Anybody in Tampa willing to take a look at a used SX230HO with me?

[svana]

Hi everyone, as the title states, I'm going to potentially look at a used SX230 in the Tampa area. This is going to be my first jet boat purchase (actually, first boat of any kind) and I was wondering if anybody in the area would be willing to come check it out with me since you all know much more than I on what to look for. I've got the "what to look for when buying" checklist in hand, but a second (more experienced) set of eyes would definitely make me feel a little better. Happy to bring a case of beer, lunch, etc.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[bobbie]

@svana you might want to take a look at the member map and send some private messages to those members. Just a thought.

 

[haknslash]

Yup what @bobbie said would probably be your best bet.

Quite a few members in that area. Here's the link to the member map https://jetboaters.net/membersmap/

 

[tdonoughue]

I'm too much in Texas to help right now... But I can add a reply, keep the thread alive, and give you one more count so more people look at this!

<sly evil grin>

 

[ralphsmithiii]

Where abouts in Tampa and when?

 

[svana]

Where abouts in Tampa and when?

It’s off of Memorial on a dock, so it sounds like the Town N Country area. Our preliminary discussions are for this weekend but didn’t nail down a time - wanted to see if/when anyone was available first.

 

[svana]

@svana you might want to take a look at the member map and send some private messages to those members. Just a thought.

Yup what @bobbie said would probably be your best bet.

Quite a few members in that area.

Thanks guys, hadn’t stumbled across that function yet, pretty nifty. But damn if there aren’t a whole lot of us here lol, it’s like drinking out of a fire hose.

 

[ralphsmithiii]

I live nearby Town N Country in the Westchase area. If I can be of help let me know, just need a little bit of notice and I should be able to help out. I'm not an expert on these boats having only owned our AR240 for a little over a year but I've done the majority of the work on mine and if nothing else, could be a 2nd set of eyes =).

 

[mark_m]

Hi everyone, as the title states, I'm going to potentially look at a used SX230 in the Tampa area. This is going to be my first jet boat purchase (actually, first boat of any kind) and I was wondering if anybody in the area would be willing to come check it out with me since you all know much more than I on what to look for. I've got the "what to look for when buying" checklist in hand, but a second (more experienced) set of eyes would definitely make me feel a little better. Happy to bring a case of beer, lunch, etc.

Thanks,
Sam

What year is the SX230? Do you have a link that you can share so the folks that are remote could chip in too?

 

[svana]

I live nearby Town N Country in the Westchase area. If I can be of help let me know, just need a little bit of notice and I should be able to help out. I'm not an expert on these boats having only owned our AR240 for a little over a year but I've done the majority of the work on mine and if nothing else, could be a 2nd set of eyes =).

Thanks Ralph, I'll shoot you a PM.

 

[svana]

@mark_m Sure, here are the photos. A few points/notes:
2008 SX230HO
98 hours (this is pretty good I believe for a boat this age - very interesting that it's got an hour meter on it, not usual for these boats - could it be falsified?)
Has dual batteries
Has Thrust Vector XL's (but no lateral vectors it looks like?)
No toilet/shower (a must for the second mate)
Has snap on cover, complete boat cover and carpet (no seadek - a must for me)

From the photos the boat looks to be in ok shape, upholstery seems nice, engine bay seems clean, but some fading along the decals which is a bummer and the storage/bathroom door looks discolored which is also a bummer.

 

[Julian]

@mark_m Sure, here are the photos. A few points/notes:
2008 SX230HO
98 hours (this is pretty good I believe for a boat this age - very interesting that it's got an hour meter on it, not usual for these boats - could it be falsified?)
Has dual batteries
Has Thrust Vector XL's (but no lateral vectors it looks like?)
No toilet/shower (a must for the second mate)
Has snap on cover, complete boat cover and carpet (no seadek - a must for me)

From the photos the boat looks to be in ok shape, upholstery seems nice, engine bay seems clean, but some fading along the decals which is a bummer and the storage/bathroom door looks discolored which is also a bummer.

View attachment 109928View attachment 109929View attachment 109930View attachment 109931View attachment 109932View attachment 109933View attachment 109934View attachment 109935

If you can find someone with the [HASH=645]#YDS[/HASH] software and cable you could read the actual hours off the engine vs the aftermarket meter that could have been installed at any time.

Is that standing water in the engine compartment? Not a big deal, and is perhaps there as he doesn't pull the plug often enough on the lift, but I'd expect the bilge to lower that level (perhaps the bilge isn't working?).

Otherwise, for a 9 year old boat it looks in decent shape. My brother & father live in Tampa, so I'm there every 2-3 months so I'll keep an eye on this thread. Will be there in March for St. Patricks day for sure!

 

[mark_m]

Good looking 2008 you got there! Look to see if they put in a stainless steel scupper. If they did, it’s a good sign.

What kind of price is he offering for it?

Edit: find out if it was used in salt water and if so, did it get flushed after each use?

 

[svana]

Good looking 2008 you got there! Look to see if they put in a stainless steel scupper. If they did, it’s a good sign.

What kind of price is he offering for it?

Edit: find out if it was used in salt water and if so, did it get flushed after each use?

Thanks, asking $14k. It's here in Tampa, so I'm pretty sure it was a salt water boat. The scupper's on the list.

 

[Brad_Ct]

I’m wondering if the hour meters were installed as a option since my 2006 SX230 has the same one.

 

[mark_m]

Thanks, asking $14k. It's here in Tampa, so I'm pretty sure it was a salt water boat. The scupper's on the list.

Refreshingly, it seems fairly priced! See if the current owner talks about frequency of oil changes and spark plugs.

The platform and the MR-1 engines are fairly bulletproof. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[svana]

I’m wondering if the hour meters were installed as a option since my 2006 SX230 has the same one.

I'm not sure - it doesn't look like any hour meter I've come across. Can the reading be "faked" ie. showing 92 when in reality it has 250 or something?

Refreshingly, it seems fairly priced! See if the current owner talks about frequency of oil changes and spark plugs.

The platform and the MR-1 engines are fairly bulletproof. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks, gonna go see it on Saturday. Hopefully he's got some kind of maintenance record.

 

[Brad_Ct]

I don’t think they can be turned back but the issue is that you don’t know when they were installed or if they have failed and stopped running

 

[mark_m]

I don’t think they can be turned back but the issue is that you don’t know when they were installed or if they have failed and stopped running

YDS and a quick bump of the switches will give you the complete 411 of the hours, time at each range of the rpms, diagnostics and the like. It would be interesting to see the output. Such low hours are not unheard of.

A friend bought an 06 SX210 in Michigan with I think around 40 hours on the engines in 2018. He had no idea about the hours when he bought it, but he was really pumped about the deal he made when the boat had such little use.

You never know... people get busy or kids or spouse lose interest, etc

 

[svana]

YDS and a quick bump of the switches will give you the complete 411 of the hours, time at each range of the rpms, diagnostics and the like. It would be interesting to see the output. Such low hours are not unheard of.

A friend bought an 06 SX210 in Michigan with I think around 40 hours on the engines in 2018. He had no idea about the hours when he bought it, but he was really pumped about the deal he made when the boat had such little use.

You never know... people get busy or kids or spouse lose interest, etc

Unfortunately I don't have access to the YDS cable or software and wouldn't be able to get it by Saturday so I'm flying blind from that perspective.