1997 2800 SCR Purchase

[Milt P.]

I'm about to purchase a 1997 2800 in excellent condition. It has twin 4.3 LX engines with Alpha gen II outdrives. Anyone have experience with this boat and know the performance specs. The boat is loaded less a gen and spot light. What is a reasonable price to pay. Looking to cruise the upper Chesapeake...

[seapuppy]

welcome to the zoo...sounds like a nice boat..the twins will be nice for docking and manuevering.....I'm sure one of our other members in your area will chime in but it's a nice roomy boat for 2..

post some pic's when you get a chance..

SP

[Milt P.]

Thanks, I'm pretty excited planning to purchase Wednes...Boat was survey'd two seasons ago so I'm just going to sea trial and review service records. All records are available and will be part of sale. Engine was just tuned and out drives were fully serviced 3 years ago. This boat is really nice - hope the sea trial goes well. What should I look for; uniform manifold temp, electrical, AC, etc. Pictures to come.

[seapuppy]

well...before seatrials...I'd get a mechanical survey done....they will do some serious compression checks..temps checks....oil pressure ...etc.....


SP

[Milt P.]

Boat was surveyed two season ago will review and seatrial...Can't see spending $600 if engines run good and aren't over heating

[shrew]

I have the exact same year, make model. The only difference is ours came with the single 454. We repowered with a 496. I wish I had the twin 4.3's, replacing both would most likely still be cheaper than the 496 and they are more fuel efficient.

2 years is too long. Get the boat surveyed.

[seapuppy]

alot can happen in 2 yrs...believe me things on a boat can go down hill very fast without proper care...so...I'd get the survey..

SP

[Milt P.]

So I know classic wisdom says get the survey but I'm going to gamble on what I see and what the records show. The marina service center told me he boat is tip top. They just commissioned it and did some service work; fixed trim tab faulty wire and cleaned carbs. I will review the records tomorrow in preparation for the sea trial. The bottom paint looks good the outdrives are 4 years old and the anodes are new. I'm going to check the electrical system - does it work and run the air, use the windless - what else. I'm so satisfied with what I see and the price I'm paying a few thousand in surprise repairs won't matter. Why is this wrong headed?

[seapuppy]

wrong headed??...well...it's your money...your headache.....we're just trying to get a bit better deal for you...you see...if they find something wrong with the engines/drives..this can be used to get a cheaper price in negotiations...however, if the owner says..hey..I'll fix it...then you get a perfectly running boat for the same price...
lets go to the present day...you buy the boat as is....you find you need new couplers or the manifolds are partially blocked after say a month of use....guess what.....your stuck with the bill......could be a few boat bucks ...(1 boat buck = 1k dollars US)...see the issues???...your running along all dumb fat and happy when you blow and engine....guess who is stuck with the repair when a survey might have caught say a leaking head gasket....

just my 2 cents here but if I was looking at a used boat....I'd sure as heck want to know how the engines/drives were maintained....
but that's just me.
SP

[ed & inge]

most of the times a boating company gives a guaranty for the first season the buyer is going to use it.........do you have that.......i never bought a second hand boat without it, because salesmen can tell you the most fantastic stories......but when the money is on their account and the machines etc are not working the way it should be, well most times you have a problem, because then they say.....what you see is what you get.....and i think you did'nt earn the money by stealing it but working hard for it.....

and i like gambeling too........a few bucks....but not with thousands of dollars because that's what were talking about if something is wrong (most times it shows up after a few times using the boat)

but anyway....congratulations with the boat...and have a lot off fun with it

greatz, ed

(just somebody who is in to boating for about 30 years with a lot of experiance with buying boats.....and never took a gamble with it)

[Milt P.]

OK...I'll make my final decision after the sea trial - the owner is bringing 3 people to show the boat has low and top end performance. He mention this when I told him I was coming alone. The marina that serviced it the last two seasons says the boat is in excellent condition - owner just paid them to go over the boat top to bottom. I will review current and past owner records prior to sale. OD were refurbished in 2007 for PM - all fresh water use the engines and compartment is pristine.

- Please tell me about the boat - should it handle the passenger load and be on plane in _____ seconds
- Why aren't there side vents for the engine compartment
- Will she be a good first cruiser for me and my wife on the upper cheasapeake

Please give me some information on the boat - assuming its in great shape

[seapuppy]

ok...I've given my advice as best I can...up to you know..

as for the boat...fully loaded it should plane within about 8 sec's or so.....you should be able to go WOT at about 38-42 mph....wot for each engine is at about 4400-4800 rpm..if you push the throttles open all the way..that's where it should settle...don't be afraid to take it that far during the sea trails....wot is to make sure your propped right...
you should be quite comfortable in 28 ft sized boat....it's able to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it....I had the 2003 2700SCR with the 6.2ltr b3 drive package...it was able to handle way more than we did.....the boat is strong and comfortable...it can take you alot of miles ....we took ours all the way up into canada with no issues....
do I feel comfortable in that sized boat!!..heck yeah.....I wouldn't hesitate recommending that boat.....however my recommendation is the same...get it surveyed....I know your excited about getting a nice, well kept looking boat...believe me I do.....but I tend to err on the side of caution since I'm old, not rich and worked hard for everything I ever got.....but that's just me..


SP

[TonyA]

Hi, Milt P go with your gut feeling but also get something in writing to back up what they say / documents, if they don’t wont to do this( there may be a rat around) then make your offer low enough to cover the wurst case scenario on repairs. I purchased my 1998 3000scr from pic only and had it sent to me in Australia, but I knew what had to be dun to the boat and the price was a give away price. It ended up being far better than what I expected. Just don’t get sucked into it without some kind of guaranty or as the Boys say have it inspected .After all the cost of an inspection is probably only a tank of fuel!! Good luck with the boat

[ss3964spd]

Have to agree with SP and Tony here Milt.

Gut feeling goes a long way of course, and is pretty much how I bought my boat. If it appears well maintained and in great shape there is a very good chance that it really is well maintained and in great shape. There is also a chance that it is pretty but hiding some serious problems.

That the owner OFFERED to bring extra bodies along to prove the boat's performance with a load is a big plus, that's not something one does when trying to hide a mechanical issue. If the engines run fine regarding oil pressure and temp, run around the same RPM at speed, and get the boat on plane in 8 or so seconds like SP says you can be reasonably comfortable with the engines and drives. Unfortunately there's no real way to check the condition of the exhaust system without taking it apart.

Open the engine hatch BEFORE heading out and see how much water is in the bilge. Take it for a run. Once up on plane does it run level or does list to one side or another? Redistribute the weight if it does, or try to level it with the trim tabs (if it has them). If it refuses to run level there's a problem with the hull. Run it on plane for 20 minutes then back off the throttles to idle speed, get those bodies in the stern, and open the engine hatch to see how much water is in the bilge. Shouldn't be much.

Becky and I boated on the Chesapeake last year in our 2400 SC3 and it handled it petty well but I do wish it had trim tabs at that time. The 2800 SCR you are looking at is much heavier, and obviously longer, than ours - it'll handle the Bay just fine but you'll still probably need to use tabs to get the bow down on snotty days.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

Dan

[Milt P.]

So the plan will go something like this:

On location at 12:00 (sea trial starts at 1:000
Review maintenance history with repair shop (owner recommended)
Ask for copies should purchase o through (will pay for copies if need be - not that cheap)
Meet with owner st 1:00
Go over cabin systems and check dock side equipment (air / heat / shower / hot water / stove / head / lights / compartments exposing structure / CD player / power panel)
Go over cockpit systems, (lights / fuse compartment / trim gauges / windless / compartment vent / GPS / depth finder / wipers / horn )
Review engine compartment (check battery charge and date / look for plumbing leaks / check structure with tap tool / tilt engines)
Start engines, get underway
Pay attention to level with folks properly placed
Pay attention to slow handling / steering
Note gauge reading
If all goes well - get on plane and record time on plane
Record cruise RPM and Speed
Cruise for 20 minutes and verify gauges, stop and start 3 times
Return to marina - check engine temperature and look for water

Get to bank and close (with a listing of all the additional equipment owner will provide on bill of sales)

What have I missed - survey will be required should a concern arise...

[ed & inge]

quiet a list to do,

what to do more......if you start the boat when you take her for the try out trip be sure that the engines are cold and that you are the first one who starts them......if the engines are in a top condition they wil start immidiately.........if somebody else did it already while you were not there, sometimes they try to hide something........

good luck, ed

[Milt P.]

Got it!!!!!

[seapuppy]

Do the WOT test ..push the engines wide open to make sure you reach the proper top speed and engine rpm.....bump the trim up till the boat is operating at the right speed...


good luck....let us know how it goes and take lotsa pic's.

SP

[Milt P.]

Weather was bad (rain, wind, chop).... Boat on plane in 5 secs (1/2 tank of gas and 3 adults -- 4th no show). Enigines reached 4500 RPM boat hit 32 knots - per GPS - speedometer not working (why?). Oil pressure normal, water temperature normal, volts good.

Boat was surveyed in July, 2007 - Ran 2 seasons - Survey rating was Above average - just needs a few recommended safety items which I will install this week (Halon fire suppression, gas fume detector and CO detectors.

Owner very helpful --- Selling boat for lack of use --- paid $32000 in 2007 and sold for $18,000 (valued at $22,000)

Wife really likes this boat. couple of questions - is the A/C cold and hot - why knobs versus digital panel as seen on other boats?

Also - was given a Garmin 198C Sounder, power lines, dock lines, bumpers...Really excited about this buy, more pics to come

[ed & inge]

oke,

if you and your wife are happy the way the boat looks and is going here's my advice........the guy want's 18.000 dollar if i am correct....take 18.000 cash with you, wave with 14.000 cash for his face/nose and tell him this is what you want to pay. if he seas the cash, for 85% he will melt like a pack of soft butter. if he is part of the 15 % you have some dollars left to negotiate. you saved your self a lot of dollars to spend on mayby a little repair etc.

waving with cash will mostly works.....

good luck, ed