Advice on potential purchase
 

I am looking at a 1994 182 Barchetta. Boat is in decent shape for its age, no significant damage, rub rail did its job, a little dock rash here and there, hull is oxidized but not too bad - a good compounding and buffing would do her good. The decals and stripes are nicked up and would need to be redone. The hull looks and sounds good, there is a little hole on the port side about half way up from the keel, its a little hole about the size of the tip of your little finger, 1/4+ inch. Don't know if that is a major problem that can 't be easily filled and fixed.

The sole seems solid, didn’t find any soft spots (I'm about 220 so not light on my feet) but the carpet was wet - most likely from the thunderstorm in the morning. There was water, about 5" in the ski locker, seems like the drain may be blocked. Is that a common issue? Steering cable was recently replaced as was the driver's seat. The other seats are in ok shape, but the vinyl has split on many of the seams, and they have put some upholstery tape on them – over all they would need to be replaced – is it hard to find similar color schemes – boat is a teal and white. The upholstery on the rear deck cover – behind the jump seats is in tough shape – again is this hard to get ?

Mechanically it’s a 4.3 Mercruiser, no hour meter, but it seems clean, no oily fuel smells – it looks its age and the current owner has had it serviced/winterized regularly (I’m going to check in with the service center to get more details). The engine started up, a little sluggish at first but she kicked in; Very throaty sound, in a good way. It seemed to be a beefy, strong sound. The lower unit is pitted around the top – most likely typical stuff I would imagine? Are these engines prone to problem – the lower seals were redone 4 years ago, and the boat was not used in 2011 or in 2012. On the engine there are what I thik are zincs, on the leading edge of the skeg, and around the piston/arms that trim the unit up and down - forgive me my ignorance if I am using the wrong terms.

Trailer is in decent shape – its also a 1994, EZ-loader single axel, tires are in good shape, plenty of tread, owner said brakes are in working order, but they didn’t trailer it much, just house to ramp which was very close by when they had the place- she said they didn’t do any real trailering of the boat.

They are asking $5500 for Boat and trailer. This is my first power boat buying experience, so I don’t know if this is a fair price – although it seems to be. I have attached ppictures, so if I can get any advice that would be helpful - any thing on what I will need to do immediately if I purchase her or anyother things I should look for or ask about.

Thanks

Re: Advice on potential purchase
 

I'll just touch on a few things and leave it for others to offer their opinions. The 4.3 / Alpha 1 outdrive is an excellent engine/drive combo with no common failures if well maintained. It should push that boat into the high 40's without too much trouble depending on what pitch prop is installed. Given its a '94 then it is likely a carbed version (as my '96 is) and it can be just a little sluggish when first starting up but quickly settles into a smooth idle & runs very well.

The trailer is not original to the boat as they came with Chariot trailers. Water in the ski locker is quite possible if the boat hasn't been covered. There is a drain hole from the ski locker into the bilge that can be blocked with debris such as leaves or whatever may have been stored there. Was there water in the bilge also?

The upholstery repair (if you want to do it right) will cost a few $$ but the original material is still available albeit a bit pricey.

Yes, there should be 'zincs' for corrosion protection mounted on the outdrive. Once they wear done to about half of their original size they should be replaced which is a DIY job.

Decals/graphics are available from one our our members (95 Z240 Talari). You can read about how to order them here.

The price (imho) is just a tad high given the hull cleanup & upholstery repairs needed.

The first rule of thumb though is to get the boat into the water and see just how it performs.

Re: Advice on potential purchase
 

Thanks. I am concerned about the outdrive. I don't know if the level of pitting/corrosion is significant enough to require replacing the unit - or if I can grind it down and repaint or have someone do that - any ideas?? I have attached some pics.

Thanks again.

Re: Advice on potential purchase
 

I'm sure it could be a good boat again but in this condition, from here, it looks to be about a $3500-3800 boat to me. I'd be pretty worried about how it's going to act under a load if it was sluggish at the bottom on a hose. Just my opinion. Good luck with your decision.