used boat advice?

[ylojelo]

Looks like I'll be taking a look at a used sweetwater pontoon this weekend. what are things to look for in a used pontoon boat? Any telltale signs that say stay away? without any listings similar, how do I determine a fair price?

[lakerunner]

Check under deck for floor condition and any damage to logs. open storage areas for rot and damage. Check that guages, stereo,switches, breakers work.
Make sure steering isn't binding, shift and throttle cables are smooth.
Make sure fuel lines are sound
Pull cowling and check for water leaks and if 4stk oil leaks.
If possible check compression in each cylinder's.

pull lower unit drain screw and check for water in oil and metal shavings on screw magnet.

Check Prop for sever damage and if SS prop with damage be sure no damage to lower gears.

Check condition of tires, bunks,lights and coupler on trailer.

[schmir]

I'm a big fan of a test drive of a used boat too. If you plan on boating with a large crew most of the time, I'd take some friends too. The ride and handling of a pontoon boat will vary greatly when just 2 people are on board compared to 10 and coolers and such. At least mine does. Good luck!

[GXPWeasel]

I would also look, while you're looking at the decking, to see what it's made of i.e. Marine Plywood, or aluminum. Also, is the boat underskinned? This can up the value, and add speed if the boat is underskinned. Remember that if there are lifting strakes, this is a performance upgrade, so to speak, and can add speed, if there is enough power to bring the toon on a plane.

I could'nt find any listings of boats exaclty like mine, or even the same brand when I was researching mine, but I did compare to other makes/models that I'd heard of. When compared, I found that my toon's manufacturer is no longer in business, but not sure why, because the boat is build very solid. Not a pound of wood on our toon. Just compare to what you can find with the same options, and don't necesarilly focus on the brand name.

Good luck.

[ylojelo]

Thanks for the advice. Here's the discription:

"04 Sweetwater 24’ pontoon, model 2424DF. ’04 Yamaha 90hp 4 stroke, w/power trim & tilt, well maintained, less than 450 hrs, runs great, new cranking battery. Bimini top, playpen cover, pop-up changing room w/porti-potti, fish finder, 22 gal live well, rod holders, ski tow bar, swim platform w/fold down ladder, stow away cooler, everything works. Vinyl is in excellent condition, no tears, stains or broken seams, floor carpet in good condition. This boat stays covered except when in use. Minnkota 24 volt, 64 lb thrust trolling motor, new batteries. Also included is all required safety equipment, 2 anchors, dock lines and a Big Bertha tube. This boat is ready to go, just add gas. NO TRAILER. "

$13,500

[ylojelo]

Its a Godfrey pontoon, so the deck is wood.

[smltooner]

According to NADA, avg retail is $9860.

[slingshot]

You’re in luck here on that Yamaha. Most modern OB has ECM (electronic control module) and OBD (On Board Diagnositics). Just plug the motor up to a diagnostic tool and get the whole history of the motor (past and current trouble codes). You can have a mechanic do it if you don't want to invest in a diagnostic tool. Yamaha and Honda have extensive read outs which include total (true hours) on the engine to include number of hours at specific rpms. Just because an aftermarket time clock shows a certain hour doesn’t mean that it’s the actual hours.

[ylojelo]

ouch, see, I knew I was asking the right people the right questions. I didn't even know NADA valued boats.

I got even a lesser value (http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx? ... =mr&gtc=MR)

So, this boat sold for $10K new?!? If that's right, then pontoon boat prices have certainly jumped in a short period of time.


edit: the link above doesn't work exactly. It just shows the base price with none of the options, but it still shows the original price

[mikeherb]

Your listing is without the motor. The motor is 60-80% of the value of the boat.

I bought my boat in '06 with a very good trailer included for $12,900 and I would say it is a comparable boat to what you are considering. My boat had virtually no hours on the motor but was damaged in an accident while on the trailer. It was also a repo which drove the price down some more.

The price is definitely high without a trailer, and probably high if one was included. You have to figure that boat was probably 17-20 grand new without a trailer.

NADA values are not as "exact" on boats as they are on autos, especially when you are including the motor in the nada price. Cars are a certain amount based on miles and options but boat hours do not tell the tale when you consider the manner in which the boat was used, boat storage (was it done right each year), etc.

Test drive and have a dealer pull the codes. If the motor has not been abused make him a low ball offer and see if he bites. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine what the boat is worth but I think you can keep looking and find a better deal.

[ylojelo]

You’re in luck here on that Yamaha. Most modern OB has ECM (electronic control module) and OBD (On Board Diagnositics). Just plug the motor up to a diagnostic tool and get the whole history of the motor (past and current trouble codes). You can have a mechanic do it if you don't want to invest in a diagnostic tool. Yamaha and Honda have extensive read outs which include total (true hours) on the engine to include number of hours at specific rpms. Just because an aftermarket time clock shows a certain hour doesn’t mean that it’s the actual hours.

a friend of mine has one for this truck. Would this work on a OB engine?

[ylojelo]

ah, I felt I wasn't adding one big variable: the engine size. well that makes a big difference

[slingshot]

Not sure if the auto OBD II will work in that I don't have one to see if it would even fit the harness. I have the Yamaha Diagnostic Software (YDS). It will work on the following Yamaha products:

All Yamaha HPDI models (Z150,Z175,Z200,VZ225, Z and VZ250 and the Z300's)

All EFI Four Stroke Yamaha engines (F40LA, F50, F60, F75, F90, F115, F150, F200, F225, F250, F300 and the F350)

Yamaha YDS capable Watercraft (jetski's)

The kits will not work on any Yamaha OX66 fuel injected engine or any Yamaha carbed engine.

The software is simple to use. All you need is laptop or pc with any version of Windows (except Windows 95), one open USB port and a CD\DVD drive to install the software.

The kit comes with the Diagnostic software on CD, a USB cable to connect the laptop to the engine, a data converter module and an instruction booklet. The data converter module is a small black box that is wired into the USB wire connecting to the engine. The cable is long enough for the laptop to reach most helms stations while under way. The instruction booklet is very easy to understand and very detailed.

You can not really change anything on the engine by using the software. You can check numerous sensors, view and clear trouble codes, perform running cylinder drop tests, rpm history, maximum and minimum sensor values, engine max speed, fuel pressure, over rev control history, overheat control history.... just to name a few things. The down side, it's about $400

[WaltF]

This is ALL good info!
This site ROCKS!

[ylojelo]

how do I determine the (resale) value of a used pontoon AND motor, if the NADA figures are for boat only?