Need opinions on (another) possible boat purchase!!

[Chad Justice]

Ok guys, tell me what you think about this.... It's a '92 model 15.5' Astro bassboat, silver & navy blue metalflake, w/ a 70HP Force (by Mercury, not 'Crapsler'). I haven't actually seen this boat up close yet, but my dad looked at it for me, and got some good info. The motor has had a compression check recently, and the compression is good.. My dad talked to the mechanic that did it, and the mechanic is a friend of his. It is supposed to start and run good, which I will verify by taking it out before I even think about buying. My dad said the interior is "impressive" for a 10 year old boat. No rips, frays, stains, etc in the carpet.. A good pressure washing wouldn't hurt, no doubt. He also said that all the vinyl looks "awesome, like new." It has a Motorguide 30# thrust trolling motor. The bottomside of the hull doesn't look bad at all, like it's either a) not been beaten to death and run up on the bank and stuff, or b) not been used very much. The fiberglass on the sides is hazy and oxidized some.. The prop is stainless, and is in good shape. The guy was asking $4k, but dropped to $3800 when my dad talked to him. Dad said he kinda got the impression that he might go $3600 if you laid it in his hands.. The seller is actually a good friend of my dad's, and I don't think he'd knowingly sell him (or, subsequently, me) a piece of trash. He doesn't use it as much as he thought he would, so he's selling it to buy a 4-wheeler. Like he'll use THAT! LOL!



A side note.. Not that it matters TOO much, but like I said, the sides of the boat are a little hazy like it's oxidized pretty bad.. He said the fiberglass around the interior looks good, though, so I'm guessing it is used to sleeping outside with a cover.. Do you guys think the haze/oxidation can be buffed out w/ some good polishing compound and an orbital buffer, or is it a permanant fixture?



Fire away guys, what do you think?? I know it's not a Nitro, but I'm on a budget here!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Short boat. VERY short boat. You're going to get beaten to death in any kind of wake or waves. It's definitely not a big water boat. What's the beam measurement?



But, if you can live with the length and it is in as good a condition as you say it is, it is probably worth the money.



The oxidation can probably be buffed out. Try and work him down to $3400 and put the extra cash to work with a more powerful trolling motor.

 

[Ken Neeley]

VERY SHORT.....keep looking.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Also: Very short. But if you're not going to try to run smaller waters - it may be OK for you.



Nothing wrong with a Force.



Sides won't buff. Live with it if you buy it.



me!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Yes short boat, and I have to disagree with Scott. I had the last Tracker Force/Merc hybrid before Merc cancelled the line and it was junk. Blew a gasket with less than 100 hours on it, naturally 1 month after warranty was up. Also, I believe force rated their HP at the head while most outboards are at the prop making for a 30%+ deviation. A 40hp Merc would run away from a 40 HP force on the same boat. Just my .02 If it were me, I'd take the $3600 and look into a good used glass 18 footer with a 150. You can get some late models for around $6k, and there is a HUGE difference going from 15-18'. Good luck.

 

[Rich Stern]

I kinda like the Merc/Force motors. Real simple. Idle pretty good, since they aren't loop charged. Not much to go wrong with them (except gaskets, I guess). But 15.5' is a small boat. I would keep looking. For the same money, I'b be tempted to find a 17' used aluminum rig.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Rob -



You forgot to tell him about the great deal you got on a used 18-footer with a 150 for six bills.....



Oh, yeah..... And about the additional six bills you've put into it since and still don't have a boat.....

 

[Chad Justice]

WOW! Man those are some differing opinions! LOL!



As far as the boat being really short, I know it is.. That's actually one of the reasons I'm considering it! Go figure! See, I drive a short bed, regular cab Tacoma w/ a 2.7L 4cyl.. At least it's a 5 speed 4X4, though. I wouldn't feel comfortable getting a fiberglass boat much past 17', to be honest, and it'd have to have a medium/small motor if I went that big... I looked at an '85 model 18' Stratos w/ a 150HP Mariner, but I was pretty well convinced that my poor little truck would balk at it! Besides, most of the places it would run would be small to moderate lakes.. The biggest water it would ever see would be Norris lake in Tennessee, maybe 3-4 times a year. The rest would be lakes no longer than 25 miles. It would probably be in the Kentucky river at times, and MAYBE even Elkhorn creek (GOOD smallmouth fishing!). BTW, to answer someones question, I think the beam is around 6'.



A couple of you have expressed a fair amount of distrust for Force motors, but probably the same amount of said they're OK... Someone did mention the word 'simple' too, and that's like music to my ears!! Simple=Good in my book!



OK, now a few questions/comments to individual people...



TEE -- Did you have a bad experience with a Force?? Why 'watch-out'?



MO & SCOTT -- You guys cancelled each other out on the 'buffing' question.. Do you guys have examples that might help??



RICH -- For the same money, I almost DID buy a '93 model Tracker Pro-17 w/ a 40HP Evinrude! LOL! It didn't run right on the test ride, though... If I could find another 17' aluminum rig that I liked, I'd probably have a tough decision to make. Thing is, the more consideration I give it, the more pros and cons with both glass and aluminum I think of, so I think I'd be equally happy with either. Likewise, I'd be equally not-so-happy with aspects of either, as well. It's a trade-off, I guess. If it came down to a decision between the two, I'd probably make my wife decide.. That way, I could blame it on her when I decided the OTHER one would have been better!

 

[Mark Hofman]

I'll defer to Scott. He's got more experience with 'glass boats than I do. (My thought was that if the oxidation is in the gel coat, like clear coat on a car, I would think that you could buff it back up to a gloss. But, if it's in the underlying paint, you're not going to be able to do anything about it.)

 

[Staci Matheis]

MO & C -



Gelcoat and clearcoat are two entirely different animals. I'm not all that experienced, but from the little experience I did have on my '95 Nitro, I can tell you that gel is a pain to work with.....



Who cares anyway! It's a 10 year old boat for under 4 grand! If you want sparkley sparkles and a smoo-o-o-oth ride, buy a 20 footer for 10 times the bux!



And I'd bet that Dad's friend would be more than happy to take C fishin' outta the boat first on any kinda water he wants to get the feel of it!



Just get a mouth guard for your teeth and a hemroid cushion for your butt!



me!



BTW, my first boat was a 20 year old Monark fiberglass bass boat that I got for $1,000 - faded paint, aluminum reinforced transom and all! Drove it for 6 months with the bilge running most of the time! It gave me a chance to find out what I really liked in a boat - then I bought the new Nitro!

 

[Staci Matheis]

Forgot - it was a 15 footer!

 

[Jamey G]

Yeah....short boat man....too short. If thats your budget, then look for boats from $6000 dollars and below. In the spring I found an Astro with a rebuilt Merc 200 and a whole bunch of goodies. He came down to 5 grand pretty fast. I wan't so sure I wanted to drive to VA just to see it. He calls me up a month later (after I spent the money) and says he'll take 4 for it! I wish I would have held out and not spent that money...I would have had a 70+ MPH boat!



Jamey

 

[Chad Justice]

SCOTT -- I'll definitely take a ride on it before buying.. Maybe I'll try to find some headgear like they used in 'Celebrity Boxing' (you KNOW you watched it!! LOL!)



JAMEY -- I'm thinking there might be a reason he came down to 5K and still couldn't sell it in a month's time... Ya never know, he might still have it.. Yikes!



ALL -- Like I said, I'll definitely take a ride in it before proceeding.. I'd say it's about as big as I can haul, so if it beats me to death it might spell the end of my consideration for fiberglass boats PERIOD! : Keep the thoughts/opinions coming, nonetheless!! Heck, I wanna hear some more gelcoat-haze horror stories! LOL!

 

[Adam Murray]

Gelcoat haze isn't really that big of a deal...can usually be wet-sanded out (if not buffed). Under the gelcoat, however, is another story.



Voids in the fiberglass are even worse...ask me why I haven't had a boat for almost a month!



It sounds like you're pretty fired up for a boat...I can't blame you! Bought my first boat when I was in high school. Probably more excited than when I got my first car (or did something else for the first time!)



That first boat was a POS, though. Not a good value at all and cost me more to repair than originally paid for. Don't get in too much of a hurry. Eventually, the right one will come along (you'll know it when it does...kinda like a girl or a house).



Highly recommend waiting until fall/winter to purchase. Folks are a little more motivated to spin off something not being used as much. Good luck!

 

[Staci Matheis]

You got me, C..... Yeah, I watched Celebrity Boxing..... I'm so-o-o-o ashamed of myself.....



Great comparison, Adam..... EXCEPT..... You and I are both divorced.....



:^)

me!

 

[Staci Matheis]

And even though no one asked..... Here it is, my first boat..... Right in front of the dumpster!



And I will confess..... As I sit here now, boatless, I wish I had her back.

 

[David Munaretto]

Too small, too bumpy, and too slow-- and its not a nitro!



d

 

[TrepMan]

Scott - That is actualy a NICE BIG rig for your first boat. Heck mine was a 10ft inflatable with oars! Then the 12ft 30 yearold semi V that lasted 6 months before splitting down the center, then the 14ft Jon boat that lasted 8 years till I got the Tracker and i'll bet is still running strong!



What brand was that Scott and how big is that OB?

 

[Staci Matheis]

1973 Monark with a 1973 Evinrude 70 hp.



Bought it the 2nd weekend after Labor Day in 1995. Paid $1,000. Sold it February 1996 for $1,500. All I ever did to the boat was replace that funky, permenantly mounted pedestal up front with a pole. Never had to touch the motor. Did replace the bearings and tires on the trailer.



Ran it out on the Mississippi AND in salt water down in Florida! It would beat the livin' daylights outta you in rough water and wet you down good..... But it got me where I wanted to go!



me!



(And it caught fish as well as any Nitro, Ranger or Allison!)