Newbie looking for engine advice

[woodman4 1]

Hey guys, new guy here from North Carolina. Im currently searching for a boat to wakeboard and surf behind and have found one that I would like some advice on. It is a 98 model V210 Medalist. It is about 8 hours away from me, but from the pictures it looks pretty nice for it's age. Only reason Im considering driving that far is because we really want a v drive and I'm not having any luck finding any near me.

My main question is about the engine on this boat. The seller sent me this pic and I was expecting to see a perfectly clean engine (not sure why I thought that). It doesnt look too bad, but there are a few spots on it that are rusted. Im just curious if they are normal for an engine that old or if they could indicate some neglect or parts that need to be replaced. I have read about the issues people have with risers and manifolds rusting, and there is some rust in that area on both sides of the engine, so I didnt know if that rust that is visible is an indication of rust internally as well. Please let me know what you guys think!

 

[InfinitySurf 302]

What is your budget? I am from NC, may be able to help point you to a couple boats....assume you are looking at Craigslist and expanding your search areas, checking boat trader and onlyinboards? More and more boats will be coming up for sale as we get closer to Spring, course prices will get a little higher too, so sooner the better but its not worth jumping into something and settling either, so check it out carefully. I would have a mechanic check out an older boat unless you are getting a smoking deal and expect to do some repairs. Engine is the heart

Boats are constantly in a moist environment, especially if not stored indoors and of course a lot of it depends on care of the owners. A boat that old, I would think is bound to have some rust. Did you get the engine details (make and model) so some of the members can tell you more? I personally don't know much about older boats

[woodman4 1]

Hey man, thanks for the reply. I definitely don’t expect to buy a boat that old and never have to touch it. I’m just trying to get as much info as I can before I make a move. The current owner says it’s a 5.7 mercruiser, but he also wasn’t sure if it’s fuel injected or carbed, he just bought it to have fun and let the marina handle all the work.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that the engine wouldn’t be perfectly clean. If you’re not doing your own maintenance on it you probably don’t hardly ever lift the cover. I’m thinking I’ll just factor in replacement manifolds and risers in my offer and go from there. 

[RhuntIII 555]

If you go look at this boat check below the the rusted areas for water leaks. If the engine is leaking water while running you will find mineral deposits left behind. From the picture it doesn't look too bad.

[woodman4 1]

Hey infinity, have you seen the Saltare for sale in Tennessee? It’s a ‘90 model and looks like it’s been really taken care of. My holdback on it is it has wood stringers. I know they’re not guaranteed to be bad or need replacing, but I kinda told myself early on that I wouldn’t buy something that wasn’t all fiberglass. Any thoughts on that boat?

https://chattanooga.craigslist.org/boa/d/supra-saltare-classic-1990/6505487089.html

 

[InfinitySurf 302]

That does look pretty clean from the pics for a 1990. Wood stringers can always be an issue, hard to know when something like that will bite you. Least it looks like they protected it fairly well at least by covering it. Little harder to make a Direct Drive boat surf, anything is possible with enough weight and a suck gate, but a v-drive will do it easier for sure. A DD main purpose is to keep boat on plane so there is very little wake for skiing, so you are working against the boat trying to surf. I have seen others make a decent enough wave to surf tho.

I don't think you can expect any engine to look perfect when that old, but it will tell a lot about the owners when you see how clean or dirty it is. Both boats seemed to be kept in pretty decent shape, tho you know pics can be deceiving. Seems like you are doing your due diligence and checking them out thoroughly tho. Good luck

[HoneyBadger0829 3]

This past year I bought a new 2012 with 8 hours on it. The guy bought it, put it in his garage and never used it. The first thing I did was have it sent to a mechanic for a full mechanical evaluation. As expected it was fine, but always have a professional look at it. 

 

Good luck.