Advise before pulling trigger on 1990s 226s

[GreenRoomSon]

Hello,

This will be my first non sail boat purchase. I have two 226s (Pre 97) that I am thinking about putting offers on but wanted input from the community.

Boat One: -Boat is in excellent shape, no wet wood, Nice electronics, transom dry, kept under cover on trailer
-Trialer is a aluminum bunk trailer, two axel with new breaks in great overall shape
-2020 Yamaha F200XB out of warranty, maintained with 50 hours.

Boat Two: -Boat is structurally sound, transom dry, old electronics, Wood beam over auxillary tank is wet (although overlying hatch gasket is no longer good and it has been getting rain). Gas tank cover near this wood beam is soft. Trim tabs are missing. Was kept in water till recently with significant barnacles, some of which have been antifouled over. Has dock rash last year.
-Trailer is a galvanized roller trailer, two axel with rolllers in one corner need replacing, many brackets rusted, surge break actuator was removed so no idea if drum breaks are still functional
- 2020 Suzuki DF250 with two years of warranty left which is verified transferable (all paper work is present), maintained with 160 hours.

Is having two years of warranty on a Suzuki engine with 50 more HP worth taking Boat 2 when it needs about $7000 in repairs and upgrades to be comparable to Boat 1 with a smaller out of warranty Yamaha motor?

Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[seasick]

As far as I know there is no aux tank at least for gas.
Check the spec for max HP for that model and year. I thought the max was 200.
I also have doubts that a boat of that age would be in excellent shape. There are things that wear out and age.
Did you see the first boat in the water? If so, were the scuppers above the water line?
Are either hulls pre SV2 model introduction. If so, you probably don't want that boat.
You didn't mention prices so how can we compare but I would expect that 99 out of a hundred people would select the first option over the second.
The warranty does not mean a lot. Both motors could be great or could have problems. Age of the motor in itself is not a good indicator of condition.
In general, if ahull was well taken care of, the motor probably wasn't neglected.
On the other extreme, you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig

 

[Fishtales]

Hello,

This will be my first non sail boat purchase. I have two 208s (Pre 97) that I am thinking about putting offers on but wanted input from the community.

Boat One: -Boat is in excellent shape, no wet wood, Nice electronics, transom dry, kept under cover on trailer
-Trialer is a aluminum bunk trailer, two axel with new breaks in great overall shape
-2020 Yamaha F200XB out of warranty, maintained with 50 hours.

Boat Two: -Boat is structurally sound, transom dry, old electronics, Wood beam over auxillary tank is wet (although overlying hatch gasket is no longer good and it has been getting rain). Gas tank cover near this wood beam is soft. Trim tabs are missing. Was kept in water till recently with significant barnacles, some of which have been antifouled over. Has dock rash last year.
-Trailer is a galvanized roller trailer, two axel with rolllers in one corner need replacing, many brackets rusted, surge break actuator was removed so no idea if drum breaks are still functional
- 2020 Suzuki DF250 with two years of warranty left which is verified transferable (all paper work is present), maintained with 160 hours.

Is having two years of warranty on a Suzuki engine with 50 more HP worth taking Boat 2 when it needs about $7000 in repairs and upgrades to be comparable to Boat 1 with a smaller out of warranty Yamaha motor?

Any input would be much appreciated.

Ahh let me thing about this...... NO.

 

[GreenRoomSon]

My mistake, I meant the 226, both are SV2, both have auxiliary tank.

As for as being in excellent shape, I imagine that Boat One would be rated well above average if surveyed compared to simular well taken care of, singe owner Grady Whites of this age that I have seen surveyed by freinds.

I have not seen either boat yet in the water, I am going to get the boat I move foward on surveyed.

As for as prices
Boat 1, excelent shape, F200XB looking at 22,000
Boat 2 needs repair, DF250 with warranty looking at 17,000

Thanks

 

[blynch]

Hmm. 226 owner here, the 4cly 200hp is not the optimal power but it may be adequate if your expectations are reasonable. It'll be a very efficient package so I'd suggest not really using the aux tank to manage the weight. The lack of engine warranty on an engine that new and generally reliable is not a needle mover for me.

As much as I'd like to recommend the 250, I definitely get the heeby jeebies hearing about the issues that hull has so I'd vote #1.

 

[luckydude]

I'm not adding anything that hasn't been said, but 100% #1. No question. Given the problems in #2, I'd expect there are more you haven't found yet.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

If I can only choose between one of those two boats, I'd definitely go with boat number one. The first boat is $5k more, but you say the second one needs $7k in repairs, which will put you at $25k total at the very minimum for the second boat. Are you looking specifically for a 226 Seafarer or open to other models as well? And what years are the two boats in question? I personally look at people buying boats and see what they're spending, then compare it to my boat and what I paid for it. I bought my boat back in October of 2021 in Maryland, flew out, bought it, rented a U-Haul truck and trailered her 3,009 miles back to Seattle. My boat is a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer with the factory hardtop, Yamaha F225 with 991 hours on her at the time, 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer and basic Garmin electronics. I bought my boat at the time for $26.5k and figure she's worth at least $55k now, of which I also compare that $26.5k to the $22k you're potentially going to spend on your boat. The two boats both having newer motors is nice, the Yamaha only comes with a standard 3 year warranty which is why it's no longer covered, as opposed to the Suzuki which comes with a 5 year warranty. I also look at that $22k price point and think to myself, what could I get for slightly more money?

There are a couple of newer 226 Seafarer's in the high $20k's range with older 4 stroke power, which I'd be more inclined to look at personally, if I were in your shoes, but that's just me. I also much prefer the 228 Seafarer over the 226 Seafarer because the former has the fully enclosed transom and transom bracket as opposed to the latter having a motor well. Which means the 226 Seafarer will be a bit more susceptible to a wet or rotting transom because of the bang cap/plate. I also prefer an aluminum trailer over galvanized steel as it won't rust quite so easily, and in regard to horsepower... the 250 will likely push that boat over 50 mph. My setup will do 45 mph in better than just average conditions with an F225, and the F200 I'm thinking will probably be a high 30's to low 40's mph boat @ WOT. Which imo there's nothing wrong with that, especially if you're not heavily loaded down with persons and gear. 1992 and newer 22's were the SeaV2 hull design, which is the newer and imo much better hull. Though, I do believe previous to 1997 the boats used standard marine grade plywood as opposed to the 1997 and later hulls which used a product called Greenwood XL, which is supposedly better at resisting rot, though obviously some still do with extensive water intrusion. I personally look for the newest hull that I can afford, but that's just me, and I also don't like the wood paneling/trim in the helm/cockpit area on the older boats. So that's a no go for me as well. Just my own thoughts and opinions on the matter, of course.