Would you buy this boat?

[MrThePlague]

I’m currently looking at a 2018 212 Limited S. It only has 50 hours but all of it is salt water use. The guy that is selling it is the second owner and has had it less than a year. He’s only put a handful of hours on it. When he took it to a dealership for the 50 hour service they said the anodes were popping out but that it didn’t need to be addressed yet.

He had someone else look at it and they recommended taking the heads off and inspecting further. Upon further inspection he found calcification in the water jackets and water in the oil. The mechanic believes the water in the oil is the result of a single occurrence of flushing the engines without them running. It also sounds like it had very limited, if any, run time between that flush and the work that he performed.

He did an oil change and put in new plugs. He took the top end off of both engines. He then cleaned a lot of calcification out of the jackets and replaced the anodes. He sent me three photos taken while he was working on it. He said he believed the water infiltration was a result of being improperly flushed and that he doesn’t think there’s a further issue. He said that both engines are now running well and that there doesn’t appear to be any damage as a result of the water.

If I do purchase I plan on doing at least another oil change or two in the next few hours. I also plan on doing a survey and sea trial before I purchase. The only other issue I’m aware of is that the plug for the starboard clean out port is stuck in place. Everything else looks to be in good shape.

Would y’all consider buying this one or would y'all keep looking? If you were still considering it, what would you inspect prior to purchasing? Also, what do you think the boat is worth given its history?

I’ve attached the photos the mechanic sent me. In one of the pictures you can see the tops of two pistons. The pistons seem to have some variation in the way the carbon has built up. I’m not very familiar with these engines and I’m not sure if this is normal wear or if it’s indicative something troubling.

Thanks in advance for any help. I’m looking forward to owning one of these boats and becoming part of this community.

P.S. I apologize if this isn’t in the right section. I’ve searched but couldn’t find information fitting these exact circumstances.

 

[Beachbummer]

Water in the oil will repeat quickly if it's something broke. Change the oil to where there's no water residue and drive hard for an hour or two.... How's the oil looking? And compression test the engines.

If clean oil and good compression, and otherwise good performance, for the right price I might consider it.

 

[MrThePlague]

Water in the oil will repeat quickly if it's something broke. Change the oil to where there's no water residue and drive hard for an hour or two.... How's the oil looking? And compression test the engines.

If clean oil and good compression, and otherwise good performance, for the right price I might consider it.

Thanks for the quick response and the good advice!
I haven’t seen the boat in person yet. Just pictures and video. The guy that was working on it said the oil looks good now. I’m gonna have to make a 7 hour drive to check it out for myself. I plan on checking compression before anything else so I can see the numbers on a cold engine. Good call on the oil. I’ll definitely check it before and after a good sea trial.
The big question is what’s the right price given the circumstances.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks for the quick response and the good advice!
I haven’t seen the boat in person yet. Just pictures and video. The guy that was working on it said the oil looks good now. I’m gonna have to make a 7 hour drive to check it out for myself. I plan on checking compression before anything else so I can see the numbers on a cold engine. Good call on the oil. I’ll definitely check it before and after a good sea trial.
The big question is what’s the right price given the circumstances.

Not worth a 7 hour drive imho…. Especially with an unknown price.

 

[Babin Farms]

I got to the “saltwater” and that’s all I needed to know that it’d be a nope from me. Saltwater is extremely hard on everything and I’ve seen way too many boats neglected living down here. Not saying they’re all bad but for me, I am not interested in taking that chance. Already decided that my next boat will be from somewhere far away from saltwater.

 

[Neutron]

Didn't seem like bad deposits to me in the water jackets, but with that said i would still stay clear. Way to many unknowns.
Unless it was really cheap and knowing you might spend some money on it