Looking for some advice on boat purchase

[Likesspace]

Hi guys,

Tonight I'm going to look at a 1998 Suntracker Party Barge 21 Signature series boat. The seats were recovered last year and look like new. It has an all aluminum deck and is a one owner boat. It has a 40 hp Force motor and has been garage kept every winter.
They are asking $7,000.00.
I really like the idea of an aluminum deck and the boat really does appear to be in good condition. I'll attempt to add a link to the photos:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2793031 ... nger_share

My question is simply do you guys feel that this is a good price for this boat?
Any guidance would be appreciated.

Dave

[NonHyphenAmerican]

Is the aluminum deck coated/covered with anything?

Are you planning on pulling anyone on a tube? If so, that 40hp won't be enough motor unless the kid is 10 or under.

What bimini's does it have? Are they in good shape?

Mooring Cover? What shape is it in?

Are the toons clean and reasonably dent/ding free? Any signs of corrosion?

Type of trailer? Rusted and dented or taken care of? How old are the tires? How long since the hubs have been cleaned and re-packed?
Single or double axle? I think those came with a single, but I'm partial to doubles for the weight capacity.

I don't do Farcebook so can't see the pics, hence the questions.

I'm sure the more experienced Tooners will chime in.

[Likesspace]

Okay, we spent quite a bit of time with the owners and discussed pretty much every aspect of the boat. In short, I was impressed.
This thing really does look like a very nice boat. It's not showroom quality but it's not far from it.

There was another couple that was looking at the boat so this might turn out to be a moot point but please.....if anyone has an opinion on the boat and the price point I would love to hear it.

If the other couple decides not to pull the trigger we are going to meet at a local lake and take it for a test drive. If it runs as well as the owner says it does I'm really inclined to write him a check.

NADA Guides says that it's about $900.00 overpriced for it's age, but that's not taking into account the aluminum deck or the "like new" seats.

Please guys....I don't care if your opinion is what I'd like to hear or not. I just want someone else's opinion. I impulse bought my other boat, (which we will keep for fishing). But, I don't want to make mistake with this one.

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[Likesspace]

[quote="NonHyphenAmerican"]Is the aluminum deck coated/covered with anything?

Are you planning on pulling anyone on a tube? If so, that 40hp won't be enough motor unless the kid is 10 or under.

What bimini's does it have? Are they in good shape?

Mooring Cover? What shape is it in?

Are the toons clean and reasonably dent/ding free? Any signs of corrosion?

Type of trailer? Rusted and dented or taken care of? How old are the tires? How long since the hubs have been cleaned and re-packed?
Single or double axle? I think those came with a single, but I'm partial to doubles for the weight capacity.

I don't do Farcebook so can't see the pics, hence the questions.

I'm sure the more experienced Tooners will chime in.[/quote]

Thanks so much for the response....
The deck is covered with carpet that looks perfect. It was replaced last year along with the seats.
The logs look perfect. Not a single dent or ding. No corrosion and very clean for their age. They are 24 inch diameter.
The boat has a single bimini that is in perfect condition. No holes or tears. The boot is also included.
There is not a snap on mooring cover but there is a cover with the support poles.

I don't plan on doing any tubing. We have adult children and the most we do is cruise the shoreline of our lake and sight see, (and also anchor off and grill).

The trailer is a single axle with bearing buddies. The owner said that every 100 miles he would give the bearings 3 shots of marine grease. The trailer looks really good...not perfect but good. This is pretty much a moot point since we will be putting the boat into a slip which is 5 miles from our home.

Again, thanks for the response. Your questions and opinion are exactly what I'm looking for. Have a great evening.

Dave

[Rick McC.]

It actually sounds like a good deal to me.

The new upholstery and carpet job are probably worth $3000.00+ themselves.

If you decide to upgrade the motor with a later model four stroke at some point, you'll still be OK.

For your intended use, it sounds like a good fit.

[Bamaman]

I'm sorry but I wouldn't want 40 hp on any 21 ft boat--much less a Force motor.

Keep looking.

[NonHyphenAmerican]

If you think you'll be happy with the 40hp motor, then it's a decent deal given the shape it's apparently in.

The most expensive part of that boat is the motor at this point because if all else is good and the motor fails, it's expensive to hang a newer or bigger motor on it.

So if all is as the owner told you it is, then it probably is a decent deal to do small lake cruising, anchoring, and generally bobbing around.

It won't be a speed demon, so make sure the weather is fair when you're out as it just won't push you very fast.

As for the $7000 price? Do you have the $7000 in cash? If you lose the $7000 in cash, are you going to starve or go homeless?

If not, and you like the boat, buy it.

[Likesspace]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I really appreciate it.

I forgot to mention that although the boat was listed as having a Force motor it actually has a Tracker/Mercury, 2 stroke with power trim. We are on a small 585 acre lake so the motor size is really not much of an issue.

I did run the boat through NADA Guide again with all of the options, (bimini, fold down ladder, stereo, sun deck, etc.) and it appears that it is priced right where it should be without taking into consideration the new upholstery and aluminum deck. That makes me think I would be getting a good deal on the boat.

I'll know more if we get to the point of a test run. If the other couple buys it then we'll keep looking.

Oh....and we do have the purchase price in cash and I will NEVER do ANYTHING that might keep me from eating. Eating is one of the things that I'm seriously good at.

Thanks again guys.

[JLester273]

Sounds like a nice boat. Can't wait to see some pics.

BTW
I have a Force 75. I hear a lot of people talk down about them. Mine runs like a champ. No dealers don't want to work on them. But I don't want dealers to work on it anyway. (cost to much for me) From my research they can be great motors. And if you have problems and are willing to do the work they aren't bad to work on. For now it is running great so I'm gonna run it until I need to replace it.

[BobL]

NADA Guides on boats are usually low and many times do not include the trailer. Sounds like a reasonable price and sounds like it is in really good shape (cant see the pictures as I don't do Facebook either).

[FLOUNDERPOUNDER225]

sounds fair, the force motors of that era were basically a mercury engine anyway, so not bad motors. Do a compression check and loosen the lower unit drain plug until a drop or so of gear lube drips out, make sure its not milky.

[sunedog]

I had a 1995 21 foot Tracker with a 60 HP two stroke. Only sold it because the motor burned a piston (long story, not applicable here). That was a really solid, well designed boat. I called it the Chevy Impala of boats. Not fancy, but there were a million of them built and they were very well thought out.

I do have to tell you, however, I think the price is high for a 19 year old boat with not much of a motor. As some people say, you buy the motor and the boat comes with it. The upgrades to the seats and carpet may have cost $3000, but they don't add $3000 of value to a 19 year old boat. My opinion is NADA prices on boats are about worthless. There is not enough data reported to make them accurate. And you can't look at Craigslist prices for much of a comparison. A LOT of people put an outrageous price in their ads with the hope an uneducated buyer will fall for it.

I would tell the owner it's a nice boat and you like it, but pull out $5000 in green cash and see if he wants to sell right there on the spot. (Take all reasonable precautions waving around that amount of cash, of course.) If that doesn't work out, there will be plenty of other boats available. In my part of the country (SC), there are so many more boats for sale than buyers, it is a buyer's market.

[Likesspace]

Thanks again to everyone for the replies and advice.

After posting this morning I've had plenty of opportunity to do some more research.
The motor is in fact a Force brand "by Mercury".
The Force name doesn't bother me at all because I've heard plenty of people say they are a very good motor despite their less than stellar reputation. The part that bothers me is that many repair shops won't work on a Force motor and I am not a mechanic. If the motor breaks I need someone who can do the repair for me.

Also, I've been thinking along the same lines as Sunedog....

The boat is very nice and very solid and I would love to have it. But with that particular motor I might be better off waiting for something else to come along. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point but I do feel that it is somewhat overpriced for the age.

Thanks again to everyone for their input.

[Likesspace]

One more update.....

I talked to my mechanic tonight and he suggested that I stay away from the Force motor. He said they are fairly good, strong motors but that some parts are getting extremely hard to find.
But he also said that I have an advantage that others might not have, which is that I have a 50 hp 4 stroke Mercury outboard that is in good shape.

His suggestion was that I try to get the seller to drop his price to a point that I'm happy with. He said he could then swap the Force motor to my current boat and my Mercury to the new boat.

His words were that if the Force is running good now it might run just as well for the next 10 years. On the other hand it might throw an obsolete part the first time out and then you are screwed. It's a gamble.

But here's what really piqued my interest....

He reminded me that I will be keeping my Bass Buggy as a fishing boat.
He also reminded me that my lake is small,(585 acres).

He said that I can keep the Force motor on the new boat and hope for the best.
If it does happen to give out I can always swap my four stroke over to the new boat and spend $500.00 or so on a used 9.9 hp which will easily get me out to my favorite fishing spot where I'll drop the trolling motor and do what the boat is designed to do.
His point was simply that I don't need a big motor to get to where the fish are biting.
I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before.

So, I think I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and offer $5000 - $6000.
From all of the research that I've done I really feel as if this is a good price for the boat.
In my opinion the aluminum deck is worth a lot since I will never have to worry about rot.
I might have to replace the seats or the motor at some point but the structural part of the boat should probably last the rest of my life and that's what I'm looking for.

I thank you all for your input. I was ready to pull the trigger without any consideration other than the fact that I liked the boat. Your responses gave me things to consider and question and I am very grateful.

Does this plan sound good? I'm probably going to make the offer no matter what, but feel free to call me a gullible idiot anyway.

Seriously guys...thanks.

[Likesspace]

Let me try to attach some pics: