sx19 buying advice
 

I am thinking of buying a "fixer upper" 2007 sx19. My inlaws have a cabin we spend a lot of time at, but only have a pontoon and fishing boat. I would like to buy something for the kids (and us) to ski, wakeboard, tube, etc. I am looking for advice on what I should offer on it. I realize this is very subjective, but the runabout experience I have is from when I was a kid and know enough to know I need advice from people with more knowledge. My goal is to get a decent weekend boat for the family, but only if I can get a pretty good deal on it.

The boat is a 2007 sx19 with the 220 hp 4.3L. The trailer is a 2007 prestige with a swing tongue. You can tell from looking at the boat that it was not well maintained.

The big and known: The 4.3 threw a rod and will need to be replaced. There are electrical issues with the running lights - although the electrical in the engine compartment looks very good. The trim reservoir has a slight leak, prop needs to be replaced, and the sundeck has a rip in a seam. The trailer fenders are also both bent.

The unknown: As I stated above, the boat was not well maintained. I am 99.999% sure they never cleaned it. The hull has a little bit of yellowing and has plenty of light scratches - I didn't seen anything deep that I didn't think would buff out, but who knows. I don't know how reasonable it is to think I can get the interior clean, but it is very dirty. The floor does not have any soft spots. I did drain a bit of the outdrive oil and it looked clean - free of water and no metal shavings.

They did winterize every year (I verified with the marina), but that is it. The bilge pump was replace prior to the last boating season.

Should I just run away from this thing? My glass half full vision thinks if I have reasonable expectations that I could potentially get a pretty good deal on this boat. I have restored several cars and rebuilt a few engines, so I am fairly confident I can replace the 4.3. Since the rod went through the block I would plan on just buying a reman unit to put in.

NADA has it listed an average retail of 12,200 for where I live and 10,675 for low retail. Minus the known issues, this boat would definitely be low retail.

TIA

I have some pictures here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114579740097571480529/Boat

Re: sx19 buying advice
 

As the boat is only 4-5 yrs old at the most there is a good opportunity here. The cleaning of the inside is simply a matter of 'elbow grease'. Using a Mr Clean Magic eraser will do wonders for the vinyl interior and any small portable shampoo unit & spot treatment will get the carpet looking good again. My guess on the minor electrical problems will simply be a bad ground & likely just require a cleanup of the terminals. The hull exterior should clean up fine as there are many good oxidation removers on the market. Have a look thru our Maintenance forum to see what others who have done this recommend. Dont attempt to replace the marine 4.3 with an auto 4.3 unless maybe its just the block etc. All of the peripherals will need to be marinized units for safety. Car parts, sparks and gasoliine fumes in an enclosed bilge spell big trouble sooner or later. If you can handle the R&R of the engine/outdrive yourself then for the right price (ie not retail), you should do well with that boat.

Contributing members here get access to numerous manuals & guides that can help with this project. Click here to see what membership at the MOC provides.

Re: sx19 buying advice
 

No way would I give anywhere near $10,000 for the boat as stated. $2,000 maybe, but it needs a motor and lots of work. Just my 2 cents worth.

Re: sx19 buying advice
 

I'd think that drive could have some internal damage if the prop has been in that shape for long.

Re: sx19 buying advice
 

A boat with a bad engine should not be listed anywhere near retail value. If you're really sold on it, throw them an offer of $6500. You're going to drop at least $1-2k getting the engine back in order, and given the condition of the rest of the boat and the things you'd need to fix, I'm sure you'd be in a few thousand more. The thing you need to think about is if someone neglected the boat that much, there's usually more things wrong than just the ones you see on the surface. If you're up for the challenge, go for it, but don't pay anywhere near retail...

Re: sx19 buying advice
 

If 12k is your budget, you can find a well maintained Mariah. Maybe a little older but a fraction of the issues.

Only get it if it becomes too cheap to resist.