New member who wants some advice

[SupaZilla]

I am looking at buying a 2013 Yamaha SX190 in the Atlanta area. It has been kept in the water for 5 or 6 months out of the year, then garaged the rest. Does keeping the boat in the water reduce the life of the gel coat? It has about 150 hrs. on it and I have the price down to $14,000. Any advice or things I should look for?

 

[Thermobrett]

I wouldn’t think the gel coat would be compromised because the boat sat in the water. Up in Ohio, we kept our charter boats in the water from dock in in April to dock to out in November, sometime shoveling snow out of the back. There are plenty of good waxes and gel coat restores out there. Have you put eyes on the boat, what color? Darker colors will fade, but as long as the boat sees even light you really won’t be able to tell a difference. My uncle works for marine max in Ohio, and said people try to warranty the gel coat because on side of the boat is lighter than the other on the blue hulls of big sea rays, but it’s because they never take them off the dock.

 

[Julian]

I am looking at buying a 2013 Yamaha SX190 in the Atlanta area. It has been kept in the water for 5 or 6 months out of the year, then garaged the rest. Does keeping the boat in the water reduce the life of the gel coat? It has about 150 hrs. on it and I have the price down to $14,000. Any advice or things I should look for?

I would be less worried about the gelcoat, and more worried about the state of the jet pumps. If cared for well, they should be fine, but I'd be looking very closely for pitting and corrosion. The state of the anodes would be an indicator of if they maintained it well....if they have lost a ton, and look like they've never been replaced....that would concern me. I'd have a marine mechanic look at the engine anodes (in the block) as well, and of course do a compression test and check the complete drive train for leaks etc.

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

In this day IMHO that is a great price to land a Yammie. Test drive is a must and make sure you get the opportunity to hit full throttle and note what it is. As stated above by Julian the metal parts of the jet pump are subject to pitting, scale etc. Not a big deal most of the times but can be an indication for further investigations. Besides eye balling the engine from the engine compartment maybe bring some hand tools and open that rear deck plate and get a good look into the bilge area. Lots of little nastiness can hide down deep in there. Good Luck !

 

[212s]

I am looking at buying a 2013 Yamaha SX190 in the Atlanta area. It has been kept in the water for 5 or 6 months out of the year, then garaged the rest. Does keeping the boat in the water reduce the life of the gel coat? It has about 150 hrs. on it and I have the price down to $14,000. Any advice or things I should look for?

Have a marine surveyor or very experienced boater inspect the boat with you...a nine year old boat with only 150 hours leads me to think it sat unused in the slip most of the time. 150hrs / 9 = 16.7 hours a year which is what we do in a month up here in Canada where our boating season is only 6 months. As mentioned, the anodes and condition of the jetpumps will help show how well it was maintained. Also the bottom and general hull/deck condition, as well as overall cleanliness.