Alll thoses people who told me that the last boat was too small ?

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Will I be able to get offshore more in this boat then the mayland one ?

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Its a better hull and as it is inboard/sterndrive it has more weight hence more stable and allround better at sea.

Trouble is you´ll need a bigger tow vehicle when you come to trail it - but no-one said this was easy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
But it's near the top of your budget and they say it's half price.
On the basis that the advertiser is not running a Deprived Mariners Charity it would seem that you need to spend some serious cash on it.

It's shown on a trailer, but no mention of a trailer in the description.
But what they do mention is "as seen" which means there is something murky for you to find. Money Pit are a couple of words that spring to mind.

Move on.
 
Theres an article in Aug MBM about buying a boat for effectively under 10k, makes for some interesting reading and a few hints/tips things to look for, assuming your a novice(?) it might be worth a look!

I'd agree that on the face of it the Fairline certainly appears a much better/bigger boat for your money, but certainly be cautious, it might not say its a dog but as mentioned by others there are a few words that don't inspire confidance!

Rememeber the engine is the key component, and if you had to re-engine this it would be mega ££££ in fact potentially the same price as the boat!!... possibly why its half price??

Can they send you more pictures before you travel miles?

Good luck with the search /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
As Chas says, do factor in cost of re-powering. The Mercruiser 470 is now a very old engine, and they have alot of problems which could cause trouble:

- Risers rot out, as per other merc and volvo engines
- Exhaust manifolds also rot out and are very expensive, if you can even get hold of them now.
-Watch out for overheating. The crap heat exchanger design is likely to have seen better days, and replacement would be uneconomic cost wise.
- The outboard style alternator on the front of the engine has minimal output, and often stop working. Conversion to belt driven conventional alternator is possible, but will cost you.
- Check over outdrive, make sure the lift and trim works.

its quite likely that the engine is past its best, unless its been well maintained and updated with new alternator. A well maintained one should last a fair bit longer, being a big lazy 4 cylinder lump, but it would need changing one day.

The boats themselves are great though. Quite capable for such a small boat, and suprisingly roomy inside.

Good luck. Alex
 
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