[chesapeake724]

Okay, between iboats, my fishing board, THT, and here I'm getting a lot of feedback. In my book, it's all good, because you can never have too much info.

Here's what I think is going on. Someone inherited the boat and wasn't a boater or doesn't know much about boats. So, after storing it for two years (had to be decently sheltered if not indoors), they want to sell it so they took it to a Wellcraft dealer (umm, since it's a Wellcraft) to broker. All visual clues point out the boat was either cleaned religiously after saltwater use or may even be a freshwater boat: windshield frame and metal hardware have no pits/oxidation, no bottom paint, zincs have little wear, Delaware registration (Delaware River is fresh, then brackish as you get into Delaware Bay), etc.

So back to the 'extremes'. It's ranging from "the motor might be fine for years as is" to "the motor is dead and you're looking at a complete rebuild. If the head isn't toasted at this cylinder, can the hole be bored and an oversized piston installed? To me, this is an almost ideal middle ground between doing nothing and completely rebuilding it, but I'm not getting much feedback on possibly "fixing" just this one piston. Is that because it's just not that likely?

Many thanks again. These boards are wonderful things, and that's because of the caliber of people on them, like you gents. I'm going to let fate have some influence. I'm going to tell the salesman that I can't come in until Friday, and what I'm going to offer. I'll split the difference between zero value and book value for the motor. That way, if it's toast, then my budget allows for the rebuild (repower not in the budget) and it just means I paid a better-than-fair price for an above-average hull and the trailer. Considering the time of year, I'm with reelapeelin' that the broker should lean on the owner to take my price or generally speaking, go to bat for me as the buyer.

Playing devil's advocate, looking at it from all angles, etc. I got a question: why didn't the dealer buy it instead of brokering it? It could mean something, it could mean nothing. It may just be that the dealer isn't into buying boats outright. I inquired about my trade-in and they didn't even consider it. It was too old ('88), and maybe they consider this '93 too old as well.

P.S. The Admiral sees how out of sorts I am, and she said that if I thought I could handle the note, that she trusted me. My wife rocks! (Although, it didn't hurt that we were out on the Bay yesterday on friend's boat, the weather and seas were awesome, and she waxed nostalgic about all our great times boating.) I said that we'll raise our kids to love it, too, and this is a great boat for it.