Would you buy a boat that has sat in salt water for a year?

[captainstu]

As the title says, I want to get your thoughts on if it makes sense to buy a boat that has been sitting in salt water for a year. It's a 2022 AR250 and the owner doesnt have a lift or trailer so he just left it in the water.

I feel like I should let this one go but curious to hear what the community thinks.

 

[Dave burke]

Strange. These boats come with trailers so what happened to it?

My reaction is to be very careful but not to reject it out of hand. Is it a very good deal? If not, I would walk for sure but if it is, have it thoroughly inspected and see what the inspector says,

 

[Michal]

@captainstu, I would definitely get it checked out and see if it has been maintained properly. Inspection is a must. I would not trust any boat sitting in salt water all year.

 

[captainstu]

Strange. These boats come with trailers so what happened to it?

My reaction is to be very careful but not to reject it out of hand. Is it a very good deal? If not, I would walk for sure but if it is, have it thoroughly inspected and see what the inspector says,

I'm guessing he got rid of it since he has a slip at his house. His lowest price is $65k. I think its an ok deal.

 

[captainstu]

@captainstu, I would definitely get it checked out and see if it has been maintained property. Inspection is a must. I would not trust any boat sitting in salt water all year.

This is super helpful. Thanks Michal!

 

[Marvin willis]

Hell no. Run

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Actually sitting in the salt water for a year? Nope! Unless the price is an absolute steal....hard pass on this one.

Was it's bottom painted? If not, the hull must be loaded with barnacles and grass.

 

[captainstu]

Actually sitting in the salt water for a year? Nope! Unless the price is an absolute steal....hard pass on this one.

Was it's bottom painted? If not, the hull must be loaded with barnacles and grass.

Just asked, they said no, it's not bottom painted

 

[adrianp89]

As someone who runs a lot in salt (100s of hours a year).... and I keep my boats on the trailer... RUN.

I would run away from this boat. Unless its like 15-20k under value... RUN. Bottom of boat will need money for detail. You need money for trailer. Probably needs new anodes. I'd have concerns on steering cables. Realistically you need to inspect all of the passages. I left one of my boats in salt for 10 days and it was already building corrosion and barnacles. A year... screw that.

Also ask him how he flushed his motors. I highly doubt he installed valves. Makes me wonder if its even been flushed. I have concerns about anyone that leaves a boat to sit in salt water....makes me think they don't care about anything else.

 

[captainstu]

As someone who runs a lot in salt (100s of hours a year).... and I keep my boats on the trailer... RUN.

I would run away from this boat. Unless its like 15-20k under value... RUN. Bottom of boat will need money for detail. You need money for trailer. Probably needs new anodes. I'd have concerns on steering cables. Realistically you need to inspect all of the passages. I left one of my boats in salt for 10 days and it was already building corrosion and barnacles. A year... screw that.

Also ask him how he flushed his motors. I highly doubt he installed valves. Makes me wonder if its even been flushed. I have concerns about anyone that leaves a boat to sit in salt water....makes me think they don't care about anything else.

At $65k I don't think it's particularly a steal. I get the feeling that he didn't care about it. The broker said he bought it for his kids or to use with his kids (can't remember) but they never really used it. They said the engines only have 14 hours. The boat is docked in an upscale area on the water. It sounds like it was just a toy that the owner didn't have the passion/need to keep up with. I doubt the motors were ever flushed and i would be surprised if valves were installed.

 

[YoDaddy292]

65k is what it cost new. So after sitting in salt water for a year it didn’t lose any value at all? I think it’s salvageable but maybe after a 10k price drop.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Was the boat covered or did it sit out in the sun with the birds crapping on it?

Sounds like a guy with a lot of dough who just let sit, neglected it. I bet the batteries are dead. Who knows what condition of the engine bay is.

The only way this could happen would be for;
the owner to produce a trailer, the correct trailer.
the owner to have the boat thoroughly inspected by a Yamaha dealer of YOUR choice.

Once all that is done and the inevitable repairs are completed and the boat is thoroughly sea tested, it might be worth the $65K price tag.

Oh and you are still able to get the five year YES warranty.

Im inclined to go with what @adrianp89 said….

 

[captainstu]

Was the boat covered or did it sit out in the sun with the birds crapping on it?

Sounds like a guy with a lot of dough who just let sit, neglected it. I bet the batteries are dead. Who knows what condition of the engine bay is.

The only way this could happen would be for;
the owner to produce a trailer, the correct trailer.
the owner to have the boat thoroughly inspected by a Yamaha dealer of YOUR choice.

Once all that is done and the inevitable repairs are completed and the boat is thoroughly sea tested, it might be worth the $65K price tag.

Oh and you are still able to get the five year YES warranty.

Im inclined to go with what @adrianp89 said….

Thanks for chiming in. The broker said they will allow me to do a sea trial and haulout for inspection. That would be on my dime and only after putting down a deposit. I haven't seen the paperwork yet but the deposit would be refundable pending those two things.

I highly doubt they will go down much lower on the price so this is looking like a no go. I will voice my concerns and see what they say tomorrow.

 

[Sotally Tober]

Run.... The fact that the previous owner let the boat sit in Salt for a year speaks volumes about how much he DID NOT care for the boat or flat out did not know what he was doing. There will be other opportunities to buy a boat from an owner that actually loved and cared for their Yamaha.

 

[TommyMcK]

I can tend to be a contrarian, but in my experience, these boats don't implode after a season or two sitting in less than optimal conditions. The hull will likely be scuzzy, which will need to be factored in (likely solvable though). And the boat has 14 hours on it. Other than not storing it in good conditions, it's not like there are 15 different maintenance intervals that the guy could have ignored. I kept my 2004 AR230 on a lift in the lower Chesapeake for years and there are a bunch of seasons where it was ridden hard and put away wet. That thing was still hitting 52mph decades later and never gave me a problem. This boat probably will have some cosmetic issues based on the description and if the price isn't right, why consider it. But at the right price it could be fine.

 

[captainstu]

I can tend to be a contrarian, but in my experience, these boats don't implode after a season or two sitting in less than optimal conditions. The hull will likely be scuzzy, which will need to be factored in (likely solvable though). And the boat has 14 hours on it. Other than not storing it in good conditions, it's not like there are 15 different maintenance intervals that the guy could have ignored. I kept my 2004 AR230 on a lift in the lower Chesapeake for years and there are a bunch of seasons where it was ridden hard and put away wet. That thing was still hitting 52mph decades later and never gave me a problem. This boat probably will have some cosmetic issues based on the description and if the price isn't right, why consider it. But at the right price it could be fine.

How much could I expect to pay to clean up the maintenance items like scuzzy bottom etc? What about internal corrosion? So far the consensus is that the price should be 10-15k off msrp. What would be a good price in your opinion?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks for chiming in. The broker said they will allow me to do a sea trial and haulout for inspection. That would be on my dime and only after putting down a deposit. I haven't seen the paperwork yet but the deposit would be refundable pending those two things.

I highly doubt they will go down much lower on the price so this is looking like a no go. I will voice my concerns and see what they say tomorrow.

There is the possibility it’s a Diamond in the rough….what about being covered?
If you do go down the deposit route, just make sure there is verbiage in the contract it’s your word on whether or not to proceed, AND the costs associated with the haul out and inspection is fully refundable.

let’s talk about the trailer for a second. That’s about a $6-$8 thousand dollar deal, so even if you did happen to move forward with this boat, the owner must provide the trailer the boat came with, not some cheapo one size fits all piece of shit. That trailer was part of the original $65K purchase price.

Now that I think about it, if you‘ve got $65K to spend on this boat, then I’d think you could spend roughly $5K more on a brand new one? Something to think about.

 

[captainstu]

There is the possibility it’s a Diamond in the rough….what about being covered?
If you do go down the deposit route, just make sure there is verbiage in the contract it’s your word on whether or not to proceed, AND the costs associated with the haul out and inspection is fully refundable.

let’s talk about the trailer for a second. That’s about a $6-$8 thousand dollar deal, so even if you did happen to move forward with this boat, the owner must provide the trailer the boat came with, not some cheapo one size fits all piece of shit. That trailer was part of the original $65K purchase price.

Now that I think about it, if you‘ve got $65K to spend on this boat, then I’d think you could spend roughly $5K more on a brand new one? Something to think about.

I'll ask if it was covered. I don't know. From the pics it seems to be in good cosmetic condition.

The $65k price is without a trailer. A trailer is not on the table. The original owner likely sold it, my plan was to pick it up and drive it down on the water to a nearby marina for dry in/out storage.

I would definitely prefer to spend the extra 5k for a new one but I don't see them in stock.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I'll ask if it was covered. I don't know. From the pics it seems to be in good cosmetic condition.

The $65k price is without a trailer. A trailer is not on the table. The original owner likely sold it, my plan was to pick it up and drive it down on the water to a nearby marina for dry in/out storage.

I would definitely prefer to spend the extra 5k for a new one but I don't see them in stock.

Then IMHO $65K is over priced by $6-$8K or whatever the cost of a trailer is. To me that would be the deal breaker everything else not with standing.

Seems like they’re playing poker with a pair of ducks, and are acting like they have a Royal flush.

 

[captainstu]

Then IMHO $65K is over priced by $6-$8K or whatever the cost of a trailer is. To me that would be the deal breaker everything else not with standing.

Seems like they’re playing poker with a pair of ducks, and are acting like they have a Royal flush.

Yeah I do get that feeling as well. I'm thinking it needs to be at least 60k to be considered.