Looking at buying my first boat. 1984 Seafarer

[DeVo]

Hello. This is my first post here. Found this link from thehulltruth. Ive been looking for boats for a long time and really love the Grady White. I live in San Diego and boat prices seem to be alot higher here then the east cost. For the money here is seems to be a good boat with a good motor. I found this boat for sale from the original owner. He repowerd it with a 2002 Honda 4 stroke 130hp. He seems like a honest guy and he says it runs better then the old 150 2stroke that came on it in 1984. He says it gets right up on plane. Was wondering what you guys thought of this boat and motor. Thanks for the help.




Kris

 

[Biscayne208]

It looks like a nice boat but a 130 is way underpowered. Just to give you an Idea I own a 208 with a 150 Yamaha and my boat barely sees 40 mph on a good day with very light cargo. That Seafarer will not even plane if it has 4 passengers aboard.

 

[rml2112]

Hi,
I have a 228 seafarer with a 225 and I would not have any less power than that.
Bob

 

[sfc2113]

130hp 4's will push that thing?. Put 4 guys and full fuel tank, I cant see that thing getting on plane. Hondas have great power for a 4s but you will be selling that motor and getting 200 hp at least.

 

[uncljohn]

yeah, that guy went cheap to repower and that boat does NOT have enough hps.

You will not save $ buying an underpowered boat. The engine will need to work harder. I have a 200 Yam 2-S on my 228.

 

[DeVo]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[no problem]

"He says it gets right up on plane" maybe his last boat was a trawler or perhaps a sailboat. Average money should get you an average boat. Even if that package suits your needs the price doesn't reflect the repower mistake. That money should get a better combo, keep lookin and good luck.

 

[82seafarer]

HONDA REPOWER

Actually I have an 82 Seafarer which has an 87 Johnson 225 and I would not even consider anything less then a 200 hp. The nice thing about a 225 (or having plenty of power) is it allows you to run the engine at a lot less RPM and still have plenty of power. That translates to MUCH better gas mileage, staying on plane much easier, and having an engine that lasts much longer since it is NOT working as hard. I can leave my engine at 3500 RPMs all day and still cruise along nicely. Also 4 strokes are a lot heavier so if you have a LOT less power and then add more weight - well I guess you can figure out how it will behave for you.

 

[Strikezone]

I'm surprised that you could even get on plane with 130 HP engine. As the others have said, 200 would be the least power I would go with (I have 225 hp).

You should keep looking for something that you could better spend your money on.

 

[Fishtales]

The other concern is the hull age. We are looking at a 26 year old boat at this point. I'd be concerned there were/are other issues and if the owner cut corners with the repower, how were other issues addressed.

I love my GW like all of you do, but a 26 year old hull? I'd be looking for something else personally - at least get a thourough survey prior to purchasing.