tournament v-18 1999 -- should i buy ??

[bob ondersma]

Hi guys

I ran across a 1999 tournament v-18 for sale, let me tell you what the gentleman told me , first of the overall condition is almost excellent , carpet super clean, hardly any scratches, tracker mercury 90hp, on back. He said he has had only few problems with the boat , one being is that it takes on a little water when the aerator is running , hmmmmm, that is what he is saying , he says only when its running , and needs to bilge out some water after a few hrs i guess of running the aerator, next he said that he had to have the bottom back outside stabilzer welded back on , i guess it fell off, but a tracker shop did do that and i cant even tell anything was different bout it , seems like it would had to take a pounding to make that comne off, its the back right side stake the shorter one, i think its for better running stabilation, he went on to talk about mercury engines and how he thought this engine seemed to smoke more than other engines in the past, hmmmmm, seriously though he said his brother was a mechanic and said it must be getting to much oil. the boat includes all the electronics, 2 fish finders, motor guide 56# , spare tire and cover , and also 2 butt pedistal seats, he was asking 8500 or b.0 , i talked him down to $8000 is this a good deal. I am concerned on all them issues and reading here on the transom being week on some v-18 models, this does seem to be a cheap price, the guy showed up with his wife and seems real honest and did say there really is no problems other that that aerator leak, motor he saays runs excellant. Would this be a good first boat, for me thanks guys ,

bob

 

[TrepMan]

Can't help you on the specifics of that year TV 18, others will I know. On the Aerator pump and water, is it the pump that fills the livewell or is there a seperate one to aerate it once it's full (like my PC 175)? Either way, from the sound of it their is probably a leak on the out side of the pump (maybe the hose came loose/cracked), which is why it only leaks when its running (pushing water from the outside into the livewell). If its in the bildge, that is easy to look at and fix, if its under the livewell/deck that might be tougher.



Good news on the motor if it's running a little extra oil over the years, that is better then running too much fuel, you probably want to change the plugs, and of course have a full inspection by a mechanic to ensure it's real in good shape.





Trep

 

[Michael Snow]

I wouldn't touch it personally, that's just too much for that boat.



Here's one I found on boat trader. http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/9/1/79050891.htm



It's a little more money, same motor, BUT a much better boat, IMHO. I'm going by brands, not particular boats. I'm in Texas, so I have NO vested interest in what you buy.



However, a buddy of mine just got a 2004 Lowe with a 115 yamaha carbed motor, leftover, for just over 14k. It's a 17' fish and ski model and man is it NICE. It's a big boat for 17'. WIDE, DEEP, etc.

 

[Don Wilhelm]

Bob, I wouldn't be too concerned with the water getting in while running the fill pump. It is probably just a cracked hose or fitting, but could potentially be the livewell itself (on some boats is a real job to replace). I would be concerned about excessive smoke. Overmixing a 2 stroke can cause carbon build up in the piston ring grooves, which often causes them to break. Damaged cylinders, broken pistons etc can result. A regular routine of de-carbonizing the engine will prevent this from happening, and I recommend you do de-carb if you buy the boat. I am assuming that this motor is oil injected, so I wonder if maybe the owner is mixing in the tank as well as running the injection. It is possible that the injection pump is over-oiling the motor, which is better than no oil at all. A timed test can be performed to determine if this is the case. My 94 115 and my 98 200 are oil injected. They do smoke a bit when first started, but after that there is very little noticable smoke while running. Personally, I do not prefer aluminum boats, for 2 reasons: 1. If you do hit something that pierces the hull, it takes a TIG welding machine and an experienced welder to make a good repair. 2. All riveted hulls that I have seen will eventually start leaking. The characterics of aluminum make it almost certain that it will leak in time. I am not familiar with the tv-18 hull, but it's hard to believe that something would fall off. Unless of course it was defective from the factory or had been subjected to a serious impact. He is not too far off on price, but you have to decide if the accessories and condition warrant it (retail prices vary depending on location. For comparison I am asking $6500 for my 94 180tf in IN).

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

My boat gets water when the livewell pump is running also, never thought too much about it, I just let the bilge pump take care of it. It's either one of 2 things, I have a leak somewhere is the hoses or the water leaks out of the top of the livewell when full. It's always done it...



The transom problem was for the years 99 - 00, I have a 2000 and have had no problems in 5 years. The transom was too weak for the rated 150 XR6, that's all....



As far as price, when I went to trade mine in with an 01 90 Merc, they offered me $7500 (wholesale price). If you can talk the guy down to that, I think you did good.



Ask him about the trailer as well, see if the wheel bearings have been packed or changed recently, and look for dry rot on the tires if they aren't new.