cracks from the pictures. You guys have any input? Anything in particular to look out for or just stay away?? I have the boat for $3000 so I figure the motor is worth close to that in my area as it supposedly runs great. This will be my first bass boat so any advice is appreciated.

[fishnkamp]

That should be a fish n ski model or sport boat. I had a ProCraft fish n ski and it is my favorite boat i have owned and I have owned 11. We used that boat to fish, tube ski and just cruise. It was great. Mine had a 200 efi Merc motor on it and with correct prop it would run 72 mph. Now back to your Nitro. Things like the livewell pump and fuel gauge are most likely wiring or even fuse issues,  To replace and repair them no big deal. No electronics actually that is okay. Today you can get a 7 inch unit like a Lowrance Elite7 TI which will give you very close performance to the HDS series units for half the price. The HDS units are not overpriced they over optioned for most users. For example, if you own one of the brand new engines AND you pay for Smart Gauges then you can network the engine to your fish finger and monitor your engine's vital signs. Obviously you and I do not have those engines, so that and many similar options are not worth spending money on. An Elite 7 TI will give you a great GPS Mapping unit with a sonar unit featuring 2d sonar imaging along with chirp down scan and side imaging. All that for $800. As for a trolling motor you can upgrade to a 24 volt unit and the extra battery along with an on board charger.  

If you go get a beverage, sit in a comfy chair, and are willing to read a friend of mine's article about buying a used boat, you can learn a lot about what to look for and what to look out for when buying a used boat. Go here:  http://www.baybass.com/node/200

Let me know what you think about Bryan's article and if you get the boat.  You never mentioned where you live but if it is in the MD, Northern VA. area Bryan provides terrific up to date fishing reports as well as tackle reviews on his site baybass,com

[Front_row_joe]

Fishnkamp, thanks for the help I didn't end up buying the boat because the more I read up on them more and more horror stories kept coming back from the weak hulls. still in the market for a bigger boat so I'll definitely have to give that article a read

[fishnkamp]

Where do you live,just the general area?

[Front_row_joe]

NH

[fishnkamp]

You did not say what your budget might be so I am going to show you a few reasonably priced options.  I  hope one of these turns out to be a good boat for you. I found these with just a few minutes of looking.  Check here first.The Ranger R70s are quality built bass boats. They were just over 17 foot long had a 81 inch beam and could had a max hp of 130. I had a friend here in MD. that ran one all over the Potomac and the Upper Chesapeake Bay.   I know you originally found a boat that lists as an 18 footer, but was actually only 6 inches longer than this one. This boat appears to be in good shape, it has newly updated electronics and a fairly new trolling motor. For an asking price of $7000 it would be a strong contender for my money. Of course a check out and test run would help me decide on it. The Fast Strike engines ran real well on that hull. I believe my friend Bryan had his running around 55 give or take. Look here  http://nh.craigslist.org/boa/5667289189.html  There are others and I will do some more snooping but its dinner time. 

[fishnkamp]

Here is another option check here http://nh.craigslist.org/boa/5657126882.html

Now this one is a 1992 Stratos 18.5 foot bass boat with a true 150 hp outboard. The price is only $6000.  Again I do not know what your budget was but these two boats appear to be decent. Also I have never been in NH so I do not know how far you are from them.