Well this is a game changer!!
 

Sooo.... this happened today.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2grbzzv4.jpg

What you are looking at is a 1985 Wellcraft Coastal 23'...and it's in my yard. This kinda happened quick. This boat popped up on our local Craig's for $2800. Advertised as a solid, running boat. I was nearby so I thought hey, why not go check it out. Definitely didn't think I'd actually buy it but I do love the look of it. Saw the boat, seems rock solid. Owner hooked it to the hose and it fired right up. Purred like a kitten.

Now he's got my attention. I was actually digging the boat and trying to decide where I was going to scrape up $2800ish. While it was running she started kinda sputtering and spitting. I thought, here we go...story of my life. Seemed starved for fuel so I pumped the ball and it picked right up. As long as I slowly pumped the ball it would stay running. The owner started flipping out. Was cussing the boat up and down and asked me what I'd give him for the POS. I told him without knowing what was wrong with the motor best I could do was $1000. I figured that'd just piss him off but he agreed to it.

While all of this was going on I noticed a strong gas smell. I pulled he cowl off and the engine was covered in fuel. I pumped the ball and gas poured out of the fuel pump (VRO). There is a small plug on the top of the oil diaphragm and it was gone. I covered the hole and pumped it and it sprayed all around the housing. It appears the fuel pump cracked.

Given this new found information I was sure the owner wouldn't agree to the price now. But he told me give him $1000 and get it out of his yard. I felt bad as he was a young kid 20-21YO, had a wife, nice truck, cute little rancher home and I felt he just simply needed to pay the rent or something. I've been there and done it, parted with something just to make ends meet, it sucks. But knowin I was already going to be in the doghouse for bringing home another boat I couldn't offer him a penny more. I hinted maybe he should try to fix it and sell it again later and he just insisted to sell it to me because he couldnt afford a $400 fuel pump. Best thing I could offer him was an invite to snag up some cobia this summer on her. He gladly accepted.

So now here's the dilemma. The wife... She says somethings got to go. The Green boat is as good as gone. I have a guy coming Thursday afternoon to pick her up. Then I got the cuddy. I told her I'd sell the cuddy as long as I don't lose money on it because of the new motor. As of now I have about $4000 tied up in the boat and motor. I fell if I put a new foot on it ($500ish) I could possible get $4500. But the problem is she doesn't want to sell the motor. So I guess it may get sold with no motor.

Then I got the bare hull in the back 40. My plan is to keep that one and finish what I started, converting it to a center console with a bracket. If I hang on to the Mercury then she will be a perfect candidate for it, though my plan was a small 140-150 stroke. I guess time will tell for that. Getting the green boat out the yard should ease some pressure from the wife. Then we will just see where the road takes us.

As for this boat a new fuel pump is on the way. Ran a compression test and all cylinders cold are 95-105 psi so I'm pleased with that. I've never had a OMC over 90 haha. So I'm gonna put some work into it and get it in the water. Bow light works intermittently, trim tabs don't move, gas gauge doesn't work. It has a Humminbird Helix 5, fiberglass hardtop with molded e-box, power steering, 2 brand new batteries, outriggers, downriggers and I'm sure more I'm missing. I'm just waiting to find the reason the deal was so good but hell even if the motor was junk I still made out good and that big black b**** would look great on the stern, but for now I'm hoping that's not necessary. Here's the pics he sent me. I plan on getting more this weekend.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pspkvhrxjr.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pspfzxwzqt.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps84qp2zg7.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2xsqz3fa.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psci1yaccu.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pscdodrdqv.jpg

nice!

The trailer is a 2000 load rite. Rollers look brand new. Roller hardware looks new. Few u bolts are rusty but easily replaced. Has a CB, CD player. LED deck lights. Man the list goes on and on. Motor is a 99 200hp Johnson. VRO is bypassed and I plan on keeping it that way. The owner said he bought it from the original owner and said the tank was replaced around 2010. I plan on pulling the hatch and inspecting the tank good. Hopefully it's a nice new poly tank that I don't have to worry about.

dam son, you beat that boy's a$$ for a grand. if the floors are solid and the transom is stiff, that's a deal without a motor.

Congrats that is awesome find .

Very nice and a heck of a deal.

You definitely got the fever (boat fever that is).

Thanks guys. I definitely stole her. I still feel a little bad about it. I'm worried karma's gonna bite me in the ***.

Those engines should be in the 110-120 range if memory serves me correctly. The 88-92 engines had idle reliefs, and caused them to have low cranking compression. The 93+ finger port engines normally have pretty high compression. Make certain to do a DEEP decarb on it. That is a MAJOR killer of the big V6 engines is carbon(that's how Bradford's engine ended up in my yard). When they get carboned up, they will stick a ring, and wipe out a sleeve, and most of the time hammer the head from the pieces going through it. Those are supposed to be a SOLID boat at anchor and drift because of the low 16 degree deadrise, but are said to beat you up running any speed in a chop. I started to buy one years back until I did some reading on them. Then again, if I had come across a deal like this one, it would have been in my yard too. Come spring time cleaned up, that boat would bring $4500-6000 all day long down here in Florida.

Nice boat, I owned what looked like that very same hull on my coastal 236. I had the boat for about 11 years, it was an absolute tank, I think you'll be very pleased with it !!

I have a buddy that said he owned the same boat and loved it. He's already tried to double my money.