New to the Toon world, need some buying advice

[Ron Burgundy]

Hello, I live in Florida near the Gulf and want to buy a pontoon boat to cruise back and forth between some small islands and sandbars. I have only shopped around for about a week, but I think I may have found a good boat. It is a 1993 Suntracker 21' Party Barge with a newly rebuilt 150hp Mercury. The owner has brand new upholstry on all the seats, he is laying down new carpet, painting the entire boat, and replacing the bimini top.

Just wanted to get some input from some more experienced boaters. I know this is a fairly popular model so I'm sure some of you have some valuable insight. If you have any advice or warnings pleas let me know. I want to get the boat and outboard motor professionally inspected. Is there anything else I need to do?

Thanks,
Brett

[dockholiday]

Welcome

Have you checked the sticker to make sure max hp is not less than 150hp. Seems a little high for a 21' especially going back to 93. Not uncommon today for toons having 150's an 200's just not sure it was rated that high in 93. I may be wrong but worth checking.
doc

[Ron Burgundy]

I actually just emailed the seller for more information about the motor. All I know is the it is a carburated V6 that was recently rebuilt. He said that it was a factory installed engine, but I was also skeptical about the 150hp. Is there a good way to check an engine rebuild to make sure it isn't a lemon?

[brumbyvet]

I agree, you need to check actual horsepower rating for that boat. I'm sure it's not 150.

[lakerunner]

Do not buy an overpowered boat unless your using the motor for trade to correct hp. Me believe he is full of shit when he says it came with a 150

[Ron Burgundy]

Is a V6 normal for 1993? As you can tell, I'm a novice.

[lakerunner]

That toon should be rated for a 90 to 125 IMO. A friend has one a few years newer and his rated at 90 I think

[Ron Burgundy]

Well.... I inquired the seller again about the motor. He says that it is a Mercury V6 rated at 150hp. Now I know that this can't be a stock engine. However, are there any problems with upgrading the motor to a more powerfull engine? It seems tha t as long as I drive it under control and maintain a safe speed I shouldn't have any problem. Am I wrong?

[Shopguy]

should be a coast guard approval tag or sticker around the helm that states the rated power and number people or total cargo weight. A 150 on a two log tracker would be like putting my big a$$ in a booster seat LOL, and is just not likely to be legal. Don't get me wrong I'm all for more power but I'm not sure how the law would react if checked.
I know you can't have more people than whats stated on the sticker because there has to be a seat for everyone so I'd say they might look at the motor in the same manner.

opinion..... keep shoppin

[dockholiday]

If the sticker is gone, it might not be due to it becoming unstuck, or simply falling off. Bottom line insurance especially liability might be hard to come by.If it is overpowered an have an accident where there is injury, might be a way for the insurance to weasel out of any liability, leaving you holding the bag. Just make sure of the boat's max hp rating............Call Tracker if necessary.
doc

[Ron Burgundy]

Thanks for the advice. I am going to look into this issue more. I hope that it isn't over-rated because everything else is great on this boat.

[OldePharte]

Another issue for exceeding the toon's HP rating is running afoul of the local law enforcement and possible deniability of any insurance coverage.

[margaritaman]

If you can get the motor's serial number you can find out what the real horsepower is on that motor and if you call Tracker they can give you max HP rating on that boat.

[GXPWeasel]

I guess I'm giong to play Devil's advocate today...

What if the prev. owner had the boat inspected by the USCG and had the boat approved for a bigger (up to 150hp) motor on the thing? Then I would say he is legal, as long as he can prove, in writing, that the USCG said it was safe. He may have an aftermarket (non factory) sticker on the boat stating the HP is good up to 150, after all, he is close to the Ocean, and may need/want the extra HP. I sure as hell know that I would want the most HP possible for an ocean going vessel. Plus, there may have been some type of option from the factory for an Salt water package, that maybe allowed the stepped up HP rating? These are all un knowns, until the guy can actuall look at the boat.

Normally I would say that the current owner is full of horse dung, because I've never seen a 22 footer that old, allow a 150hp motor either, hell my 2005 25 footer is only rated for 125hp.

[Ron Burgundy]

Once again I spoke to the owner and told him that I can't insure a boat if it is over-rated. He then checked the tag and told me that it was rated for a 90hp engine. He is willing to swap out the engine for me to make it "street legal". I know this started to sound a little shady, but I do feel that this guy is an honest person. If this boat is now in coast guard compliance I can't see any other red flags. Everything else is new on the boat. Anybody see something that I am missing?