Deciding on size

[swatski]

He seems to be real firm at $23k. Not sure he is going to budge much if any until at least a month has past.

I don't blame the seller.
Looking at all the clamps and seals in the pics, at 90hrs this boat is a rare find. Can you confirm the hours - is it an estimate or read by YDS?
I don't see a speck of corrosion in the engine bay - in the pics.
That black mold looks scary but it is a cosmetic issue, and wouldn't stop me as long as it does not affect vinyl seats and upholstery in a major way. There are very good mold cleaners, followed by generous application of 303 aerospace protectant great for plastic and rubber.

I would take it for a ride (for sure), and check if:

1. starts, engines run smooth (albeit keep in mind - those are stupid loud, normal)
2. the RPM at WOT should approach (or top) 10,000 RPM and the boat should run in the upper 40s mph (for top speed)
   
3. no excessive cavitation on hole shot (if in doubt - check the impellers/wear rings through the intakes and cleanout tubes - a phone camera may help)
   
4. little or no water in the bilge AFTER the test (some is okay) - take the transom plug out, make sure the bow is up (best done still on the ramp)
   
5. cleanout plugs should be easy to remove and reinstall
6. steering not too hard to turn (but keep in mind the cables may be due for replacement at that age)
7. plastic scupper outlet in the transom - if not replaced with SS - make sure it's not falling apart or coming loose (those can dry-rot and fall apart - can sink the boat)

Those would be the basics checks, there are better more complete check lists in the FAQs, but these are the things I would not want to overlook.

--

 

[bronze_10]

That 230 is at the marina on falls lake according to the add. @Julian keeps his boat there as well. He may be familiar with this boat.

 

[zipper]

We love our 07AR230. Very low maintenance costs yearly, but if you want to spend mod $$, you have come to the right place. We will have you spending thousands before you know what hit you. I know from personal experience. In 2016, we paid 23k for boat and galv. trailer. We have since added everything in my signature below. Having a lot of fun with this B.O.A.T. Breaking Out Another Thousand is easier when it goes toward mods and not yearly maintenance. Looks like a nice find.

 

[Julian]

That 230 is at the marina on falls lake according to the add. @Julian keeps his boat there as well. He may be familiar with this boat.

I have seen this boat, but never seen it on the water or occupied! Which explains why it only has 89 hours on it!!! Happy to take it out for a test drive with you if you are interested....there are lots of us in the area that can assist with this too. I'm currently on the other side of the world in India....but will be back on Wed (functional again by the weekend).

 

[Beachbummer]

That is a great deal.I paid 16K for my 08 SX. That was a great deal too. Add $2K for shot interior, $1.2K for trailer rusted to pieces $2K for tower are you are awfully close, and mine has a lot of rust in the engine clamps. That is a great value! If test drive is positive, do it! Looks well maintained and cared for.

 

[Matt Phillips]

This looks like a great boat. As others have said, there's some things you'll want to look over due to her age (scupper replacement, a good cleaning, the bow eye, etc.). With that MFI trailer, I'd also spend some time to go through the brakes, flush the brake fluid, repack the wheel bearings and so forth. Again, not hard to do and with any boat more than a couple years old, that's a standard maintenance item.

Don't be afraid of the "scupper" as there's great threads on here and it's a DIY project for sure.

As others have said (and I'll agree with based on my 2009 232 experience) those are great boats and engines. Although those MR1's are noisy, they are great and extremely dependable.

One thing I'd pay attention to on the water test is to see how he loads the boat. My first thought when I saw that bow eye loose was "has this guy been winching the boat onto the trailer?" If so, that may explain why the eye looks the way it does. If ya dig into the manual, Yamaha says to power load and then winch these boats up to the eye...don't just crank them.

 

[swatski]

I will just throw one more thing in here.
Storage - it's so much nicer to have covered storage, but you can use factory cover and double it up with a tarp and make do.
Towing - this is a biggie. If you already have a vehicle that can pull a 190 but is marginal for anything bigger this is a big decision. One possible solution I have used in the past is a rental - which works well if you just need to move the boat on occasion, not every outing. I have found that many larger U-Haul trucks have the towing attachments and can be rented daily for a fairly inexpensive price. While clumsy and total overkill for our yammies those are capable to tow any size boat, lol. You may get some looks at the ramp, but who cares.

--

 

[AboveTheBest]

From what I’ve been told, size isn’t as important as how you use it. The boat that is.

 

[djetok]

I would delete that ad if you are serious about it. You wouldn' want someone else finding it here. People will drive to get these boats.

 

[buckbuck]

Jump on it!
The only problem you are going to have with that boat is when you trailer and the white stripes painted on the road reflect off the shiney hull. It is like a strobe light in the mirror. It's a good problem.

 

[Shiver]

We love our 07AR230. Very low maintenance costs yearly, but if you want to spend mod $$, you have come to the right place. We will have you spending thousands before you know what hit you. I know from personal experience. In 2016, we paid 23k for boat and galv. trailer. We have since added everything in my signature below. Having a lot of fun with this B.O.A.T. Breaking Out Another Thousand is easier when it goes toward mods and not yearly maintenance. Looks like a nice find.

Eventually, looking to get the boat first before the mods lol

 

[Shiver]

I will just throw one more thing in here.
Storage - it's so much nicer to have covered storage, but you can use factory cover and double it up with a tarp and make do.
Towing - this is a biggie. If you already have a vehicle that can pull a 190 but is marginal for anything bigger this is a big decision. One possible solution I have used in the past is a rental - which works well if you just need to move the boat on occasion, not every outing. I have found that many larger U-Haul trucks have the towing attachments and can be rented daily for a fairly inexpensive price. While clumsy and total overkill for our yammies those are capable to tow any size boat, lol. You may get some looks at the ramp, but who cares.

--

I would keep it in a storage and I already have a tow vehicle that should work. 14 Ford Raptor.

 

[swatski]

I would keep it in a storage and I already have a tow vehicle that should work. 14 Ford Raptor.

My bad. lol. There was someone else asking and they have a nice new Explorer.
No disrespect intended, lol!!!

--

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

My bad. lol. There was someone else asking and they have a nice new Explorer.
No disrespect intended, lol!!!

--

Dude - the picture in your signature is taking up half my screen lol.

 

[swatski]

Dude - the picture in your signature is taking up half my screen lol.

Thanks! I never mess with those things, will fix it NOW.

I hate when people do that, lol.

EDIT: fixed it, I think. Thank you!

--