Hi - looking at a 2008 232 Limited

[lenvo65]

Will be my first boat - any suggetions on what to look out for / ask, particular to this model?s

https://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/boa/d/yamaha-limited/6228830700.html

 

[apollo1302]

Awesome boat with low hours and at a great price. I say grab it. Just check the plastic scupper fitting

 

[Bruce]

The upholstery looks more worn than I would expect for the hours.

You need to test her in the water. The engines should spin up to 10,200 RPM which should be 45+ mph. The factory speedometer is inaccurate so take a cellphone with a GPS speed app or a portable GPS.

The price is good for the age and model. She does not appear to have had any upgrades so you will likely be upgrading lots of items or replacing them as the fail. The factory stereo is likely ready to go and the hydroteak on the swim deck is likely falling apart. I would guess that the sound insulation in the engine compartment is falling apart. The steering and shift cables are likely due for replacement.

It would be good to find someone with YDS cable and software to verify the engine hours. Those MR1s often run for thousands of hours without issue so higher hours than advertised is not a big issue.

With SeaDek, nice upholstery, an upgraded stereo, a plotter, LED lighting, etc I would value the boat around $25K. The advertised pricing seems like a deal if you want to enjoy her as is or choose your own upgrades.

 

[captainhook]

Agreed, the price looks very good. The swim deck appears to have aftermarket hydroteak as I see a symbol there that mine doesn't have. I would certainly verify the engine hours with YDS and a sea trial as mentioned above.

I have far fewer hours than that, but I wouldn't sell my boat for that price.

 

[Shuck Water]

I had a friend of mine looking for 2008 ar230 this spring and we couldn't find anything below $22,000 and the one that was $22k was in much worse condition. That's a deal.

 

[Beachbummer]

If it runs like it looks, it's an excellent deal. Trailer? (It's lack may be part of the source of the savings)

 

[lenvo65]

Looked the boat over, and engines running with water feed while up on the lift. Boat seems to run fine, owner says he does his own maintenance, mainly just oil changes and checked the plugs. From lift I can see it still had plastic scupper, I asked him about the stainless steel ones and he had not heard of that upgrade. Interior has some stains which I can live with, no tears. There were some repairs in the back where the Bimini stores when folded down.

Having a mechanic who specializes in jet powered boats (Joe at Jetmedx) check it out later this week. I plan to join him and take it out for sea trial if that all checks out.

If all goes well I will be the new owner and let the upgrades begin.

 

[OCMD]

You will find that with the outrageous prices Yamaha now charges (without the accompanying quality in the detail items) for the new models, the older models have held and/or increased in value over the past few years. No doubt in my mind, if I sold mine, I would get at least what I paid for it in 2013, if not a bit more. Good luck, you will love it.

 

[Ric97]

I'd also be worried about whether flushing the salt water from the engines was done regularly. It became a hassle for me, so I do it only a couple times a year...but I run in fresh (maybe slightly brackish) water. Good luck.

 

[itsdgm]

Make sure to check under the exhaust manifolds for signs of water leaks. The MR-1 engines have had rare occurances of a cracked block in that area. It should be easy to tell by checking for a dry engine bay (under engines between motor mounts) before and after a test run. Also by inspecting the block under the exhaust manifold for signs of corrosion. But like I said, it's rare, but could happen leading to an engine replacement. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[lenvo65]

Owner showed me how he runs the engines (each individually) with fresh water on the lift after each use until he has clear water coming out from the cooling water pilot holes for a few minutes. He has the set up right there on his dock so I think he did this regularly. There does not appear to be any meaningful corrosion in the engine bay.

 

[lenvo65]

Make sure to check under the exhaust manifolds for signs of water leaks. The MR-1 engines have had rare occurances of a cracked block in that area. It should be easy to tell by checking for a dry engine bay (under engines between motor mounts) before and after a test run. Also by inspecting the block under the exhaust manifold for signs of corrosion. But like I said, it's rare, but could happen leading to an engine replacement. Good luck, keep us posted.
View attachment 61334 View attachment 61335 View attachment 61336 View attachment 61337

Thanks itsdgm - is that last picture with the water droplets indicative of a problem?

 

[itsdgm]

Thanks itsdgm - is that last picture with the water droplets indicative of a problem?

Yes. Those droplets are leaking through the crack in the block.

 

[lenvo65]

First Boat Purchased Today!! 2008 232 Limited - 275 hours - mainly in salt water - I am third owner. I did have a jet ski specialist mechanic check it out, could be cleaner, but the mechanical stuff all looks good to go. 190 to 205 compression across all cylinders in the two HO engines. I can do the clean up and already have two yamaha oil change kits, an extractor and marine lube on the way to me. Given I am new to this sport and wife and 17 yo daughter also want to Pilot, I plan to order cobra jet steering and fangs. I have been fairly active on forums of my other motor vehicles and also happy to benefit from the vast knowledge of the crowd.

A couple of pictures from today when we got it home. Boat safety course this Saturday, and if weather is good Sunday, looking for my maiden voyage out of Harvey Cedars boat ramp into the Barnegat bay.

Len

 

[itsdgm]

Congrats @lenvo65 happy boating.

 

[bronze_10]

congrats... when we bought our boat it had sat on an indoor storage rack for 7 years. it was dirty and infested with little ants... but cleaning and crawling through the new boat was fun... a lot of work but still fun.!!! enjoy it... these are great boats.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to officially have you part of the club! be sure to check out the FAQ tab at the top of the page for lot's of great tips, especially the video about how your cooling water flows

It may be worth it to buy a YDS unit to read your engines
consider some type of locks for your cleanout plugs
take a look at your scupper valve to make sure it's not cracked
be careful changing the #3 spark, it can be seized and some have broken it trying to remove,

make your first trip out on a calm day without a lot of other traffic, lot's can go wrong while your learning, have patience and expect to get a few dings on the boat

 

[lenvo65]

glad to officially have you part of the club! be sure to check out the FAQ tab at the top of the page for lot's of great tips, especially the video about how your cooling water flows

It may be worth it to buy a YDS unit to read your engines
consider some type of locks for your cleanout plugs
take a look at your scupper valve to make sure it's not cracked
be careful changing the #3 spark, it can be seized and some have broken it trying to remove,

make your first trip out on a calm day without a lot of other traffic, lot's can go wrong while your learning, have patience and expect to get a few dings on the boat

Scott

Thanks for the tips, scupper is relatively new, prior owner changed it about 2 years ago, BUT put the stock plastic one back in. The mechanic who checked the boat pulled all the plugs to do the compression test so I know none of them Are seized. Plan to go out early for my first day, to hopefully avoid the crowds.

And bumps, exactly why I am starting with a used boat, hopefully nothing big happens.

 

[Foot55]

@lenvo65

Congrats! We are right there with you as 2 weeks ago we got our used 2008 232 Limited. Already installed the EZ locks, plan on doing scupper valve next week, and we are good to go.
Great choice, happy boating!