[ridnwild]

Hi guys
I just bought a 95 Talari 240 350MPI. bravoIII I bought it from a woman who got it in a divorce. She said it was great last year with no problems at all & it was still winterized. The battery was dead & it needed a new float in the gas tank, she said I could take it home & run it, if any problems bring it back for a full refund.

So I bought it & took it to the lake the next weekend it started perfect purring like a kitten, so I backed it off the trailer and started idling out of the no wake zone. I notice it is very hard to steer and kinda squirrely (would not run strait) right off the bat then I started to speed up & at full throttle it was barley speeding up (bogging) and I smelled something the temp was climbing rapidly. I immediately shut it off & opened the cover. Smoke was coming out & I thought it was on fire but it was only hot & burning oil (not visible) off that had been spilled on it and it was taking on water. I let it set for about 10 minutes, not long enough because it was still hot but we were drifting towards some rocks, cranked it up & put it back on trailer.

After inspection the steering cable will have to be replaced, the outdrive moves from center to port about 10" without moving the steering wheel or hydraulic arm in the boat. I know nothing about boats so I took it to Chuck's Marine in horn lake, MS. He gave me an estimate of 2,300-3,000 to fix it I'm at work so I don't have the list but it was mostly steering parts for 2,300, if he has to change the gimbal bearing and a couple of other parts it could be 3,000 the engine will have to come out to do the repairs.

I can’t take it back because I might have got it too hot and damaged the engine. I got it at a good enough price that even at 3,000 I won’t be hurt.

Does someone on here know a mechanic in the Memphis, Southaven, Senatobia area that they trust I could get a second opinion from?

Sorry about the long winded post.

[Zackattack]

Wow, that sounds like quite a first ride, sorry to hear about the disappointing results. And sure hope you get some good service tech on it.

Sounds like first and foremost issue was your impeller from the outdrive failed and was not pumping any water through to cool the engine. This is recommended replacement at least every three years for the reason you just described.

Why though was it bogging down? was the outdrive actually down? Maybe not. In fact maybe thats why the water wasn't being pumped through the impeller, if it was cavitating from the lack of water and too much air? Just an idea, but you will absolutely want a new sea water impeller installed in the outdrive.

[ridnwild]

That’s one thing I did check, the outdrive was all the way down. They don’t know if it’s the impeller or water pump yet. He quoted replacing both.

Everything on the boat works except a few minor electrical (radio, marine radio, & horn) problems & the trim tabs that could be electrical or hydraulic problem. I haven’t had time to trace that down yet but I do know the bottom fuse panel does not have power to it.

But overall the boat is in good physical shape. All the gauges work the interior has a couple of seams coming apart but nothing major floor has one small soft spot in it.

[ridnwild]

I was going to do the work myself because I don’t know a boat mechanic I trust and none of my friends know one either. But after watching videos on youtube about how critical it is to align the engine correctly & the specialty tools that I’ll never use again, I decided to let the pros do it.
I decided to let Chuck’s Marine do the work.
Here is an estimate.
Also he’s going to check the trim tabs while he’s got the engine out.

I will let you know how it went.

[ridnwild]

Just wanted to add a new page to the saga.

The reason it was taking on water & running hot was the block froze & pushed out a freeze plug.
Chuck told me it had pushed out a freeze plug when he pulled the engine but since the person I bought it from said it was winterized I thought maybe when it got hot it pushed it out (even though it didn't run long). After installing the gimbal ring assembly (the steering arm & pin were ok) he bench ran the engine before reinstallation. The first day was only 30 minutes no water in oil. The second day he ran it for an hour & started seeing water in oil, so he pulled the intake & there is a crack starting at the top by the head going down about 2-3" then turning left & running about 4". It was so rusted that it took an hour to heat up & vibrate enough to start leaking. You can tell without a doubt it was like that when I bought it. Both mechanics there & my trusted auto mechanic all say that it was due to freezing & I didn’t buy it till spring.

So now the delema.
I paid 7,500 for the boat. I owe chuck 2,800 for the gimbal ring assembly. The new engine is 4,000. Total= 14,300
Should I fix it and keep it or sell it like it is and take 3500-5000 dollar loss on it?
I haven’t ruled out suing for false disclosure either.

[Zackattack]

Fix it and keep it.

Heres the deal, I have bought several used boats too, and am always terrified of the care they have had previous to me. And it is almost always impossible to be sure, however careful you may be. Even though you have to spend the cash, you will have a very sound mechanical ride with confidence in its condition. If you throw away 3K, you will still be looking for a 7K boat with unknown condition. And lets say you find one for 7, in the next few years you may have to spend the 4K on it too.

All this is assuming that the rest of the boat is in the condition you will be pleased with for years to come.

Is 4K what Chuck will charge you to rebuild what you have, or a new merc?

So, as hard as it may be to stomach the repair bill, its probably the best choice for years to come. Just my 2cents.

[ridnwild]

Ok thanks
I still haven't decided but I do appreciate the input.
It’s a new merc. Long block 2,300+tax + shipping + core charge + swapping everything over=4,000
What worries me is that the boat was in Arizona originally & the dash seems to be dry rotted I had to put big washers on both sides when I changed the ignition switch because there was nothing there to mount to, seemed like mush or sand in the vinyl. I’m worried what is coming next.
Can you replace the dash & how hard/ expensive is it?

[SEMIJim]

Oh my... Take it back and be out $3k or stick it out and...? (I would've taken it back right after the failed check ride, tbh.)

Mechanically, other than the dash that's falling apart, the boat should be good after a remanufactured engine. Should.

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you bought a very poorly cared-for boat

Good Luck,
Jim