missing engine question

[Ezgoing]

A friend wants to sell me a 1984 12 x 36 Gibson houseboat. I understand this is not a houseboat forum but can't find an active houseboat forum. So I am hoping somebody here can give me some input.

The boat is in fair shape but would require some work on my part. But the boat is missing the inboard engine. Her husband removed the engine when he bought the boat 15 years ago to have it repaired but decided not to have it repaired when the shop give him the price. He also did not bother to place the engine back in the boat so it is now missing.

How much is a houseboat worth when the engine is missing? I see several of this model, year, listed for around $15,000 but these all have good engines in them. Plus most of them have been updated in the last few years.

So does anybody have any idea how much the missing engine would remove from the value of this houseboat?

[RcgTexas]

First question: Is it an inboard or inboard /outboard system. does it have an outdrive with a lower unit still there?

[Ezgoing]

Thanks for your response.

I'll have to look at it tomorrow and see. The boat is in a slip near mine but I have never paid a lot of attention to it as I did not think she wanted to sell it. Her husband died this past summer but her teenage son was wanting to keep the boat.

But she called me saying she heard I might be in the market for a houseboat and she would like to sell her husband's boat.

[Bamby]

Houseboat Magazine Forums I'm sure some folks there could be helpful with your questions.

[Bamaman]

You'd have to figure out what power is needed, and research the installed price of such units online. Most of the 36' Gibsons had two 318 Chryslers when they were new. A few had a single I/O unit--some of which were Mercruisers.

Mercruiser I/O units are really pretty reasonably priced for what you get--when bought as a total unit new. Unfortunately, the newest models are equipped with catalytic converters. But electronics and fuel injection are much improved over the carb. years.

Is the boat still in the water? If so, you can still buy parts for Mercruisers. Old Chrysler powerplant parts are not to be found. Another option is to buy an old I/O boat that still runs good and gut the hull for parts.

If still floating, you'd want to have the boat checked out by a professional. Anything fiberglass will have a wooden core framing, etc., and fiberglass boats kept out in the weather just won't have the lifespan of anything made of aluminum (i.e. pontoons.)

If you really have any questions, I think Gibson Boats is still in operation in Goodlettsville, TN.

[Ezgoing]

You'd have to figure out what power is needed, and research the installed price of such units online. Most of the 36' Gibsons had two 318 Chryslers when they were new. A few had a single I/O unit--some of which were Mercruisers.

Mercruiser I/O units are really pretty reasonably priced for what you get--when bought as a total unit new. Unfortunately, the newest models are equipped with catalytic converters. But electronics and fuel injection are much improved over the carb. years.

Is the boat still in the water? If so, you can still buy parts for Mercruisers. Old Chrysler powerplant parts are not to be found. Another option is to buy an old I/O boat that still runs good and gut the hull for parts.

If still floating, you'd want to have the boat checked out by a professional. Anything fiberglass will have a wooden core framing, etc., and fiberglass boats kept out in the weather just won't have the lifespan of anything made of aluminum (i.e. pontoons.)

If you really have any questions, I think Gibson Boats is still in operation in Goodlettsville, TN.

Thanks for your response. I will be checking it this afternoon, as I go out to fish.

I had not considered that it might have problems from being in the water that long. He told me last year it had been in that slip for eleven years. He said he used four trolling motors to move it from the previous slip in the marina to the current location.

So it has been in the water since he bought it and since he removed the motors when he bought it I doubt he had the hull checked while he owned the boat. As I now recall he stated "motors" so it is probably not an inboard/outboard set up.

My main concern was what would be a fair price for it. I can find these boats in good operating condition for less than $15,000. I would not want to cheat her but I also don't want to pay more than it is worth.

And I know that new engines for vans are not cheap so I suspect an engine designed for a boat would be even more expensive.

I don't really need the engines as I just want a houseboat to stay overnight in from time to time. My pontoon is too small to stay in, as I bought it for crappie fishing, not for using on overnight trips.

[Ezgoing]

Houseboat Magazine Forums I'm sure some folks there could be helpful with your questions.

Thanks. I checked that forum before I posted here. That forum is not very active. I checked the DIY/Remodel forum and it had one thread in it. That thread was a request for people to post their remodeling projects, which nobody has done.

[Bamby]

Houseboat Magazine Forums I'm sure some folks there could be helpful with your questions.

Thanks. I checked that forum before I posted here. That forum is not very active. I checked the DIY/Remodel forum and it had one thread in it. That thread was a request for people to post their remodeling projects, which nobody has done.

There are actually some folks over there that are quite knowledgeable and could prove helpful should you pursue on the houseboat. Also at one time there was a huge amount of posts and information available in the archives it is actually a pretty old forum. But when they upgraded a while back they pulled the same stunt that the other pontoon deckboat forum done (same Owner), they didn't carry over any of the old forum to the new one thereby starting over again from scratch again. It's a shame to because a lot of very good stories and posts are now lost forever that could have proved beneficial or interesting reading for an enormous amount of people.

As far as engine(s) for the boat you're looking at, there are actually houseboat scrapyards where you may find a reasonable price on a complete ready to run drop in engine. If you're not planning on running or moving it much or to far I've seen outboard motor mounts that were fabricated up and bolted to the transom and was called good. A lot of options are available to you once you make a decision of where you want to go.

[Ezgoing]

Houseboat Magazine Forums I'm sure some folks there could be helpful with your questions.

Thanks. I checked that forum before I posted here. That forum is not very active. I checked the DIY/Remodel forum and it had one thread in it. That thread was a request for people to post their remodeling projects, which nobody has done.

There are actually some folks over there that are quite knowledgeable and could prove helpful should you pursue on the houseboat. Also at one time there was a huge amount of posts and information available in the archives it is actually a pretty old forum. But when they upgraded a while back they pulled the same stunt that the other pontoon deckboat forum done (same Owner), they didn't carry over any of the old forum to the new one thereby starting over again from scratch again. It's a shame to because a lot of very good stories and posts are now lost forever that could have proved beneficial or interesting reading for an enormous amount of people.

As far as engine(s) for the boat you're looking at, there are actually houseboat scrapyards where you may find a reasonable price on a complete ready to run drop in engine. If you're not planning on running or moving it much or to far I've seen outboard motor mounts that were fabricated up and bolted to the transom and was called good. A lot of options are available to you once you make a decision of where you want to go.

You are right, I was wrong. I judged the forum on the DIY forum which had nothing in it. I asked my question in the Houseboating Forum, where I thought it would be inappropriate and received some very good answers.