Buying my first bowrider

[mrlidders]

Hi Guys,

I live in sunny Malta and have now decided to invest in a smaller motorboat, 17-20feet, i am currently looking at bowriders in this size with decent amount of power, suitable shorter day trips, 4-6 people which can also be used for some fun with toys such as wakeboarding etc.

This will be my first boat which makes me green but very keen to learn and now looking for help and tips not to make any newbie mistake.

The offering is limited in Malta but I have found 1 item which really caught my interest,

Regal 1700 LSR (1997), Mercruiser 3.0L, 135hp, in bound petrol

It has been very well looked after, no damages/accidents, serviced every year, one owner, engine looks clean and in order, all original parts.

He is asking for €10300 including trailer, GPS, Soner, Fenders, Ropes etc. As this is a broker and will arrange insurance, guarantees on sale etc.


What can you tell me about this boat? Are they reliable? Is the age ok? Decent Price? Will it fit my need? Is it risky buying a petrol in-board engine? Is it a good engine? Anything to watch out for?

Appreciate all help.

Thanks

 

[gjgm]

Hi Guys,

I live in sunny Malta and have now decided to invest in a smaller motorboat, 17-20feet, i am currently looking at bowriders in this size with decent amount of power, suitable shorter day trips, 4-6 people which can also be used for some fun with toys such as wakeboarding etc.

This will be my first boat which makes me green but very keen to learn and now looking for help and tips not to make any newbie mistake.

The offering is limited in Malta but I have found 1 item which really caught my interest,

Regal 1700 LSR (1997), Mercruiser 3.0L, 135hp, in bound petrol

It has been very well looked after, no damages/accidents, serviced every year, one owner, engine looks clean and in order, all original parts.

He is asking for €10300 including trailer, GPS, Soner, Fenders, Ropes etc. As this is a broker and will arrange insurance, guarantees on sale etc.


What can you tell me about this boat? Are they reliable? Is the age ok? Decent Price? Will it fit my need? Is it risky buying a petrol in-board engine? Is it a good engine? Anything to watch out for?

Appreciate all help.

Thanks

Regal 17 might be the smallest boat they made, and at this size anything bigger will make a big difference-even another foot. Just check its hull length and not a bit of plastic stuck on the swim platform.
Regals are well made, but as with any sportsboat, look over it for cracking that might imply some hard use.
Carb engines are probably more trouble and more thirsty than fuel injection, and 3.0 l will use about 5 galls per hour- very very roughly. At 14 years old, all the risk is probably in the engine and outdrive (and so is ALL the value) not the hull, so I would get that very well checked out. Trailers can get very expensive as dunking them in sea water eats them and the brakes. A common problem is the cables seize in use and lock the brakes. Nothing much to do but annual servicing of the whole brake system and bearings.
3.0l will be fine on 17ft. I would want to see plenty of leg and engine service records, and speak to the engineer if possible.
So, it could be a very nice little package, but with any older boat, if it is a pup, you might not get a penny back on it. Cant comment on value in Malta.

So, Eur 9k is in the leg and engine, bit on the trailer and hull, zero in ropes fenders and electrics ! And the 18ft would be better.

 

[hlb]

With the amount of water Ive had over my fly bridge, I would not want a bow rider

 

[cadser]

Your in different league mate your in different league mate with a fly bridge.

On a more apt reply:


I am changing my bow rider for something with a closed bow. A bow rider in open sea is can be a bit scary if the weather changes from calm especially if you have a full load on board.

Open bows are really limited to flat calm seas.

 

[hlb]

Your in different league mate your in different league mate with a fly bridge.

On a more apt reply:


I am changing my bow rider for something with a closed bow. A bow rider in open sea is can be a bit scary if the weather changes from calm especially if you have a full load on board.

Open bows are really limited to flat calm seas.

Thought thats what I said.

 

[dingdongs]

your looking at a 14 year old boat with the smallest engine possible and no room in it.if your thinking of taking six adults out in it don't expect it to perform wonders as it won't.you always need at least three in if doing watersports.one at the helm,a lookout and one doing the activity.to pay that amount i would be expecting a two year old bayliner of the same size and engine.a 4.3 litre or 5 litre has more power for the watersports you may wish to do.
that engine is a good engine but to be sure i would like to have the compression test results and when last full engine and drive service was carried out.if it hasn't had one expect at least £500 off straight away. a set of fitted sunbrella covers will set you back a grand too if it doesn't have them as the interior soon dies if left in the sun.is there any yellowing of the hull as theres a days work.
if your happy to pay the price let him take you on the water without the engine being pre warmed first so you can view and drive it for yourself.
when satisfied pop the hood and watch out for anything that does not look correct.good luck in your sea trials.

 

[beejay190]

My first boat was a 18ft bowrider with a 4.3l six cylinder Mercruiser engine. If your budget can stretch to it go for a boat with the bigger engine - no substitute for power.
I went out in a mates boat with the 135hp four cylinder engine - it was noisy and rattled like hell.

Don't rush your search, take your time; let us know in due course what you buy and post some photos here.

Good luck.

 

[oGaryo]

on the other hand, the 4 cylinder inlines are a great engine to start out with for maintenance purposes, simple as they come and to be honest, with the right prop(s), I found that engine plenty powerful enough in my 17ft bowrider and the 19ft cuddy that replaced it. pretty economical too.

 

[landlockedpirate]

Regals are at the top end of American sportsboats, well made, with decent spec, but a 17ft bowrider would not be my 1st choice for use in the Med.

As you probably realise, the weather and sea condition can change quickly. You set off in the morning on a flat calm sea, spend the afternoon on the beach and find you are facing large swells to get back. Bowriders do provide lots of room for the money, but they ship too much water over the bow to be safe on the open sea in anything but calm conditions (IMHO).

The Mercruiser 3L and alpha drive are tried and tested, the cheapest inboard to run and service and have a decent power to weight ratio. As mentioned above it will be fine with a couple of people on board, but load it up and its going to struggle. As long as you dont want to be pulling heavy mono skiers it will be fine for most water sports.

As to value, I have no idea. I would guess the limited availability on a small island like Malta will dictate the price.

IMHO I would look for something with more protection, a cuddy would be great, but if thats above your budget look for a closed bow version of the same boat.

 

[gjgm]

I had a few bowriders, and the bigger they get, the better they are.Only once did I get water into the boat, and that was totally my fault, so I wouldnt worry too much about all those stories.
Only proviso is that you use the boat as it's build intended-messing about in local bays. If you want to venture miles offshore in variable weather, get something enclosed.

 

[Nautibusiness]

As explained by several on here, the difference every foot makes on small boats is HUGE.
17' to 18' will feel a world apart, so will 18' to 19' and so on.

The price is really rather high.
€10,000 is +/- £8,300.
Last year we sold several Maxum 1800SR3s in the 2004/2005 bracket for between £8,000 and £11,000. A considerably larger boat (if marginally poorer quality materials in the likes of the upholstery). One of those boats actually went to Malta and another to Croatia so it pays to look way beyond your home shores.

The exchange rate isn't quite as attractive to you as it was over the previous two years, but you will still find you get MUCH more boat by looking into the UK and considering shipping it down.

Our (and all powerboat brokers) bread and butter boats are smaller power boats like these and you'll always find a steady flow of small and midsized bow riders flowing through brokers books.
We are a very small company with two brokers selling about 100 used boats a year. There are LOTS of brokers across the UK with similar boats on display.
Do get a survey and if you cannot get across for the sea trial, make sure your surveyor goes on it for you. Do not use a surveyor recommended by the broker, always choose an independent one.

Widen your search!

Best of luck

Tom

 

[mrlidders]

Appreciate all your posts so far, very helpful.

First thing I will do is to pay another to the broker and have a look at all papers including service logs for the engine. I will also confirm whether i will get the sunbrella cover or not as this seems to be quite expensive, I do remember at least a bimini top came with the boat, but obviously need both.

I am also planning to look around a bit and will have a look at 18-19ft options as well to see the difference in size with my own eyes. Would really appreciate if you could help me with options I should check out that comes within €10-15K area.

Even though I am not 100% confident buying something from UK I will out of interest check the import tax as well and compare prices with UK. When importing a Car to malta they have redicioulus tax on top and you can easily count additional 30% on the original price excl. shipping, I would not be surprised if something similar goes for boats.

I will get some pictures up as soon as I can. Please continue to send your comments or suggestions of other options that I should look for!