Considering buying a V20

[Destroyer]

Brightwork is all of the metal that needs to be ploished.. like turnbuckles, stancions, etc.

At what part does it become a deal? When he gives you a price that you like and that you know you can afford, including any work that may have to be done on the engine. I know that's not the answer you want, but it's about as true as you can get. Truthfully, a boat without a working engine is just a useless hull. Like a supermodel... pretty to look at but not very practical. IMHO

[RWilson2526]

Did you make any progress on the compression numbers?

Offer him $1500 and hope its just a fuel issue or something under 1K to fix. You do have the possibility to get a sweet deal if the guy just wants to unload it and you can get it running because of something simple. It is a 2000 motor which is considerably newer then than 80's original motors many V's for sale have on them.

I would think even if WORST case and the motor is not servicable you should be able to part out the motor and get something back from that and then find a used motor and put it on. Definitely a pain in the neck to do but financially if you can get the boat for $1500 or so you liability is limited.

On the flip side what part of the country are you in? There's at least 10 v's for sale within 100 miles of me here in NJ. are there fewer to choose from where you are?

[peiserma]

Originally Posted by Destroyer

At what part does it become a deal? When he gives you a price that you like and that you know you can afford, including any work that may have to be done on the engine.

You're right, its not what I was hoping for, but it did cause me to think about what it's worth to me. By attempting to do it myself, I'm essentially trading my time for my money (e.g. paying someone else to fix the motor). I'm also gambling that the motor is fixable for X amount - the exact dollar value at which this makes sense is what I'm trying to figure out.

For example, someone on this site (Willy maybe?) was asking $4500 for his V20. I'll use that as a starting point - I assume that I can find something similar with a working motor for $4500. Now what's a good estimate for a decent used outboard? I would guess $3000 at least, based on some limited time spent internet surfing. Now the value of package is $1500. But that doesn't account for the time and hassle required to install the replacement motor. I see little fairness paying the same total amount (having to repower vs working motor) because of the time and effort I'd have to do in repowering. That ought to be worth something (as in reduced price). And the boat still needs the back-to-back chair replaced. That can be bought for maybe $250? Again, the time and effort to install needs to be accounted for. This boat has no electronics, either (unlike Willy's). The trailer does have cash value, but I'm not planning on entering the used-trailer business, either.

Back to the motor. My first post showed the middle cylinder on the port side with 95psi compression. All the others were much, much lower. Also recall that I said the port side wasn't getting any fuel, while the starboard was. So one could hope for at least half the cylinders firing. The motor turned over, but no cylinder ever fired. As Genie Aye pointed out, the compression is too low to ignite the fuel. And therefore, instead of it being a question just of re-lubricating the rings and getting it to start like I was hoping, its looking more likely that a major or complete teardown of the motor is required. And all of a sudden, having to throw $1000 to $2000 into the motor doesn't seem so far-fetched. Never mind the amount of effort involved...

Based on the above line of thinking, $2000 is too much, and $1500 is on the high end of what it's worth to me. Feel free to point out errors or flaws in my thinking, since I've never owned my own boat and may be misrepresenting or not fully comprehending some of the costs.

[macojoe]

I am thinking you are nuts!!

A boat solid as a rock, with a trailer, and no motor is worth 1500 all day if its solid!!
add a good used motor for a grand you in water for $2500, not many can say that, take a good hard look at it again, and if as solid as you say, then start low and see were he goes!

Good Luck!

[Destroyer]

Peiserma...my comment about when does a deal become a deal was simply in answer to your question. Only you can determine the point at which it happens, because only you know your capabilities and your finances. It was neither a negative or a positive answer.

If, as you say, the boat is in good condition and he has a spare parts engine available then I'd be tempted to make him an offer, based on what I thought I could afford and what I was willing to do in order to fix whatever is wrong with the good engine. Only you can make that decision.

For me, since I'm a wrench turner from way back, I'd offer him up to 2.5
grand for the package, including both engines. Now understand, that's just me and I'm not you, so I'm not telling you what the value is or anything. I'm simply telling you what I would do if I were in the same situation.

[Road King Cole]

Hi Pieserma, I am not in your shoes and would be leery of buying something that would need that much work unless I was confident I had the tools (both physical and mental) to fix the engine as well as spare time.

That being said, having a wife that may want new floors instead could alter my logic...

You didn't answer where you are located, perhaps there are other boats available to look at? Its getting near the end of the season where people try to sell them before they need to acquire\pay for storage...

[peiserma]

All good answers, and I appreciate them very much. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for. I understand that the price I'm willing to pay is heavily influenced by how much work I am willing to do. Tearing down an engine and rebuilding is something I am confident I can accomplish. I also know that I'm not capable of doing over a 3-day weekend. It will probably take me many weekends to complete. My wife is understanding and supportive, but she has her limits :) I've started developing a "wife acceptance factor" to measure these things.

The dollar amount others would be willing to pay, based on my best effort to accurately describe it, help me a lot. It's not so much a question of being able to afford it, but more like (a) I really don't have much experience with what a fair value is and (b) for a first boat that the wife will also skipper, I want to keep the costs "reasonable" as defined in my own little world. I just have to adjust my views of what's reasonable to the reality (however, I have found people often ask unreasonable amounts of money for their stuff, and this phenomenon seems to get worse with anything boat related)

BTW, I'm in Wilmington, NC. I'll update my profile. Meanwhile I have some thinking to do.

Thanks for all the advice and opinions.

P.S. - where would one find that $1000 engine that was mentioned on the 2nd page?

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by peiserma

P.S. - where would one find that $1000 engine that was mentioned on the 2nd page?

Craigslist or eBay would be my first choices... iBoats.com, here, Hull truth are a few more.

Wife acceptance factor is a serious consideration. It's been my experience that wives are more than willing to see their man happy... They understand the concept of boy toys.. but they like to be included also. Hand her a wrench..